Deb? You want most popular/influential around 1995 - 2Pac vs. Notorious B.I.G. was the Big Thing right then. Tribe Called Quest was verra popular, too.
A ghost? What's the deal? Is every frat on this campus haunted? And if so, why do people keep coming to these parties, cause it's not the snacks.
Xander ,'Dirty Girls'
The Great Write Way, Chapter Two: Twice upon a time...
A place for Buffistas to discuss, beta and otherwise deal and dish on their non-fan fiction projects.
juliana - Jun 18, 2006 10:38:46 am PDT #7221 of 10001
I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I miss them all tonight…
§ ita § - Jun 18, 2006 11:52:22 am PDT #7222 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
Here are the 1995 Grammy winners:
- Best Rap Album: Poverty's Paradise, Naughty by Nature (Tommy Boy)
- Best Rap Solo Performance: "Gangsta's Paradise," Coolio
- Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group "I'll Be There for You"/"You're All I Need to Get By," Method Man/Mary J. Blige
I also think that New Jack Swing was winding up then, and Wikipedia says the golden era of hip hop had just ended.
Wikipedia has some interesting content about hip hop, though, as always, isn't necessarily solid in and of itself.
deborah grabien - Jun 18, 2006 12:41:49 pm PDT #7223 of 10001
It really doesn't matter. It's just an opinion. Don't worry about it. Not worth the hassle.
Don't know if you still want me in this conversation.
Hell yes. I just tend to react to anyone if it sounds as if I'm being lectured about things, rather than pointed toward things. It's a very different tone, but it's my problem and my issue, not yours (or whoever I'm talking to). Any information is good, any input is good, and it's only ever the intent I'm reacting to. Keep it coming, Gar. No input is ever not absorbed.
ita's and juliana's posts are marked. How in hell did I forget Coolio? I remember wanting to go upside his head with something heavy for being a humourless, dour prick over Weird Al's wanting to filk Gangsta's Paradise. As in, dude? You are really NOT all of that. Shut up and let the boy make you even more money.
edit: holy SHIT, I remember the Prophets! Wow. Lot of water under the bridges between now and the Panther years.
Typo Boy - Jun 18, 2006 1:10:56 pm PDT #7224 of 10001
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
OK - then assuming you have not already read it, I recommend "Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation" By Jeff Chang
His site: [link]
It is an interesting take on the lost potential of hip-hop and how it ended up the way it did. He also may give you a really articulate view of someone who likes it musically, and some of the underground stuff that is still being produced. He loves hip-hop but is not blind to any of the flaws you mentioned (excluding the musical ones).
also - here are is a nice on-line time-line which probably you already found yourself, but in case not:
It is kind of handy because while by no means complete you can just look up a year and see names and events
For example if you scroll down to the 1995 section you will see a number of names we have not mention yet (includign Tupac and Queen Latifah). Nice - not in a teaches you something new but as a quick way to see what happened when.
deborah grabien - Jun 18, 2006 1:13:59 pm PDT #7225 of 10001
It really doesn't matter. It's just an opinion. Don't worry about it. Not worth the hassle.
Gar, post is marked. I'd heard of the Chang book, and have added it to the "ordering tomorrow" pile.
Jesse - Jun 18, 2006 1:16:51 pm PDT #7226 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
What Juliana said about the Biggie/2Pac thing. I have a surprising lack of hip-hop from 95-96 in my collection, and it's basically due to my dislike of Puffy. I think you can more or less disregard the Grammy winners if you're interested in "keepin it real" or whatever.
Jesse - Jun 18, 2006 1:18:09 pm PDT #7227 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
From that timeline thing:
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony break the record for fastest rising single with their hit "Tha Crossroads", the spot was previously held by The Beatles for "Can't Buy Me Love".
HAHAHAHA.
deborah grabien - Jun 18, 2006 1:24:21 pm PDT #7228 of 10001
It really doesn't matter. It's just an opinion. Don't worry about it. Not worth the hassle.
I remember "Can't Buy Me Love" - I can sing it, and cover every different harmony the Beatles threw at it.
I can't remember a note of "Tha Crossroads", although I do remember Bone Thugs, mostly because they had such a superb name.
Le sigh. This is going to be tricky.
But the timeline's emphasis on taggers and breakdancers - along with the Prophets - does reinforce my old take that it was urban performance and street art from the getgo.
§ ita § - Jun 18, 2006 1:28:38 pm PDT #7229 of 10001
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
I think you can more or less disregard the Grammy winners if you're interested in "keepin it real" or whatever.
But weren't they all pretty popular? Mary J Blige was surfing the New Jack (or Jill) Swing thing, but she's showed endurance--and Method Man seemed fairly authentic to me.
I'm not all up in the hip hop scene, but I was hanging out with people who were at the time, and that list seems pretty plausible to me.
Jesse - Jun 18, 2006 1:33:11 pm PDT #7230 of 10001
Sometimes I trip on how happy we could be.
But that Mary/Meth song was cheesy (and no one loves Mary more than I do!!), Naughty By Nature were past their prime, and Coolio is more or less ridiculous. I'm not saying they weren't popular, but a lot of people use "commercial" as a put down.
Deb, now I'll have "Crossroads" in my head for days. Man, that song sucks.
Edited to reiterate that you shouldn't take my word for anything in that mid-90s time period, because like I said, I wasn't really into the rap then.