Producers include: Brian Alexander Morgan, Nikke Nikole, Devante Swing, Dat Nigga Daz, DJ Quik.
Engineers include: Greg Geitzenauer, Tommy Daugherty, Rob Paustian.
All tracks have been digitally remastered.
This phenomenal soundtrack is a microcosm of the black pop experience as it exists in 1994. ABOVE THE RIM chronicles the street life of the inner city through the prism of basketball, a game that symbolizes the character and aspirations of today's urban youth. Functioning like a succession of hip hop motifs, the music on ABOVE THE RIM charts many of the bittersweet variations connected with escaping these mean streets...quite literally by soaring above the rim.
Supervising producer Dr. Dre has arranged a vivid selection of tracks to illustrate the sound that's happening right now: a mix of hip-hop, hardcore, old school, new jack swing and contemporary R&B in various pure strains and new compounds. "Anything" (by SWV) and "Regulate" (by Nate Dogg & Warren G) are the first two big singles off of ABOVE THE RIM, the latter a story of the inner city street tariffs done up in a mix of R&B and rap styles (in which "rhythm is life and life is rhythm") over a smooth keyboard vamp, the former a dance groove that combines traditional girl group styles and scratch-styled backgrounds. "Pour Out A Little Liquor" by Thug Life seeks escape from gritty everyday realities in gangsta style rhymes and fourty ouncer good times, while the subterranean funk of "Afro Puffs" features Lady Of Rage's feminine machisma ("I am the roughest roughest roughest, I am the toughest toughest toughest") over a classic Dr. Dre grab bag mix, a nasty collage of funny samples and deep bass.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (6/2/94, p.72) - 4 Stars - Excellent - "...Dr. Dre blueprints, with his usual brilliance, the range of black pop to come..."
Entertainment Weekly (10/12/01, p.86) - Ranked #96 in EW's "100 Best Movie Soundtracks"
Entertainment Weekly (4/15/94, p.62) - "...More than a collection of destined-to-be-hit singles, this soundtrack is a musical event..." - Rating: A+
