As with any decade, the 90s was complete with their own brand of distinct, and sometimes cringe-worthy fashion. The early part of the decade saw the rise of the “grunge” look—complete with torn jeans, faded t-shirts, combat-style boots and oversized flannel t-shirts. This look was made popular by bands such as the hugely successful rock group Nirvana. Not to be outdone, the urban music landscape (i.e. R&B and Hip-Hop) also had a sense of fashion all its own. Baggy jeans, backwards facing baseball caps, huge sports jerseys, starter jackets and any one of a number of pairs of shoes endorsed by arguably the top athlete of the decade—Michael Jordan. The early 90s were accented by such clothing brands as Paco, Damage, Karl Kani and the largely popular Cross Colours brands. The mid 90s saw the rise of brands like Pelle Pelle, Mecca, Enyce, and Coogi. The late 90s were ripe with people adorned with the likes of Sean John, Phat Farm and the ever present brand, FUBU. Furthermore, even though they are not considered urban brands, companies such as Polo, Nautica and Tommy Hilfiger saw their profits shoot through the roof with their omnipresence in rap videos. This was in spite of a vicious rumor that was started stating that Tommy Hilfiger said that he doesn’t make his clothing for black people—which would later prove to be a complete lie. There was no shortage of celebrity endorsements used by these various brands. Phat Farm was a creation of Def Jam mogul Russell Simmons. So he definitely had an (argyle) “vested” interest in the success of his company and oftentimes would appear in the print ads himself, modeling the clothing he was ultimately trying to sale. Also, who could forget the ubiquitous ads for FUBU brand clothing in which LL Cool J constantly wore FUBU from head to to—including his signature one pant-leg rolled all the way up to the knee? FUBU is arguably the most famous of these urban brands, and also the most controversial. The term FUBU is actually an acronym which stands for “For Us By Us”. There were some people who took exception to the fact that the clothing brand was made presumably for African-Americans, however, the brand survived the scandal and would continue to thrive into the early 2000s. The trends were definitely one of a kind. It is solely because of the 90s and the rise of urban culture that we could look back upon this decade fondly and reminisce how things were during this time.
Author: kblackshear1
1990s Spike Lee: From Mo Better Blues to Summer of Sam
With the exception of perhaps only John Singleton, no director had a bigger impact on black cinema in the 90s than Spike Lee. Lee came to prominence in the late 80s with such films as She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze and Do the Right Thing. These films tackled hard-hitting issues dealing with female sexuality, colorism and classism within the black community and race relations respectively. Controversial, enlightening, artistic, humorous, and thought provoking are all adjectives that have been used to describe Lee’s early movies. The 90s were no exception. The only difference is that he entered the decade as a now renowned (and sometimes reviled) movie director—at any rate he was established within the realm of black cinema. The early 90s saw such Spike Lee Classics as Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever and the seminal work, Malcolm X. With Mo Better Blues, viewers are treated to the story of an obsessive jazz musician and the ups and downs that come along with navigating his obsession, friendships, relationships and the business in general. This movie marked the first time that Denzel Washington and Spike Lee would work together in a major motion picture. While entertaining and critically acclaimed, this film did not necessarily address any of the social issues of some of his earlier works. Following Mo Better Blues was the hit movie Jungle Fever, which addressed the dynamics of an interracial dating from the perspectives of an African-American and Italian American family in New York. The movie was bolstered by the Stevie Wonder lead song that shared the same title as the film. The film brought the issue of interracial relationships to the forefront of a discussion that was primarily had behind closed doors and coined the popular phrase that would become synonymous with blacks and whites dating one another. One of the best performances in the movie was that of Samuel L. Jackson (who had been in several other Spike Lee films to this point) as Gator Purify—the crackhead brother of the lead male character Flipper Purify (played by Wesley Snipes). However, it was Lee’s next film that would forever define his contribution to black cinema—the biopic, Malcolm X. In this film, Lee would once again team up with Denel Washington as he portrayed the slain civil rights leader born Malcolm Little. This movie faced its fair share of controversy—even before filming started. Various groups and individuals felt that Lee would exploit and water down the story of Malcolm X and thought that another, less commercial director should be at the helm of such a cinematic endeavor. Lee would go on to direct the movie, and despite an Oscar snub, the film would go on to spark a nationwide re-awakening to Malcolm X’s story—complete with “X” pendants, “X” hats, “X” posters, and “X” leather coats. The mid-90s would see Lee’s work take a less political overtone, but an intriguing one nonetheless. Films such as Crooklyn, Clockers, and the critically panned Girl 6 would see the director tackle a plethora of topics from a number of different perspectives. Spike would once again tackle somewhat political material with his film Get on the Bus, which depicted the experiences of a group of men from all walks of life as they traveled to the Million Man March. Lee would close out the 90s with the films He Got Game starring Denzel Washington as the father of highly sought after basketball recruit Jesus Shuttlesworth (played by the recently drafted NBA player Ray Allen), as well as Summer of Sam—Lee’s take on the 1976 murders by the serial killer known as the Son of Sam. Spike Lee would still be going strong as the calendars shifted and the 20th Century came to an end, however, black cinema in the 90s would owe a lot to Mr. Lee.
