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THE THHM TIMELINE 1990s
The Complete History of Hip Hop
Although widely synonymous with rap music today, hip-hop actually got its start as a full-on cultural movement in the 1970s. For the first few decades that the term was around, hip-hop wasn’t just about music: it also referred to art, style, dance, and philosophy.
January 1990
Emceeing
Emceeing
“U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer
Rap music kicked off the decade with the release of the hugely-successful album Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em, its first single “U Can’t Touch This” (which would go on to be the first rap single to receive a Grammy nomination for “Record of the Year” in 1991 and to be his biggest-selling hit) brought the physicality, joy and beauty of hip-hop dancing to its biggest audience ever (the album spent 21 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and ultimately sold over 10 million copies). The importance of a performer also being able to bust a move became even more evident with the sheer popularity of this song and its accompanying video (directed by Rupert Wainright and which featured Hammer doing some of his signature moves including the “Running Man” and the “Hammer Dance” and would go on to win “Best Rap Video” and “Best Dance Video” trophies at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards) while at the same time presenting audiences with hip-hop’s increasing scale of bombast, power and elegance. Hammer’s popularity was so immense that it lead to several successful world tours, a movie (director Wainright’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em: The Movie, which won a Grammy Award in 1991 for “Best Music Video, Long Form”) a number of licensing deals (including Pepsi and Mattel) and even a Saturday morning cartoon by DIC Entertainment – Hammerman – which ran on ABC TV.
1990
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Emceeing
West Coast Rap All-Stars” hits the top of the Billboard Rap Singles chart
Ultimately setting the stage for a 1992 gang truce (the “Watts Truce” between the Bloods and the Crips in Los Angeles), the anti-gang violence anthem “We’re All In The Same Gang” (on Warner Bros. Records) by a group of prominent rappers calling themselves the “West Coast Rap All-Stars” hits the top of the Billboard Rap Singles chart and was later nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group” category. The single featured performances/lyrics contributed by MC Hammer, Young MC, Ice-T, Tone-Loc, Digital Underground and Dr. Dre, MC Ren and Eazy-E of N.W.A, among others.
April 1990
Other
Other
“In Living Color” premiers
The comedic and hip-hop-inspired sensibilities of the Wayans family are brought to a national TV audience with the premiere of their weekly half-hour Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color. Led by actor/director/writer Keenan Ivory Wayans (who achieved fame previously for his work on the films Hollywood Shuffle and I’m Gonna Git You Sucka), the show featured skits that focused on the humor found by “the younger generation” in the Establishment’s politics, conservatism, music and displays of superiority. While sometimes viewed with shock and a general mis-understanding by audiences who might have been unfamiliar with the source material, its weekly parade of wit and caricatures of the denizens of “the hood” was a hit with young, hip-hop-focused audiences.
1990
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Vanilla Ice’s To The Extreme – is released
One of the best-selling rap albums of all time – Vanilla Ice’s To The Extreme – is released. Driven by singles including “I Love You”, a reworked “Play That Funky Music” and the enormous hit “Ice Ice Baby”, the young rapper from southern Florida’s album was not well-reviewed by the critics, but fans were so intrigued by the performer’s novelty (in that he was a young white man) that the record would sell over 15 million copies and hit the top of the Billboard 200 chart.
September 1990
Aerosol Art
Aerosol Art
“The Last Word” is published
Drawing Board studio associate Andre Leroy Davis (AKA “A.L. Dre”) publishes the first of his regular series – titled “The Last Word” – of caricatures of the biggest stars in rap and hip-hop for The Source magazine. A poet, journalist, writer, M.C., producer and teacher as well, Davis applied all those talents to his work as an illustrator (“the Al Hirshfeld of hip-hop”, he calls himself), interviewer and music critic, with his column for The Source a looked-forward-to item in the publication for the next 17 years. while also contributing to pubs including AllHipHop, HipHopDX, Smooth, Vibe, XXL and many others.
October 1990
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Emceeing
Slam Poetry Star Patricia Smith Wins First National Competition
The first National Poetry Slam competition is held in San Francisco, CA Portland, OR and features teams from Chicago, San Francisco and the Nuyorican team from NYC. Chicago-based “slam poetry” star Patricia Smith wins this first competition, going on to win it four times.
1990
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Other
Interscope Records Launch
Producer Ted Field (scion of the Marshall Field’s department store chain) and record-maker Jimmy Iovine partner to launch Interscope Records and, in just six short years, the label would grow (via its broad roster of musical acts in the alt-rock and alt rap/hip-hop genres such as Marilyn Manson, No Doubt, Limp Bizkit, Eminem and 50 Cent) to produce annual revenues of over $250M and its influence would cause a major concern for competitor Def Jam’s CEO Russell Simmons, who’d note that “Jimmy has become a real thorn in my side in the (black music) business…and he’s just starting. It’s pretty scary.”
