Episoder

  • Topics: Y2K Bug, Eminem, The Best Man, 90's TV (Bonus Artist: Rocky Mtn. Rhyme Posse)

    1999 Notes Snapshots 1. Bill Clinton President 2. Jan – A snowstorm leaves 14 inches (36 cm) of snow in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and 21 inches (53 cm) in Chicago, Illinois, killing 68. 3. Jan – The adult animated sitcom Family Guy debuts on the Fox network after Super Bowl XXXIII. 4. Feb - Impeachment of Bill Clinton: President Bill Clinton is acquitted by the Senate. 5. Mar - A Michigan jury finds Dr. Jack Kevorkian guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man. 6. Apr - Columbine High School massacre: Two Littleton, Colorado teenagers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, open fire on their teachers and classmates, killing 12 students and one teacher, and then themselves. It would be the deadliest shooting at a high school in U.S. history at the time. The shooting sparks debate on school bullying, gun control and violence in the media. 7. May - The animated children's TV series SpongeBob SquarePants debuts on the cable network Nickelodeon. 8. May - Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is released in theaters. 9. Jun - Texas Governor George W. Bush announces he will seek the Republican Party nomination for President of the United States. 10. Jun - Napster Released. It was mainly used by people who shared MP3 music and digital audio files. As the laws about file sharing and copyright regarding the internet were just newly established, the service soon ran into legal troubles dealing with copyright infringement. 11. Jul - U.S. soccer player Brandi Chastain scores the game winning penalty kick against China in the FIFA Women's World Cup. Briana Scurry, goalkeeper, was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2017. She was the first woman goalkeeper and first black woman to be awarded the honor. 12. Jun - Lance Armsrong wins the Tour de France. The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced in August 2012 that they had disqualified Armstrong from all his results since 1998, including his seven consecutive Tour de France wins from 1999 to 2005 (which were, originally, the most wins in the event's history) 13. Sep - The West Nile Virus first appears in the United States. The disease spread quickly through infected birds. Mosquitoes spread the disease to mammals. 14. Dec - Boris Yeltsin resigns as President of Russia, replaced by Vladimir Putin. Yeltsin has been describes as, "Russia's first modern leader" and has been compared to Nelson Mandela. 15. Top 3 Pop Songs 16. #1 "Believe" Cher 17. #2 "No Scrubs" TLC 18. #3 "Angel of Mine" Monica 19. Record of the Year: "Smooth" – Santana featuring Rob Thomas 20. Album of the Year: Supernatural – Santana 21. Song of the Year: "Smooth" – Santana featuring Rob 22. Best New Artist: Christina Aguilera (Note: Beat out Brittney Spears) 23. Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "It's Not Right but It's Okay" – Whitney Houston 24. Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: "Staying Power" – Barry White 25. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: "No Scrubs" – TLC 26. Best R&B Song: "No Scrubs" – TLC 27. Best R&B Album: FanMail – TLC 28. Best Rap Solo Performance: "My Name Is" – Eminem 29. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "You Got Me" – The Roots featuring Erykah Badu 30. Best Rap Album: The Slim Shady LP – Eminem 31. Top 3 Moives 32. #1 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 33. #2 The Sixth Sense 34. #3 Toy Story 2 35. Notables: Office Space, Analyze This, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, The Matrix (3/31/1999 - 20 days before Columbine), Life, The Mummy, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Wild Wild West, American Pie, The Blair Witch Project, Eyes Wide Shut, The Wood, The Iron Giant, The Sixth Sense, The Thomas Crown Affair, Bowfinger, Three Kings, Fight Club, The Green Mile, Any Given Sunday 36. Top 3 TV Shows 37. #1 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — Tuesday 38. #2 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — Thursday 39. #3 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — Sunday 40. Debuts: The PJs, The Parkers, The Queen Latifah Show, Judge Mathis 41. Economic Snapshots 42. Income = 40.8k (Previously 38.1k) 43. House = 131.7k (129.3k) 44. Car = 21kk (17k) 45. Rent = 645 (619) 46. Harvard = 31.1k (30,080) 47. Movie = 5.06 (4.69) 48. Gas = 1.22 (1.15) 49. Stamp = .33 (.32) 50. Social Scene: Y2K Scare 51. The Y2K problem and the millennium bug was the most important thing on most companies minds in 1999. This fear was fueled by the press coverage and other media speculation, as well as corporate and government reports. All over the world companies and organizations checked and upgraded their computer systems. Problems were anticipated, and arose, because many programs represented four-digit years with only the final two digits – making the year 2000 indistinguishable from 1900. 52. (Audio Clip) 53. Music Scene 54. Music Scene: Black Songs from the Top 40 55. #2 "No Scrubs" - TLC 56. #3 "Angel of Mine" - Monica 57. #4 "Heartbreak Hotel" - Whitney Houston featuring Faith Evans and Kelly Price 58. #9 "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" - Deborah Cox 59. #11 "Where My Girls At?" - 702 60. #12 "If You Had My Love" - Jennifer Lopez 61. #14 "Have You Ever?" - Brandy 62. #16 "I'm Your Angel" - R. Kelly and Celine Dion 63. #19 "Smooth" - Santana featuring Rob Thomas 64. #20 "Unpretty" - TLC 65. #21 "Bills, Bills, Bills" - Destiny's Child 66. #24 "Fortunate" - Maxwell 67. #27 "What's It Gonna Be?!" - Busta Rhymes featuring Janet 68. #28 "What It's Like" - Everlast 69. #29 "Fly Away" - Lenny Kravitz 70. #31 "Lately" - Divine 71. #33 "Wild Wild West" - Will Smith featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee 72. #35 "Heartbreaker" - Mariah Carey featuring Jay-Z 73. #36 "I Still Believe" - Mariah Carey 74. #39 "Can I Get A..." - Jay-Z featuring Amil and Ja Rule 75. #42 "Mambo No. 5" - Lou Bega 76. #43 "Sweet Lady" - Tyrese 77. Top Rnb Albums 78. Jan Ghetto Fabulous - Mystikal 79. Jan Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood - DMX 80. Feb Made Man - Silkk the Shocker 81. Feb Chyna Doll - Foxy Brown 82. Feb The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill 83. Mar Da Next Level - Mr. Serv-On 84. Mar FanMail - TLC 85. Mar Bossalinie - C-Murder 86. Apr The Slim Shady LP - Eminem 87. Apr I Am
 - Nas 88. May Ryde or Die Vol. 1 - Ruff Ryders 89. May No Limit Top Dogg - Snoop Dogg 90. Jun In Our Lifetime - 8Ball & MJG 91. Jun The Art of Storytelling - Slick Rick 92. Jun Venni Vetti Vecci - Ja Rule 93. Jul Da Real World - Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott 94. Jul Beneath the Surface - GZA/Genius 95. Jul Street Life - Fiend 96. Jul Can't Stay Away - Too Short 97. Aug Guerrilla Warfare - Hot Boys 98. Aug Coming of Age - Memphis Bleek 99. Sep Mary - Mary J. Blige 100. Sep Forever - Puff Daddy 101. Oct Let There Be Eve...Ruff Ryders' First Lady - Eve 102. Ocy Blackout! - Method Man & Redman 103. Nov Only God Can Judge Me - Master P 104. Nov Tha Block Is Hot - Lil Wayne 105. Dec 2001 - Dr. Dre 106. Dec Born Again - The Notorious B.I.G. 107. Featured Artist: Eminem 108. Childhood & Early Life: Born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in St. Joseph, Missouri, in 1972, to parents who were members of a band that used to perform at the hotel 'Ramada Inns.' He grew up in a predominantly black neighbourhood, where he was often bullied. As a child he showed affinity toward comics and music, particularly rapping. He had a difficult childhood and he was never on good terms with his mother. He was, however, close to her half-brother, Ronnie. Marshall's education suffered as a result of constant troubles with his mom and he dropped-out of 'Lincoln High School,' when he was seventeen. 