Boyz N the Hood
Encyclopedia
Boyz n the Hood is a 1991 American hood film
written and directed by John Singleton. Starring Cuba Gooding, Jr.
, Ice Cube
, Laurence Fishburne
, Morris Chestnut
, Nia Long
, Angela Bassett
and Regina King
, the film depicts life in poor South Central (now South
) Los Angeles, California
and was filmed and released in the summer of 1991. It was nominated for both Best Director
and Original Screenplay during the 1991 Academy Awards
, making Singleton the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director and the first African–American to be nominated for the award.
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival
.
In 2002, the United States Library of Congress
deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry
.
South Central, Los Angeles; October, 1984
The story opens in 1984 with ten-year-old Tré Styles (Desi Arnez Hines II
) and three other youths heading to school, on the way stopping to inspect a crime scene they encounter. At school, Tré misbehaves in front of his teacher and receives a three-day suspension after fighting with another classmate. While discussing the issues with his teacher, Tré's mother, Reva (Angela Bassett
), elicits surprise from the teacher when she references her education as well as Tré's father, who the teacher had not realized existed. Frustrated with her inability to curtail Tré's history of disobedience, Reva sends him to live in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles with his hard-nosed father, Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne
), from whom she hopes Tré will learn life lessons.
Upon Tré's arrival, his father instructs him to rake the entire front lawn and assigns other household responsibilities, which include cleaning and maintaining their home. Furious explains that, although these tasks may seem unfair and harsh, learning responsibility will make Tré a man and keep him from ending up dead or in jail. Later, during his first night living with his father, Tré hears his father firing at a burglar. The police arrive more than an hour later and decide the crime is unimportant because nothing was taken and the burglar escaped unharmed.
The following day, Tré reunites with childhood friends Ricky (Donovan McCrary
) and Darrin "Doughboy" Baker (Baha Jackson), and Chris (Kenneth A. Brown), a quiet and shy boy also living in the neighborhood. Ricky and Doughboy, maternal half-brothers, live with their mother in a small house across the street. While Ricky is naïve and trusting, Doughboy is aggressive and street-smart. Later that day, while walking along train tracks to the site of a dead body, the three are harassed by a teenage gang, who steal Ricky's football. Doughboy picks a fight and is kicked in the stomach. The ball is later returned to Ricky by another older boy.
Furious, who appears to be the only father present in the neighborhood, takes Tré on a fishing trip, where he warns him about unprotected sex and discusses the responsibility of fatherhood. The pair then return to Crenshaw, where they find Doughboy and Chris being led by police officers into a squad car after having been caught stealing.
1991;
Seven years later, a "welcome home" party happens in the Baker home. Doughboy (Ice Cube
), who had previously dropped out of high school, has just been released from prison, and sits at a table playing dominoes with his friends, Chris (Redge Green), (now in a wheelchair, presumably as the result of a gunshot wound), "Dookie", and "Monster". Ricky (Morris Chestnut
), now a star running-back for Crenshaw High School
, lives at home with his mother Brenda (Tyra Ferrell
), girlfriend Shanice (Alysia Rogers), and his newborn son. Tré (Cuba Gooding Jr.) holds a steady job working at a store in the Fox Hills Mall, and has stayed away from gangs while excelling at school. He hopes to attend college as does his girlfriend Brandi (Nia Long
), whose sexual abstinence is part of her Catholic
faith.
A college football coach from USC
visits Ricky one night for an interview and promises Ricky an athletic scholarship at USC if he earns a minimum SAT
score of 700. Ricky struggles during the test, looking often at Tré for help, and seems unsure of passing. Later that day, Furious tells the boys that the English section of the test is culturally biased and only the math is fair.
