Above the Rim (soundtrack): 7 Things You Didn't Know!
Death Row Records is releasing the digital deluxe edition of the Above The Rim soundtrack today (May 21). A limited-edition cassette version of the project is also available D2C, while a special vinyl edition of the double-platinum album is scheduled to arrive for Record Store Day on June 12.
In honor of the new releases, here are seven fun facts about the Above The Rim soundtrack.
1. Too Many Songs. CDs can only hold about 78 minutes worth of music, so the original CD version of the Above The Rim soundtrack couldn’t fit all the songs Death Row Records wanted to include. That’s why 2Pac’s “Pain” featuring Stretch; Lord G’s “Mi Monie Rite!”; and 2Pac, Treach (from Naughty By Nature); and Riddler’s “Loyal To The Game” were only available on the cassette version of the soundtrack. Now, the new digital deluxe version of the soundtrack includes those three songs.
2. First Out The Gate. The Above The Rim soundtrack is the first soundtrack Death Row Records released. It arrived in stores on March 22, 1994.
3. New Blood. The Above The Rim soundtrack is the first Death Row Records release, not from Dr. Dre or Snoop Doggy Dogg.
4. California Love. The Above The Rim soundtrack features the first collaborations with the label’s future signee 2Pac, who also starred in the film. The iconic rapper is featured alongside Thug Life on “Pour Out A Little Liquor.” 2Pac’s “Pain” featuring Stretch; and 2Pac, Treach (from Naughty By Nature), and Riddler’s “Loyal To The Game” were initially available only on the cassette release of the LP.
5. R&B Swinging. The Above The Rim soundtrack features the first R&B songs released by Death Row Records. In fact, three R&B songs – SWV’s “Anything,” Sweet Sable’s “Old Time’s Sake,” and H-Town’s “Part Time Lover” – are the first three songs on the soundtrack.
6. Rage Against The Machine. The Lady Of Rage’s “Afro Puffs” is included on the Above The Rim soundtrack. It is her debut solo release for Death Row Records.
7. Twice As Nice. Tha Dogg Pound is the only act credited with more than one song on the original CD version of Above The Rim soundtrack. It appears on both “Big Pimpin’” and “Dogg Pound 4 Life.”
Written by Soren Baker