109. Career: When Marshall was fourteen years old, he started rapping and attenditg contetst with his friend DeShaun Dupree Holton, who later became famous as rapper Proof. The two friends formed their own group called 'D12' or 'The Dirty Dozen,' in 1996. Also in 1996, Eminem (@16) brought out his first album titled 'Infinite.' The album was recorded under the banner of 'FBT Productions,' and included songs that spoke about the struggles he faced after the birth of his daughter, at a time when he was financially unstable. His financial condition had worsened and by 1997, he was forced to live in his mother's house with his family. During this time, to let go of the frustration building inside him, he created an anti-social alter-ego named 'Slim Shady.' He even recorded his first extended play by the same name in the same year. 110. After he was fired from his job and evicted from his home, Eminem went to Los Angeles to compete in the 1997 Rap Olympics, an annual, nationwide battle rap competition. He placed second, and an Interscope Records intern in attendance called asked Eminem for a copy of the Slim Shady EP, which was then sent to company CEO Jimmy Iovine. Iovine played the tape for record producer Dr. Dre, who recalled sayingd, "In my entire career in the music industry, I have never found anything from a demo tape or a CD. When Jimmy played this, I said, 'Find him. Now.'" Although Dre's friends criticized him for hiring a white rapper, he was confident in his decision: "I don't give a fuck if you're purple; if you can kick it, I'm working with you." 111. In February 1999, Dr. Dre helped Eminem release an album titled 'The Slim Shady LP,' which immediately catapulted him to fame. With hits like 'My Name Is,' '97 Bonnie and Clyde,' and 'Guilty Conscience,' it was one of the most successful albums of the year. 112. Movie Scene: The Best Man 113. Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs), a commitment-shy writer and the best man at the wedding of Lance (Morris Chestnut) and Mia (Monica Calhoun), is nervous-and with good reason. His steamy new novel hits bookstores soon, and when his friends finally read it he knows they will notice more than just a passing resemblance to the characters depicted in the book. 114. Director: Malcolm D. Lee, Debut film [Undercover Brother (2002), Roll Bounce (2005), Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008), Soul Men (2008), Scary Movie 5 (2013), The Best Man Holiday (2013), Girls Trip (2017), and Night School (2018)] 115. Cast: Taye Diggs, Nia Long, Morris Chestnut, Harold Perrineau, Terance Howard, Sanaa Lathan, Monica Calhoun, Melissa De Sousa, Terrence Howard, Regina Hall [*Film Debut] 116. 'The Best Man': A Joyous Occasion [By Lonnae O'Neal Parker Washington Post Staff Writer, Oct 1999] 117. This smart debut from filmmaker Malcolm D. Lee, cousin to the film's producer, Spike, centers around a group of old friends who reunite in New York for a wedding. Tapping into the Zeitgeist of young black professionals starving to see themselves on film, it hits all the right cultural touchstones: from BET to Stevie Wonder, Chubb Rock to bid whist. Although the film is produced by Spike Lee, don't expect racial politics. And while comparisons to another black wedding-themed movie starring Taye Diggs, "The Wood," are bound to come up, resist. 118. James Berardinelli - Reelviews 119. The Best Man is not what it initially seems to be. Despite starting out with all the earmarks of a fairly ordinary romantic comedy, the project develops into a surprisingly effective look at a man's quest for rebirth after events topple him from a pedestal of arrogance. And, while there are plenty of laughs to be had, The Best Man functions better as a light drama than a straight comedy, with several scenes packing a punch because they're played straight. The film is the directorial debut of Malcolm D. Lee (Spike's cousin), who may have gotten this chance because of family connections but shows enough promise to earn further opportunities on his own. 120. The Best Man (1999) - 1Âœ Stars [Reviewed by Dustin Putman, October 1999] 121. As with 1997's melodramatic, corny "Soul Food," and last summer's "The Wood," which also starred Diggs in a story set around a wedding(!), "The Best Man" aspires to be something more than it actually is. Kudos to Lee for trying his hand at a more knowledgeable picture that all audiences (not just African-Americans) might enjoy, but he also gets more than his share of debits for its severely flawed treatment. At over two hours in length, "The Best Man" thankfully never overstays its welcome and goes by fairly fast, but by the time the Electric Slide was carried out by everyone at the wedding reception over the end credits, I realized that the actors deserved far better. As is, the conclusion plays like an excuse for each of the cast members to give themselves a pat on the back, when they really didn't earn that pat to begin with. 122. Denzel Washington, film debut in Carbon Copy (1981) and in 1982, Denzel made his first appearance in the medical drama St. Elsewhere as Dr. Philip Chandler. The role proved to be the breakthrough in his career. 123. Nominated for Best Supporting Actor: Cry Freedom (1988) and Glory (1990)(*won) 124. Nominated for Best Actor for Malcolm X (1993) 125. 1981 Carbon Copy / 1984 A Soldier's Story / 1986 Power / 1987 Cry Freedom / 1988 For Queen and Country / 1989 The Mighty Quinn / 1989 Glory / 1990 Heart Condition / 1990 Mo' Better Blues / 1991 Mississippi Masala / 1991 Ricochet / 1992 Malcolm X / 1993 Much Ado About Nothing / 1993 The Pelican Brief / 1993 Philadelphia / 1995 Crimson Tide / 1995 Virtuosity / 1995 Devil in a Blue Dress / 1996 Courage Under Fire / 1996 The Preacher's Wife / 1998 Fallen / 1998 He Got Game / 1998 The Siege / 1999 The Bone Collector / 1999 The Hurricane - [25 films] 126. Samuel L. Jackson. 127. Nominated for Best Supporting Actor: Pulp Fiction (1994) 128. 1981 Ragtime / 1987 Magic Sticks / 1988 Coming to America / 1988 School Daze / 1989 Do the Right Thing / 1989 Sea of Love / 1990 Def by Temptation / 1990 A Shock to the System / 1990 Betsy's Wedding / 1990 Mo' Better Blues / 1990 The Exorcist III / 1990 Goodfellas / 1990 The Return of Superfly / 1991 Strictly Business / 1991 Jungle Fever / 1991 Jumpin' at the Boneyard / 1991 Johnny Suede / 1992 Juice / 1992 Patriot Games /1992 White Sands / 1992 Fathers & Sons / 1993 Menace II Society /1993 Loaded Weapon / 1993 Amos & Andrew / 1993 Jurassic Park / 1993 True Romance / 1994 Fresh / 1994 Pulp Fiction / 1994 The New Age / 1994 Hail Caesar / 1994 Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker / 1994 The Search for One-eye Jimmy / 1995 Kiss of Death / 1995 Die Hard with a Vengeance / 1995 Losing Isaiah / 1995 Fluke / 1996 The Great White Hype / 1996 A Time to Kill / 1996 The Long Kiss Goodnight / 1996 Hard Eight / 1996 Trees Lounge / 1997 One Eight Seven / 1997 Eve's Bayou / 1997 Jackie Brown / 1998 Sphere / 1998 The Negotiator / 1998 The Red Violin / 1998 Out of Sight / 1999 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace / 1999 Deep Blue Sea - [50 films] 129. Question: DW vs. SLJ? 130. Television Scene: 131. 18 Black Sitcoms of the '90s That Changed the Game: Published Jan 24, 2020 - By Damarys Ocaña Perez 132. Black sitcoms have been popular since classics like Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son hit television screens nationwide in the '70s. But it wasn't until The Cosby Show became a ratings juggernaut in the mid '80s that networks finally saw the potential in investing heavily in sitcoms with black leads. 133. And so the '90s became a decade in which more black sitcoms than ever made it onto TV 134. Naturally, given the success of The Cosby Show, a lot of shows that followed featured families. But they didn't just simply copy the formula. 135. The lives of younger people took center stage as well in the '90s. So, instead of being the token black friend within the larger context of a show, black teens, college students, 20-something professionals became the vehicle for funny and even poignant stories. 136. The '90s turned hugely talented black comedians and actors into stars who remain household names to this day, and it goes to show the impact that being given a seat at the table and a voice on prime time television can accomplish. 137. Here are 18 black '90s sitcoms that we love do this day for the impact they had on our lives then and now. 138. 'A Different World' (1987-1993): One of the show's major accomplishments was being among the first to tackle real issues like date rape, racism, and HIV, things that the Cosby Show had avoided. A Different World is the gem that created a bridge to the '90s black sitcom boom. 139. 'Family Matters' (1989-1997): The longest-running sitcom about a black family (it spanned nine seasons to The Cosby Show's eight), Family Matters was not only funny -- especially after introducing super-nerd Urkel -- but managed to balance big laughs with more serious moments. There were episodes that centered around civil rights history and police mistreatment of young black men, and a wide-ranging audience got to see them, thanks to the show's across-the-board popularity. 140. 