Oral History of the ‘Judgment Night’ Soundtrack
Oral History of the ‘Judgment Night’ Soundtrack: 1993’s Rap-Rock Utopia
Onyx, Cypress Hill, Faith No More, Sonic Youth, Run-DMC and more look back on a genre-splicing cult classic
The soundtrack to 1993 chase flick Judgment Night — on which 10 rap artists collaborated with 11 rock groups — was a gold-certified triumph of the post-Nirvana major label wild west. Dropped shortly after Lollapalooza wound down its third summer, here was a similarly divide-breaking gathering of genre-crossing cool: Cypress Hill spitting hard bars over a slinky Pearl Jam groove and dank Sonic Youth noise, Mudhoney and Sir Mix-A-Lot sharing a dirty Seattle scumbag sesh, Helmet’s taut riffs slowing down for steely-eyed House of Pain verses, Teenage Fanclub bummer jangle matching with De La Soul’s reflective rhymes.