1991
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Emceeing
A two-man rap crew from Toronto release their debut record
A two-man rap crew from Toronto, Canada calling themselves the Dream Warriors (consisting of Louis Robinson AKA “King Lou” and Frank Allert AKA “Capital Q”) release their debut record – And Now The Legacy Begins (on Island Records) – that add elements of jazz, reggae, funk and pop music to a strong hip-hop base. One of the four hit Canadian singles – “My Definition Of A Bombastic Jazz Style” – went on to win a Juno Award for “Rap Recording of the Year” the following year.
1991
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Emceeing
Ice-T releases his fourth record – O.G. Original Gangster
In a record that introduces his controversial heavy metal band Body Count (who’d later release the notorious single “Cop Killer”), rapper Ice-T releases his fourth record – O.G. Original Gangster, on Sire Records – which garners him gold-level record sales, much critical acclaim and an invitation to perform at the first Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago.
1991
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Emceeing
2Pac Shakur debuts with 2Pacalypse Now
After shining in his role as a songwriter for rappers Digital Underground, Interscope Records releases the debut solo album by 2Pac Shakur titled 2Pacalypse Now that features the rapper’s sizzling commentaries about many of the issues facing those living in inner-city America at the time such as racism, poverty, teen pregnancy and police brutality. While not a huge seller, the record set the stage for 2Pac’s meteoric rise to the top of the charts and his appearances in two hit films (Juice and Poetic Justice).
1991
Fashion
Fashion
Kriss Kross wears their pants backwards
Hailing from Atlanta, GA, a young rap duo named Kriss Kross popularizes a fad – wearing your pants backwards – which left many people, young and old, scratching their heads. Their debut recording for Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def label – Totally Krossed Out, featuring the #1 hit single “Jump”, quickly sold over 4 million albums.
1991
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Other
“Boyz N The Hood” is relseased
The soundtrack to director John Singleton’s coming-of-age-in-south-central-L.A. film Boyz N The Hood (from Columbia Pictures) is released on Qwest Records and includes performances by 2 Live Crew, Ice Cube, Main Source, Monie Love, Too $hort, Yo-Yo and many more . The stars of the film include rapper Ice Cube along with actors Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut, Laurence Fishburne, Cuba Gooding Jr., Regina King and Nia Long, with Singleton being nominated for both “Best Director” and “Best Original Screenplay” during the 1992 Academy Awards, making him the both the first African-American and the youngest person ever nominated for a “Best Director” award.
1991
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Other
Two important copyright infringement cases are adjudicated
Two important copyright infringement cases are adjudicated that year – The Turtles vs. De La Soul (where the rap group was sued for unauthorized use of samples taken from a 20-year-old Turtles song and used on the song “You Showed Me”, settling with The Turtles out of court for $1.7 million) and one where rapper Biz Markie was sued for copyright infringement for his use of samples from singer/songwriter Gilbert O’Sullivan’s 1972 hit song “Alone Again (Naturally)”. Since the rapper and his label had asked for permission to use the samples and were turned down – choosing to release the song anyway (bad idea!) – the Court’s decision against Mr. Markie (resulting in a large fine and a referral of the case to criminal court, where the case would be dropped) would set precedent for future creative/business practices involving sampling.
March, 1991
World Events
World Events
Rodney King’s beating by LA Police
Rodney King’s beating by LA Police received after a car chase was caught on videotape and broadcast around the world. The trial against the four officers who beat King and were charged with using excessive force ended with a “not-guilty” verdict for the defendants in April 1992, and outrage about this verdict lead to the start of the LA Riots in South Central LA. Spreading to many neighborhoods, the resulting violence cost 55 people their lives, with thousands more injured and over a billion dollars of property damage. King was later awarded nearly $4 million in compensation for his injuries in a civil trial.
October, 1991
World Events
World Events
BET Network becomes the first black-owned American corporation to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange
Robert Johnson’s BET Network becomes the first black-owned American corporation to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange, selling 4.2 million shares in its IPO. The network would use those proceeds to broaden its programming to include political and issue-oriented programs, comedy showcases, talk shows and sports, among other offerings.
1992
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Shawntae Harris – AKA Da Brat in Yo! MTV Raps
Aspiring Chicago-area rapper Shawntae Harris – AKA Da Brat – participates in a local competition staged by Yo! MTV Raps and, after impressing the judges with her talents, she was introduced to the rap duo Kriss Kross and their So So Def label head Jermaine Dupri, who signed the 18-year-old to a record deal. Her debut record Funkdafied was released in June 1994 and quickly topped the rap/R&B charts, peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the first record from a female solo rap artist to “go platinum” in the U.S., selling over 1 million copies
1992
Aerosol Art
Aerosol Art
Bansky joins Bristol’s DryBreadz Crew
Over in the U.K., the artist known as “Banksy” started his career as a freehand graffiti artist, joining artists Kato and Tes as one of Bristol’s DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ). Banksy’s stencils featured striking and humorous images that were occasionally combined with anti-war, anti-capitalist or anti-establishment slogans.