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' (1990-1996): Nestled between Will Smith's rapping days and his status as one of the world's most bankable A-list movie stars was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which made his a household name and produced one of the longest-running fan debates in TV history on which of the two actresses who played Aunt Viv was the best one. 141. 'Roc' (1991-1994): Before Charles S. Dutton went on to win three Emmys for his work on other shows, he starred in this underrated and brief series that was fairly typical sitcom until the second season, which aired each episode live. Roc was a treat because Dutton and several of the other cast members were trained stage actors. 142. 'Martin' (1992-1997): Martin Lawrence was all edge when he wasn't doing Martin. (One of his stand-up specials was slapped with an NC-17 rating, and he was banned from Saturday Night Live for delivering a hilariously raunchy monologue.) That makes it all the more interesting that on the show Martin, he played a lovably manic man-boy. We lost count of how many characters Martin played on the show (in disguise), each one of them hilarious in their own specific way. 143. 'Hangin' With Mr. Cooper' (1992-1997): This sitcom had a great cast, including comedian Raven-SymonĂ©, Holly Robinson Peete, and Mark Curry. 144. 'Living Single' (1993-1998): The show marked the first time that we saw young black women portrayed as professionals and given well-rounded personalities, have healthy relationships, and pave the way for black female-centered shows - nlike Girlfriends and Insecure. 145. 'Sister, Sister' (1994-1999): There are so many reasons why we loved Sister,Sister, and one of them was that the show would occasionally break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience, which made us feel part of the action. But the show also had layers that deepened its story: The girls had been the product of an interracial relationship between a black mom and a white dad who never had the chance to marry before being separated in tragic circumstances. 146. 'In The House' (1995-1999): It wasn't the world's best sitcom, but hey, LL Cool J has always been a snack. 147. 'The Parent 'Hood' (1995-1999): One of the four original Wednesday night shows that helped launched the WB (The Wayans Bros was another), what sets the show apart are the whimsical fantasy sequences that the dad dreams up to help him solve family issues in a creative and unexpected way. 148. 'The Wayans Bros.' (1995-1999): In Living Color, it's not, but this sitcom from younger Wayans siblings Shawn and Marlon is still simple fun that doesn't require too many brain cells -- and that can be a good thing. 149. 'Moesha' (1996-2001): Moesha centered around a black teenager diving into deeper explorations of all kinds of relationships and left cliffhangers in several story lines dangling when it was canceled. 150. 'The Jamie Foxx Show' (1996-2001): Fresh off the groundbreaking comedy sketch show In Living Color and before he becoming an movie star, Jamie Foxx starred as an aspiring actor who works at his relatives' hotel. 151. 'Kenan & Kel' (1996-2000): Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell were Nickelodeon's first black sitcom stars, having landed their own show when producers saw them joking around on the set of All That when they were series regulars. 152. 'The Steve Harvey Show' (1996-2002): A big highlight is the constant guest star roster that's a who's who of black TV stars and musicians -- like Snoop Dogg, Diddy, Kim Fields, and Ja’Net DuBois of the classic sitcom Good Times. 153. 'The Hughleys' (1998-2002): Two decades before Black-ish tackled a similar premise, The Hughleys featured a family that lives in a predominantly white neighborhood. 154. 'The Famous Jett Jackson' (1998-2001): This show had just 65 episodes but has a special place in our hearts as the first Disney Channel show to feature a black actor as the lead. The immensely talented and magnetic Lee Thompson Young starred as Jett Jackson, a kid who tries to live a normal life when he's not filming. Thompson tragically died at age 29, after struggling with bipolar disorder and depression, but the heartwarming show lives on. 155. 'The Parkers' (1999-2004): It's no surprise that one of the most down-to-earth black sitcoms from the '90s starred Mo'Nique as a single mom who dropped out of high school to raise her baby. 156. Question: Most Liked Show of the 90’s? 157. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1999
  • Topics: Monica Lewinsky Scandal, Jay Z, Beloved (Film), 90's Tech (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound and Luck Pacheco)

    1998 General Snapshots 1. Bill Clinton President 2. Jan - Paula Jones accuses U.S. President Bill Clinton of sexual harassment. 3. Jan - Smoking is banned in all California bars and restaurants. 4. Jan - Super Bowl XXXII: The Denver Broncos become the first AFC team in 14 years to win the Super Bowl, as they defeat the Green Bay Packers 5. Jan - Lewinsky scandal: On American television, President Bill Clinton denies he had "sexual relations" with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. The next day, Hillary Clinton appears on The Today Show, calling the attacks against her husband part of a "vast right-wing conspiracy". 6. Mar - The Food and Drug Administration approves Viagra for use as a treatment for erectile dysfunction, the first pill to be approved for this condition in the United States. 7. Apr - The unemployment rate drops to 4.3%, the lowest level since February 1970. 8. Apr - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 9,000 for the first time. 9. Apr - Teletubbies begins its U.S. television debut on PBS. 10. Apr - Inflight smoking is banned on all commercial passenger flights in the United States, 11. Jun - The Chicago Bulls win their 6th NBA title in 8 years when they beat the Utah Jazz. This is also Michael Jordan's last game as a Bull, clinching the game in the final seconds on a fadeaway jumper. 12. Aug - The bombings of the United States embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya kill 224 people and injure over 4,500; they are linked to terrorist Osama bin Laden. Two weeks later. The United States military launches cruise missile attacks against alleged al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical plant in Sudan. 13. Oct - College student Matthew Shepard is found tied to a fence near Laramie, Wyoming. His death became a symbol of gay-bashing and sparked a national debate on homophobia in the U.S. 14. Nov - Jesse Ventura, former professional wrestler, is elected Governor of Minnesota. 15. Nov - America Online announces it will acquire Netscape Communications for $4.2B as the “Dot.com” bubble heats up. Between 1995 and 2000, the Nasdaq Composite stock market index rose 400%. 16. Dec - Lewinsky scandal: President Bill Clinton is impeached by the United States House of Representatives. (He was later acquitted of any wrongdoing.) 17. Open Comments 18. Top 3 Pop songs 19. #1 "Too Close", Next 20. #2 "The Boy Is Mine", Brandy and Monica 21. #3 "You're Still the One", Shania Twain 22. Record of the Year: "My Heart Will Go On", Celine Dion 23. Album of the Year: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill 24. Song of the Year: "My Heart Will Go On", Celine Dion 25. Best New Artist: Lauryn Hill 26. Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Doo Wop (That Thing)”, Lauryn Hill 27. Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: "St. Louis Blues”, Stevie Wonder in Herbie Hancock's Gershwin's World 28. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: "The Boy Is Mine", Brandy & Monica 29. Best R&B Song: "Doo Wop (That Thing)”, Lauryn Hill 30. Best R&B Album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill 31. Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album: Live! One Night Only, Patti LaBelle 32. Best Rap Solo Performance: "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It", Will Smith 33. