Belly is pretty much a low level 'hood flick'... the ONLY thing that separates it from all those other flicks ( I'm Bout It, Killa Season, etc.) is the photography and cinematography. shyt has everything those movies have.. it's a knock off of better movies like Scarface, Reservoir Dogs, Goodfellas, with rappers starring in the lead roles. I always SMH at how it goes from super gangster flick to Malcolm X in the last 5-10 minutes... it's a waste of a good speech. You can't throw preachy shyt in... when 90% of your movie is stylized shootouts, killings and drug dealing.
Paid In Full is my pick.. Wood Harris is criminally underrated as an actor. It's a shame, he hasn't gotten more roles in quality films after the Wire.