A model of negative affect and alcohol use was replicated on a sample of African-American high school students. Participants (N = 5,086) were randomly selected from a previously collected data set and consisted of 2,253 males and 2,833 females residing in both rural and urban locations. Multivariate analysis of covariance and structural equation modeling were performed. While fit indices suggest that the original model does apply to African-Americans, adding delinquency as a mediator significantly increased the variance accounted for in alcohol use. There were differences in the strength of model relationships based on gender and location of residence. (Contains 1 table, 2 figures and 3 notes.)