July 1992
Fashion
Fashion
Tommy Hilfiger gains support of hip hop community
Guest-rapping on Mary J. Blige’s debut single/album “What’s the 411?”, Brand Nubian’s Grand Puba – already considered by his peers as a fashion plate – mentions Hilfiger clothing in the song, sending a message to other rappers and fans that it was time to add more of the brand’s line to their ensembles. Tommy Hilfiger embraced the support of the hip-hop community and, over the next few years, more rappers – including A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, Raekwon and others – would both wear both the originals and, later in the decade, items from the new “Tommy” line, resulting in huge boosts in sales to both black and white consumers.
1992
Fashion
Fashion
FUBU becomes a staple to the street wear scene
Launched in 1992 by Daymond John and his friends J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carlton Brown as a tie-top hat company based out John’s Hollis, Queens, NY home, FUBU (an acronym for “For Us By Us”) became a fashion staple during the 1990s street-wear scene. By the early 2000s, the brand had permeated the global mainstream. It carried through on its marketing strategy by having artists such as E-40, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Mariah Carey and *NSYNC all sporting the brand’s hockey jerseys, jackets and hats (sometimes from head to toe!) while appearing in music videos, publicity and paparazzi photos. In a somewhat-subversive example of brand loyalty, LL Cool J, a major proponent of the street brand, even starred in a Gap commercial in 1999 sporting a FUBU hat, without Gap executives knowing of its significance.
1992
Fashion
Fashion
TImberlands become part of a normal wardrobe
Legend has it that, although Timberland leather boots were already established as the preferred work shoe worn by laborers in the Northeast, drug dealers and gangs in the NYC area adopted them after realizing how well they’d keep their feet warm and dry while out on their rounds overnight. Always looking to improve their street cred, rappers such as Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep and the Wu-Tang Clan quickly adopted the six-inch construction boots as part of their normal wardrobe.
March 1992
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Sister Souljah’s record – titled 360 Degrees Of Power – hits the shelves
Former Public Enemy member Sister Souljah’s record – titled 360 Degrees Of Power – hits the shelves and its controversial approach to its subject material (racism, poverty, violence and politics) makes headlines when then-candidate for President – Bill Clinton – becomes an outspoken critic of some of her more-extreme lyrics. Later that year, Clinton’s strong responses to the situation and the rhetoric on both sides of the discussion were described as his “Sister Souljah moment”, a term that would go on to be used whenever a politician takes a stance that some would consider counter to the norms of his/her party’s “norms”.
March 1992
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Emceeing
Arrested Development releases their debut album 3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of…
Atlanta, GA-based Arrested Development releases their debut album 3 Years, 5 Months And 2 Days In The Life Of…, an album that would go on to sell over four million copies while its positive, socially-conscious and Afro-centric messaging – quite different from the popular gangsta rap records of the time – proved to be so unique that the record would go on to be a double Grammy winner (in the “Best Rap Single” and “Best New Artist” categories), with the group being named Rolling Stone magazine’s “Band Of The Year”.
October 1992
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Common Sense – releases a debut record (Can I Borrow A Dollar?)
After a positive mention in the “Unsigned Hype” section of The Source magazine introduced him to his record label, a rapper from Chicago by the name of Lonnie Corant Jaman Shuka Rashid Lynn – AKA Common Sense – releases a debut record (Can I Borrow A Dollar?) that brings his witty and smart lyricism to a broad audience. The artist would later drop the word “Sense” from his name and his rising popularity and musical approach to record-making soon helped bring Chicago rap to a world stage.
November 1992
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South Central L.A.’s The Pharcyde’s debut album (Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde) spawned several hit singles and featured the memorable album cover art
Pushing the boundaries of the subject material – via a mix of soul, comedy and social consciousness – normally found in popular rap music records, South Central L.A.’s The Pharcyde’s debut album (Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde) spawned several hit singles and featured the memorable album cover art of graffiti artist Slick that, on first glance, looks like a scene from a cartoon amusement park but that takes on a somewhat-different (some would say “sexual”) meaning when the entire gatefold/poster art was revealed.
December 1992
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Emceeing
N.W.A.’s Dr. Dre’s debut solo release The Chronic
Helping to both define the emerging West Coast “G-Funk” sound (fat beats, soulful vocal performances and live musicians) and broaden gangsta raps appeal, N.W.A.’s Dr. Dre’s debut solo release The Chronic – on Dre and Suge Knight’s new Death Row Records imprint, with distribution via Interscope Records and featuring a break-out performance by rapper/comic foil Snoop Doggy Dog – would go on to sell over three million copies and is a regular member on “most-influential hip-hop recordings” lists wherever they are found. Videos for the record’s singles were shot in South Central L.A. homes and neighborhoods and were “intimately connected to the passion, pleasure and pain that reverberated throughout the hip-hop movement.”