Furious later takes the boys to Compton
, discussing gentrification
with them and a group of citizens, explaining how violence and drug use divide the black community by decreasing property values, allowing real estate companies to buy the land cheaply from black residents and sell it at a profit to developers. The influx of white investment money raises property values and taxes, pushing out the remaining old residents in the process. Furious tells the crowd that the rest of the nation will not help the urban poor because they are not personally affected by the violence, and that blacks must end the cycle of violence plaguing the neighborhoods themselves.
Later that night during a local street racing
gathering, Ricky is provoked by a Blood
gang member named Ferris (Raymond D. Turner). In defense of his brother, Doughboy (an opposing Crips
gang member), brandishes a pistol, and the whole scene degenerates into gunfire (though no one is hurt). While speeding away from the scene, Tré and Ricky are pulled over by the LAPD. The lead officer is the same officer who responded to Furious' 911
burglary call in 1984. He is a stereotypical "self-hating" African-American cop who - enjoying fully the power his badge allows him - shoves a gun in Tré's face and asks him what he will do about it. On the verge of tears, Tré arrives late to Brandi's house and suffers a breakdown; later that night they have sex for the first time.
The next day, Ricky, annoyed when Shanice tells him to go get a box of cornmeal, provokes a fight with Doughboy. Brenda rushes to Ricky's aid while berating Doughboy, further indicating that she values Ricky and his impending scholarship more than she does Doughboy. Ricky and Tré later head to the grocery store, but on the way back run across Ferris and his friends. They take numerous shortcuts to escape temporarily. However, Ricky is gunned down as the pair walk home. Doughboy and his friends recover Ricky's body, with Brenda blaming Doughboy, who tries to comfort her but is rebuffed; he then attempts to remove Ricky's son from the room where his father lies dead. Later that night, Brenda sobs over Ricky's test results, discovering he earned a 710, just enough to qualify for the scholarship.
Doughboy, Dookie, Monster and Tré vow revenge on the enemy gang. Furious finds Tré holding his .357 Magnum
pistol and convinces Tré to abandon his plans. Tré later sneaks out of his bedroom window to join Doughboy and the gang as they search for Ferris. Later that night, as the gang drives around the city, Tré realizes he is making a mistake and asks to be let out of the car. Doughboy pulls over and lets Tré out at a bus stop. Later, the gang finds Ferris and his friends outside a fast food restaurant, and Monster guns them down with an AK-47
in a drive-by shooting, killing one and wounding the others. Doughboy hops out the lowrider and personally executes Ferris and the other Bloods
with his .45
, avenging his brother's death.
The next morning, Doughboy visits Tré, now understanding Tré's reasons for abandoning the gang. Doughboy - having killed three men - knows that he will soon face retaliation for Ferris' death, and accepts the consequences of his crime-ridden life. He plaintively questions why America "don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on in the Hood." He sorrowfully says that he has no brothers left now after Ricky's death, but is embraced by Tré, who says Doughboy still has "one brother left", referring to himself. The final scene plays, showing Doughboy crossing the road pouring out the remaining malt liquor from his bottle as a sign of respect for his dead brother, and then disappears on screen. His murder at the hands of the rival gang two weeks later is described in the epilogue. The epilogue goes on to state that both Tré and Brandi respectively go on to college at Morehouse
and Spelman
in Atlanta.
Based on 45 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes
, Boyz n the Hood has an overall approval rating of 96%, with a weighted average score of 8.3/10. Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews from mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 73 out of 100 from the 18 reviews it collected.
Hood film
Hood film is a film genre originating in the United States in the late 1980s to early 1990s, which features aspects of urban culture such as hip hop music, street gangs, racial discrimination, poverty, and the problems of young black men coming of age or struggling in a predominantly white society...
written and directed by John Singleton. Starring Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and his critically acclaimed performance as Tré Styles in John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.-Early life:Gooding was born...
, Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
, Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
, Morris Chestnut
Morris Chestnut
Morris L. Chestnut is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as teenage father Ricky Baker in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, groom-to-be Lance Sullivan in the 1999 film The Best Man, as Tracy Reynolds, NBA star in the 2002 film Like Mike, and as the Visitor Ryan in the...
