(NOTE LANGUAGE) On this day in 1995, the world met Craig Jones, played by Ice Cube, and his best friend, Smokey, played by Chris Tucker, when the hit stoner comedy Friday debuted.
From the porch of his South Central, LA home, a recently unemployed Craig was persuaded to smoke Smokey’s marijuana– a decision he’d soon come to regret. When Faizon Love‘s character, Big Worm, stops by to collect his drug money, which Smokey hadn’t made because of his own selfish gain, the duo set out on a mission to save themselves from the early death Love promised them if he didn’t get his money.
With aspirations to put forth a lighthearted, neighborhood movie that could be watched “over and over again,” legendary rapper Ice Cube put pen to paper to produce the iconic film. His attempt at creating a “hood classic,” one which prompted two sequels, proved to be more than successful — not only because of its box office success of $28 million against a $3.5 million budget, but more importantly, because of its indelible mark in Black film.
Twenty-seven years may not be a milestone anniversary, but Friday and all of its celebrated moments — including the many unforgettable quotes — deserve recognition every year. Here’s a list of just a few of the timeless memes.
Smokey
— “I know you don’t smoke weed, I know this. But I’m gonna get you high today cause it’s Friday, you ain’t got no job and you ain’t got s*** to do.”
— “You got knocked the f*** out!”
— “And you know this…man!”
Craig
— “Man, it’s the blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.”
— “Bye, Felicia.”
— “For most people, Friday’s just the day before the weekend. But after this Friday, the neighborhood’ll never be the same.”
Big Worm
— “Playing with my money is like playing with my emotions, Smokey.”
Joi
–“You ain’t gotta lie, Craig.”
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