1998 | 1h 44m | Directed by Ice Cube
 

Starring LisaRaye McCoy, Dick Anthony Williams and Judyann Elder

The Players Club is a black comedy-drama thriller film, marking Ice Cube’s directorial debut. It centers around the events in the life of Diana “Diamond” Armstrong - a college student trying to make ends meet. Although she works an honest job, upon meeting two girls - Ronnie and Trick - she’s convinced she’d make a better living stripping for Dollar Bill at The Players Club. Although this premise might sound a bit like Showgirls, The Players Club is by far a superior version of that, giving us a suspenseful story to follow, great performances by a talented black cast, and probably the best, most vicious catfight you’ll ever see.

1991 | 2h 1m | Directed by Robert Townsend
 

Starring Robert Townsend, Michael Wright and Leon

The Five Heartbeats is a musical drama inspired by the lives of ‘60s bands like The Temptations, The Dells, and Four Tops. This Motown-inspired soul band, The Five Heartbeats, are off to a rocky start for the music industry’s Olympus. And, although they succeed, they learn plenty of hard lessons about the real face of the industry. The Five Heartbeats will appeal to anyone in love with soul and R&B music, and even if it isn’t your favorite, it is a very engaging story nevertheless.

1993 | 1h 37m | Directed by Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes
 

Starring Tyrin Turner, Jada Pinkett and Larenz Tate
 

MTV Movie Award winner for Best Movie. A young street hustler attempts to escape the temptations of the ghetto in a quest for a better life. Definitely one of the best 90s movies! Legendary rapper Tupac Shakur was initially cast to play Sharif but was then fired, which led to a physical fight with co-director Allen Hughes. For this, he was sentenced to fifteen days in jail.

1991 | 1h 52m | Directed by John Singleton
 

Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut and Ice Cube
 

With 12 wins and 23 nominations, Boyz N The Hood is an unmissable gem among the 90s movies. It follows the lives of three young men growing up together in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles and portrays several social issues, like racial discrimination, violence, and uncertain future prospects.

1995 | 1h 40m | Directed by Wes Craven
 

Starring Eddie Murphy, Angela Bassett and Allen Payne

Vampire In Brooklyn is a comedy horror film, a black answer to the vampire craze that’s still going on strongly. Here, we get to follow the story of a Caribbean vampire who travels to Brooklyn in search of one very special lady who’s half-human, half-vampire. Sounds pretty intriguing, huh? Well, although upon its release, Vampire In Brooklyn didn’t get a pat on the back from cinema critics, over the years, this movie got its fair spot in the category of cult classics. And who would ever want to miss a chance to watch a cult classic movie!

1991 | 1h 37m | Directed by Mario Van Peebles

Starring Wesley Snipes, Ice-T and Allen Payne
 

When Nino ascends to power and takes over Harlem's criminal scene, the maverick cop Scotty vows to bring him down for good. The story is based on the real-life Detroit gang The Chambers Brothers. Writer Barry Michael Cooper got the idea for the film after visiting Detroit and learning about the gang's exploits.

1994 | 1h 54m | Directed by Boaz Yakin
 

Starring Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito and Samuel L. Jackson

Fresh is a crime movie directed by Boaz Yakin in his directorial debut. Marketed as a hip hop ‘hood movie, it centers around the story of a preteen boy Michael, nicknamed Fresh, running drugs for gangsters. His father is an alcoholic speed-chess master, and from his lessons, Fresh gets inspired to come up with a plan to save his sister and himself from this miserable life. It’s a very emotional coming-of-age story, offering a realistic glimpse of life in the New York projects during the crack epidemic. Everything in this movie is done on purpose and in a very calculated way so as to leave its viewer shaken about the grim realities of the depicted period.

1995 | 1h 31m | Directed by F. Gary Gray
 

Starring Ice Cube, Chris Tucker and Nia Long

If you're a young netizen, you certainly know this movie from the memes Daaaamn! and Bye, Felicia! Winner of a Def Movie Award, this buddy stoner film shows the misadventures of Craig and Smokey having to deal with a local bully that wants his money back. Director Quentin Tarantino included Friday as one of his 20 favorite movies from 1992 to 2009. That says a lot!

1996 | 2h 3m | Directed by F. Gary Gray
 

Starring Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise
 

Four desperate women start robbing banks to solve their financial and personal problems. The first attempts are a huge success, but policemen are on their trail. With every robbery, their interests begin to change and their trust in each other is on the verge of collapsing. Starring Queen Latifah in her first leading role and Kimberly Elise in her film debut.

1993 | 1h 49m | Directed by John Singleton
 

Starring Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur and Regina King
 

After witnessing her boyfriend's murder, Justice tries to cope with it through poetry. On her way to a convention, she meets an old face she would have preferred stayed in the past. But this meeting could have been decided by fate, as she now feels she's not as lonely as before.
 

Some random fact? When Justice is driving in her car in the beginning, she passes Crenshaw Boulevard near the shopping center, damaged during the Los Angeles riots in 1992, which Tupac Shakur also joined.