February 1993
DJing
DJing
“Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” that tops the rap record charts
The debut album by alt hip-hop trio Digable Planets – Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) – is released and includes a smash cross-over hit single titled “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” that tops the rap record charts and helps rappers “Butterfly” (Ishmael Butler, from Seattle, WA, who also produced the record), “Ladybug Mecca” (Mariana Vieira, from Silver Spring, Maryland) and “Doodlebug” (Craig Irving, from Philadelphia, PA) go on to win the Grammy Award the next year (1994) for “Best Rap Performance By A Duo or Group”.
March 1993
Other
Other
CB4 hits theatres
CB4, a hip-hop comedy/satire co-written by and starring comedian Chris Rock and directed by Tamra Davis, hits the theaters in the U.S. The film, which covers the rise to fame of MC Gusto, Stab Master Arson, and Dead Mike – members of the rap group “CB4” who, we soon find out, aren’t exactly who they claim to be, also includes performances by Allen Payne, Christian rapper Deezer D, Charlie Murphy, comedians Chris Elliott and Phil Hartman and Theresa Randle, along with cameos by rappers Easy-E, Flavor Flav and Ice Cube. The soundtrack included tracks by Public Enemy, P.M. Dawn, and KRS-One. CDB, IMBD, DailyBeast.com 8/14/15
April 1993
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Other
“Who’s The Man” enters theaters
Another rap-centered action comedy film – Who’s The Man – enters the theaters, with Yo! MTV Raps hosts Dr. Dre and Ed Lover starring as a pair of barbers in a Harlem, NY barbershop who are challenged to enter the police academy by the shop’s owner and who then, as bumbling rookie policemen in director Ted Demme’s feature film debut, use their new positions/skills in law enforcement to investigate the death of a friend. The film co-stars comedians Colin Quinn, Dennis Leary and Bernie Mac acting alongside rappers Cheryl “Salt” (from Salt N Pepa) James, Guru and Ice-T, with cameos by many well-known hip-hop artists such as Busta Rhymes, Fab 5 Freddy, Heavy D, Melle Mel, Queen Latifah and many others. CDB, IMDB, Wiki, TVGuide.com
1993
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Emceeing
Biz Markie released his album titled All Samples Cleared
While rapper Biz Markie may have lost his landmark 1991 copyright infringement case (see item on the Misc timeline), he may have had the last laugh about the matter when he released his album titled All Samples Cleared! which featured an album cover with Biz in a mock courtroom donning judge’s wig and robes (“the Honorable Biz Markie, presiding”), with the record track listing including several songs that were sampled and remixed many different ways (this time, they were cleared) just to show he could do it.
1993
Aerosol Art
Aerosol Art
Chicago launches “Graffiti Blasters” program
With graffiti beginning in the 1980s on the city’s West and South sides, Chicago was the only major city to pay for repairing private property damaged by graffiti out of its own pocket. City Hall’s response to this circumstance was the launch of the “Graffiti Blasters” program, which limited the sale of spray paint and spent millions to remove graffiti from more than 700,000 buildings. Promising free cleanup within 24 hours of a phone call, the Department of Streets & Sanitation’s crews would remove graffiti with “blast” trucks or paint crews. The program was initiated by former mayor Richard M. Daley and supported by the city government to eliminate graffiti, street art and gang-related vandalism.
May 1993
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Other
“Menace ll Society” and its soundtrack album are released
The film releases in 1993 keep on coming with the release of the film Menace II Society and its soundtrack album. A teen crime drama (set in the gritty neighborhoods of the Watts section of Los Angeles) that was the directorial debut of the team of Albert and Allen Hughes, the films starred Tyrin Turner, Jada Pinkett, Larenz Tate and Samuel L. Jackson and featured a soundtrack (released on Jive Records) including hip-hop tracks from acts including Boogie Down Productions, Brand Nubian and Da Lench Mob (among others) and which would hit #11 on the Billboard 200 charts, selling over a million copies.
June, 1993
World Events
World Events
Reverend Calvin Butts protest came to an abrubt stop
The planned protest by the Reverend Calvin Butts (of the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, NY) comes to an abrupt finish when counter-protestors stood in solidarity in front of the Rev’s rented steamroller to prevent him from crushing the piles of rap CDs and cassettes he’d laid before his machine. The pastor was symbolically protesting the lyrical content in some rap music (which he portrayed as being both vulgar and offensive to women), but many felt it was a pro-censorship stand against free speech.
1993
World Events
World Events
Toni Morrison receives the Nobel Prize for Literature that year
After winning both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the American Book Award in 1988 for her novel Beloved in 1987 (which was later adapted into a film of the same name starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover), writer Toni Morrison who, according to the prize committee is an author “who in novels characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality”, receives the Nobel Prize for Literature that year. That same year, poet Rita Dove – who in 1987 had been only the second African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry, becomes the first African-American Poet Laureate of the United States.