Whatchu Talkin’ ‘Bout?: The Ebonics Debate
In 1996, the Oakland, California School Board decided that it wanted to treat African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) as a separate language and teach standard English to inner-city youth as a sort of English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program. The response was swift, harsh, and largely misdirected. Critics of the measure said that such a practice would prove divisive and make those labeled as speaking Ebonics feel inferior to those who were lauded for speaking Standard English. There was also a sect of misunderstood ire from people who actually thought that Ebonics would be taught in the Oakland School District alongside standard English in what could be termed as a translation program, in which the AAVE would be translated to standard English. The arguments for and against the classification of Ebonics rested on the tenets of whether or not AAVE was an actual dialect of English, or instead a distinct language akin to a completely foreign language. Most linguists would agree that AAVE is a dialect of Standard English in a way that French Creole is a dialect of French—in that there are many commonalities between the two languages, so communication between speakers of AAVE and speakers of Standard English can easily communicate. It is just the minor nuances of the language that may require explanation. After facing the initial backlash, the Oakland School Board reassessed and recalibrated their approach to the whole issue. The school board reassured the public that their aim was not to teach Ebonics, but to rather educate teachers about the language differences and dialects with which the students entered the classroom and then teaching students to translate those differences into Standard English. Most opponents said that they simply wanted the equality of access that would presumably come along with the learning and usage of Standard English. However, it is important to note that the counterclaims argued that discrimination would still be present even if Standard English was adopted by those in question.
Hip-Hop After the Deaths of Biggie and Pac
To this day, two of hip-hop’s most polarizing figures are Notorious B.I.G. (a.k.a. Biggie Smalls) and Tupac (or 2Pac—depending upon the publication) Shakur. Giants in an already giant industry, their feud would spill into an East Coast versus West Coast Battle that would eventually claim the lives of both emcees. For those who have been living under a rock for the past twenty years, the beef between the two started in late 1994 when Tupac was entering Quad Recording Studios. He was then shot 5 times by still unknown assailants. Biggie, who was recording at the same studio, was blamed in the media by Shakur, especially after Biggie released the song “Who Shot Ya” off of his upcoming album (ironically titled Ready to Die). ‘Pac took the song as a not so subtle admission by B.I.G. to having a hand in the perceived set-up at Quad Studios. Tupac would then escalate the beef through taunts delivered through interviews in both print and video media. There were claims of adultery between ‘Pac and Biggie’s estranged wife Faith Evans. Then, there was what some consider the most scathing dis record “Hit Em Up” in which Pac lyrically bludgeoned the rapper born Christopher Wallace. It is worth noting that Biggie never responded to Tupac on wax. It was his desire to squash the beef at which he found himself the center of. There was even a meeting that Biggie spoke of on his VH1 “Behind the Music” in which each rapper, along with their entourages, encountered each other backstage at an awards show. Biggie reportedly asked 2Pac, “Yo man! What are you doing?” to which ‘Pac replied, “Man I’m just trying to sell some records.”
On the night of September 7, 1996, shortly after leaving a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas, Nevada, Tupac, and Death Row Records CEO Marion “Suge” Knight were in a car that was riddled with bullets while at a traffic light. It was barely 6 months later, on March 9, 1997 when Notorious B.I.G. would be shot in Los Angeles California—also while stopped at a traffic light. While ‘Pac fought for his life in a Las Vegas hospital over the next six days, Biggie was unfortunately pronounced dead within a couple of hours of his shooting.
Both deaths were a great loss in the hip-hop community. Both Biggie and Pac were rising stars in an increasingly popular art form. When one considers their ages—24 and 25 respectively, it just makes one wonder, what could have been. In the years immediately following their deaths, hip-hop took a decidedly less aggressive, less violent tone as a whole. Whereas the early and mid 90s were ripe with what would later be termed “gangsta rap”, the latter part of the 90s had a lot of hip hop that was either party oriented or socially conscious. Some of the biggest albums of the late 90s included Will Smith’s “Big Willie Style”, Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”, Mase’s “Harlem World” Outkast’s “Aquemini” and Extinction Level Even from Busta Rhymes. Even Tupac’s former Death Row label mate, Dr. Dre had toned down his more gangster musings for a more clean-cut image with the launch of his label Aftermath. Sure there were still songs peppered with violent imagery such as the “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” by DMX and “Shook Ones” by Mobb Deep, but largely, these songs were being replaced by songs that praised material excess, sex, and having a good time or conversely, songs that intended to make one think about the intrinsic value (or lack thereof) of the aforementioned lifestyle. Even labels such as No Limit had begun to eschew their rowdy street anthems with more party oriented singles such as “Make ‘Em Say Ugh” and reflective songs such as “I Miss My Homies”.
If one takes a look at the top rap songs for the years 1997, 1998, and 1999, you would be hard-pressed to find any ultraviolent tracks that could be classified as “gangsta rap”. As mentioned before, a few songs with more violent material slipped through the cracks, but that was more the exception to the norm as opposed to the norm.
1997 Billboard Top Rap Songs
1998 Billboard Top Rap Songs
1999 Billboard Top Rap Songs