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Intergalactic", Beastie Boys 34. Best Rap Album: Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, Jay-Z 35. Top 3 Movies 36. #1 Armageddon 37. #2 Saving Private Ryan 38. #3 Godzilla 39. Notables: Dr. Dolittle, Half Baked, The Wedding Singer, The Big Lebowski, Primary Colors, The Players Club, Suicide Kings, He Got Game, Bulworth, The Truman Show, Mulan, There's Something About Mary, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Blade, Rush Hour, Antz, Beloved, Belly, The Waterboy, A Bug's Life, A Simple Plan, You've Got Mail 40. Open Comments 41. Top 3 TV Shows 42. #1 ER 43. #2 Friends 44. #3 Frasier 45. Debuts: Judge Joe Brown, The Hughleys 46. Open Comments 47. Economic Snapshots 48. Income = 38.1 (Previously 37.5K) 49. House = 129.3 (124k) 50. Car = 17k (17k) 51. Rent = 619 (576) 52. Harvard = 30,080 (28.9) 53. Movie = 4.69 (4.59) 54. Gas = 1.15 (1.22) 55. Stamp = .32 (-) 56. Social Scene: Monica Lewinsky Scandal (Highlights) 57. Born in San Francisco in 1973, Monica Lewinsky was raised in a well-off family in the Los Angeles area. In the summer of 1995 (@ 22 yrs. old), after graduating from Lewis and Clark College, she landed an unpaid internship in the White House chief of staff’s office. 58. In November 1995, during a federal government shutdown, Lewinsky flirted with the president and the two had their first sexual encounter. Later that month, she took a paying job in the Office of Legislative Affairs. 59. They had seven more encounters in the White House and her visits started drawing notice from people. In April 1996, a deputy chief of staff had her transferred to a job at the Pentagon. 60. The president and Lewinsky had two more encounters, the last was in spring 1997, and stayed in touch by phone. 61. At the Pentagon, she befriended a coworker, Linda Tripp, and she confided details of her affair with the president. Tripp in turn shared the story with an anti-Clinton conservative literary agent she knew. That person urged Tripp to secretly, and in violation of taping laws, record hours of her phone conversations with Lewinsky. 62. Word of Tripp’s tapes made it to lawyers working on behalf of Paula Jones, a former government employee who had filed a lawsuit against the president for alleged sexual misconduct that took place in 1991, when he was governor of Arkansas. 63. In December 1997, Lewinsky was subpoenaed by Jones’ attorneys and, after the president allegedly suggested she be evasive, the former intern denied in an affidavit that she had had a sexual relationship with Clinton. 64. Around the same time, independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who had been investigating Clinton and his wife Hillary’s involvement in a failed business venture called Whitewater, found out about Tripp’s recordings. Soon afterward, FBI agents fitted Tripp with a hidden microphone so she could legally tape her conversations with Lewinsky. 65. Then Starr expanded his investigation to include the president’s relationship with Lewinsky and told her that if she did not cooperate with the investigation she would be charged with perjury. 66. When Clinton was deposed in January 1998 by Jones’ legal team, he claimed he had never had sexual relations with Lewinsky. (The Big Lie) 67. On January 17, 1998, the Drudge Report, a conservative online news site, published the accusations against the president and the next day revealed Lewinsky’s identity. The mainstream media picked up the story a few days later, and a national scandal Erupted. Clinton refuted the allegations against him, famously stating at a press conference, “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.” 68. That July, Lewinsky’s lawyers announced she had been granted immunity in exchange for her testimony. She also gave Starr’s team physical evidence of her affair with Clinton: a blue dress with an incriminating stain containing the president’s DNA. At the suggestion of Tripp, Lewinsky had never laundered the garment. 69. On August 17, 1998, Clinton testified before a grand jury and confessed he had engaged in “inappropriate intimate physical contact” with Lewinsky. However, the president contended his actions did not meet the definition of sexual relations used by Jones’ attorneys—so he had not perjured himself. That night, he appeared on national TV and apologized for his behavior but maintained he had never asked anyone involved to lie or do anything illegal. 70. In September 1998, Starr gave Congress a 445-page report. The Starr Report was soon made public by Congress and published in book form, becoming a best-seller 71. In December, the House approved two articles of impeachment against him: perjury and obstruction of justice. He was only the second president in U.S. history to be impeached (after President Andrew Johnson in 1868). 72. On February 12, 1999, following a five-week trial in the Senate, Clinton was acquitted. (During his impeachment proceedings, he agreed to settle the Paula Jones lawsuit for $850,000, but admitted no wrongdoing.) 73. Open Comments: 74. Question: Impeach? (Y/N) (Can you imagine if Barack did this to Michelle!) 75. Music Scene: Black Songs from the Top 40 76. #1 "Too Close" - Next 77. #2 "The Boy Is Mine" - Brandy and Monica 78. #6 "Together Again" - Janet 79. #7 "All My Life" - K-Ci & JoJo 80. #9 "Nice & Slow" - Usher 81. #12 "No, No, No" - Destiny's Child 82. #14 "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" - Will Smith 83. #15 "You Make Me Wanna..." - Usher 84. #16 "My Way" - Usher 85. #17 My All" - Mariah Carey 86. #18 "The First Night" - Monica 87. #19 "Been Around the World" - Puff Daddy featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase 88. #24 "Body Bumpin' (Yippie-Yi-Yo)" - Public Announcement 89. #26 "I Don't Ever Want to See You Again" - Uncle Sam 90. #27 "Let's Ride" - Montell Jordan featuring Master P and Silkk the Shocker 91. #30 "A Song for Mama" - Boyz II Men 92. #31 "What You Want" - Mase featuring Total 93. #33 "Gone till November" - Wyclef Jean 94. #34 "My Body" - LSG 95. #36 "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" - Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz 96. #39 "They Don't Know" - Jon B. 97. #40 "Make 'Em Say Uhh!" - Master P featuring Fiend, Silkk the Shocker, Mia X and Mystikal 98. Vote: 99. Top RnB Albums 100. Jan - R U Still Down? (Remember Me), 2Pac 101. Jan - My Way, Usher 102. Jan - Money, Power & Respect, The LOX 103. Feb - My Balls and My Word, Young Bleed 104. Feb - Anytime, Brian McKnight 105. Mar - Charge It 2 da Game, Silkk the Shocker 106. Mar - My Homies, Scarface 107. Mar - Life or Death, C-Murder 108. Apr - The Pillage, Cappadonna 109. Apr - Moment of Truth, Gang Starr 110. May - There's One in Every Family, Fiend 111. Jun - It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, DMX 112. Jun - MP Da Last Don, Master P 113. Jul - El Nino, Def Squad 114. Jul - Am I My Brother's Keeper, Kane & Abel 115. Aug - N.O.R.E., Noreaga 116. Aug - Jermaine Dupri Presents: Life In 1472, Jermaine Dupri 117. Aug - Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, Snoop Dogg 118. Sep - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, Lauryn Hill 119. Oct - Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, Jay-Z 120. Nov - R., R. Kelly 121. Dec - Tical 2000: Judgement Day, Method Man 122. Dec - Doc's da Name 2000, Redman 123. Vote: 124. Featured Artists: Jay Z 125. Childhood & Early Life: Shawn Corey Carter was born in Brooklyn, New York City in 1969. He is the last of the four children. When he was only 11 years old, his father abandoned the family. They lived in the drug-infested ‘Marcy Projects’, where violence and gun-culture were also prevalent. He soon became so imbibed the gun-culture that he allegedly shot his elder brother in the shoulder for pocketing his jewelry. His interest in music was sparked from early on when he received a boom box for his birthday from his mother. He began free styling, scripting lyrics and copied the music of many popular artists of the time. He studied at several local high schools, where he was classmates with future performers, Busta Rhymes and The Notorious B.I.G., before ultimately dropping out and selling drugs. 126. Career Highlights 127. 1989 Jaz-O (@19yrs): Hooked up with local star and fellow project inhabitant, Jaz-O, who became his guru and taught him the industry basics. In order to pay homage to his mentor, he changed his name to Jay-Z, since Sean was known as ‘Jazzy’ in his neighborhood. Jaz-O’s “Hawaiian Sophie” is one of Jay-Z’s earliest appearances on wax. - Key development: He saw Jaz-O get jerked over by the record business. No record deal and he return to selling drugs. 128. 1992 Big Daddy Kane (@22): BDK records a mixtape with Jaz-O and Jay-Z. Eventually, BDK and Jay start working together and during BDK’s time with the Patti LaBelle tour he had Jay-Z performing for him while was in the back changing clothes. Key Development: Exposure and experience, but no deal. Back to the streets. 129. 