1993
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Other
Introduction of the So So Def record label
After starting his career as a dancer and producer/song-writer and launching the careers of teen rap duo Kriss Kross, Jermaine Dupri embarked upon his career as a label owner with the introduction of the So So Def record label in Atlanta, GA. He’d soon be driving the careers of Southern rap/R&B acts including Bow Wow Wow, TLC and Usher.
1993
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Other
Publication of “Vibe”
Impressed by the growth and success of The Source magazine, music impresario Quincy Jones teamed up with Time Warner Media to launch a competitive publication titled Vibe. With T-W’s big pockets and media savvy behind it, the publication hit the newsstands in a big way and, by 1998, it impressed advertisers with a reader base numbering over 600,00.
September 1993
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Other
Release of the soundtrack to “Judgement Night”
1993’s list of hip-hop movies and their soundtracks finishes off with the release of the soundtrack to the urban thriller Judgment Night, directed by Stephen Hopkins and starring Stephen Dorff, Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Jeremy Piven as a group of suburbanites from the North Shore of Chicago who get on the bad side of a crime boss one night while visiting the end-of-times hellscape that is the Windy City. The films musical score featured an intriguing song list in which top rock acts combined their talents with big-name hip-hop acts (e.g., Slayer with Ice-T, Pearl Jame with Cypress Hill, Teenage Fanclub with De La Soul, etc.) to create an album that would hit #17 on the Billboard 200 charts.
June, 1994
World Events
World Events
O.J. Simpson arrested for the crime of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman
The bodies of football legend/TV pitchman O.J. Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown SImpson and her friend Ronald Goldman are found outside her home in Los Angeles, California. Five days later, after a nationally-televised chase on the area’s freeways, O.J. is arrested for the crime. After one of the most-sensational (and most-watched, as the trial was televised) murder trials in the nation’s history, he is acquitted of those charges on October 3, 1995.
July 1994
DJing
DJing
The Fraunhofer Society releases the first MP3 audio encoder called “I3enc”
A German scientific research organization called The Fraunhofer Society releases the first MP3 audio encoder called “I3enc” and establishes the .mp3 extensions for audio files recorded in the format. Within a year, following the release of players such as WinPLay3 (1995) and Nullsoft’s Winamp (1997), it becomes the new standard in digital encoding for audio, using a “lossy” data compression scheme shrunk data files sizes approx. 90% without drastically reducing their sound quality (at least for most listeners). The new smaller file sizes – along with the players that were compatible with the standard – would revolutionize the ability to share music online.
July 1994
Emceeing
Emceeing
Music video director Hype Williams’ work
A noted example of music video director Hype Williams’ work was the one he produced for rapper Craig Mack’s 1994 platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated single “Flava In Ya Ear” in which the displays of monochromatic close-ups of Mack (done in fashion-magazine style) and uniquely-lighted color sets helps transport him away from inner-city tableaus to the worlds of high fashion and art. Meeting up with his cohorts LL Cool J, Funkmaster Flex, Irv Gotti and Sean “Diddy” Combs, he buries aspects of his old life and looks forward to bringing fans along as he enters a newer, more-successful phase of his career.
September 1994
Emceeing
Emceeing
Notorious B.I.G. titled Ready To Die released by Bad Boy Record
The first release on Sean “Puffy” Combs’ Bad Boy label is the debut record by rapper Notorious B.I.G. titled Ready To Die, which included the Grammy Award-nominated single “Big Poppa”
October 1994
DJing
DJing
Pioneer releases its first CD player designed for DJ use
Pioneer releases its first CD player designed for DJ use – the CDJ-500 CD-Player, which came equipped with several unique features, such as: “Master Tempo”, which digitally corrected the key of the music being played, regardless of the pitch; a “Jog Dial” that controlled pitch bend and a Loop function that allowed DJs greater freedom in creating endless loops.
1995
Emceeing
Emceeing
Queen Latifah wins
Queen Latifah wins a Grammy award in the “Best Rap Solo Performance” category for her hit “Unity.”
1995
Other
Other
The final episode of “Yo! MTV” airs
The final episode of the long-running MTV hip-hop show Yo! MTV Raps airs on August 17th. The episode featured a lot of star power, featuring appearances by Dr. Dre, Fab 5 Freddy, T-Money, Ed Lover, Method Man, Rakim and dozens more MCs, DJs and other fans and well-wishers and ended with an unplanned all-star freestyle battle center-staging the talents of veteran rappers Rakim, KRS-One, Erick Sermon, Chubb Rock and MC Serch along with up-and-comers Redman, Method Man, Extra P, Craig Mack and Special Ed.
March 1995
Emceeing
Emceeing
Easy-E (born Eric Wright) dies of complications
N.W.A. founding member and “Godfather of Gangsta Rap” Easy-E (born Eric Wright) dies of complications brought on by the AIDS virus at the age of 31, approx. one month after receiving his diagnosis for the disease. His final album Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton was released posthumously the following January.
