MTV Is Dead: A Look Back at "New Jack City"

Thursday, September 1, 2016

A Look Back at "New Jack City"

A lot has changed in 27 years. G Money had his own tv show and Nino Brown paroled outta the feds for tax evasion. Ice-T is still playing a cop so I guess things haven’t changed all that much after all. In 1991, a small, independent film about an inner-city drug lord starring a comedian, a gangsta rapper portraying a cop and various other little-known African-American actors took Hollywood completely by surprise and went on to become a box-office smash, cultural phenomenon and bona-fide cult classic.

This independent film with the slick, big-budget look and trick camera-angle style was an instant classic and a must-see movie for those who grew up in the crack era. Like Scarface, going to see New Jack City was not just a night out at the movies – it was a community event for young African-Americans in the inner-city. Incidentally, it was the highest-grossing independent film of 1991. Not without controversy, New Jack was the subject of headlines all across the country as the newsmedia speculated about potential violence at movie theaters and many ~~racists~~ concerned citizens feared that the movie would attract gang-bangers and dope boys to screenings.

This 1991 thriller is the first African-American gangster film of it’s generation and centers around the most publicized drug of it’s generation – crack. The movie draws from a variety of real life events to detail the rise and fall of fictional Harlem druglord Nino Brown and his organization, the CMB (Cash Money Brothers). The film is simultaneously self-aware and true to life as illustrated by the main character’s (drug kingpin Nino Brown) obsession with the 1983 movie Scarface which was an instant favorite among dope boys of his era and also serves as inspiration to New Jack City itself.

New Jack is based on various true stories, including 1970’s Harlem heroin kingpin Nicky Barnes, 1980's Queens narcotics organization the Supreme Team and 1980’s Detroit crack kingpins the Chambers Brothers.

New Jack is the first of the 90’s African-American gangster films, the first directing job for Mario Van Peebles, the first starring role for Wesley Snipes, the first role for Ice-T and the first dramatic role for Chris Rock. It is also the first movie to depict the rise of crack and crack dealers and to focus almost exclusively on the drug’s effect on society.

The movie in which crack dealers take over an entire project building and a drug lord uses a little girl as a shield in a shootout has been highly influential. Playing the villain made Wesley Snipes a megastar and portraying a cop made Ice-T acceptable to the mainstream (and network execs). Snipes’ character Nino, and Rock’s character Pookie, have been cemented into popular culture. Master P and C-Murder used to call themselves Nino and G Money. Bow Wow named his 2009 album New Jack City 2 (for f*ck's sake). Rick Ross thinks he’s Nino (among other people) according to his verse on the "Oh Let’s Do It" Remix. Statik Selektah, MOP and Jadakiss went in a little more than Queen Latifah, Troop and Levert on 2008's "For The City". Usher sampled the same song for the end of 2009's "Lil' Freak" with Nicki Minaj. Biggie got a call from his man saying, "we got infiltrated like Nino at the Carter" on "Everyday Struggle" and he told Puff, "You see it's kinda like the crack did to Pookie in New Jack, except when I cross over - there ain't no coming back" in "Suicidal Thoughts". Nas said, "And the bitches, like G Money said to his man, ride the dick like a horse with a cowboy brand" on "Give It Up Fast". Weezy has 4 albums named Tha Carter and a song ("I’m Single") that uses one of Nino’s lines as it’s hook. It goes without saying where Baby and Wayne’s label - Cash Money Records (which they refer to as CMB), got it’s name.

New Jack City, like all good gangster movies, has also given us some great quotes:

“I never liked you anyway, pretty motherf*cker.”

“Cancel that b*tch. I’ll buy another.”
“Sit yo five dollar ass down, before I make change.”
"Am I my brother's keeper? Yes I am."

“Rock-a-bye baby.”

The soundtrack album was a phenomenal success in it's own right, providing a #1 hit ("I Wanna Sex You Up") for Color Me Badd which could be heard knocking outta every trunk (ask your uncle) and a #2 hit ("I'm Dreamin'") for Christopher Williams. Not to mention, Ice-T’s contribution to the album, "New Jack Hustler" (Nino’s Theme) is still one of the most authentic-sounding songs about street life, particularly the New York City dope game, ever. This from a west coast rapper, of all people. The soundtrack itself was #2 on the Billboard 200 for eight weeks. By the way, Keisha gets my vote for illest chick in a movie - ever.