Soul For Real - Every Little Thing I Do

JUL 01 1995 · 12:00

Soul For Real - Every Little Thing I Do (1995) Director: Brett Ratner Era: New Jack Swing / Mid-90s R&B Golden Age (1995) - Peak era of hip-hop soul and teen R&B on Uptown/MCA Records; sibling groups and synchronized choreography dominated urban pop crossover High curatorial value as a documented early work of Brett Ratner, a director who would go on to define late-90s blockbuster filmmaking, made during the height of Uptown Records' cultural dominance. The video encapsulates the look, feel, and social geography of mid-90s teen R&B in a single, tightly edited 3.5-minute package. The roller rink setting, circular stage, and group choreography make it a visually rich artifact of Black youth leisure culture in the pre-internet era. Context: Released in 1995 as the second single from Soul for Real's debut album Candy Rain on Uptown Records, 'Every Little Thing I Do' arrived at the peak of the hip-hop soul movement pioneered by labels like Uptown and Bad Boy. The group, four brothers from Wyandanch, New York, was signed and mentored by Heavy D, who also produced the track alongside Poke & Tone (Trackmasters). The roller rink setting evokes a distinctly mid-90s urban leisure space used frequently in R&B visual culture. The single peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 11 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and was certified Gold by the RIAA, cementing Soul for Real's place in the mid-90s teen R&B canon. Director notes: Confirmed by both IMDB (tt8784864) and IMVDb as directed by Brett Ratner, released 1995. The video is set at a roller skating rink, where the band performs on a circular stage while skaters move around them. Released in support of the single 'Every Little Thing I Do' from the debut album Candy Rain on Uptown Records. The video represents Ratner's early-career work in the Uptown/MCA R&B ecosystem, predating his feature film debut by approximately two years. The single was certified Gold by the RIAA.