The Saxophones Are Getting Louder — And ‘Boyz n the Hood’ Composer Stanley Clarke Can’t Get Enough of the Viral Trend He Helped Create
The Grammy-winning jazz bassist and Emmy-nominated composer also reflects on scoring Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" music video.
The summer of 2026 has seen a viral phenomenon take hold across social media platforms, with the foreboding saxophone riff from the 1991 film Boyz n the Hood leading the charge. Grammy-winning bassist/composer Stanley Clarke and saxophonist Kirk Whalum are the two primary forces behind this trend, with their iconic riff appearing in countless TikTok posts and Instagram reels.
The sound has even inspired an AI-assisted video riff by Chestnut himself, sparking a cultural revival for the seminal film. Clarke, a 75-year-old Grammy-winning jazz bassist and founding member of Return to Forever, has been a prominent figure in jazz since the 70s, composing scores for several classic Black films. Despite the riff's popularity, Clarke has released only an original song built on the loop, meant for fun.
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