1994 Original Flavor/Clark Kent/Damon Dash (@24): Original Flavor was one of rap's middle school crews headed by Ski, an MC/producer. They were also the first group managed by future recording industry executive Damon Dash. Although Ski worked with legendary New York DJ Clark Kent for the groups debut project, the album fizzled. For their follow-up, Ski enlisted the aid of a few more MCs including a young Brooklynite with some experience in the rap field, Jay-Z. Original Flavor was Jay-Z's training ground and it served as a catapult for his future endeavors. Flavor's sophomore release was released in 1994 and again fizzled. However, the lead single "Can I Get Open" features Jay-Z in impeccable pre-Jayhova form. Jay-Z's skills far surpassed those of the rest of the crew and his solo career would begin soon. Key Development: Local buzz, regional tours, several singles and videos but no deal. Starts transition from the streets. 130. 1995-96 Roc-A-Fella Records (@25): Frustrated with being turned down by several major labels Carter, Dash and Kareem Burke started their own label, Roc-A-Fella, as an independent outlet for Jay-Z's music. After becoming a local sensation, Jay-Z turned into Jigga and adopted the Tony Montana-styled persona. He would continue to work with his Original Flavor partner Ski after the group disbanded, making him a member/producer of his Roc-a-Fella staff. Jay-Z was also supported by The Notorious B.I.G.'s producer DJ Clark Kent. Key Development: Debut album, ‘Reasonable Doubt’ released in 1996. It did not immediately attain commercial success, but it spawned several hits, and established Jay-Z in the hip-hop community. No more streets. 131. 1997 Def Jam (@27): Roc-A-Fella Records agreed to a 50/50 partnership and distribution deal with Def Jam. His second studio album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1. Is released. The album debuted at #3 and most of the production is handled by Puff Daddy's production team giving the album a glossier sound than its predecessor. It was a shift from the mafioso rap themes of his first effort to a more popular sound. Critical reviews: "Though the productions are just a bit flashier and more commercial than on his debut, Jay-Z remained the tough street rapper, and even improved a bit on his flow...he struts the line between project poet and up-and-coming player" while balancing "both personas with the best rapping heard in the rap game since the deaths of 2Pac and Notorious B.I.G." (Also, in response to the sellout charge, Roc-A-Fella Records released the movie Streets Is Watching.) 132. 1998 Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life: The third studio album was released on September 29, 1998, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Key Development: He cracks the code. This album went on to become his most commercially successful album to date, selling over 5 million copies. Critics review: Q magazine called it "the epitome of mainstream hip hop". 133. Audio Clip 134. Open Comments: 135. Question: Everybody knows someone who overcame the “streets” and is a success or should have overcome the “streets” and been a success. Who is your personal “Jay-Z”? 136. Movie Scene: Beloved 137. Summary: In 1873 Ohio, Sethe (Oprah Winfrey) is a mother of three haunted by her horrific slavery past and her desperate actions for freedom. As a result, Sethe's home is haunted by a furious poltergeist, which drives away her two sons. Sethe and her daughter (Kimberly Elise) endure living with the spirit for 10 more years, until an old friend, Paul D. Garner (Danny Glover), arrives to run it out. After Garner moves in, a strange woman named Beloved (Thandie Newton) enters their lives, causing turmoil. 138. Accolades: Academy Awards, Best Costume Design: Colleen Atwood (Nominated), Chicago Film Critics, Most Promising Actress: Kimberly Elise (Winner), NAACP Image Awards, Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Danny Glover (Winner) 139. Review: Demme's direction tells the story through mood and accumulation of incident, rather than through a traditional story line. His editor, Carol Littleton, takes on the difficult task of helping us find our way through the maze. Some audience members, I imagine, will not like it--will find it confusing or too convoluted. And it does not provide the kind of easy lift at the end that they might expect. Sethe's tragic story is the kind where the only happy ending is that it is over. - Roger Ebert 140. Review: No Peace from a Brutal Legacy. "Beloved" works on its own but is much enhanced by familiarity with the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. In so ambitiously bringing this story to the screen, Ms. Winfrey underscores a favorite, invaluable credo: read the book. - By Janet Maslin. NY Times 141. Fallout: 'Beloved' Tests Racial Themes At Box Office; Will This Winfrey Film Appeal to White Audiences? - By Bernard Weinraub 142. Answer: No. Winfrey has gone on public record stating that she ate 30 pounds of macaroni and cheese when she was informed the Saturday after the movie opened that "we got beat by something called Chucky." Oprah also claimed that Beloved's failure at the box office was the worst moment in her career and brought her into a major depression. "It was the only time in my life that I was ever depressed, and I recognized that I (was) depressed because I've done enough shows (on the topic). 'Oh, this is what people must feel like who are depressed.” 143. Open Comments 144. Question: Favorite book-to-movie?: Call Me By Your Name/The Princess Bride/12 Years a Slave/Little Women/Mean Girls/The Shawshank Redemption/Harry Potter/Gone Girl/The Color Purple/The Wizard of Oz/Jurassic Park/The Lord of the Rings/The Godfather/THE /COLOR PURPLE/ROOTS/WAITING TO EXHALE/BELOVED/WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT/THINK LIKE A MAN/THE WIZ/THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES/The Help/THE HELP/MALCOLM X/LADY SINGS THE BLUES/HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK/PRECIOUS/DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS 145. Technology that changed us: The 1990s, from Worldwide Web to Google - By David Gewirtz, ZDNET 146. 1990: The First Web Browser - Of all the technologies that changed our lives, perhaps the most profound of the last 50 years has been the web. But it was not the ability to hyperlink documents that made the most impact. Instead, it was the application that presented all that information to users, the browser. English scientist Tim Berners-Lee invented and wrote the first web browser in 1990 while employed at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland. Notables: Adobe released the first version of Photoshop in 1990. 147. 1991: Linux - On August 25, 1991, Linus Torvalds typed the following to the Minix Usenet newsgroup, and it changed everything, "I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional..." Today, Linux runs in everything, from light bulbs to cars, to almost all TVs and phones on the market. Notable: Second generation (2G) cell phones. 2G service used digital transmission instead of analog and paved the way for SMS messaging. 148. 1992: The First Sms Text Message - December 3, 1992 engineer Neil Papworth sent a message to Richard Jarvis on a Vodafone Orbitel 901 handset. It said, "MERRY CHRISTMAS". 149. 1993: Mosaic Web Browser - It was the first browser that could display images. Mosaic was created by grad students at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) located at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Mosaic eventually became Netscape, which dominated the web (for a while, at least). 150. 1994: Amazon Founded - It started as a source for books. Notable: Sony's first PlayStation 151. 1995: Windows 95 And Ie 1.0 - Windows 95 was the first version of Windows to include IE, which would become the dominant browser for more than a decade. Notable (1): E-commerce: While the concept of e-commerce existed loosely for a few years, it was not until the 1990s that modern e-commerce was born. In 1995, both Amazon and eBay launched, and in 1999 Alibaba made its debut. Notable (2): JavaScript. SSL, and eBay 152. 1996: Palm Pilot Handheld - The first successful handheld PDA. Notable: DVD, & USB 153. 1997: Steve Jobs Returns To Apple - Apple would soon utterly transform music and telephones. Notable: MP3 players, Netflix, and Wi-Fi standard adopted. 154. 1998: Google Founded. Notable: Windows 98 and first iMac introduced. 155. 1999: The digital video recorder (DVR) was born. Notable: BlackBerry and preparing for the Y2K bug. 156. Question: Best 90’s tech: 157. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1998?
