The blurb for 1993's CB4 says: "Saturday Night Live's Chris Rock stars in this hilarious spoof of rap stars and life in the hip-hop fast lane. Albert (Rock) starts off as nothing more than your basic L.A. middle-class kid dreaming of rap stardom, until a run-in with a real ghetto hood gives him an idea. Reborn as tough, gangsta-rapper MC Gusto -- along with his homeboys Dead Mike and Stab Master Arson -- Albert creates rap's hottest new act, CB4. Soon the trio is rocketing up the charts, partying in limos, collecting groupies and gaining notoriety for their macho, street-wise tunes. Unfortunately, the real hoods are hot on their trail -- and they're not looking for autographs! This outrageous comedy features a chart-topping soundtrack, surprise appearances by rap superstars ( Ice-T, Flavor Flav, and Easy E), and an outstanding cast including Chris Elliott, Phil Hartman, Allen Payne and Deezer D." While I felt like Chris Rock might've missed the mark with this film at the time, it does have its comedic moments and certainly feels like a wink-wink-moment looking at the posturing in music in recent years. That said, if you haven't seen Fear Of A Black Hat, it's a significantly more entertaining, albeit more low-budget, comedy! The CB4 soundtrack featured music from Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Fu-Schnickens, Daddy-O, DJ Hurricane, and more, but the standout (to me) was always MC Ren's "Mayday on the Front Line," which would later appear on his album, Shock Of The Hour, in November 1993. Revisit the official trailer for CB4 below...
Some publicity photos from CB4's Press Kit in 1993...
