This month marks 25 years since the big screen debut of Boyz N the Hood, the critically acclaimed John Singleton film that explored the lives of three young black men coming of age in South Central Los Angeles. The landmark film featuring an all-star cast including future Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. as Tre Styles and his loyal girlfriend Brandi, played by a young Nia Long, launched the acting career of rapper Ice Cube as Doughboy. It also featured Morris Chestnut as rising high school football star, Ricky Baker who was slain in a drive-by shooting just on the cusp of receiving an athletic scholarship to USC.
With the film’s breakout success, Singleton became the youngest and first African-American ever nominated for an Academy Award nomination for Best Director.
Almost three decades later, some of us are still upset at how the film ended.
Ricky, the college-bound football star never made it home.
To add insult to injury, no one ever went back to see if he won the lottery ticket he was scratching on the way back to the house. It’s a shame what happened to Ricky. We were all devastated in the wake of his violent and premature demise. Although the film’s purpose gave American audiences a glimpse inside of the real violence happening in black communities, we still can’t help but wonder what would have happened in this fictional story had Ricky went off to school with his friends, Tre and Brandi.
He had so much potential. Who knows what kind of man he would have become? In honor of Boyz N the Hood, here are 13 future goals we would have wanted Ricky to achieve had he survived the ending.
1. A breakout college football star
2. NFL legend
3. Successful attorney
If football didn’t work out, Ricky would have studied law as a backup plan and wound up with an equally high-powered, game playing girlfriend.
4. United States Army Lieutenant
5. A private pathologist
Busting down crime while livin’ la vida loca in Miami.
6. Youth mentor and baseball coach
If Rick would have survived the hood, naturally he would have given back to his community.
7. A spokesperson for teeth whitener
Or maybe a thoroughly oiled fitness model. #StayGreasedUp
8. A nightclub manager
Had Ricky survived that fateful day in Crenshaw, he might have been there to help Ms. Patti run her LA nightclub after he graduated.
9. BET Awards nominee turned presenter
10. A Mall Santa
11. Lead singer of a New Edition cover band
Who knows if he would’ve been Johnny Gill or Bobby Brown. We’ll never know.
12. A devoted husband and father
Maybe he would have married his high school sweetheart and mother of their son, Shanice.
13. No matter what occupation he chose, we know Ricky would have been The Perfect Guy
Okay, maybe not the best example.
At least Tre turned out well.
#cubagoodingjr BEYOND lit at #livonsunday in #Miami – powered @headlinerworld
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