, Nia Long
Nia Long
Nia Talita Long is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Are We There...
, Angela Bassett
Angela Bassett
Angela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress. She has become well known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and...
and Regina King
Regina King
Regina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
, the film depicts life in poor South Central (now South
South Los Angeles
South Los Angeles, often abbreviated as South L.A. and formerly South Central Los Angeles, is the official name for a large geographic and cultural portion lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central, and is still widely known...
) Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and was filmed and released in the summer of 1991. It was nominated for both Best Director
Academy Award for Directing
The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing , usually known as the Best Director Oscar, is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to directors working in the motion picture industry...
and Original Screenplay during the 1991 Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, making Singleton the youngest person ever nominated for Best Director and the first African–American to be nominated for the award.
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival
1991 Cannes Film Festival
- Jury :*Roman Polanski *Férid Boughedir *Whoopi Goldberg *Margaret Menegoz *Natalia Negoda *Alan Parker *Jean-Paul Rappeneau *Hans Dieter Seidel *Vittorio Storaro...
.
In 2002, the United States Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
deemed the film "culturally significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
.
Plot
Before the opening scene of Boyz n the Hood, two messages flash across the screen: "One out of every twenty-one Black American males will be murdered in their lifetime." and "Most will die at the hands of another Black male."South Central, Los Angeles; October, 1984
The story opens in 1984 with ten-year-old Tré Styles (Desi Arnez Hines II
Desi Arnez Hines II
Desi Arnez Hines II is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as the 10-year old Tre Styles in the 1991 hit John Singleton-produced motion picture Boyz n the Hood...
) and three other youths heading to school, on the way stopping to inspect a crime scene they encounter. At school, Tré misbehaves in front of his teacher and receives a three-day suspension after fighting with another classmate. While discussing the issues with his teacher, Tré's mother, Reva (Angela Bassett
Angela Bassett
Angela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress. She has become well known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and...
), elicits surprise from the teacher when she references her education as well as Tré's father, who the teacher had not realized existed. Frustrated with her inability to curtail Tré's history of disobedience, Reva sends him to live in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles with his hard-nosed father, Furious Styles (Laurence Fishburne
Laurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
), from whom she hopes Tré will learn life lessons.
Upon Tré's arrival, his father instructs him to rake the entire front lawn and assigns other household responsibilities, which include cleaning and maintaining their home. Furious explains that, although these tasks may seem unfair and harsh, learning responsibility will make Tré a man and keep him from ending up dead or in jail. Later, during his first night living with his father, Tré hears his father firing at a burglar. The police arrive more than an hour later and decide the crime is unimportant because nothing was taken and the burglar escaped unharmed.
The following day, Tré reunites with childhood friends Ricky (Donovan McCrary
Donovan McCrary
Donovan Christian McCrary is an American film and television actor. He is the son of Grammy nominated gospel/jazz musician Howard McCrary and younger brother of actor Darius McCrary...
) and Darrin "Doughboy" Baker (Baha Jackson), and Chris (Kenneth A. Brown), a quiet and shy boy also living in the neighborhood. Ricky and Doughboy, maternal half-brothers, live with their mother in a small house across the street. While Ricky is naïve and trusting, Doughboy is aggressive and street-smart. Later that day, while walking along train tracks to the site of a dead body, the three are harassed by a teenage gang, who steal Ricky's football. Doughboy picks a fight and is kicked in the stomach. The ball is later returned to Ricky by another older boy.
Furious, who appears to be the only father present in the neighborhood, takes Tré on a fishing trip, where he warns him about unprotected sex and discusses the responsibility of fatherhood. The pair then return to Crenshaw, where they find Doughboy and Chris being led by police officers into a squad car after having been caught stealing.