July 1995
Aerosol Art
Aerosol Art
New York Mayor sets up the Anti-Graffiti Task Force
New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani signs an Executive Order that sets up the Anti-Graffiti Task Force, a multi-agency initiative involving the Police, Parks & Recreation and Sanitation departments that combined their resources to combat the perceived problem of graffiti vandalism throughout the City. Beginning as a crackdown on “quality of life crimes” throughout the city, it became one of the largest anti-graffiti campaigns in U.S. history. That same year, Title 10–117 of the New York Administrative Code banned the sale of aerosol spray-paint cans to anyone under 18 years of age.
August 1995
Other
Other
Fights breakout during the Source Awards
Rap rivalries take on a tragic turn during the staging of that year’s Source Awards ceremonies at Madison Square Garden’s Paramount Theater in New York City when fights break out after comments made on stage by Snoop Dogg, Puff Daddy, Outkast and others (Suge Knight, Notorious BIG, etc.) in the audience served to ignite territorial/label-based animosities that, over the next several years, would result in several untimely murders (2Pac, Biggie and others).
October, 1995
World Events
World Events
The Million Man March drew hundreds of thousands of black men
The Million Man March organized by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, drew hundreds of thousands of black men (and their supporters) to a protest in Washington, DC. He hoped to bring a sense of pride and solidarity to the participants, with Farrakhan delivering a message that attendees should take responsibility for their own personal conditions.
December 1995
Other
Other
Justo’s Mixtape Awards are launched
Rather than see those people who made mixtapes of their DJ performances as thieves and illicit competition, Justo Faison, a marketing/publicity exec for Atlantic Records, saw what these products really were – a way for performers to spread the news about their efforts and talents to audiences everywhere (including, it must be said, to record labels looking to sign new talent). In support of his vision, Justo launched Justo’s Mixtape Awards, with the event’s mission statement making its purpose clear – to honor the DJs and music-makers who “consistently raise the bar in creativity, popularity and representation within the music industry. Faison was tragically killed in an auto accident in 2005, but others were determined to keep the annual award show alive in his honor. Over the years, winners have included OG Ron C, Ron G, DJ Khaled, Kay Slay, Big Mike, P Cutta, Brucie B, DJ Warrior, J Love, 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, S&S, Whoo Kid and many others.
1996
DJing
DJing
The international organization that runs the DMC Word DJ Championships
The international organization that runs the DMC Word DJ Championships established a World DJ Hall of Fame, electing a “Champion” each year, with the first honoree being the winner of the 1986 competition, DJ Cheese from Plainfield, NJ. Since then, the list of inductees has included multiple award-winning champions such as DJ Craze, team C2C, DJ Netik, 5-time world team winners Kireek, DJ Switch, DJ Q*Bert and many other talented turntablists.
1996
Fashion
Fashion
Hilfiger hits #1
After the successful launch of the Tommy Jeans line (boosted via the wise decisions to hire hip-hop tastemakers such as Quincy Jones’ daughter Kadada) and beating back unfounded rumors of Tommy Hilfiger’s private disses of his customer base, the Hilfiger company becomes the #1 publicly-traded clothing company.
February 1996
Emceeing
Emceeing
The Fugees release their second studio album The Score
Alt hip-hop trio The Fugees release their second studio album The Score which debuts at #1 on the Billboard 200 charts (along with their R&B/Hip-Hop charts as well), sells more than 6 million copies in its first year and, driven by the success of hit singles such as “Fu-Gee-La” and the Grammy-winning re-make of Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly (With His Song)” , goes on to win another Grammy for “Best Rap Album” in 1997.
1996
Emceeing
Emceeing
National Poetry Slam competition, held in Portland, OR
The slam poetry world is spun on its axis during this year’s National Poetry Slam competition, held in Portland, OR, with three of the four members of Team Nuyorican – Jessica Care Moore, MuMs tha’ Schema and Saul Williams – being young African-Americans (and the other – Beau Sia – being Asian-American) whose performances were based in rap and hip-hop. Most notable was Williams’ performance and his use of human beatboxing and similar vocal instrumental techniques and his lyrics based on common personal/political rap themes. A film based on that competition – Paul Devlin’s Slam Nation – put these and other performers in this genre in the national spotlight.
1996
Fashion
Fashion
Prohibition/roaring 20’s-era fahsions
Prohibition/Roaring 20’s-era fashions – double-breasted suits, silk shirts, alligator shoes, and fedoras – become all the rage when sported by rap icons including 2Pac and Snoop Dogg.
June 1996
Emceeing
Emceeing
Shawn Carter – known professionally as Jay-Z – drops his much-praised debut record on Priority/Roc-A-Fella Records, Reasonable Doubt
An aspiring rapper since the late 1980s who’d caught the attention of rap superstar Big Daddy Kane in 1993 and toured with him briefly before turning to self-promotion (i.e., selling his music from the trunk of his car with the help of his friend Damon Dash) and launching his own Roc-A-Fella label, the artist Shawn Carter – known professionally as Jay-Z – drops his much-praised debut record on Priority/Roc-A-Fella Records, Reasonable Doubt. Featuring guest performances by The Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige (among others), the rapper’s honest, gritty and introspective approach to his lyrics about how life on the “mean streets” can mess with more than just your head would soon be emulated by a number of other performers.
