Poetic Justice (soundtrack)

Poetic Justice: Music from the Motion Picture
Poetic Justice: Music from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by Various artists
Released	June 29, 1993
Genre	Hip hop; R&B;
Length	45:51
Label	Epic Soundtrax
Producer	Warren G; Babyface; Dallas Austin; Darryl Swann; Daryl Simmons; Derek "DOA" Allen; Dr. Dre; Henry Cosby; Kevin Deane; L.A. Reid; Naughty by Nature; Nice & Smooth; Pete Rock; Raphael Saadiq; Sly & Robbie; Stanley Clarke; Tim & Bob; Tim & Ted; Tupac Shakur;
Singles from Poetic Justice: Music from the Motion Picture
	"Get It Up"; Released: June 6, 1993; "Indo Smoke"; Released: June 8, 1993; "Call Me a Mack"; Released: August 16, 1993;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
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.

Track listing[edit]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Get It Up" (performed by TLC)	Prince Nelson Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes	Dallas Austin Tim & Bob	4:25
2.	"Indo Smoke" (performed by Mista Grimm, Warren G and Nate Dogg)	Rojai Trawick Warren Griffin III	Warren G	5:24
3.	"Well Alright" (performed by Babyface)	Kenneth Edmonds	Babyface Daryl Simmons L.A. Reid	4:00
4.	"Call Me a Mack" (performed by Usher)	Usher Raymond IV Teddy Bishop Tim Thomas	Tim & Ted	4:06
5.	"Waiting for You" (performed by Tony! Toni! Toné!)	Derek "DOA" Allen	Allen Raphael Wiggins	5:14
6.	"One in a Million" (performed by Pete Rock & CL Smooth)	Cory Penn Peter O. Phillips Eugene McDuff	Pete Rock	4:05
7.	"Nite & Day" (performed by Cultural Revolution)	Darryl Swann Cindy Walker Pamela LeSean Williams	Swann	5:04
8.	"Poor Man's Poetry" (performed by Naughty by Nature)	Anthony Criss Keir Gist Vincent Brown	Naughty by Nature	2:59
9.	"I've Been Waiting" (performed by Terri & Monica)	Terri Robinson Tara Geter Kevin Deane	Deane	4:20
10.	"Niggas Don't Give a Fuck" (performed by Tha Dogg Pound and The Lady of Rage)	Calvin Broadus Delmar Arnaud Ricardo Brown	Dr. Dre	4:41
11.	"Definition of a Thug Nigga" (performed by 2Pac)	Tupac Shakur Griffin III Larry Mizell	Warren G 2Pac	4:10
12.	"I Wanna Be Your Man" (performed by Chaka Demus & Pliers)	Everton Bonner John Taylor Lloyd Willis Robbie Shakespeare Lowell Dunbar	Sly & Robbie	3:54
13.	"Cash in My Hands" (performed by Nice & Smooth)	Darryl Barnes Greg Mays	Nice & Smooth	3:52
14.	"Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" (performed by Stevie Wonder)	Stephen Morris Syreeta Wright	Henry Cosby	2:54
15.	"Justice's Groove" (performed by Stanley Clarke)	Stanley Clarke	Clarke	4:34
Total length:				45:51

Notes

Track 6 contains samples from "Electric Surfboard" performed by Brother Jack McDuff
Track 11 contains samples from "Wind Parade" performed by Donald Byrd

Other songs[edit]

There are fourteen songs that appeared in the film but were not released on the soundtrack album:^[5]

"Rhapsody in Blue", written by George Gershwin in the movie Fantasia 2000
"Bonita Applebum (Hootie Mix)", written by Jonathan William Davis, Ali Shaheed Jones-Muhammad, O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley, Ernie Isley, Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper, 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
"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
"Life Betta", written by Sean Reveron, Julian Harker and Osagyefu Kennedy, and performed by Ruffneck
"Gangsta Bitch", written by Anthony Peaks and Jonathan William Davis
"Stand by Your Man", written by Billy Sherrill and Tammy Wynette, and performed by Tammy Wynette
"Family Reunion", written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, and performed by The O'Jays
"Niggers Are Scared of Revolution", written by Omar Ben Hassan, and performed by The Last Poets
"Back Stabbers", written by Leon Huff, Gene McFadden and John Whitehead, and performed by The O'Jays
"Again", written by Janet Jackson, James Harris III and Terry Lewis, and performed by Janet Jackson

Personnel[edit]

Carlton Batts – mastering
Paris Davis – associate producer
Vivian Scott – associate producer
John Singleton – executive producer, liner notes
Glen Brunman – executive producer
Paul Stewart – music supervisor
David Coleman – art direction
Eli Reed – photography

Charts[edit]

Chart (1993)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[6]	23
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums^[7]	19

Certifications[edit]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[8]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

^ Ruhlmann, William. "Poetic Justice [Original Soundtrack] - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
^ Hunt, Dennis (July 25, 1993). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
^ Jones, Alan (August 7, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 13. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
^ Wood, Sam (July 6, 1993). "The Music from Some Summer Movies". Philadelphia Inquirer.
^ "Poetic Justice (1993) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
^ "Soundtrack Poetic Justice Chart History". Billboard 200. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
^ "Soundtrack Poetic Justice Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard). Retrieved January 23, 2020.
^ "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Poetic Justice". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 23, 2020.

External links[edit]

Poetic Justice (Music From The Motion Picture) at Discogs (list of releases)

[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.

[5] "Poetic Justice (1993) - IMDb". IMDb. Retrieved January 23, 2020.

[6] "Soundtrack Poetic Justice Chart History". Billboard 200. Retrieved January 23, 2020.

[7] "Soundtrack Poetic Justice Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard). Retrieved January 23, 2020.

[riaa-8] "American album certifications – Soundtrack – Poetic Justice". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 23, 2020.

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