1991;
Seven years later, a "welcome home" party happens in the Baker home. Doughboy (Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
), who had previously dropped out of high school, has just been released from prison, and sits at a table playing dominoes with his friends, Chris (Redge Green), (now in a wheelchair, presumably as the result of a gunshot wound), "Dookie", and "Monster". Ricky (Morris Chestnut
Morris Chestnut
Morris L. Chestnut is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as teenage father Ricky Baker in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, groom-to-be Lance Sullivan in the 1999 film The Best Man, as Tracy Reynolds, NBA star in the 2002 film Like Mike, and as the Visitor Ryan in the...
), now a star running-back for Crenshaw High School
Crenshaw High School
Crenshaw High School is a secondary school located in South Los Angeles, California.The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls an average of 2,600 students. Its address is 5010 11th Avenue, near the corner of 50th Street. The school colors are blue and gold, and its mascot is the...
, lives at home with his mother Brenda (Tyra Ferrell
Tyra Ferrell
-Career:She appeared in Jungle Fever , which starred Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. She also had roles in films such as Boyz n the Hood , White Men Can't Jump , and Poetic Justice...
), girlfriend Shanice (Alysia Rogers), and his newborn son. Tré (Cuba Gooding Jr.) holds a steady job working at a store in the Fox Hills Mall, and has stayed away from gangs while excelling at school. He hopes to attend college as does his girlfriend Brandi (Nia Long
Nia Long
Nia Talita Long is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Are We There...
), whose sexual abstinence is part of her Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faith.
A college football coach from USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
visits Ricky one night for an interview and promises Ricky an athletic scholarship at USC if he earns a minimum SAT
SAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
score of 700. Ricky struggles during the test, looking often at Tré for help, and seems unsure of passing. Later that day, Furious tells the boys that the English section of the test is culturally biased and only the math is fair.
Furious later takes the boys to Compton
Compton, California
Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city of Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city to incorporate. The city is considered part of the South side by residents of Los...
, discussing gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
with them and a group of citizens, explaining how violence and drug use divide the black community by decreasing property values, allowing real estate companies to buy the land cheaply from black residents and sell it at a profit to developers. The influx of white investment money raises property values and taxes, pushing out the remaining old residents in the process. Furious tells the crowd that the rest of the nation will not help the urban poor because they are not personally affected by the violence, and that blacks must end the cycle of violence plaguing the neighborhoods themselves.
Later that night during a local street racing
Street racing
Street racing is a form of unsanctioned and illegal motor racing which takes place on public roads. Street racing can either be spontaneous or well-planned and coordinated. Well coordinated races are planned in advance and often have people communicating via 2-way radio/citizens' band radio and...
gathering, Ricky is provoked by a Blood
Bloods
The Bloods are a street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs...
gang member named Ferris (Raymond D. Turner). In defense of his brother, Doughboy (an opposing Crips
Crips
The Crips are a primarily, but not exclusively, African American gang. They were founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969 mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams...
gang member), brandishes a pistol, and the whole scene degenerates into gunfire (though no one is hurt). While speeding away from the scene, Tré and Ricky are pulled over by the LAPD. The lead officer is the same officer who responded to Furious' 911
911
Year 911 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* Rebellion of the Kutama Berbers against the Fatimid Caliphate...
burglary call in 1984. He is a stereotypical "self-hating" African-American cop who - enjoying fully the power his badge allows him - shoves a gun in Tré's face and asks him what he will do about it. On the verge of tears, Tré arrives late to Brandi's house and suffers a breakdown; later that night they have sex for the first time.
The next day, Ricky, annoyed when Shanice tells him to go get a box of cornmeal, provokes a fight with Doughboy. Brenda rushes to Ricky's aid while berating Doughboy, further indicating that she values Ricky and his impending scholarship more than she does Doughboy. Ricky and Tré later head to the grocery store, but on the way back run across Ferris and his friends. They take numerous shortcuts to escape temporarily. However, Ricky is gunned down as the pair walk home. Doughboy and his friends recover Ricky's body, with Brenda blaming Doughboy, who tries to comfort her but is rebuffed; he then attempts to remove Ricky's son from the room where his father lies dead. Later that night, Brenda sobs over Ricky's test results, discovering he earned a 710, just enough to qualify for the scholarship.