July 1996
DJing
DJing
One of the greatest battles in turntablist history took place in New York City
One of the greatest battles in turntablist history took place in New York City in the summer of 1996 (at the first ITF World Championships during the Rock Steady Crew Anniversary), pitting NYC’s X-Men (later known as the X-Ecutioners) from the East Coast against San Francisco’s Invisbl Skratch Piklz – led by DJ Q*Bert and Mix Master Mike – representing the West Coast. Lasting well into the night, it included both team and individual routines and featured astonishing feats of vinyl virtuosity, devastating disses, and a lot of good humor.
September 1996
Emceeing
Emceeing
Tupac Shakur is fatally wounded
Having survived an attack during a robbery in a recording studio in November of 1994 during which he was shot several times (and who he accused some of his East Coast rivals, including Sean Combs and The Notorious B.I.G., of orchestrating), 25-year-old rap/film superstar Tupac Shakur is fatally wounded after being hit multiple times by gunshots as he rode in a car driven by Death Row Records CEO “Suge” Knight near the Las Vegas strip after both having attended a boxing match at the MGM and tussling with a LA gang member he’d recognized in the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel there. Tupac died of complications from the shooting five days later, with the murder remaining both unsolved and the source of many conspiracy theories to this day. His death rekindled the debate on whether rap promoted violence or simply reflected the realities of thug life.
October 1996
Emceeing
Emceeing
Public Enemy’s Chuck D releases his debut solo album
Public Enemy’s Chuck D releases his debut solo album (The Autobiography Of Mistachuck) that includes a poignant song called “The Pride” that tells listeners to remember that the future relies on how well they remember the past – “Now in order for us to know who we are, we got to know/Who we was, and once we know who we was, then we know who/We’re gonna be – Pride”.
Pride is a term that will continue to be highlighted throughout the rapper’s career. For example, in the 2014 funkified single “Give We the Pride,” – which features legendary singer Mavis Staples – in which Ms. Staples sings, “We need pride to survive” and Chuck rhymes, “Give ’em hope, give ’em love, give ’em pride, instead of turning raps into little old traps.”
March 1997
Emceeing
Emceeing
The Notorious B.I.G. or “Biggie Smalls” (or “Biggie”) is shot and killed
Brooklyn-born rapper Christopher Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G. or “Biggie Smalls” (or “Biggie”), 24 years of age, is shot and killed March 9th while sitting in his SUV at a stop light shortly after leaving a Vibe Magazine-hosted party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. A large-scale performer in both physical size (6’3”, 280 lbs.) and the strength of his baritone voice, Biggie (via his relationship with rap impresario/label owner Puff Daddy) had quickly established his prowess as a rapper and lyricist and had drawn a lot of attention back to the East Coast rap scene after the public’s attention had been drawn across the country to the work of competitors such as Tupac Shakur (who, incidentally, had been an early supporter of Biggie’s), Dr. Dre and the other acts on the rival label Death Row Records. Two weeks later, Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy Records released Biggie’s final record album – one that bore the eerily-prescient title Life After Death and which included collaborations with artists including Jay-Z, Lil’ Kim, R Kelly, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Angela Winbush and others – one that would go on to be nominated for three Grammy Awards and ultimately sell over 10 million copies. Like Tupac Shakur’s murder just six month’s before, Biggie’s death remains an unsolved mystery.
September 1997
Aerosol Art
Aerosol Art
Texas officially makes graffiti a crime
While it had been treated as simple Criminal Mischief prior to this year, in 1997 Texas state lawmakers added Section 28.08 to the state’s penal code, officially making graffiti a crime. Punishment depended on the monetary amount of damage caused, beginning with violators being charged with a Class B misdemeanor for damages less than $500, a state-jail felony for $1,500 to $20,000 up to a first-degree felony for damages more than $200,000. Any graffiti charge immediately becomes a felony offense if it was committed on certain types of properties, such as schools, houses of worship, cemeteries and public monuments.
1997
Fashion
Fashion
Vokal clothing brand is formed
Looking to launch a new clothing brand that was both inspired by the local design sense in their native St. Louis, MO neighborhood and to sell distinctive, affordable and decidedly non-corporate products, rapper Cornell “Nelly” Haynes, his cousin Yomi Martin and hometown friend Nick Loftus partner to introduce Vokal (short for Very Organized Kids Always Learning). Starting with t-shirts for Nelly’s “St. Lunatics” hip-hop group (sold at their concerts for $20 each), then adding hats and other menswear items, the brand’s style was so appealing that soon other indie artists, athletes and celebs were seen wearing the brand’s products, and after Nelly’s debut album (Country Grammar) was released in 2000 and sold over 9 million copies, the Vokal brand’s popularity grew exponentially.
