The Hidden Meaning of Baby Boy 

TYYYYREEEEESE!!! That said, as usual, RU-vid kills your comments. Please repost if you feel like yours was deleted.

was just watching a bunch of your videos in a row learning a lot and admiring the clarity then the intro to this one decked me in the face

Great analysis, I think a flaw with Baby Boy is that the movie doesn't stress enough that Jody is 20, not 28 lol. Realizing that he's the same age as a college sophmore or junior who has room to figure life out adds sympathy to his character.

😂 I love how every time you said “Tyrese,” you played his music. It reminds me of the “kumite” episode from the boondocks.

It's crazy, I was just telling my wife and therapist how a 37 y/o woman was having sex with me when I was 13, that shit broke my brain for a long time when it came to how I interacted with the opposite sex, I still have trouble with women as authority figures...but I'm working on it. I'm glad he touched on that

Thank you for addressing the sexual abuse that some black boys face at the hands of older black women! It’s a conversation that I’m always trying to have but I get shut down by people in denial…

“I ain’t did nothing cuz. I’m tryna keep from doing something” this line is highly underrated and relatable :/

The issue of sexual assault of Black boys by adult women is not talked about enough AT ALL!

One thing I loved about Singleton's movies is the "cycle" trope. One part that was missed was that Jodie positioned himself to try and "protect" his mother from other men and then Jodie/Evette's son ended up being part of the "cycle" having to position himself to protect his mother from Rodney.

My ex dealt with serious mental health issues behind an adult woman molesting him as a child. Thank you for bringing this up. We have to protect our boys from predators.

I love how this movie shows the different types of "boys in the hood". Its not just the gangster types ice cube, or the sports types like Morris Chestnut, or the playboys like Cuba. Its men/boys in between those categories. We need more movies that display the variety of black men in our culture!! That would be a good essay topic!

I needed this breakdown for two reasons. 1 I too critiqued baby boy and called it horrible based on the over exaggerated acting and Jody just being down right toxic. You have Jody his humanity while not excusing his downfalls. 2. I had to examine the Jody in me, past and present, and examine how I fix my brokenness for the betterment of my wife and future children. I’ll be 30 yo 8.13.21 and I’m still trying to figure out who I am outside of a financial provider and a protector.

Taraji P Henson was over-acting and being over the top because that's how Baby Boy saw her. The entire movie is through the eyes of the protagonist. You commented on that regarding Ving Rhames' character in the way he is shot and framed. Taraji's character elicits a specific response from Baby Boy, and regardless of what she actually said or did, *HE* felt that her reaction was that confrontational, and therefore that was "reality".

Oooh I’m here for this!! This came out when I was in middle school and I remember HATING Jodi with every fiber of my being. As a teen I saw it again and wondered why someone would create such a pathetic character, like what was the reason? As an adult I’m here to re-examine with you as I think I was too young to catch the message - this is so fun!

This video is very well analysis. You made a lot of valid points, especially on Black men losing their "virginities" at a younger age to older teenagers or grown women. Topics like this are important to discuss and less avoiding the "uncomfortable" situation. Same thing with Black women losing their "virginities." Thank you for talking about this movie. Maybe one day I will give the movie a chance. I am not into most "gangster" related movies/shows, but it's good to watch time to time, especially since I want to become an actor😅💯

Love this movie...I sometimes still call my closest friends baby boy lol. Sure Taraji's character might seem over the top and cartoonish but... it's kind of spot on...look around...her character is everywhere in real life

As a female from the hood I can say the female characters were not exaggerated. Yvette was a great representation of what you could call a 'dingy' female. I have definitely seen women act just like that. It makes since for her character to be that way considering Jodi's immaturity.

Melvin knocking Jody across the living room was one of the most satisfying punches in cinematic history 😆 I still can't stand this movie but your analysis was artfully done, per usual 🙌🏽

I grew up in neighborhoods where women like Taraji P Henson's character totally ring true.

i have seen the "he don't love me no more" scene in real life, from an actual woman, so most of the women seemed realistic to me.

