FILM · 2001
Baby Boy
23 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (23)
- #001
Ving Rhames said much of the material cut from the script was felt to have far more depth. He felt the finished film took a more commercial route.
- #002
John Singleton originally wrote the role of Rodney for Ice Cube.
- #003
Ving Rhames based much of the role of Melvin on the life of former Crip gang member Kevin "Big Cat" Doucette.
- #004
The store where Jody is jumped and robbed by the youths is the same store where Ricky buys the lottery ticket, milk and doughnuts in Boyz n the Hood (1991).
- #005
At the beginning of the film, John Singleton's daughter Kleopatra Singleton plays Jody's daughter.
- #006
The film is the last feature John Singleton wrote, as he did not write any of his later feature directing projects.
- #007
A poster of Tyra Banks hangs on the wall in Jody's room. John Singleton said he put it there as an inside joke. He and Tyra had a relationship from 1993 to 1996. John had given Tyra her first film role in his third film, Higher Learning (1995).
- #008
The premiere was held on the 10th anniversary of John Singleton's first film, Boyz n the Hood (1991).
- #009
John Singleton's mother, Sheila Ward, plays a mourner in the dream scene in which Jody sees himself at his own funeral.
- #010
During filming, Tyrese Gibson was 23 and Taraji P. Henson was 31.
- #011
John Singleton initially began writing Baby Boy as a novel and wrote two chapters, but he said it took too long and he was unable to finish it.
- #012
In the film he plays a man still living with his mother, but in real life Tyrese Gibson bought his first house at 16.
- #013
Tyrese Gibson and Taraji P. Henson later appeared together in Four Brothers (2005).
- #014
In the sex scene between Melvin and Juanita, Larry King Live (1985) can be seen on the television, with Mike Tyson appearing as a guest. That episode first aired on November 12, 1997.
- #015
The album that Jody's baby mother Peanut is a partner on is Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" (1992).
- #016
The film Jody's son watches on television in his "fort" is Starship Troopers (1997).
- #017
The car of Yvette's that Jody uses for most of the film is a 1998 Honda Accord. Because of its popularity in the film, many people nicknamed the Honda "Baby Boy."
- #018
As Jody flips through channels on the new television Melvin bought, we see the series "Divorce Court" and the film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).
- #019
The cover of the book Yvette reads in bed says "Priscilla Heathen Bosom." This book does not actually exist and is only a generic prop.
- #020
Snoop Dogg and Angell Conwell later appeared in The Wash (2001) and Soul Plane (2004).
- #021
Taraji P. Henson and Ving Rhames would later appear in Animal (2005).
- #022
The boxing video game seen being played at the house of Sweetpea's girlfriend Kim is "Ready 2 Rumble" for the Dreamcast.
- #023
This film is part of the John Singleton Trilogy in the Criterion Collection, spine #1307.
Continue through the archive
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
Sources for the entries on this page
- IMDb IMDb kaydı
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work