5 Fun Facts You Didn’t Know About the Movie “Baby Boy”

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by Maria Lloyd

If you were to survey a diverse group of Black men and women between the ages of 21-54 about their awareness of John Singleton’s film titled “Baby Boy,” I’m willing to bet at least 80 percent of the survey participants will say they have at least heard of the film at some point in their lives. Although I am not a fan of the movie, I believe it’s widely revered as a “classic Black film” in Black America.

Released in the summer of 2001, “Baby Boy” is a film about a young Black man named Jody (played by Tyrese Gibson) whose single mother has enabled him to be irresponsible and lack ambition. Jody is forced to mature when his mother’s boyfriend moves into the home and challenges him to bring something to the table. After making a number of poor decisions, Jody finally finds steady ground and becomes the man he was meant to be.

Although the film  has been shown to millions of people worldwide, here are five fun facts you didn’t know about it:

1. The lead role was originally written for Tupac. In the film, the main character Jody appears to be a huge fan of Tupac, but that may have been Singleton’s way of paying homage to the late rapper, whom he’d initially written the role for until the rapper’s untimely deαth.
2. Director John Singleton had two MAJOR setbacks that forced him to place production on hold. Singleton faced a number of setbacks when creating this film. He’d initially placed the production of the film on hold after Tupac, the actor Singleton chose to play the lead character, was shot and killed in 1996. Singleton placed the production of the film on hold again when actress A.J. Johnson, who plays Jody’s mother in the film, broke both of her ankles.
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   The actress said she greeted Singleton and Gibson in a wheelchair when they approached her about taking on the role and initially declined the offer.
3. Rodney (Snoop Dogg) was written for Ice Cube. Although it’s unknown as to why Ice Cube was not in the film, Singleton had initially written the role of the character Rodney for the rapper/film creator, but it was ultimately given to Snoop Dogg instead.
4. “Baby Boy” is an unofficial sequel to “Boyz N the Hood.”  “Boyz N the Hood” is another Singleton film that is widely revered as a classic Black movie. “Baby Boy” is believed to have been a sequel to “Boyz N the Hood.”
5. The film barely broke even. The film had a budget of $16 million but only grossed $8,606,403 in its opening weekend. It ranked number five at the box office. Fortunately, the money was recouped later on, as it grossed a total of  $29,381,649 worldwide.