African Americans in Juice 1992

Juice is a 1992 American crime drama film that refers to the lives of four African-American youths in Harlem. It relates to the everyday life and activities in the young men's lives, starting as innocent bad behavior but grows more serious and propelling as time progresses. It also displays a strong emphasis on the struggles that the four must go through daily as well such as harassment by law enforcement and their relatives’ involvement in their lives.

Raheem Porter is played by Khalil Kain, the leader of The Wrecking Crew. He protects his friends earlier in the movie, when he breaks up a potential fight between them and Radames. After robbing Quiles's store with his friends, he declares they must get rid of the gun, but is killed by Bishop after trying to take the gun from him.

Roland Bishop, the main antagonist of the film, is played by the late and great Tupac Shakur. He is a member of The Wrecking Crew and the most violent of the four. He is seen smoking throughout the movie. All he really wants is for people to respect him. After killing a convenience store owner, he starts to spiral into a dark depressing stranger, first by killing Raheem, and then gang leader Radames. He quickly come to the conclusion that he must kill everyone who were witnesses to his crimes, who happen to be his few friends, the remaining members of his crew. He attempts to kill Steel, but Steel survives. At the appex of the movie, Bishop confronts Q. In the end, after a fight on the roof, Q grabs Bishop after he almost falls, but is unable to hold him.

Jermaine Hopkins is Eric "Steel" Thurman in the movie, the most sensitive member of The Wrecking Crew. He is usually humiliated because of his weight, usually called "Big Chops". After the death of R...

... middle of paper ...

...ds since second grade. Bishop framed him for the killings of characters throughout the movie.

The film received mostly positive reviews. Roger Ebert praised the film as "one of those stories with the quality of a nightmare, in which foolish young men try to out-macho one another until they get trapped in a violent situation which will forever alter their lives.”

The soundtrack for the movie was a success, making it to #17 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the Top R&B Albums and featured four charting singles "Uptown Anthem" by Naughty by Nature, "Juice (Know the Ledge)" by Eric B. and Rakim, "Don't Be Afraid" by Aaron Hall and "Is It Good to You" by Teddy Riley & Tammy Lucas. Juice was certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) on March 4, 1992. This soundtrack boasts a lineup that stands as an absolute who's who of early-'90s hip-hop.