''Music from the Motion Picture Poetic Justice'' is the soundtrack to

John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing '' Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for ...

's 1993 film ''

Poetic Justice Poetic justice, also called poetic irony, is a literary device with which ultimately virtue is rewarded and misdeeds are punished. In modern literature, it is often accompanied by an ironic twist of fate related to the character's own action, henc ...

''. It was released on June 29, 1993, through Epic Soundtrax, and consisted of a blend of hip hop and R&B music. The album peaked at number 23 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart in the United States and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on August 25, 1993. Three charting singles were released from the album: " Indo Smoke" by Mista Grimm, "

Get It Up "Get It Up" is the debut single by the Time, from their 1981 self-titled debut album. Like most of the album, the song was recorded in Prince's home studio in April 1981, and was produced, arranged, composed and performed by Prince with Morris ...

" by

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, and "

Call Me a Mack "Call Me a Mack" is the debut single released by R&B artist Usher for the soundtrack album ''Poetic Justice''. "Call Me a Mack" was released separately in 1993 for Epic Records and was produced by Tim Thomas and Teddy Bishop. The song peaked a ...

" by

Usher Raymond Usher Raymond IV (born October 14, 1978) is an American R&B singer. He was born in Dallas, Texas, but raised in Chattanooga, Tennessee, until moving to Atlanta, Georgia. At the age of 12, his mother put him in local singing competitions befo ...

, the latter of which was Usher's first official appearance on a song at the age of 14. The soundtrack also has the Stevie Wonder song "

Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" is a 1971 song by Stevie Wonder, featured on his album ''Where I'm Coming From''. The song is a ballad, describing a failed relationship using the metaphor of changing seasons. Co-written by Syreeta Wright a ...

", a track that was originally on his 1970 Motown Records album ''

Where I'm Coming From ''Where I'm Coming From'' is the 13th album by Stevie Wonder. The album was released by Motown Records on April 9, 1971 and peaked on the Billboard Pop Albums at #62, and on the '' Billboard'' R&B Albums Chart at #7. All nine songs were writ ...

''. The song "Definition of a Thug Nigga", recorded by

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

for the film, later appeared on his 1997 posthumous album ''

R U Still Down? (Remember Me) ''R U Still Down? (Remember Me)'' is the sixth studio album and second double album by American rapper, 2Pac, released on November 25, 1997. It is his second posthumous release and the first to be released without his creative input and contains ...

''. Due to the film's casting of two major music stars, much hype surrounded its release. Many were excited to see how the dynamic between Janet Jackson and Tupac Shakur would manifest itself in the film both visually and musically. On the soundtrack, each artist was given a single song. Tupac's "Definition of a Thug Nigga" is an example of braggadocios, violent rap music. The song conflates lyrics of degrading women with aggressive threats and discussions of firearms.

Track listing

;Notes *Track 6 contains samples from "Electric Surfboard" performed by

Brother Jack McDuff Eugene McDuff (September 17, 1926 – January 23, 2001), known professionally as "Brother" Jack McDuff or "Captain" Jack McDuff, was an American jazz organist and organ trio bandleader who was most prominent during the hard bop and soul jazz er ...

*Track 11 contains samples from "Wind Parade" performed by Donald Byrd

Other songs

There are fourteen songs that appeared in the film but were not released on the soundtrack album: *"

Rhapsody in Blue ''Rhapsody in Blue'' is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. Commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman, the work premiered i ...

", written by

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

and in the movie ''

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'' *"

Bonita Applebum "Bonita Applebum" is the second single from A Tribe Called Quest's debut album '' People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm''. The song contains samples of "Daylight" by RAMP, "Memory Band" by Rotary Connection, and "Fool Yourself" by ...

(Hootie Mix)", written by Jonathan William Davis, Ali Shaheed Jones-Muhammad,

O'Kelly Isley O'Kelly "Kelly" Isley Jr. (December 25, 1937 – March 31, 1986) was an American singer and one of the founding members of the family group the Isley Brothers. Biography The eldest of the Isley Brothers, Kelly started singing with his brothe ...