Baby boy is a black cult classic & seeing this video excites me. It brought back so much nostalgia with amazing analytical takes. The movie is still so relevant, and the complexities of the circumstances then and how they stemmed from previous issues historical that lead even into today is just wildly unbelievable. You have this man, allowed to be overtly coddled like a child , while also being hyper-sexualized and representative of the stereotype of masculinity and the standard for black male gaze and fetish. He’s coddled much like what we can see done in some cases today due to the fear and pain of from effects left from enslavement. The mom was obviously probably a product of an environment that didn’t have the same coddling and consideration for her and so she produces two male sons receiving the complete opposite of her upbringing which in turn hinders them instead of helps them and then he goes out and creates issues he doesn’t feel responsible for by seeing in these women what he sees in his mother a martyr and a support system. I definitely agreed with a variety of your points. Great videos so far !!!!!

Here from Real Talk with Yanie’s community tab! I just rewatched Baby Boy recently and this is an excellent analysis! This film is so well done. One of the best scenes to me is when Jody gives the gun to Melvin. Very powerful.

Taraji was so incredibly extra in this movie, but that's where most of the classic pop culture moments come from. I always thought of Baby Boy as a good bad movie, but your analysis really provokes another look. I think the parallel to the reevaluation of Jennifer's Body is really apt...if you went to Baby Boy expecting that more typical hood drama you were really going to be thrown by this zany thing that at moments felt almost like parody of that genre. You made some excellent points about gender dynamics and the challenges of both Black masculinity and what Black women face in the midst of it.

That issue of male abuse is true

Damn I never watched Baby Boy but the amount of references to this movie make me feel like I watch it already.

You had me at “Baby Boy”. Thanks for shining a light on a fantastic coming of age film that’s very relatable in a lot of ways. I remember being fresh out of high school when this dropped and it always stuck with me.

Like you said about John Singleton’s direction, it’s very intentional. And I believe the overt-ness of the character performances around Jody may have been to illustrate the idea that Black folks don’t have time for subtlety all the time; only when necessary. Subtlety is for those who have the luxury to spend time and energy figuring out challenges, and reading between the lines for fun and entertainment. When folks are trying to survive in their day to day life usually the direct and overt approach is best. It saves you more time and is sometimes less work to navigate when you have other, sometimes more important things on your plate. But that’s just a thought I had as you pointed out the bolder character portrayals in the movie. I haven’t watched the movie in a while so I could just be thinking about it in a different direction than what the movie is actually giving.

Geez man. You always have a deep sense of insight into black masculinity. Something about the analysis always touches home and reveals something about the intuitive understanding behind these themes, and the direct correlation to my lived experience. It strikes me in the heart every time.

I thought that the women had some believable moments especially for a woman in their early 20’s

Really enjoyed this video and appreciated that you recognized where the execution kinda fell short. I wanted to quickly mention, I feel like the shot of Melvin smoking the black n mild with a red hat on symbolized Papa Legba, who is a deity in Haitian Vodou who is known to open gateways and doors. From how you described his character, I can see this being applicable, as his presence played a fundamental part in opening a door (to adulthood/manhood) for Jodie.

You succeeded in getting me to watch you talk for almost an hour about a movie I've never seen. Goal achieved. Also, this analysis is amazing and now I am going to lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling for a while to process.

As a priest in the Church of the Algorithm, I bless this video with a comment.

At least this film had adult themes. Try to imagine audiences disappointment when they seen the trailer for ATL, thought they were seeing a hood movie and ended up seeing a pg- 13 movie about roller skating!

Taraji's performance was not over the top. I've seen this type of behavior in real time... Still, great topic and quite refreshing to hear over all the noise...

only seconds in and i gotta say i LOVE the CJ the X promo... the best video essayist appreciates the other best video essayists. the two of you have different energies and styles but both of you have impressive delivery/chemistry in front of a camera (not to mention a truly terrifying ability to disseminate massive amounts of information while simultaneously analyzing everything in depth.) i get a really wide perspective from this channel because you cover really current topics as well as using knowledge about earlier media/situations that influence or have some sort of bearing on now. there are several movies that i didn't know about but ended up being drawn into the video you made on it anyway because it was just that interesting. similar to CJ's cat valentine video in that i never had to watch the source material to get a lot out of the video. so despite youtube's algorthm working against you i think you have a lot of qualities in your favor to hopefully get a wider audience. Good luck! and congrats on almost 2k!!!

Your analysis of this movie really encapsulates the whole energy that this film had, and it’s uniqueness. It’s an absolute classic. I stuck and saw it when I was 7 or 8.

My roommate from that time and I still say "I hate you Jody!" to each other. It is goofy but a classic.