Doughboy, Dookie, Monster and Tré vow revenge on the enemy gang. Furious finds Tré holding his .357 Magnum
.357 Magnum
The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
pistol and convinces Tré to abandon his plans. Tré later sneaks out of his bedroom window to join Doughboy and the gang as they search for Ferris. Later that night, as the gang drives around the city, Tré realizes he is making a mistake and asks to be let out of the car. Doughboy pulls over and lets Tré out at a bus stop. Later, the gang finds Ferris and his friends outside a fast food restaurant, and Monster guns them down with an AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
in a drive-by shooting, killing one and wounding the others. Doughboy hops out the lowrider and personally executes Ferris and the other Bloods
Bloods
The Bloods are a street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs...
with his .45
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
, avenging his brother's death.
The next morning, Doughboy visits Tré, now understanding Tré's reasons for abandoning the gang. Doughboy - having killed three men - knows that he will soon face retaliation for Ferris' death, and accepts the consequences of his crime-ridden life. He plaintively questions why America "don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on in the Hood." He sorrowfully says that he has no brothers left now after Ricky's death, but is embraced by Tré, who says Doughboy still has "one brother left", referring to himself. The final scene plays, showing Doughboy crossing the road pouring out the remaining malt liquor from his bottle as a sign of respect for his dead brother, and then disappears on screen. His murder at the hands of the rival gang two weeks later is described in the epilogue. The epilogue goes on to state that both Tré and Brandi respectively go on to college at Morehouse
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
and Spelman
Spelman College
Spelman College is a four-year liberal arts women's college located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The college is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman was the first historically black female...
in Atlanta.
Cast
- Cuba Gooding, Jr.Cuba Gooding, Jr.Cuba M. Gooding, Jr. is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his Academy Award-winning portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Cameron Crowe's 1996 film Jerry Maguire, and his critically acclaimed performance as Tré Styles in John Singleton's 1991 film Boyz n the Hood.-Early life:Gooding was born...
(Desi Arnez Hines IIDesi Arnez Hines IIDesi Arnez Hines II is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as the 10-year old Tre Styles in the 1991 hit John Singleton-produced motion picture Boyz n the Hood...
, young) as Tré Styles, son of Furious and Crenshaw High SchoolCrenshaw High SchoolCrenshaw High School is a secondary school located in South Los Angeles, California.The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls an average of 2,600 students. Its address is 5010 11th Avenue, near the corner of 50th Street. The school colors are blue and gold, and its mascot is the...
senior - Ice CubeIce CubeO'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
(Baha Jackson young) as Darrin "Doughboy" Baker, maternal half-brother of Ricky - Morris ChestnutMorris ChestnutMorris L. Chestnut is an American film and television actor. He is known for his roles as teenage father Ricky Baker in the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood, groom-to-be Lance Sullivan in the 1999 film The Best Man, as Tracy Reynolds, NBA star in the 2002 film Like Mike, and as the Visitor Ryan in the...
(Donovan McCraryDonovan McCraryDonovan Christian McCrary is an American film and television actor. He is the son of Grammy nominated gospel/jazz musician Howard McCrary and younger brother of actor Darius McCrary...
, young) as Ricky Baker, maternal half-brother of Doughboy and all-star football player at Crenshaw High School, Tré's best friend - Laurence FishburneLaurence FishburneLaurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
as Jason "Furious" Styles, father of Tré - Nia LongNia LongNia Talita Long is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Are We There...
as Brandi, Tré's girlfriend - Tyra FerrellTyra Ferrell-Career:She appeared in Jungle Fever , which starred Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. She also had roles in films such as Boyz n the Hood , White Men Can't Jump , and Poetic Justice...
as Brenda Baker, mother of Doughboy and Ricky - Angela BassettAngela BassettAngela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress. She has become well known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and...
as Reva Devereaux-Styles, mother of Tré - Redge Green (Kenneth A. Brown, young) as Chris
- Dedrick D. GobertDedrick D. GobertDedrick D. Gobert was an American actor best known for his supporting role as "Dooky" in the 1991 John Singleton film Boyz n the Hood.-Career:...
as Dookie - Baldwin C. Sykes as Monster
- Tracey Lewis-Sinclair as Shaniqua
- Alysia Rogers as Shanice, Ricky's girlfriend and the mother of his son.
