January 17th, 1992, the classic hip hop movie “JUICE” was released. 25 years later and the movie is still a timeless favorite from hip hop fans all over. The movie has plenty of hip hop cameos too. EPMD, Kool DJ Red Alert, Treach from Naughty By Nature, him and Tupac were really close friends and Fab 5 Freddy. The movie mostly takes place in Harlem and it’s about 4 friends who do what it takes to get respect or in other words get the “juice.” They skip school just to hang out in Steel’s house while his parents are at work all day. Bishop and Q have a fight about what it takes to get respect in their own neighborhood and why they gotta stop taking harassment from the cops everyday but in order to escape everyday harassment by the cops in their neighborhood, they all come up with an idea to rob the corner store in order to get the “juice.” Things start to change when Bishop gets control of the gun and decides to shoot Quiles dead in his store. He then gets a little too pistol happy and ends up killing Raheem in a fight because he refuses to let the gun go. Now only Q, Bishop and Steel left, Q tells Bishop that he is “crazy” and Bishop didn’t like that. Eventually, throughout the rest of the movie, Q and Steel team up together to avoid Bishop but he pops up everywhere trying to lure them into his schemes and so he can get back at them. Bishop catches Steel in the hallway of his building and ends up shooting him. Q finds out and decides that he’ll go buy a gun just in case Bishop comes for him and they end up fighting until the end of the movie when Q accidentally let’s Bishop fall to his death off the roof of the building. Everyone that was from the party inside the building saw the whole thing happened and then someone reminds Q that he’s got the “juice” but he shakes his head no and the movie ends. The movie stars Omar Epps, Khalil Kain, Jermaine Hopkins and the late great Tupac. Quincy aka Q or GQ (played by Omar Epps), is the good guy in the crew, aka The Wreckin’ Crew, who doesn’t really want to get involved in their stick up plans lead by Bishop (played by Tupac) and Raheem (played by Khalil Kain). Q is mostly focused on being a popular local DJ and winning contests at the DJ battles that are hosted by Ruffhouse MC (played by Queen Latifah). Raheem is Q’s closest friend of the crew. Raheem denies his responsibilities of being a father to his son by his ex girlfriend. He’s also the leader of the Wreckin’ Crew and it was also his idea along with Bishop to rob Quiles’ store. Steel is the guy in the crew whose always being laughed at by the crew and the one whose always late when they wanna go hang out and skip school. They go back to his place to hang out while his parents aren’t home and Bishop is the one in the crew that’s always ready for something. Always prepared to “throw down” when something happens. He gets harassed by the neighborhood bully Radames everyday and every time Radames gets a chance to. Radames always threatens to beat up or kill Bishop which adds fuel to why he eventually gone crazy throughout the movie but then Bishop comes back for Radames and kills him. The soundtrack to the movie is even just as dope. “Is It Good to You” by Tammy Lucas and “Don’t Be Afraid” by Aaron Hall are my top favorites on the soundtrack. Also can’t forget by Naughty By Nature’s “Uptown Anthem.” This movie will still be a hip hop favorite in another 10 years or more.
JUICE: The 25th Anniversary