I've been on this kick where I've been watching movies that I saw 20 years ago. Last night I watched the original Tales from the Hood from 1995. I liked the movie when it was released but watching it now, the messages are so much more clear. That movie is underrated. So I'm gonna rewatch Baby Boy. Only thing is I hate how social media has given us so much access to celebrities. We see their true personalities which kind of puts a cloud around their past work.🥴

I always loved this movie, I remembered watching it a few times in the theaters in my early 20`s, Im kinda ashamed to say it was a little art imitating life for me as a black man with no father, but you definitely gave it a proper review my man thanks!

I saw Baby Boy for the first time this past year and I appreciated the take on the black masculinity it had. I saw Baby Boy’s growth and development, and despite the downsides the film had I enjoyed the perspective Singleton chose to take. I’m glad I waited until I was able to understand the movie for what it was to watch it. Great video once again, truly!

You had me at CJ the X. One of the best to deliver the chaotic comedy with an investigative journalism spin. Really insightful look a how much a series of unfortunate events can change our perception (in terms of studio marketing v. director's intentions). Who knew BET was trying to do us a service with playing Baby Boy so many times?

I LOVED this movie growing up, it came out when I was a preteen and it was the first movie I saw that had a drama storyline that wasn't an all white cast or straight up comedy. I enjoyed it as a preteen because the movie showed me a realistic (for where I grew up and lived) happy ending that didn't revolve around needing to leave for the suburbs in order to have a happy ending. And it was also one of the few movies I had ever seen that didn't have the main black man being hyper masculine almost to a comical point. Rewatching it as an adult, I still enjoy the movie because for me it's a good slightly whimsical telling of a grown child becoming a man while all the actual adults around him keep pushing him to try to become a good man rather than another shitty guy. And I absolutely loved that it showed black men having open moments and deep thing showing on rather than so many other movies that just show them as so one dimensional

Ok, so because you made me have a teary eye for BLK men by discussing Baby Boy on such a deep and understandable level...I had to subscribe AND show this video to my friend. Also that sound clip gag every time you say Tyrese's name had me WEAK af LMAO.

Your videos are getting better. Substantively you’ve always been great, but your style/aesthetic is improving. Thanks for the great content!

This was a GREAT breakdown! Please keep doing what you’re doing, how you’re doing it.

That last scene with melvin, helping jody without a word, that was so powerful to me

Primm's Hood Cinema is what made me rethink Baby Boy. Dude was only 20 in the movie! That's younger than I thought. It really speaks to our society's obsession with making ppl "grow up" or become adults even when they're still in a maturing phase.

When you pointed out people at the time had issue with the shift in tone I was surprised but then I realized growing up I had no issue with it because I grew up watching Spanish soap operas where shifts in tone can happen. Like one moment you can be watching a tense standoff between civilians vs a drug lord and main characters then disrupt the tension with an elderly mother with dementia totting guns with her adopted street gang. It's crazy shift in tone but I find it true to life. even in the most darkest moments are disrupted by unwanted livity and I think that's a type of charm baby boy brings its realism.

As a black man and new fan of your channel I’m so grateful to have found you. So many of the topics you speak about are things I’ve mentally tried to avoid. Yet, when you bring them up, it gives me this great sense of relief.

"I hate your bald head" 🤣🤣 I have always loved Baby Boy (w the exception of snoops terrible acting) & thought everyone did. I never grasped the gig-lo aspect though, interesting how good his mind works. Also, with the abuse of young men, I've been told off in various ig comments for acknowledging that this sort of child abuse is also prevalent in our community for all kids. It's odd how much our people push back on this reality.

You got jokes with the tyrese music que . Omg I am dying every time, it gets me every time.

"under the watchful eyes if Tupac, a messianic figure of that time period" Damn, you have no idea how apt those words eye. Descriptive af

I think the character of Yvette , is perfect the counter part to Jody the immaturity the struggle to grow up as well

I never found Baby Boy to be anything but a brilliant, if flawed, film. I was in my early 20s at the time the film was released, and I found it relevant and relatable in a number of ways (despite me being a white woman). I think a lot of people from my generation and younger have felt aimless and lived at home, half adult/half child for far longer than our parents and grandparents did. That’s just ONE aspect, but I do feel that is universal among all of us. As for the behavior of Jody, I’ve personally dealt with men very much like him. Beautiful and charismatic, passionate in bed, but completely without merit or goals. Hell, look at how many women of all races have babies by those dudes that quite literally have nothing going for them but (apparently) good D. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I always found interesting, layered and ultimately, sad, the scene where Jody feels compelled to pleasure Yvette after he hits her. The way it plays, it’s like it’s not something he does often (perform oral sex on her), and he feels it’s the only way to make right what he has done. That scene actually makes me cry.