1997
Other
Other
XXL is launched
A group of former staffers from The Source, including former music editor Elliot Wilson, launch a new magazine called XXL (“Hip-Hop on a Higher Level”).
1998
World Events
World Events
BET media conglomerate
Stock for the BET media conglomerate was listed on the New York Stock Exchange until 1998, when Johnson and other investors gained private control of the firm and renamedit BET Holdings II.
1998
Other
Other
“A Great Day in Harlem ‘98”
Inspired by Art Kane’s famous 1958 group photo for Esquire Magazine of 57 of the leading jazz players of their time (“A Great Day in Harlem”), staffers at XXL Magazine, motivated by editor-in-chief Sheena Lester, convinced famed photographer Gordon Parks – then 85 years of age – to photograph a similarly-staged gathering of the biggest stars in the world of hip-hop that year. The now-vacant brownstone on East 126th Street in Harlem where the original was shot was again chosen as the backdrop, with representatives of the genre’s past, present and future – including DJ Herc, Grandmaster Flash, The Roots, Wyclef Jean & The Fugees and many more (along with Blondie’s Debby Harry and basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, among others) – “A Great Day in Harlem ‘98” served to illustrate just how far hip-hop culture had come, how it had spread, who it had influenced and that it still had many years ahead of it.
May 1998
Other
Other
Jay-Z completes “Streets is Watching”
Jay-Z completes an autobiographical film titled Streets Is Watching that he brings with him on tour that year. The film compiles a number of the rapper’s unreleased music videos, creating a long-form film and accompanying soundtrack album that includes a number of special-guest performances. The film was directed by Abdul Malik Abbott and produced by Schavaria Reeves, with additional writing by the director and Damon Dash
November 1998
DJing
DJing
Pioneer EFX-500 Effector
The first DJ-focused digital effects processor box, the Pioneer EFX-500 Effector added useful items such as an auto BPM counter, delay, echo, reverb, pitch shifter, flanger and send/return – all accessible via a user-friendly user interface – to the performing DJ’s repertoire.
1999
Fashion
Fashion
Rocawear was created
” Roc-A-Fella Records co-founders Damon “”Dame”” Dash and Shawn “”JAY-Z”” Carter created a “lifestyle apparel brand” called Rocawear in 1999. According to the company’s PR, “ROCAWEAR knew trust started with the people, so that’s where they took their inspiration from. They watched the trends on the New York City streets, then translated these into fresh looks that rocked that fashion world. Showing up on the runways in Milan, New York, London and Paris, ROCAWEAR introduced a new, casual glamour with a streetwise sensibility.” Over the years, the brand expanded (primarily via licensing and co-branding) to sell a broad range of products including kid’s and junior’s clothing, footwear, outerwear, accessories, jewelry, eyewear and much more and became one of the hottest fashion labels both in the U.S. and internationally.
Other rappers who founded their own lines around the same time were Sean “Diddy” Combs (Sean John), Pharrell Williams (Billionaire Boys Club) and 50 Cent (G-Unit). “
November 1999
Other
Other
“Hip-Hop Nation: Roots, Rhymes and Rage”
Cleveland, OH’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opens an exhibit – organized by music critic/historian Kevin Powell and sponsored in part by Def Jam Records – called “Hip-Hop Nation: Roots, Rhymes and Rage”. The show featured hundreds of items of historical memorabilia, from the earliest days as hip-hop emerged from NYC neighborhoods in the 1970s through its emergence as a hugely-popular and influential music/dance/art/fashion culture world-wide. The clothing, costumes and jewelry, posters, handbills, album covers, handwritten lyrics, magazine covers and more provided ample evidence of the growth of hip-hop out of its clubhouse/playfield/underground roots to its domination of the attention (and spending cash) of the young people drawn in by its “power to the people” and “for us by us” mindset. Critics of the show noted that the displays were fairly light in representing two key aspects of hip-hop culture – break-dancing and graffiti art – which might have offended those in the know but, as an overall intro to all things hip-hop, it served its purpose well. . After closing its initial run in August 2000, the museum show then went out on a road trip, with its first stop being the Brooklyn Museum of Art in Brooklyn, NY, where it opened in October 2000.
December 1999
Other
Other
“Whassup?”, corporate America
With the premiere on TV of a commercial featuring five young black men greeting each other with an energetic “ Whassup?”, corporate America (in this case, beverage-maker Anheuser-Busch) showed that it was beginning to understand the potential buying power of an African-American audience and that it needed to address that audience with commercials that would resonate with them. Breaking away from the black stereotypes that would often be on display (shooting hoops, ditching the cops, etc.), this campaign simply showed these men being themselves but still using a vernacular that would be more-recognized by a young, black audience. Directed by hip-hop music video maker Charles Stone III for the DDB Advertising company, the spot would grow into a series that ran for several years and would reign as the most-popular, hip-hop culture-based ad campaign since Nike’s Mars Blackmon campaign by Spike Lee.
