Today In Hip Hop History: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for ‘Friday’ Dropped 27 Years Ago

On this day in Hip Hop history, the cult classic comedy Friday soundtrack was released by 550 Music and Epic Records. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, where it stood for two weeks, and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop chart, where it stood for six weeks. The album was just as commercially successful as the film and was certified double platinum only two months later.

During the 90s, it seemed that every soundtrack was a hit and the Friday soundtrack followed suit. With tracks from Ice Cube, Scarface, Dr. Dre, Cypress Hill, and 2 Live Crew, the album stacked up to be an amazing compilation of original tracks and poppin’ radio singles. At the same time, the addition of a few throwbacks from The Isley Brothers, Bootsy Collins, and Rick James gave the album surprising depth and a sense of nostalgia. Dr. Dre’s original single for the film, “Keep Their Head Ringing,” was able to see great success due to this soundtrack. It ranked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. It was certified gold by the RIAA in May 1995.