10/12/2024
#9 History of Hip-Hop
1989 - 1996 The golden years - part 5
The middle of this period ('91 - '94) takes me from 8th grade to the beginning of my senior year of high school. I came from a home that played KSHE 95 on the radio. On occasion, there was a live band playing a party in our basement. For a section of this period, one of my aunts lived with us. She was only five years older, and she liked the newest girly pop music such as Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, or Gloria Estefan. Additionally, I grew up watching MTV on a daily basis (when they played music), and a little VH1 as well. My mom's family were country lovers, and I still think of them anytime I hear Merle, Hank, or Kenny Rogers. On top of all that and since I grew up in 80's and 90's, I'm exposed to new wave, electronic, techno, all those synthesizer hits, plus hip-hop, alternative, a little punk, and the genre that became my favorite, metal. In 1989, the summer before 7th grade, I was listening to New Kids on the Block (like all the others my age) and I was listening to Metallica's "...and Justice for All" album (still know every word to every song on that one). I was a music lover already. I was always looking to find my favorite song that I hadn't yet heard. I distinctively remember when my music and my dad's music no longer aligned.... it was 1994 and had I learned of this new metal group from a compilation cd that a fellow cart-pusher at Wal Mart shared with me. It was the song "Blind" by Korn. I went out and bought that cd as soon as I could scrape up $13. When I played it loud in my room, my dad would pop in to make fun of it - "I can't see I'm going blind" he would repeat a few times in his best Jonathan Davis voice. He couldn't get into that one. He did like some music he heard me play from the band Danzig, but I told him he wouldn't like the words. We agreed to disagree on some music from that point forward. I've got to give him credit for my love of music though. He used to make mixed (cassette) tapes for me and my cousins as a little Christmas gift every year. We were so excited to get those - I have a few, still to this day, that were made over 30 years ago.
Some iconic events from 1991:
Aug 12 - Metallica's Black Album is released. Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters - hell every song was good!
Sept 24 - Nirvana's Nevermind was released. This is something different and I was instantly mesmerized by the video. Most people probably didn't understand that they were watching the catalyst that changed rock music going forward.
As an example:
This same year, Guns N Roses released Use Your Illusion I and II - which was fantastic.
The difference was that the GnR records included a performance with an orchestra, a 15 min music video similar to filming a short movie, millions of dollars of production, plus several intricate guitar solos. The Nirvana record had many hits, but it felt more like three guys in a garage playing a few chords and the video cost next to nothing comparatively. This now seemed achievable to every kid with a guitar.
Nov 14 - Michael Jackson premiered the video for his song "Black or White" simultaneously in 27 countries. The video featured groundbreaking effects necessary to transform a face from one person to another.
This is also the year Freddie Mercury dies a day after announcing to the world that he has AIDS.
More to come...
