Judgment Niiiiiiiight

Although Aerosmith and Run DMC had long before walked this way, 1993's Judgment Night soundtrack was then perceived as a novel intersection of leading rap and rock artists. I was among those who bought it at the time, although I probably had to bum a ride to do it. I thought to pull this off the shelf because Cypress Hill will be playing a free show at Atlanta's Centennial Park on May 12, and they're the only act that appears on the soundtrack twice. They probably deserved it though, as 1993's Black Sunday was the shit.

The format is generally rock bands playing backup to their rap counterparts, contributing some vocals but generally giving up the lead. While others have lamented that the record didn't quite live up to expectations, it remains an interesting document. If anything, the soundtrack's makers did a fine job of picking artists -- nearly fifteen years later many of them remain relevant and/or respected acts. There's no "Ninja Rap" here.

For me, the collection's highlights have always been the Teenage Fanclub/De La Soul collaboration "Fallin'" (with nods to Tom Petty) and the Cypress Hill/Sonic Youth ode to pot "I Love You Mary Jane." Contributions from Dinosaur Jr./Del the Funkyhomosapien and Cypress Hill/Pearl Jam (the supposed "bonus track" despite being clearly labeled as Track 11) were also among the better tracks. The tracklist, and some tunes to check out if this isn't collecting dust in your place:

01. Helmet and House of Pain - Just Another Victim
02. Teenage Fanclub and De La Soul - Fallin'
03. Living Colour and Run DMC - Me, Myself, & My Microphone
04. Biohazard and Onyx - Judgment Night
05. Slayer and Ice-T - Disorder
06. Faith No More and Boo-Yaa TRIBE - Another Body Murdered
07. Sonic Youth and Cypress Hill - I Love You Mary Jane
08. Mudhoney and Sir Mix-A-Lot- Freak Momma
09. Dinosaur Jr. and Del tha Funkee Homosapien- Missing Link
10. Therapy? and Fatal - Come And Die
11. Pearl Jam and Cypress Hill - Real Thing

I don't normally provide four tracks from a single record, but I have a feeling I won't be denting the sales of a 14-year old soundtrack with an uneven reputation. If you'd like a copy of your own, there are scores of used ones available at Amazon.