Growing up in the 1990s was great. Sure, everyone says the year they grew up in was a the best decade, but I am certain that this was one of the best. The internet was on the rise, video games graphics were becoming somewhat representative of actual people. Television shows included usual suspects like a slew of great Nickelodeon cartoons (Rockos Modern Life, anyone?) and sitcoms like A Different World and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, to name a few. But the best part about it? The hip-hop music.
As a young guy, back in the day for me technically reaches to 1986, the year I was born. That same year is considered the beginning of what is know as the Golden Age of Hip-Hop, specifically by Alan McGgee. The breakthrough of acts like Run DMC, Heavy D & the Boys and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince launched Hip-Hop into the mainstream.
Flash forward to the early 90s, and there are acts that touched on all different subjects. Party records, political records, gangster records and even conscious records were all equally popular, something that has not been seen since. Although hip-hop had become well known in the mainstream, it was still in the process of designing itself. What stands out to a lot of hip-hop journalists is that despite the type of subject matter, it was done with effort. Messages of growing up in poverty were strong in the music, as well as current affairs at the time, such as race relations.
What I liked mostly about music from that era, is that people were eager to shock folks with witty liners in their lyrics. Rappers would get together in a cipher and would rap from off the top of their brain (known as a freestyle) until a winner was declared. If you were to take part in one of these ciphers, you knew that you had to come up with some of the best lyrics (rhymes) you could muster up. It was a competition in which you couldnt come wack up on the microphone or you would be a laughing stock.
Going toward to the late 90s, the feel of the music changed a bit. Starting to disappear was the strong themes political correctness, the lyrics of fun and laid back music. Most of the lyrics that were popular were usually promoting drug trafficking, sex and material wealth. A lot of artists that were from the Golden Age (which ended roughly 1993-1994) faded into obscurity as a new crop of artists eager to hop onto the current style.
Although I love the 90s, there was such a change toward the end of the decade that would have a lasting impact on Hip-Hop as we know it, and to me for the worse. It seemed that it became less of a means to display your wittiness in clever lyrics, speak positivity within lower class, speaking out against injustice in a banding matter and began to taunt the very things that it came originated from.