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  • Topics: Biggie death, Erykah Badu, Eve's Bayou, Miss Evers' Boys (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

    Notes 1997 1. President: Bill Clinton 2. Feb -A Santa Monica jury finds former football legend O.J. Simpson is liable for the deaths of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. 3. Feb - North Hollywood shootout: Two heavily armed bank robbers conflict with officers from the Los Angeles Police Department in a mass shootout. 4. Feb - Miss Evers' Boys airs on HBO. It is a made-for-TV adaptation of David Feldshuh's eponymous 1992 stage play, and was nominated for eleven Emmy Awards and won four, Outstanding Made for Television Movie / Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie – Alfre Woodard / Editing / Cinematography 5. Mar - Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G. is killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles at age 24 before the release of his second album Life After Death. The album was released on March 25. 6. Mar - In San Diego, California, 39 members of Heaven's Gate, a UFO religious cult, commit mass suicide. 7. Apr - The Ellen episode, "The Puppy Episode" is broadcast on ABC, showing for the first time the revelation of a main character as a homosexual. 8. May - U.S. President Bill Clinton issues a formal apology to the surviving victims of the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male and their families. 9. Jun - During the Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II boxing match in Las Vegas, Mike Tyson bites off part of Evander Holyfield's ear. 10. Jun - The base version of the standard WiFi was released 11. Aug - Diana, Princess of Wales died in hospital after being injured in a motor vehicle accident in a road tunnel in Paris. 12. Sep - www.google.com is registered by Google. 13. Nov - Mary Kay Letourneau is sentenced to six months imprisonment in Washington after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree child rape. Letourneau gave birth to her victims' child and the leniency of her sentence was widely criticized.[3] 14. Nov - The Emergency Broadcast System is replaced by the Emergency Alert System and it continues to this day. - "This is a test. This station is conducting a test of the Emergency Broadcast System. This is only a test." 15. Open Comments: 16. Top 3 Pop Songs 17. #1-"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" / "Candle in the Wind 1997", Elton John 18. #2-"Foolish Games" / "You Were Meant for Me", Jewel 19. #3-"I'll Be Missing You", Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans and 112 20. Record Of The Year, Sunny Came Home - Shawn Colvin 21. Album Of The Year, Time Out Of Mind - Bob Dylan 22. Song Of The Year, Sunny Came Home - Shawn Colvin Colvin) 23. Best New Artist, Paula Cole 24. Best Female R&B, On & On - Erykah Badu 25. Best Male R&B, I Believe I Can Fly - R. Kelly 26. Best R&B Duo Or Group, No Diggity - Blackstreet 27. Best R&B Song, I Believe I Can Fly - R. Kelly 28. Best R&B Album, Baduizm - Erykah Badu 29. Best Rap Solo, Men In Black - Will Smith 30. Best Rap Duo Or Group, I'll Be Missing You - Puff Daddy & Faith Evans Featuring 112 31. Best Rap Album, No Way Out - Puff Daddy & The Family 32. Top 3 Movies 33. #1-Titanic 34. #2-The Lost World: Jurassic Park 35. #3-Men in Black 36. Notables: Rhyme & Reason, Gridlock'd, Rosewood, Good Burger, Def Jam's How to Be a Player, Hoodlum, Kiss the Girls, Gang Related, Boogie Nights, The Devil's Advocate, Good Will Hunting, Jackie Brown, Love Jones, B*A*P*S, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Booty Call, Donnie Brasco, Soul Food, Gang Related, 37. Open Comments: 38. Top TV Shows 39. #1-Seinfeld 40. #2-ER 41. #3-Veronica's Closet 42. Debuts, The Chris Rock Show 43. Open Comments: 44. Economic Snapshots 45. Income = 37.5 (Previously 36.3K) 46. House = 124k (118.2) 47. Car = 17k (16.3) 48. Rent = 576 (554) 49. Harvard = 28.9 (27.5) 50. Movie = 4.59 (4.42) 51. Gas = 1.22 (-) 52. Stamp = .32 (-) 53. Social Scene: Death of Christopher George Latore Wallace, aka ‘Biggie Smalls,’ ‘The Notorious B.I.G,’ or ‘Biggie,’ 54. Childhood & Early Life: Born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, to Voletta Wallace and Selwyn George Latore. His mother was a Jamaican preschool teacher and his father was a politician and welder. His father left the family when he was two years old. He attended the ‘Queen of All Saints Middle School’ where he excelled in English, won many awards, and was given the nickname ‘Big.’ because of his weight, around the age of 10 (1982). He started dealing drugs as early as 12 while his mother went out for work, and she says he adapted a ‘smart-ass’ attitude, while attending high school, but he was still a good student. He dropped out of school at 17 (1989) and gradually got involved in criminal activities. Shortly after dropping out, he was arrested on weapon charges and was sentenced for probation of five years. He was again arrested in 1990 for violating his probation and again a year later for drug dealing in North Carolina. He stayed in jail for nine months. 55. Career: As a teen, he began exploring music and performed with local groups, such as ‘Techniques’ and ‘Old Gold Brothers.’ He made a casual demo tape titled ‘Microphone Murder’ under the name ‘Biggie Smalls.’ The name was inspired from his own stature as well as from a character of a 1975 film ‘Let’s Do it Again.’ The tape was promoted by Mister Cee, a New York based DJ and was heard by the editor of ‘The Source.’ In March 1992 (@19), he was featured in the ‘Unsigned Hype’ column of ‘The Source,’ magazine. Shortly thereafter, he was signed by ‘Uptown Records’. In 1993, when Sean 'Puffy' Combs, a producer/A&R with ‘Uptown Records’ was fired, Biggie Smalls signed with Combs’ ‘Bad Boy Records.’ In August, 1993 (@21), he had his first child T’yanna. To financially support his daughter, he continued to deal drugs. Also in 1993, he worked on the remix of Mary J. Blige’s ‘Real Love.’ While working for ‘Real Love,’ he used the pseudonym ‘The Notorious B.I.G.,’ the name he used for the rest of his career. He followed up with another remix of Blige's ‘What’s the 411’. He debuted as a solo artist in the 1993 film ‘Who’s the Man?’ with the single ‘Party and Bullshit.’ 56. As a solo artist he hit the pop chart in August 1994 (@22) with ‘Juicy/Unbelievable.’ His debut album ‘Ready to Die’ was released in September, 1994, peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and was subject to critical acclaim and soon a commercial success. Three singles were released from the album: "Juicy", "Big Poppa", "One More Chance". "Big Poppa" was a hit on multiple charts, peaking at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and also being nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards. At a time when West Coast hip hop was dominating the mainstream, this album became a huge success, making him a prominent figure in the East Coast hip hop scene. [Side Note: 2 months later in November, Tupac was shot five times in a NYC recording studio]. In July 1995 (@23), the cover of ‘The Source’ magazine featured him along with the caption ‘The King of New York Takes Over.’ 57. Recording of his second album, ‘Life After Death,’ began in September 1995 but was interrupted due to injuries, hip hop disputes, and legal squabbles (much like his friend Tupac). He was in a car accident which hospitalized him for three months. He had to complete rehabilitation and was confined to a wheelchair for a period. The car accident had shattered his left leg and made him dependent on a cane. He was arrested outside a nightclub in Manhattan in March, 1996 (24), for manhandling and threatening to kill two of his fans who were seeking autographs, and again in the middle of the year, he was arrested from his home at Teaneck, New Jersey, for possessing weapons and drugs. On September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur was shot in Las Vegas, Nevada, and he died six days later. Rumors of Biggie Smalls’ involvement in Shakur’s murder were doing the rounds and were reported immediately. In January 1997, he faced an order to pay 41k for a dispute that occurred in May 1995 where a concert promoter’s friend accused him and his entourage of beating him up. 58. Death: In February 1997, he went to Los Angeles to promote his upcoming album ‘Life After Death’ which was scheduled for March 25th release. On March 7, 1997, he attended the 1997 ‘Soul Train Music Awards’ and presented an award to Toni Braxton. On March 8, he attended the after party at ‘Peterson Automotive Museum,’ hosted by ‘Quest Records’ and ‘Vibe’ magazine. While leaving the party, his truck stopped at a red light, and a black Chevy Impala pulled up alongside it. The Impala's driver, an unidentified African-American man dressed in a blue suit and bow tie, rolled down his window, drew a 9 mm blue-steel pistol, and fired at Wallace's car. Four bullets hit Wallace, and his entourage subsequently rushed him to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where doctors performed emergency procedures, but he was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m. He was 24 years old. 59. 16 days after his murder, his double disc album ‘Life After Death’ was released. The album peaked at No. 1 spot on the U.S. charts, ultimately went 11× Platinum, was nominated for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo Performance for its first single "Hypnotize", and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for its second single "Mo Money Mo Problems" at the 1998 Grammy Awards. In 2012, the album was ranked at No. 476 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Biggie has been described as ‘the savior of East Coast hip hop’ by some and ‘greatest rapper of all time’ by others. 