The scene where Melvin takes the gun from Jody has been burned into my mind ever since this movie came out. Loved your take on it. New sub and tbh been loving all your videos. Thanks for making them.

This weirdly puts my relationship with my ex in a new light. Doesn't forgive it or makes it better but I think I kind of understand (part of) what happened now.

Oh man, my boy is representing Mass Effect today! I would be interested in some kind of commentary on really anything from ME from you.

For years I thought about the major significance of this movie and the deep impact it had on our culture. But I was never able to articulate it in such a way. Thank you for doing just that! Just ran across your page and every video I have watched was dope! Thanks for your insight!

This was perfect! Though I haven’t watched the movie in a while, the opening scene has stuck with me since I was a kid. I thought it was brilliant how you said that women acting “over the top” could be what was in Jodie’s mental instead of the acting just being off. Thank you as always for the insight and new perspective! 2K subs here we come

Found your channel in my recommended list and I haven’t turned back. Your content is incredibly informative and easily digestible. As a young Black man, I truly appreciate the work that you put into these videos. Definitely gonna be sharing your channel with my friends

This movie came out shortly after I turned 11. I don’t know why my parents let me watch it so much, but anytime HBO had the rights I had it on repeat. I love it to this day and appreciate the care you take with your analysis. Thank you and well done!

oh my god thank you for this! i used to watch this movie with my mom and always thought it was so layered and complex and different scenes always stayed with me. until now i don't see many people discuss it in this way thank u sir!

PLEASE KEEP DOING THIS! I JUST FOUND YOUR CHANNEL AND i am a different person after sitting and watching this. Profound and excellent.

Yo. I slept on it and came back to comment. I totally recognized Jody's stunted manhood but the part about nobody being there for Yvette really hit. Thanks, Fiq.

You do great at breaking down a particular individual's experience and relating it to bigger issues. In doing that you make your points more apparent and understandable.

Man, if I had a nickel for every time Tyrese Gibson played a protagonist from the hood who needs to protect his young son from a criminal played by a celebrity guest rapper, I'd have two nickels. It's not a lot, but it's kind of weird it happened more than once.

Wow, your comment at the beginning was timely- I scrolled past this video at first bc ive never seen this movie. But I thought “I enjoy his POV on other things, so I’ll check this one out too”. You are a dope creator in my book, thanks for shining a light on Baby Boy ✌️

extra comment for the algorithm- and damn... that ending chapter... wow. i think i have to say that even without seeing this movie the moment when melvin helped jody still struck me as such a moving and impactful scene since you presented the story so well. i gotta add this movie to my to watch list. that moment was simultaneously sweet and heart-wrenching

I think that the movie Baby Boy spoke to all of us that were in those situations like I said my sister even named her son Jodie because that movie resonated with her so much I think that people who are not resonating with this movie simply were not in those situations and baby boy is not as glamorous as movies like Boyz in the Hood or Menace to Society those movies made hood life seem entertainingly thrilling there was nothing really admirable about any of the characters in baby boy in my opinion

I liked Taraji's character but her accent is so strong I questioned her being from LA.That DC accent is strong.

Gosh I remember seeing this when it came out with my sister, what blast from the past. This was an excellent breakdown, looking forward to seeing more of your work around here

This channel is a gem!! Your perspective is appreciated!!

… the way i have NEVER pieced together Jody being a sw. everything you said made extreme sense

Tyrese is actually a decent actor. I have a huge soft spot for this flawed yet compelling film & always have an affinity for Tyrese, as strained as it's been over the years, for his performance here. Great job !

You’re my new favorite video essayist. Glad to see your channel growing. I’m excited to see this become your main gig.

