Friday [PA]

Performer: Original Soundtrack
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Producers include: Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, N.O. Joe Johnson, DJ Pooh, Roger Troutman. Compilation producer: Ice Cube. Engineers include: Keston Wright, Tom Daughterty, Rick Freeman. Dr. Dre's "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Producers include: Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, N.O. Joe Johnson, DJ Pooh, Roger Troutman. Compilation producer: Ice Cube. Engineers include: Keston Wright, Tom Daughterty, Rick Freeman. Dr. Dre's "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Personnel: Nanci Fletcher, Barbara Wilson (vocals); Stu Bullard (keyboards). Audio Mixers: E-Swift; Mike Dean ; Muggs. Recording information: Digital Services Recording, Houston, TX; Digital Shack, Sherman Oaks, CA; Dre's Crib; Firehouse Recording Studios, New York, NY; Luke Recording Studio, LIvery City, FL; Ocean 11 Suite 7; Street Knowledge Recording Studio, Los Angeles, CA; The Archive. Photographer: Nicola Goode. What do you get when you put a simple cardboard wraparound sleeve around the original Friday soundtrack and the spinoff release Old School Friday? You get this, a set dubbed the "10th Anniversary Edition" of Friday. There's nothing special about it. The two discs contained are presented exactly as they were in 1995 -- no beefed-up liner notes, no beefed-up sound, no beefed-up anything. Disc one is a mixed affair, with Dr. Dre's "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" the biggest hit (later made available on Death Row's Greatest Hits), along with decent but unexceptional cuts from Ice Cube, Scarface, and the Isley Brothers. Disc two is based around mostly classic tracks from Rick James, War, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, and the Temptations. Only fans of the movie will have much need for this. ~ Andy Kellman By 1995, R&B and hip-hop artists expended some of their greatest creative energy on soundtracks, turning in compilation albums that frequently were more compulsively listenable and adventerous than solo artist collections. Fridays was no exception. The soundtrack to a lightweight comedy co-written by Ice Cube, the record conveys all the strengths of hit urban radio. Keeping all of the good elements of the format -- including the G-Funk of Dr. Dre, old school soul, contemporary R&B and gangsta rap -- the record sounds like a "Best of the '90s" collection. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Being both the writer and the star of FRIDAY has kept Ice Cube extremely busy of late, but with the help of both old school and new school artists, he has also produced one of the finest soundtracks to come down the pike in a long time. Performing the opening title track, Cube has closely aligned his movie with his music, and it's just such knowing collaborations between black filmmakers and the hip-hop community that has made soundtrack albums a prominent means for compiling suave collections of black music. Dr. Dre, undoubtably West Coast's finest, manages to "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" using his powerful vocals and spectacular G-Funk (with a little help from an old KRS-One sample) to transform any theater seat into the backseat of a jeep. Also along for the ride are fellow west coasters Cypress Hill--exercising their usual themes on "Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up"--and their descendents, Funkdoobiest, who bring their ill style to life on "Superheroes." Slowing down the pace is the laid-back groove of Scarface's "Friday Night," complete with the smoothed-out flow of the former Geto Boy. There is also a sizable amount of old-school funk featured here: the Isley Brothers' "Tryin' To See Another Day," Rick James' "Mary Jane," Rose Royce's "I Wanna Get Next To You." Throwing such tunes into the overall soundtrack mix adds a distinct knowing flavor to the album, and makes it even more obvious that Ice Cube knows what he's up to even when he's not behind the mic. Being both the writer and the star of FRIDAY has kept Ice Cube extremely busy of late, but with the help of both old school and new school artists, he has also produced one of the finest soundtracks to come down the pike in a long time. Performing the opening title track, Cube has closely aligned his movie with his music, and it's just such knowing collaborations between black filmmakers and the hip-hop community that has made soundtrack albums a prominent means for compiling suave collections of black music. Dr. Dre, undoubtably West Coast's finest, manages to "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" using his powerful vocals and spectacular G-Funk (with a little help from an old KRS-One sample) to transform any theater seat into the backseat of a jeep. Also along for the ride are fellow west coasters Cypress Hill--exercising their usual themes on "Roll It Up, Light It Up, Smoke It Up"--and their descendents, Funkdoobiest, who bring their ill style to life on "Superheroes." Slowing down the pace is the laid-back groove of Scarface's "Friday Night," complete with the smoothed-out flow of the former Geto Boy. There is also a sizable amount of old-school funk featured here: the Isley Brothers' "Tryin' To See Another Day," Rick James' "Mary Jane," Rose Royce's "I Wanna Get Next To You." Throwing such tunes into the overall soundtrack mix adds a distinct knowing flavor to the album, and makes it even more obvious that Ice Cube knows what he's up to even when he's not behind the mic.

Rolling Stone (5/4/95, p.69) - 3 Stars - Good - "...Accompanying the new comedy penned by Ice Cube and partner D.J. Pooh, FRIDAY....[is a] righteous set..." Rolling Stone (5/4/95, p.69) - 3 Stars - Good - "...Accompanying the new comedy penned by Ice Cube and partner D.J. Pooh, FRIDAY....[is a] righteous set..." Entertainment Weekly (4/28/95, p.63) - "...No suprises here. Dr. Dre rumbles over his smooth, insistent groove, Ice Cube sounds angry, Cypress Hill is still obsessed with pot....Throw in Rick James and Isley Brothers classics and you've got a listening experience that's familiar and fun..." - Rating: A- The Source (5/95, p.68) - "...FRIDAY should find its niche with a solid lineup that includes the best in reality rap and old funk/R&B. It's comprised mainly of new cuts from your favorite reality rappers..." The Source (5/95, p.68) - "...FRIDAY should find its niche with a solid lineup that includes the best in reality rap and old funk/R&B. It's comprised mainly of new cuts from your favorite reality rappers..." Rap Pages (6/95, p.25) - 7 - "...FRIDAY...harvests a crop of veterans and new-comers with ill methods to contribute their personal accounts to the soundscape of...documenting a day in the 'hood....[Ice Cube] handpicked songs that fit perfectly in conjunction with the context of his film..." Rap Pages (6/95, p.25) - 7 - "...FRIDAY...harvests a crop of veterans and new-comers with ill methods to contribute their personal accounts to the soundscape of...documenting a day in the 'hood....[Ice Cube] handpicked songs that fit perfectly in conjunction with the context of his film..."

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