60. Tupac and Biggie Best Frenemies: Biggie's first single, “Party and Bulls**t” came out in 1993. By that year, Tupac was already a platinum-selling artist, so Biggie asked a drug dealer to introduce him to Tupac at a Los Angeles party, according to the book 'Original Gangstas...' by Ben Westhoff. An intern who worked with Biggie recalled the meeting. “'Pac walks into the kitchen and starts cooking for us. He's in the kitchen cooking some steaks,”. “We were drinking and smoking and all of a sudden ‘Pac was like, ‘Yo, come get it.’ And we go into the kitchen and he had steaks, and French fries, and bread, and Kool Aid and we just sittin’ there eating and drinking and laughing...that's truly where Big and ‘Pac’s friendship started.” There was mutual respect between the two and Biggie would crash on Tupac’s couch when he was in California and Tupac would always stop by Biggie’s neighborhood when he was in New York. In essence, they were like any other pair of friends and both of them respected the other's talent. At the 1993 Budweiser Superfest at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, they freestyled together. Biggie often turned to Tupac for advice in the business, and even asked him to manage his career. But Tupac advised him to, "stay with Puff. He will make you a star.” 61. The first big fallout happened when they were scheduled to work on a project together for another rapper, Little Shawn. Tupac arrived at Times Square’s Quad Recording Studios on November 30, 1994, and was getting ready to head upstairs to where Biggie and Combs were. But instead, Tupac was gunned down in the lobby and shot five times. Tupac reportedly believed that Biggie had prior knowledge of the attack and that he also knew who was behind it. "He really thought when he got shot the first time, not that Big set it up or anything, just Big didn't tell him who did it," Tupac's friend and Naughty by Nature frontman Treach told MTV News in June 2010. "In his heart, he was like, 'The homie knows who did it.' Biggie might have wanted to just stay out of it, like, 'I don't know nothing.' [Tupac] was like, 'Yo, man, just put your ear to the street. Let me know who hit me up.'" Despite Tupac's claims, Biggie remained adamant that he had been loyal to his friend. "Honestly, I didn't have no problem with [Tupac]," Biggie previously said. "I saw situations and how sh*t was going, and I tried to school [Tupac]. I was there when he bought his first Rolex, but I wasn't in the position to be rolling like that. I think Tupac felt more comfortable with the dudes he was hanging with because they had just as much money as him." 62. Still, Tupac's suspicions were only heightened when Biggie released "Who Shot Ya?" a month after Tupac's attack. Biggie claimed that he wrote the song "way before Tupac got shot," but the rapper took it as Biggie's confession. "Even if that song ain't about it, you should be, like, 'I'm not putting it out, 'cause he might think it's about him,'" Tupac said in an interview with Vibe while incarcerated for an unrelated charge. 63. When Tupac joined Death Row Records, the East Coast-West Coast rivalry was cemented. While Tupac was incarcerated for another incident, he came to believe Biggie knew about the attack ahead of time. The west coast rapper reached out to Suge Knight, who offered him a place on his Death Row Records roster. Tupac accepted, cementing the rivalry between Knight's label and Combs’ Bad Boy Records. “Any artist out there that wanna be an artist, stay a star, and won’t have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the videos, all on the records, dancing—come to Death Row!” Knight proclaimed at that 1995 Source awards show. 64. There was never proof that Biggie or Combs knew about the incident. But a couple of months later, Biggie’s B-side single was a track called “Who Shot Ya?” which led to Tupac’s response with the song, “Hit ‘Em Up.” In it, Tupac claimed he slept with Biggie’s wife, Faith Evans. According to Vibe, Evans denied the claim, saying, “That ain’t how I do business.” 65. Open Comments: 66. Question: What Notable deaths hit you pretty hard? [Aaliyh/Al Jarreau/Andre Harrell/Areatha Franklin/Bernie Mack/Bill Withers/Bob Marley/Chadwick Boseman/Diahann Carroll/Donny Hathaway/Eazy-E/Florence Ballard/Florence Griffith Joyner/Fred “Curly” Neal/Heavy D/Jam Master Jay/Jimi Hendrix/John Lewis/John Singleton/John Thompson/Kobe Bryant/Left Eye/Little Richard/Malcolm X/Martin Luther King, Jr./Micgael Jackson/Muhammad Ali/Mya Angelou/Ol' Dirty Bastard/Otis Redding/Prince/Sam Cooke/The Notorious B.I.G./Toni Morrrison/Tupac/Walter Payton/Whitney Houston] 67. Music Scene: Black Songs from the top 40 68. #3-"I'll Be Missing You", Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans and 112 69. #4-"Un-Break My Heart", Toni Braxton 70. #5- "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", Puff Daddy featuring Mase 71. #6-"I Believe I Can Fly", R. Kelly 72. #7-"Don't Let Go (Love)", En Vogue 73. #8-"Return of the Mack", Mark Morrison 74. #13- "For You I Will", Monica 75. #14-"You Make Me Wanna...", Usher 76. #16-"Nobody", Keith Sweat featuring Athena Cage 77. #20- "Mo Money Mo Problems", The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy and Mase 78. #23-"No Diggity", Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre 79. #24-"I Belong to You (Every Time I See Your Face)", Rome 80. #25-"Hypnotize", The Notorious B.I.G. 81. #26-"Every Time I Close My Eyes", Babyface 82. #27-"In My Bed", Dru Hill 83. #30-"4 Seasons of Loneliness", Boyz II Men 84. #31-"G.H.E.T.T.O.U.T.", Changing Faces 85. #32-"Honey", Mariah Carey 86. #33-"I Believe in You and Me", Whitney Houston 87. #34-"Da' Dip", Freak Nasty 88. #37-"Cupid", 112 89. Vote: 90. Top RnB Albums 91. Jan - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, Makaveli 92. Mar - Baduizm, Erykah Badu 93. Mar - The Untouchable, Scarface 94. Apr - Life After Death, The Notorious B.I.G. 95. May - Share My World, Mary J. Blige 96. Jun - God's Property from Kirk Franklin's Nu Nation 97. Jun - Wu-Tang Forever, Wu-Tang Clan 98. Aug - Supa Dupa Fly, Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott 99. Aug - No Way Out, Puff Daddy and the Family 100. Aug - The Art of War, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony 101. Sep - Ghetto D, Master P 102. Oct - When Disaster Strikes, Busta Rhymes 103. Oct - Evolution, Boyz II Men 104. Nov - The Firm: The Album, The Firm feat. Nas, Foxy Brown, Nature and AZ 105. Nov - Harlem World, Mase 106. Nov - The 18th Letter, Rakim 107. Nov - Unpredictable, Mystikal 108. Dec - Live, Erykah Badu 109. Dec - R U Still Down? (Remember Me), 2Pac 110. Vote: 111. Music Scene: Erykah Badu, Queen of Neo-Soul 112. Childhood & Early Years: Born as Erica Abi Wright on February 26, 1971 in Dallas, TX. Her father spent a considerable period in jail, vanished altogether in 1975, and only returned twenty years later. Her mother, a much respected actress in the local theatre, raised the children with the help of her own mother and her mother-in-law. Erica spent a lot of time with these ladies while her mother was busy on the stage. Erica was born the eldest of 3. Although they were comparatively poor Erica never realized that because everything was neat and clean. Despite the absence of her father, she had a very happy childhood, surrounded by uncles, aunts, grandmothers and cousins. Her mother imbibed in her daughters a love for music, playing the songs of Chaka Khan, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to them. Erica inherited her mother’s artistic traits and a desire to perform. She would often sing in front of the mirror pretending that she was a background singer for Chaka Khan. She would also make her grandmother sit up and watch her while she sang, danced and acted. In 1975, Erica first appeared on stage, performing with her mother at Dallas Theatre Centre and by seven, she started learning to play the piano. Her favorite song was ‘The Greatest Love of All’. Another important aspect of her character was that from her childhood she loved to be in control of the situation around her. Therefore, when it was time for elementary schooling, she refused to continue her education there, mainly because she found that in school she was no longer in control. She began her formal education at a grade school, where her talent was quickly recognized. In her First Grade, she appeared in ‘Annie’, skipping and singing the song ‘Somebody Snitched On Me.’ During the summer vacations, she sang at the choir of the First Baptist Church, honing her choral skills.Along with acting and singing, little Erica also began to expand her cultural horizon, attending different festivals, especially Harambee Festival in South Dallas, slowly developing an interest in African culture and dress. The tall headgear she would wear one day originated from these visits. 113. In 1980, she was enrolled in a dancing troupe. Later she also learned formal ballet. By 1982, she had also started rapping. When it was time to attend high school, she chose Dallas' Booker T. Washington High School, an arts-oriented magnet school. While studying there she rejected what she considered to be a slave name, changing the spelling of Erica to Erykah and replacing Wright with Badu. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at the Grambling State University, a historically black institution in Grambling, Louisiana, studying theatre until 1993. Thereafter, she returned to Dallas without completing her degree, mainly to concentrate on music. 