BlackTree TVThe Reel Thing: The Wackness
The Wackness
It's the summer of 1994, and the streets of New York are pulsing with hip-hop and wafting with the sweet aroma of marijuana — but change is in the air. The newly inaugurated mayor, Rudy Giuliani, is beginning to implement his anti-fun initiatives against "crimes" like noisy portable radios, graffiti and public drunkenness. Set against this backdrop, Luke Shapiro (Josh Peck) spends his last summer before college selling dope throughout New York City, trading it with his shrink (Ben Kingsley) for therapy, while crushing on his step-daughter (Olivia Thirlby). Famke Janssen, Mary Kate Olsen, and Method Man round out the cast in this edgy, bittersweet, and funny coming of age story.
The Soundtrack
For me, hip hop was at its best in '94: at its most creative and most authentic. And while the lives of my friends and I were distant from the gangsta life of the rappers, we identified with their spirit, and the authenticity of feeling that they embodied. So we listened. These days, I don't really listen to much hip hop. I don't think today's artists have as much to say; the production's too slick. In '94, it was a movement; in '08, it's pop. Things just aren't the same as they were then. No music has ever spoken to me like the Class of '94.-Jonathan Levine
The World Is Yours is the third single from Nas' '94 debut album "Illmatic." During the final chorus, the title of the song is repeated over and over in a stirring shout-out to people in the various neighborhoods of New York ("South Bronx, the world is yours...etc.") It was named seventh on about.com's list of the top 100 rap songs.
"We toyed with a lot of different options for the first song in the film — the one that introduces us to Luke's world. We chose something off "Illmatic" because, for me, it defined the year. "Illmatic" was the first album of the '94 rookie class (Nas, Biggie, Outkast, etc.), and it's an undisputed classic, It introduced the world to a natural-born storyteller who could transport you with his evocative rhymes. It came out in April, and I distinctly remember playing the CD on repeat in my bedroom as I studied for finals.
Heaven & Hell is a collaboration between Raekwon and his fellow Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah. It originally appeared on the soundtrack album for Boaz Yakim's hip-hop-oriented movie "Fresh" (which debuted at the '94 Sundance ), the story of a 12-year-old boy selling drugs for the local dealers. The film starred Samuel L. Jackson and Giancarlo Esposito.
"Raekwon was the first member of the Wu-Tang Clan to release a solo album. He did so in '94. For me, this track changes the whole vibe of the roof party scene, as Luke sits up on the water tower, isolated from this socially oppressive high school environment. When Luke looks down at his classmates having a good time, RZA's dark production gives the scene a new feel: it's almost scary. High school was hell for Luke, and this song illustrates that beautifully. The What is a track from The The Notorious B.I.G.'s '94 debut album, "Ready to Die." It features a duet with Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man, who is seen in the film (playing Percy, Luke's Rastafarian drug supplier) in the scene over which this song plays."
"The spirit and themes of Notorious B.I.G. were my biggest creative influence for the movie. As hardcore as he could be, "Ready to Die" was willing to speak openly about very personal things: everything from his own suicidal thoughts to his mom's cancer. He never censored himself. He spoke the words I felt, and he's the first true artist I ever discovered."
