Where Are They Now? The Cast of Menace II Society

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A little over a week ago, we took a look at what the cast of Boyz N The Hood was up to.  This week, I figured we could take a look at the cast of the movie that almost always gets compared to its struggle-in-the-ghetto-themed counterpart, Menace II Society.  Released in 1993 and directed by the Hughes Brothers, Menace made Boyz look like a Disney movie.  I’m of the opinion that Boyz is a vastly superior movie, but that doesn’t mean that Menace II Society isn’t great and, like Boyz, Menace has its share of memorable cast members.  After the jump, take a look at where the cast of Menace II Society is now.

Tyrin Turner as Caine

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I said with cheese!

Turner’s most prominent role in his career is that of Caine, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that – Caine rules.  Turner’s appeared in some pretty forgettable movies since Menace, such as The Method, Soldier Boyz, and Belly, and the one decent movie (and I am using this term very loosely) he did appear in – How High – he was uncredited.  Apparently, Turner tried to milk the character of Caine for all it was worth, as he used that moniker when signing with Rap-A-Lot Records, but unfortunately, his album never came out.  Sure, he got to rap a little with The Geto Boys, but you’d think that maybe MC Eiht could help him out a bit.

Larenz Tate as O-Dog

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Anybody want a cheeseburger?

Tate played, in my opinion, the most memorable character from Menace, and his strong performance paid off – he’s been getting steady work in film and television ever since.  After Menace, Tate appeared in The Inkwell, and then reunited with the Hughes Brothers in Dead Presidents.  He landed the lead as Frankie Lymon in Why Do Fools Fall in Love, showing his range as an actor, as Lymon is really nothing at all like O-Dog.  Tate later played Quincy Jones in Ray, and he currently plays Bart in the very underrated “Rescue Me.”  According to his website, Tate was shooting a CBS pilot called “Waterfront” with Joe Pantiolano and William Baldwin.  Even if it isn’t picked up, I’m sure we will be seeing a lot more of Larenz Tate.

Samuel L. Jackson as Tat Lawson

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Now that you been out the joint two weeks don’t you think it’s about time you gave me my money?

Jackson is in Menace for about only two minutes, but his scene is as memorable as any.  I probably shouldn’t have to tell you what Sam Jackson’s been up to since – it seems like he appears in at least three movies a year.  That’s a trend that isn’t going to go away any time soon: Jackson recently signed a nine (yes, nine) picture deal with Marvel.  That’s a lot of yelling.

Jada Pinkett Smith as Ronnie

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It’s OK, baby.  I’m sure you’ll live through this movie.

Following Menace, Jade starred with Larenz Tate in The Inkwell, followed by A Low Down Dirty Shame (which I saw in the theater – WTF?), a dumb Tales From the Crypt movie, and The Nutty Professor.  The role of Niobe in the Matrix sequels put Jada back in the limelight somewhat, but before that, it was her marriage to Will Smith in 1997.  Jada currently appears as the title character on “Hawthorne,” but she’s been doing a lot more than just acting.  Jada helped create the band Wicked Wisdom in 2002, for which she is a singer and songwriter, and she and her husband set up the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, a charity that helps out inner-city youths.  Also, she’s denied that she’s a Scientologist, but I don’t think anyone actually believes that.  Hail Xenu!

MC Eiht as A-Wax

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Jjjjeah.

MC Eiht – real name Aaron Tyler – appeared in a few movies after Menace, most recently as T Bone in Who Made the Potatoe [sic] Salad? in 2006, but that’s likely because MC Eiht isn’t really an actor, he’s a bad ass rapper.  MC Eiht is as real as it gets, so he probably didn’t have to prepare too hard for his role as A-Wax.  He’s had 13 albums released since 1994, and has appeared on other rapper’s album’s, too, such as Snoop Dogg.  In 2004, MC Eiht voiced the character Lance “Ryder” Wilson in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Vonte Sweet as Sharif Butler

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I got me enough money to buy one hundred balls…shiiiit.

I know that the above “quote” is from Boyz N The Hood, but it was Sweet who said it.  Vonte hasn’t been in anything since 2000, which is a shame, because he’s a pretty talented actor.  In 2000, he played the role of “Dealer” in Traffic.  If you don’t remember which guy “Dealer” was, it was the one who banged Michael Douglas’ daughter in exchange for drugs and then stuck a gun in Douglas’ face when Douglas came around asking questions.  I’m not sure if he has a myspace page; either he’s a self-promoter or someone else likes him quite a bit – you can view his “demo reel” HERE.

Clifton Powell as Chauncey

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D-d-d-did I stutter?

If it weren’t for Sam Jackson, Clifton Powell would be the hardest working actor from Menace II Society.  Seriously, the guy’s been in everything: Dead Presidents, Phantoms, Deep Rising, Why Do Fools Fall in Love (with Larenz Tate), Rush Hour, Next Friday, Friday After Next, Ray, Norbit, and Street Kings, just to name a few movies, and “Moesha,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “The Practice,” “Third Watch,” “House, M.D.” and “CSI,” just to name a few television shows.  Like MC Eiht, Powell lent his voice to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in 2004, voicing the part of Big Smoke.  Certainly, Powell is a classic “that guy” actor.

Ryan Williams as Stacy

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Uh, that’s Ryan on the left.

Ryan Williams made his film debut as Stacy in Menace II Society, one of Caine’s friends who had a ticket out of Watts in the form of a football scholarship.  Ryan hasn’t done much since his role as Stacy; his most notable performance is the role of Elstan Martin in The Hurricane with Denzel Washington.  He has appeared in movies as recently as 2007, and in 1997-98, he worked as a grip in Striking Resemblance, Dust, and Hard.  No, I haven’t heard of those movies, either.

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19 Comments

  1. Hey Demon Knight was not a crappy movie! Or maybe it was…I haven’t seen it since I was a kid, but at the time it was the shheeeit! Seriously, watched it at least 20 times when it came out on VHS. Aaahhh memories.

  2. Caine was also in Panther … He died kind of the same way he died in Menace gasping on his own blood and ultimately suffocating … Clifton Powell is crazy talented but he will always be “Chauncey from Menace” or “Pinky from Next Friday” … “Ay hook up some links with them Grits … I’m hungrier than a MF out here” … LOL Same with Samuel L. Jackson … dope actor but if he is always “Gator” to me – “Mama I smoked the TV” … LOL

  3. There was a spin off very loosely based on Menace II Society. It starred Larenz Tate & the name of it was South Central. It was a lot like Moesha but with harsher drama.

  4. Tyrin Turner is doing straight to DVD movies, yanno, the super duper low low budget with L-Rated actors like, umm, lets see, Sticky Fingaz and Tony Todd.

    Oh and Tony Moreno, its “Mama, I smoked the COLOR tv”

    🙂

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