Boyz n the Hood is a 1991 American coming-of-age hood drama film written and directed by John Singleton in his feature directorial debut. It stars Ice Cube, Cuba Gooding Jr., Morris Chestnut, Laurence Fishburne, Nia Long, Regina King, and Angela Bassett. The film premiered in Los Angeles on July 2, 1991, and was theatrically released in the United States ten days later. In 2002, the U.S. Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.