1993 | 1h 58m | Directed by Brian Gibson
 

Starring Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne and RaéVen Kelly

Based on Tina Turner's autobiography I, Tina. The movie shows the real story of Tina Turner, her rise to fame, and her courage to break free from an abusive marriage. In an interview, Tina Turner stated that she wished the film had contained more truth, but the studio felt that the public would not believe everything that actually happened to her. Definitely one of the black drama movies you don't wanna miss.

1999 | 1h 46m | Directed by Rick Famuyiwa
 

Starring Omar Epps, Richard T. Jones and Taye Diggs
 

On his wedding day, the groom goes missing before the ceremony. During his efforts to retrieve him, his friend and writer Mike tells the story of his youth. Ever since he met his friends at a new school, they shared the ups and downs of discovering life. Some trivia facts? Malinda Williams played the younger Alicia for the movie, and Sanaa Latham played Alicia as an adult. However, Malinda is actually one year older than Sanaa.

1992 | 1h 35m | Directed by Ernest R. Dickerson
 

Starring Omar Epps, Tupac Shakur, Jermaine Hopkins and Khalil Kain
 

The lives of four Harlem teenagers take an unexpected turn after robbing a corner grocery store. Follow their story as they struggle with police harassment, rival gangs, their families and the pursuit of happiness, which they refer to as "the juice". Did you know Omar Epps learned how to spin as a DJ even before production began? A lot of what he does in the movie is authentic.

1995 | 2h 4m | Directed by Forest Whitaker
 

Starring Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine

Waiting To Exhale, an adaptation of a novel by Terry McMillan, is the directorial debut of Forest Whitaker. This romance film centers around the lives of four women living in Phoenix, Arizona. Here we get a glimpse into their romantic relationships with men and one another. The four of them are “holding their breath” until the day they can feel comfortable in a loving relationship. Waiting To Exhale is a pleasurable watch, supplemented by a great soundtrack created by mainly African American women, with one song being an exception - “Head” by Prince.

1992 | 3h 22m | Directed by Spike Lee
 

Starring Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett and Albert Hall
 

With 19 wins and 24 nominations, the movie follows the epic life of Malcolm X, the influential black nationalist leader as presented in The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The movie made history as the first non-documentary film that was given permission to film in Mecca. Director Spike Lee removed all mention of Louis Farrakhan from the film after receiving direct threats from him.

1996 | 1h 48m | Directed by Martin Lawrence
 

Starring Martin Lawrence, Lynn Whitfield and Regina King

A Thin Line Between Love And Hate is a black comedy-romance film that tells the story of ladies’ man Darnell Wright and his escapades of love. And as with any Casanova’s story, things, sure enough, turn sour for our Darnell, too. For him, it is an obsessive lover of his - an attractive, successful, yet very unstable businesswoman. And now, it is Darnell who’s played. A Thin Line Between Love And Hate is a thoroughly entertaining light watch, and if you’re looking for something that’s both funny and quite thrilling, give it a try!

1990 | 1h 40m | Directed by Reginald Hudlin
 

Starring Christopher Reid, Christopher Martin and Robin Harris

Two friends, Kid and Play, organize a house party, but neither can predict what's in store for them on what could be the wildest night of their lives. What's craziest is that the movie was shot at Play's real-life home in Los Angeles! House Party is considered a cult classic, highlighting the "Golden Age of Hip-Hop music" when its culture was centered around parties, fun, and consensual affairs.

1999 | 2h | Directed by Malcolm D. Lee
 

Starring Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Harold Perrineau and Morris Chestnut

The life of Harper, a Chicago writer, becomes crazy when his almost-married best friend guesses that Harper's brand new autobiographical novel is based on his own bride's past. Actresses Sanaa Lathan, Regina Hall, and Monica Calhoun were cast to work together again one year later for Love & Basketball.

1996 | 1h 35m | Directed by Tom Shadyac
 

Starring Eddie Murphy, Jada Pinkett Smith and James Coburn

The Nutty Professor, a 1996 science-fiction comedy, as you might know, is a remake of a 1963 movie of the same name. What you might not know is that the original movie is itself a parody of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella called The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. So here, Eddie Murphy is a kind-hearted, morbidly obese university professor, Sherman Klump. Sherman develops a miraculous weight-loss pharmaceutical that not only drastically changes his physique, but also alters his personality altogether. Although The Nutty Professor is full of somewhat juvenile humor, Murphy’s amazing performance will make you giggle even at the lamest jokes.

#20 Boomerang

1992 | 1h 57m | Directed by Reginald Hudlin
 

Starring Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens and Halle Berry

Boomerang, a romantic comedy, sees Eddie Murphy as Marcus Graham - a hotshot executive who’s also a womanizer and male chauvinist. Upon meeting his new boss, Jacqueline Broyer, Marcus realizes that she’s the female version of him. So, will he turn around or will the two of them make a coalition against the rest of the world? Well, why don’t you check out this movie and see it for yourself!