- Regina KingRegina KingRegina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
as Shalika - Lexie BighamLexie BighamLexie Donnell Bigham, Jr. was an American film and television actor. Bigham appeared in numerous independent films and television series. His prominent roles came in the films Se7en, Boyz n the Hood, South Central, Dave, Drop Zone, Airheads, Up Close & Personal, and High School High...
as Mad Dog - Mia Bell as female gang member
Reception
Since the film's release, Boyz n the Hood has received overwhelmingly positive reviews.Based on 45 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, Boyz n the Hood has an overall approval rating of 96%, with a weighted average score of 8.3/10. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews from mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 73 out of 100 from the 18 reviews it collected.
Cultural impact
- On July 12, 2011, on The Mo'Nique ShowThe Mo'Nique ShowThe Mo'Nique Show is an American talk show hosted by comedienne actress Mo'Nique. Aired on BET, the series began October 5, 2009. She is the first African American woman to host her own late night show. The show's second and final season premiered on Monday, October 4, 2010.On July 18, 2011, BET...
, Mo'Nique celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of Boyz n the Hood with director John Singleton, Cuba Gooding Jr., Yo-YoYo-Yo (rapper)Yo-Yo is a Grammy-nominated American hardcore rapper and actress. Much of her music has advocated female empowerment, denouncing the frequent sexism found in hip-hop music. She is the protege of gangsta rapper Ice Cube...
, and Regina KingRegina KingRegina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
. - The Game has mentioned it on some of his songs such as "LAX Files", "Ol' English" & "Ricky".
- Ice Cube has mentioned it on some of his songs on The PredatorThe PredatorThe Predator is the third studio album by Ice Cube. Released within months of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, many songs comment on the racial tensions. The title is in part reference to the movie Predator 2, and the album itself includes samples from the film...
such as "When Will They Shoot?" and his son's rap name is "Doughboy".
Trivia
- It has been stated by John Singleton that all of N.W.A were supposed to play as Doughboy's friends in the movie but Ice CubeIce CubeO'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
left N.W.A which caused tension between them. - During the time of this movie Ice Cube was feuding with Eazy-EEazy-EEric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...
& N.W.A which is the reason why the crackhead that got beat up by Doughboy and his crew was wearing a shirt that says We Want EazyWe Want Eazy"We Want Eazy" was a single by Eazy-E featuring fellow N.W.A members Dr. Dre and MC Ren from his 1988 debut album, Eazy-Duz-It. The song was produced by Dr. Dre and DJ Yella. "We Want Eazy" appeared on his greatest hits, Eternal E. A 12-inch remix of this song was released as a single and appeared...
. - John Singleton was 23 when he directed the movie.
- The adult Doughboy and younger Doughboy wear RaidersOakland RaidersThe Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
hats, which is Ice Cube's favorite football team. - This is the first of many films such as FridayFridayFriday is the day between Thursday and Saturday. In countries adopting Monday-first conventions as recommended by the international standard ISO 8601, it is the fifth day of the week. It is the sixth day in countries that adopt a Sunday-first convention as in Abrahamic tradition...
& Are We There Yet?Are We There Yet?Are We There Yet? is a 2005 American family comedy film which was produced by Revolution Studios and was distributed by Columbia Pictures, directed by Brian Levant...
that Ice Cube & Nia LongNia LongNia Talita Long is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Are We There...
have appeared in together.