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Home // Photos // The 25 Greatest Urban Movie Soundtracks // The 25 Greatest Urban Movie Soundtracks
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  • Every movie has a soundtrack, but there exist a select list of soundtracks that have had great impact on music, listeners, and pop culture. Centric counts down THE TOP 25 GREATEST URBAN MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS
  • 24. Do The Right Thing is best known for housing the 1989 hip hop classic, “Fight The Power” by Public Enemy.
  • 25. Sunset Park, released in 1996, featured music from Tupac, Aaliyah, Groove Theory, Junior M.A.F.I.A, and Adina Howard. Its biggest hit was “Keep On, Keepin’ On” by MC Lyte featuring Xscape.
  • 23. Juice, mainly compiled of hip hop music, was a certified gold success. Released in 1991, it featured Naughty By Nature’s “Uptown Anthem” which became a Billboard Top 40 Rap hit.
  • 22. The Best Man released in 1999, peaked at number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, and number 16 on The Billboard 200 in 1999. It featured music from Beyonce, Eric Benet, Lauryn Hill, Case, Ginuwine, RL, and Tyrese.
  • 21. Sparkle featured music written and composed by Curtis Mayfield, sang entirely by Aretha Franklin. The Queen of Soul reached number one on the Billboard Black Singles chart with “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” in 1976.
  • 20. Bad Boys II, released in 2003, peaked at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming one of few soundtracks to reach the position. The album’s single, "Shake Ya Tailfeather", by Nelly, P. Diddy, and Murphy Lee, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and it won The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2004.
  • 19. Panther is the 1995 soundtrack to the film of the same name. Three singles made it to the Billboard charts, including "Head Nod" by Hodge, "The Points", a collaboration between 12 of hip-hop's most popular artists and groups of the time, and "Freedom (Theme from Panther)", a collaboration between over 60 female R&B singers and rappers.
  • 18. Higher Learning, released in 1995, was a mildly successful soundtrack, thanks in large part to the album’s single, “Ask of You.” Performed by Raphael Saadiq of Tony Toni Tone, the song reached number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart, and was a top twenty hit on the Hot 100.
  • 17. Menace II Society, released in 1993 was a platinum certified success. While it did not chart any singles, the album managed to reach number 1 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 11 on the Billboard 200.
  • 16. Mo’ Money, produced mostly by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, spawned four Billboard hits in 1992: “Money Can’t Buy You Love,” by Ralph Tresvant, “The Best Things In Life Are Free,” by Luther Vandross & Janet Jackson, “I Adore You,” by Caron Wheeler, “Ice Cream Dream,” by MC Lyte, and “Forever Love” by Color Me Badd.
  • 15. The Nutty Professor, released in 1996 through Def Jam Recordings, peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The soundtrack featured "Last Night" by Az Yet, “Touch Me, Tease Me” by Case ft. Foxy Brown and Mary J. Blige, and “Ain’t No N**ga” by Jay-Z featuring Foxy Brown.
  • 14. Car Wash was a double album soundtrack released by Rose Royce in 1976. The album featured some of the group’s biggest hits: “Car Wash,” "I Wanna Get Next to You," and "I'm Going Down," and "I'm Going Down."
  • 13. Jason’s Lyric, topped the Top R&B Albums chart and was a Top 20 Billboard 200 release in 1994. It spawned three singles: "If You Think You're Lonely Now," a cover of the Bobby Womack classic, by Jodeci’s K-Ci, "Crazy Love" by Brian McKnight and "U Will Know," by the R&B male singers collective, Black Men United (BMU).
  • 12. Set It Off, was a huge success in 1996, making it to #4 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album featured four charting singles: "Set It Off," by Organized Noize featuring Queen Latifah, "Don't Let Go (Love)," by En Vogue, "Let It Go," by Ray J, and "Missing You" by Gladys Knight, Tamia, Brandy and Chaka Khan.
  • 11. New Jack City was a premiere New Jack Swing soundtrack released in 1991. The album reached #1 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart and #2 on The Billboard 200, thanks to its singles: "I'm Dreaming" by Christopher Williams and "For the Love of Money/Living for the City" performed by Troop, LeVert, and Queen Latifah.
  • 10. The Preacher’s Wife will go down in history as the best-selling gospel soundtrack album of all time. Released in 1996, the album featured songs performed by the late Whitney Houston, and it sold six million copies worldwide.
  • 9. Claudine featured music written and composed by Curtis Mayfield, and performed by Gladys Knight & The Pips. Released in 1974, the album featured the hits, “On & On,” “Make Yours A Happy Home,” and the fan favorite album cut, “The Makings of You.”
  • 8. Brown Sugar, released in 2008, featured a slew of R&B, soul and hip artists including, Jill Scott, Faith Evans, Mos Def, Cassandra Wilson, and The Roots. The soundtrack is best known for featuring, "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" by Erykah Badu and Common, which went to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.
  • 7. Boomerang, was a triple platinum success, featuring (and introducing) Toni Braxton. Braxton contributed two hits to the project including, "Love Shoulda Brought You Home," and "Give U My Heart" with Babyface. Many consider the soundtrack better than the 1992 Eddie Murphy film of the same name.
  • 6. Rush Hour was a huge success, peaking at #5 on the Billboard 200 and #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and spawned Dru Hill’s #1 single "How Deep Is Your Love", and “Can I Get A…” by Jay Z ft. Ja Rule, and Amil. Released in 1998, the album was certified platinum in less than a year.
  • 5. Above the Rim released in 1994, was executive produced by Suge Knight, and featured four hit singles: “Anything” by SWV, “Afro Puffs” by Lady of Rage, “Regulate,” by Warren G and Nate Dogg, and "Part Time Lover" by DeVante Swing of Jodeci.
  • 4. Soul Food, released in 1997, featured four hit singles, that all made it to the Billboard Hot 100: "I Care 'Bout You" by Milestone (K-Ci & JoJo, and Melvin and Kevon Edmonds), "What About Us" by Total, "We're Not Making Love No More" by Dru Hill, and "A Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men.
  • 3. Love Jones was the perfect marriage of soul, jazz, and poetry. Featuring songs by Groove Theory, Xscape, Lauryn Hill, and Dionne Farris; the soundtrack became a top 10 R&B album in 1997.
  • 2. Waiting to Exhale, written and produced by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, was one of the biggest soundtracks of 1995. Featuring an all-female roaster of performers, the album spawned a slew of hits including, “Exhale (Shoop, Shoop)” and “Why Does It Hurt So Bad” by Whitney Houston, and “Sittin’ up in My Room” by Brandy. The soundtrack was nominated for 11 Grammy Awards, and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.
  • 1. Purple Rain was the sixth studio album by Prince, and was the soundtrack to the 1984 film. It housed two classic songs---“When Doves Cry,” and “Let’s Go Crazy,” which helped the album sell 20 million albums worldwide.

The 25 Greatest Urban Movie Soundtracks

24. Do The Right Thing is best known for housing the 1989 hip hop classic, “Fight The Power” by Public Enemy.

Published 06/15/2012

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