Menace II Society: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Good soundtrack for a good movie.

This is an album that gets a few spins on the regular but there is too many tracks I don't even bother listening to. Some are either just bad or I don't care for the artist. The opening track by Spice 1 N*gga gots no Heart is one of the best on here. The best track is MC Eiht's Straight up menace. This track was perfect for the soundtrack. I can visualize the events in the movie the way Eiht lays it down. The beat is perfect as well. Spice 1 also drops the clean version of the same track A Trigga gots no Heart. Pete Rock and CL Smooth deliver a pretty hard track "Death Becomes You". KRS makes an appearance with P is still free. I like the song and all but it feels kind of out of place on this soundtrack to me. This track is also on KRS's Return of The Boom Bap. Brand Nubian drops a very good track Punk Mutha**uckas. There is also an extended version of this track on Brand Nubians album Everything is Everything. The beat to me on this soundtrack is alot better though. Guerillas Ain't Gangstas by Lench Mob is another one I like.

There's a couple of slow jams on here too. Top of the World by Kenya Gruv and Unconditional Love by Hi-Five. Now the bad, number one with a bullet is definitly Stop Looking At Me by Cutthroats. This song is just ridiculous to the extreme. The other tracks I won't even touch up on. I won't say that they are very bad. I just don't feel them. Especially All over a h*e by Mz. Kilo. I just don't like most female rappers. I can count with one hand how many I do like.

Still it's a pretty solid album and if you're a fan of any of these artist to include Too Short. This is a good buy.
January 9, 2008

One Dope Soundtrack From Nine-Tre (Rating: 8 out of 10- -4.0 stars)

More than likely, you've seen the movie "Menace II Society", and heard many of the songs from the movie. The soundtrack is a great representation of some of the artist's great work on a movie soundtrack. Most of them are related to the actual movie, so that is a plus, but at the same time many of the songs here sound like they were scrapped off their normal albums and ended up here.

The pros on this album are songs such as "Trigga Gots No Heart" by Spice 1, and MC Eiht's most popular track "Straight Up Menace". "Only The Strong Survive" is, what I believe, one of Too Short's best songs. Later on in the soundtrack, Pete Rock and CL with the help of the YG'z go hardcore (and more explicit than the normal rhyme style) on "Death Becomes You", which I believe is the soundtrack's best song. The R&B song "Unconditional Love" by Hi-Five is excellent, as the song talks about relationships. It reminds me of late 80's/early 90's R&B. Then KRS-One and DJ Premier team up for "P Is Still Free" which also appears on Return of the Boom Bap LP. U.G.K. comes in for the groove type sound "Pocket Full Of Stones".

The cons on this album are songs like "Stop Lookin' At Me" by the Cutthroats and Guru of Gang Starr (who outshines everyone on that song). That track is basically forgettable. And also I'm not feeling DJ Quik's "Can't F Wit A *****", although he JFN and KK of 2nd II None diss Everlast from House Of Pain. Other songs here that weren't mentioned weren't bad songs, but they weren't too great to stand out in my opinion.

Overall, "Menace II Society" is an excellent movie and an excellent soundtrack. This was when soundtracks actually had dope songs on them, not just old rehashed or weak songs that come on soundtracks today. I tell you, they just don't make them like they used to anymore. But this is one I highly recommend to those who enjoyed the movie or who like mid 90's gangsta rap. Peace!!

Lyrics: A-
Production: A-
Guest Appearances: N/A
Musical Vibes: B+

Top 5 Tracks:
1. Death Becomes You
2. Only The Strong Survive
3. Unconditional Love
4. Trigga Gots No Heart
5. Straight Up Menace

Honorable Mention:
1. Pocket Full Of Stones
2. Lick Dem MF's
3. "P" Is Still Free November 15, 2007

straight gangstaizm

love the tracks my favorite is da lench mob track guerillas ain't gangsta cube on the hook is classic other bangers are cuts by ant banks, spice 1, mc eiht and the last track by dj quik where he disses house of pain another track I dig is ms. kilo's all over a ho straight classic gangster rap at its finest. August 15, 2007

A challenge for hip-hop heads...??

Does anyone know what the tune playing in A-Wax's car is when they drive into the underground car-park to find a car to steal?? I tried hard to make out some lyrics and search it on the web but I've had no luck so far.....any clues anybody??? September 13, 2006

Great soundtrack to a great movie

If you're reading this, you probably know what a great movie "Menace II Society" is. This soundtrack fits the movie so well, it's also great. You need not see the movie to appreciate it, I was digging the soundtrack long before I actually ever saw the movie. The soundtrack is a great profile of 1993 hip hop and R&B, and it contains music from artists of both coasts. There's a lot of star power here, with A-list names like DJ Quik, Boogie Down Productions, and MC Eiht, and as with any soundtrack, there are some you've never heard of. All the music is good though, it's got a variety of music, all of which I like, and I recommend the "Menace II Society" soundtrack to fans of music from the time period.

The first song is Spice 1's "N**ga Gots No Heart", a hard-hitting rap song from the Bay Area great. It has nice production with synths and a funky style, and his rhymes are tough as nails. The best song here by far is MC Eiht's "Streiht Up Menace", a song I consider a classic. Eiht tells the story of a boy born in the ghetto and his problems getting out, it's got a sad ending. It's a very emotional track and the strings-and-drums production are also beautiful. I haven't seen this track anywhere else, so the soundtrack is almost worth it just for that song. The Ant Banks song "Packin' A Gun" has nice, bass heavy production and his flow here is nice to listen to. Kenya Gruv's love song "Top of the World" is here, it's nicely produced but it's not one I listen to too much. The Too Short cut "Only the Strong Will Survive" is a great song from the rap legend, I think Too Short was in his prime when this song was made and it sounds great. Mz. Kilo's funny song "All Over a Ho" is another highlight. Da Lench Mob, a kind of forgotten group from the early 90s, have a song called "Guerillas Ain't Gangstas", a pretty catchy hip hop song, the lyrics are interesting. Female rapper Smooth Ace contributes with "You Been Played", a track I find entertaining, I like the chorus. Brand Nubian's "Lick Dem MFs" is okay, it's a decent song but not the best we've seen from the legendary group. I think the same of Pete Rock & CL Smooth's "Death Becomes You" featuring the YGs. Pete and CL are maybe my favorite group of all time, and this song, while pretty good and well produced, doesn't really fit their style. The slow jam "Unconditional Love" by Hi-Five is excellent, it's too bad I've never heard from these guys again. One of KRS-One's last songs under the Boogie Down Productions moniker is here, "'P' is Still Free". It's an entertaining song with a good beat, the chorus makes me laugh. The Cutthroats show a crazy style on "Stop Lookin' At Me", it reminds me of an Onyx song. Even an early UGK song is here, the laidback "Pocket Full of Stones". The legend DJ Quik is included with "Can't F**k Wit A N**ga". It uses a sample from an earlier song of his, it's a nice song overall. The soundtrack finishes with an edited version of the first song.

This is a really great soundtrack, one of my favorites. As with any soundtrack, it has a lot of variety, so if you're looking for something more focused, this might not be for you. I feel that 1993 was one of hip hop's greatest years, and the music from the time is some of my favorite. I recommend this album to fans of the music of this period, because I enjoy it a lot. July 16, 2006

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