Ronald Isley Ronald Isley (; born May 21, 1941) is an American recording artist, songwriter, record producer, and occasional actor. Isley is the lead singer and founding member of the family music group The Isley Brothers. Early life Born in 1941 to Sally ...

Rudolph Isley Rudolph Bernard Isley (born April 1, 1939 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American singer-songwriter and is one of the founding members of The Isley Brothers. Life and career Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Rudy began singing in church at a youn ...

Ernie Isley Ernest Isley (born March 7, 1952) is an American musician, best known as a member of the musical ensemble The Isley Brothers, and also the splinter group Isley-Jasper-Isley. Biography Ernie was born in Cincinnati, where his older brothers for ...

Marvin Isley Marvin Isley (August 18, 1953 – June 6, 2010)
– accessed June 2010 was the youngest member of the family music grou ...

and

Chris Jasper Christopher Howard Jasper (born December 30, 1951) Allmusic biography/ref> is an American singer, composer, and producer. Jasper is a former member of the Isley Brothers and Isley-Jasper-Isley and is responsible for writing and producing the ...

, and performed by A Tribe Called Quest *" Between the Sheets", written by O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper, and performed by

The Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decade ...

*"Smoking Sticks", "Can a Corn" and "Sticky Fingers", written by Artis Ivey Jr. and Bryan "Wino" Dobbs, and performed by Coolio *"Felix the Wonderful Cat", written by

Winston Sharples Winston Singleton Sharples (March 1, 1909 – April 3, 1978) was an American composer known for his work with animated short subjects, especially those created by the animation department at Paramount Pictures. In his 35-year career, Sharples s ...

*"Life Betta", written by Sean Reveron, Julian Harker and Osagyefu Kennedy, and performed by Ruffneck *"

Gangsta Bitch "Gangsta Bitch" is the debut single released from Apache's debut album, ''Apache Ain't Shit''. Produced by Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest,Anthony Peaks and Jonathan William Davis *" Stand by Your Man", written by

Billy Sherrill Billy Norris Sherrill (November 5, 1936 – August 4, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his association with country artists, notably Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Sherrill and business partner Gl ...

and

Tammy Wynette Tammy Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh; May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country music artist, as well as an actress and author. She is considered among the genre's most influential and successful artists. Along with Loretta Ly ...

, and performed by Tammy Wynette *"Family Reunion", written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, and performed by

The O'Jays The O'Jays are an American R&B group from Canton, Ohio, formed in 1958 and originally consisting of Eddie Levert, Walter Lee Williams, William Powell, Bobby Massey, and Bill Isles. The O'Jays made their first chart appearance with the minor ...

*"Niggers Are Scared of Revolution", written by Omar Ben Hassan, and performed by

The Last Poets The Last Poets are several groups of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African-American civil rights movement's black nationalism. The name is taken from a poem by the South African revolutionary poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, who bel ...

*" Back Stabbers", written by

Leon Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...

Gene McFadden Gene McFadden (January 28, 1949 – January 27, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as one of the key members of the Philadelphia International record label, and was one-half of the successful team o ...

and John Whitehead, and performed by The O'Jays *"

Again Again may refer to: Entertainment * ''Again'' (video game), a 2009 adventure game for the Nintendo DS * '' Again!!'' manga * ''Again!'', a 2011 children's book by Emily Gravett * ''Again'' (film), a 2015 Japanese film Music * Again (band), a ...

", written by Janet Jackson, James Harris III and Terry Lewis, and performed by Janet Jackson

Personnel

*Carlton Batts – mastering *Paris Davis – associate producer *Vivian Scott – associate producer *

– executive producer, liner notes * Glen Brunman – executive producer *Paul Stewart – music supervisor *David Coleman – art direction * Eli Reed – photography

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1993 soundtrack albums Drama film soundtracks Hip hop soundtracks Epic Records soundtracks Albums produced by Dr. Dre Albums produced by Warren G Albums produced by L.A. Reid Albums produced by Pete Rock Albums produced by Tim & Bob Contemporary R&B soundtracks Albums produced by Henry Cosby Albums produced by Dallas Austin Albums produced by Raphael Saadiq Albums produced by Stanley Clarke Albums produced by Sly and Robbie Albums produced by Babyface (musician)