Poetic Justice (soundtrack)

Poetic Justice: Music from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedJune 29, 1993
Genre
Length45:51
LabelEpic Soundtrax
Producer
Singles from Poetic Justice: Music from the Motion Picture
  1. "Get It Up"
    Released: June 6, 1993
  2. "Indo Smoke"
    Released: June 8, 1993
  3. "Call Me a Mack"
    Released: August 16, 1993
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Los Angeles Times[2]
Music Week[3]
Philadelphia Inquirer[4]

Music from the Motion Picture Poetic Justice is the soundtrack to John Singleton's 1993 film Poetic Justice. 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" by TLC, and "Call Me a Mack" by Usher Raymond, 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", a track that was originally on his 1971 Motown Records album Where I'm Coming From. The song "Definition of a Thug Nigga", recorded by Tupac Shakur for the film, later appeared on his 1997 posthumous album R U Still Down? (Remember Me).

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.

  1. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Poetic Justice [Original Soundtrack] - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  2. ^ Hunt, Dennis (July 25, 1993). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  3. ^ Jones, Alan (August 7, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 13. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  4. ^ Wood, Sam (July 6, 1993). "The Music from Some Summer Movies". Philadelphia Inquirer.