Not every classic movie soundtrack sells a bajillion copies. It’s not a prerequisite for an iconic film soundtrack to sell 10 million plus records to be considered legendary. Some companion LP’s sell a fraction of that, and still end up being beloved by people.
One such album is Above The Rim-The Soundtrack, which was from the Above The Rim film (which is as forgettable as the soundtrack is amazing). As soon as this LP dropped it was an instant hit with (then) young Gen X America. The album reached as high as the number two spot on Billboard’s 200 chart, and ultimately sold two million copies. The main reason for the soundtrack’s popularity was because it was produced and released by Death Row Records, which was white hot when this album was released in 1994. The collection had pretty much all of Tha Row’s biggest artists on the soundtrack: Snoop Dogg, The Lady of Rage, and Tha Dogg Pound. And, there were some big hits from the soundtrack. The biggest are all below:
The soundtrack’s popularity has outlived its companion movie and the 1990’s. It’s a Gen X sonic staple that can still get a party started. I’ve posted a link to the entire album below, so you can vibe to it for “Old Time’s Sake” (shoutout to Sweet Sable). Above The Rim-The Soundtrack was and is…a slam dunk.