Love your perspective of this movie! Obviously this is not a movie about all black men and not a great example of black men. I find it interesting that we as a society feel comfortable talking about how black men can end up being nonproductive yet we feel uncomfortable talking about how black women have been affected by black trauma. If you discuss that it's your putting down black women or stay out a women's business

All of the black women in baby boy are very accurate to the black women I've had in my life. And honestly I think it's with you and how you perceived them that has you thinking they weren't complex. Just from. The 15 minutes that peanut and the 5 minutes that her mother were on the screen I picked up a whole lot. And that was a woman who made the same mistakes as her daughter, struggled through them and now, even though she knows better and how not to mess up, she is powerless to stop her daughter from making the same mistakes. You also see that Jody's mother is a lot like evette. They are good women who grew up in the hood and loved the wrong men. You get a glimpse of her mentorship of evette. Not sure how or why you missed that? Maybe because reality can be shocking and the fact that singleton was pretty accurate at his representation of a large portion of black women.

Your videos are bringing me to tears with every watch. I'm so mad sad and glad when I watch them I can honestly say that you are helping me... and thank you

Baby Boy came out when I was 18 and I LOVED it so much. I still love it! And you have some of the best video essays I've ever seen. Please keep it up! I'm a new subscriber.

I loved this in-depth analysis. It's great that you can revisit these fan faves with a more mature eye! I also loved every single 'TYYYYRRREEESE' moment! xx

Frankly, this is my first time hearing anyone outside of my family talk about this movie in-depth lol. I totally agree that "Baby Boy" deserves much deeper analysis in conversations pertaining to Black film, because its such an insightful piece. I really enjoyed hearing your take on this because it gave me a glimpse into what my big brother may have felt when he saw this movie. I vividly recall the first time I watched "Baby Boy" with him and I think that moment stands out to me because it was the first time I ever saw my brother visibly uncomfortable. I'd seen him get Sweet Pea pissed before, but never "uncomfortable." Generally, guys aren't allowed to express their emotions in the same way that females are, and when you add Blackness to the equation it gets even more complex, so maybe my brother connected to this movie just as viscerally as the women in our family did, but being a "Baby Boy" himself (he was like 19/20 years old), didn't really have the means to verbalize the impact the it had on him.

I've never seen this movie but watched the whole thing. You're a very compelling video essayist!

Love, love, love your analysis!! Thank you for making the time to give to us-- RU-vid watchers of the world!

I originally found your channel through one of your Reddit posts and I just want to say I really like your video essays and you help break things down in a way even I can understand. Thanks a ton for the work you're putting into this and I hope your channel gets the growth it deserves (though hopefully without the headache that comes from that). Also seconding that other comment on Mass Effect analysis (or video games in general, really)!

So glad I stumbled upon this channel, or that you even got out of your comfort zone to become a RU-vidr. Listening to you dissect topics reminds me of why I love reading certain authors. I forgot how much I loved Baby Boy as a youth, one of my favorite coming of age films. Also, dope shirt.

Baby Boy was ALWAYS my favorite movie…didn’t realize that it wasn’t a beloved hood classic…I always thought it was. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Truly loved the thought put into this. I never watched Baby Boy, but this essay has changed my preconceived notion about the film. I'll check it out!

Bruh…this video blew my mind!!! And it’s crazy how this movie’s concept is relevant to today. Thank you for the good work that you do!

This channel is a breath of fresh air... Came here per Kahdijah. Been watching the last couple of days, now subscribed and shared with my boyfriend💜

I don’t know how your videos got recommended to me but I’m glad I found your channel! ❤️

Yo Tyrese singing Tyrese every time FD says Tyrese is wild! 🤣🤣🤣

We always loved baby boy. We watched it so many times at ages we were definitely not supposed to be watching it. Honestly as I got older I loved it more and more and I need to watch it again as an almost 24 year old lol

Dope content, awesome perspectives, interesting topics = my new fav RU-vid channel! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Brother, I appreciate your hard work, continued growth and success to ya!

Damn, I love this movie but your analysis brought a whole different perspective I never thought of til now & I've seen this movie countless time's. Thank you brother

Damn, your breakdown of this movie is incredible and you got into some really deep stuff. Appreciate your POV on this!

This video is proof that I took way too long to subscribe and start viewing your content! I love the way you addressed this! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Baby Boy is a black classic amongst millennials we all loved it

This is fantastic. You absolutely achieved your objective with this one. Kept me engaged throughout.

I vaguely recall this movie being on TV when I was younger. I've never really been exposed to the Hood Movie genre like that, so just learning about it and learning how "Baby Boy" subverts many of the expectations of what a Hood Movie should be (even if it kind of plays things straight in the denouement, perhaps to its slight detriment when taking the film as a whole) made for a fascinating watch. So thank you. :)

Absolutely smashed this review bro!