114. Career: In 1993, Erykah Badu started her career as a music teacher in Dallas. For a time, she also taught drama and dance at South Dallas Cultural Centre. To augment her income, she also served as waitress. She also formed a hip-hop duo with her cousin Robert Free Bradford, calling it ‘Erykah Free’. Very soon, they started going on musical tours and earning local opening slots. Her big chance came when in 1994 (@23), Erykah opened a show for D’Angelo. Through him, she caught the attention of Kedar Massenburg, an American record producer and founder of Kedar Entertainment. Impressed, he set her up to record a duet, ‘Your Precious Love' with D'Angelo. In 1995, she signed a contract with Kedar Entertainment and moved to Brooklyn. In January 1996, she made her debut with ‘On & On’, which remained at the number-one position on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for two weeks. In 1996, Erykah also recorded her debut album, ‘Baduizm’. Released on February 11, 1997 by Kedar Records, The Grammy award-winning album received universal acclaim from critics, who not only praised the musical style of the album, but also her ‘artistic vision’, establishing her position as the torchbearer of soul music. Her next album, ‘Live’ was a live album released on November 18, 1997, barely a month after the release of its lead single, ‘Tyrone’. It was also a huge hit and reached number four on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. While ‘Live’ was being recorded Badu was pregnant with her first child. After its release, she took some time off to raise her child, not returning until 1999. 115. Open Comments: 116. Question: What is neo-soul and why don’t I like it? 117. Movie Scene:Eve’s Bayou, Written and directed by Kasi Lemmons; produced by Caldecot Chubb and Samuel L. Jackson - Starring: Samuel L. Jackson (Louis Batiste), Jurnee Smollett (Eve Batiste), Lynn Whitfield (Roz Batiste), Debbi Morgan (Mozelle Batiste Delacroix), Vondie Curtis Hall (Julian Grayraven), Meagan Good (Cisely Batiste) and Diahann Carroll (Elzora). 118. Review #1: “...As these images unfold, we are drawn into the same process Eve has gone through: We, too, are trying to understand what happened in that summer of 1962, when Eve's handsome, dashing father--a doctor and womanizer--took one chance too many. And we want to understand what happened late one night between the father and Eve's older sister, in a moment that was over before it began. 119. We want to know because the film makes it perfectly possible that there is more than one explanation; "Eve's Bayou" studies the way that dangerous emotions can build up until something happens that no one is responsible for and that can never be taken back. 120. All of these moments unfold in a film of astonishing maturity and confidence; "Eve's Bayou," one of the very best films of the year, is the debut of its writer and director, Kasi Lemmons. She sets her story in Southern Gothic country, in the bayous and old Louisiana traditions that Tennessee Williams might have been familiar with, but in tone and style she earns comparison with the family dramas of Ingmar Bergman. That Lemmons can make a film this good on the first try is like a rebuke to established filmmakers..."Eve's Bayou" resonates in the memory. It called me back for a second and third viewing. If it is not nominated for Academy Awards, then the academy is not paying attention. For the viewer, it is a reminder that sometimes films can venture into the realms of poetry and dreams. - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times 121. Review #2: Kasi Lemmons’ fluid, feminine, African-American, Southern-gothic narrative covers a tremendous amount of emotional territory with the most graceful of steps. Young Jurnee Smollett plays 10-year-old Eve, struggling to understand the womanizing of her adored daddy (Samuel L. Jackson in easy, sexy command) and the passions of her big sister; Debbi Morgan, in a blazing performance, plays Eve’s vibrant aunt, infused with good-witch spiritual powers. The film’s dream-state visual elegance is matched by a great soundtrack. Grade, A-. - Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly 122. Review #3: First and best, it's got a rip-roaring story. It sweeps you along, borne effortlessly by believable if flawed characters, as it flows toward the inevitable tragedy. But it's also got a heart: It watches as a child harsh of judgment learns that judgment is too easy a posture for the world, and it's best to love with compassion. - Stephen Hunter, Washington Post 123. Review #4: “You don't have to believe in magic to be gripped by the psychic forces that the characters' sorcery unleashes. Sibling rivalry, sexual jealousy and anxiety are all feelings that, when heated to the boiling point, have incendiary, semi magical powers. And as the psychosexual forces that bind but also threaten the Batiste family heat up, you can feel the lid about to blow. Every element of the film -- from the turbulent, stormy performances to the rich cinematography (which includes black-and-white computer-enhanced dream sequences) to the setting itself, in which the thick layers of hanging moss over muddy water seem to drip with sexual intrigue and secrecy -- merges to create an atmosphere of extraordinary erotic tension and anxiety. 124. At the center of it all, exuding a dangerous magnetism, is Jackson's Louis, a swashbuckling, flashing-eyed, slightly oily lightning rod of a charmer whose charisma conveys a warning electric buzz. Jackson has never played a character quite this avid. And in a performance that requires him to infuse the role of perfect father and dream lover with a demonic charge, Jackson makes Louis at once irresistibly lovable and slightly terrifying. - Stephen Holden, New York Times 125. Open Comments: 126. Question: Are our family dynamics still suffering, internally, from the legacy of slavery or we closer to moving past it. 127. TV Scene: “Miss Evers’ Boys”: Powerful, haunting and artfully mounted, “Miss Evers’ Boys” is a docudrama of uncommon quality and clarity. The acting is exceptional, the characters vivid, the presentation balanced. Original films for television rarely aim so high as does this HBO NYC production...And cinematographically, it is a revelation, with director of photography Donald M. Morgan lending the production a strikingly dingy, washed-out look that blends perfectly with the piece’s bleak sensibility. The story as told here centers on nurse Eunice Evers (a dynamic, layered performance from Alfre Woodard). Evers went to work at Alabama’s Tuskegee Hospital in 1932 to assist a certain Dr. Brodus (brilliant work from Joe Morton) in caring for poor black men (sharecroppers mostly) who have been stricken with syphilis. Enter Dr. Douglas (Craig Sheffer), a white doctor who brings with him a fully funded program to treat syphilis at the hospital, offering free treatment to any man who tests positive for the disease. A few months pass before Brodus travels to Washington to meet with Douglas and a government panel of doctors who tell him the funding for treatment has dried up. However, money is available for a study of the syphilitic African-American men. The catch: They can receive no medical treatment initially as a way to establish whether syphilis affects blacks and whites differently. Brodus initially is outraged, but acquiesces in the belief the study will disprove the racist notion of physiological inferiority in blacks. Evers also reluctantly follows along, lying to the men while giving them only vitamins, tonics and liniment rubs. But as the months turn into years, it becomes clear that the afflicted men will never receive treatment. Only with their deaths is the study of how the disease runs its course made complete and viable
.[the movie] switches gears during its second hour to become an examination of Evers’ gut-wrenching moral ambiguity in sticking around to help perpetrate this ghastly fraud over 40 years. Woodard movingly conveys the conflict weighing down Evers’ guilt-riddled soul, giving a profound resonance to the disturbing ethical questions raised by her dedication in the name of lending the men comfort and a form of loving (if deliberately ineffectual) care
.the overall tone and tenor of “Miss Evers’ Boys” is one of subtle brilliance, bolstered by an exquisitely detailed period sheen that screams excellence. After it’s over, you sit disbelieving that such an inhumane, insidious experiment designed to reduce black men to the level of laboratory animals could ever have been conducted in the United States of America — much less gone undetected until 25 years ago. It went far beyond mere institutional racism. It was pure evil. — Ray Richmond Vanity Fair 128. Open Comments: 129. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1997?
  • Topics: Tupac death, Fugees, Set It Off, Moesha (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

    http://afropopremix.com


    1996 Snapshots


    1. President: Bill Clinton

    2. Jan - Whitewater scandal: U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton testifies before a grand jury.

    3. Feb - Daniel Green is convicted of the murder of James Jordan, the father of basketball star Michael Jordan.

    4. Mar - Lyle and Erik Menendez are found guilty of first-degree murder for the shotgun killing of their parents.

    5. Apr - Chicago Bulls set a new NBA record for the most wins in a season, 70.

    6. May -?

    7. Jun - The Colorado Avalanche wins their first Stanley Cup in their first season based out of Denver and The Chicago Bulls win their fourth NBA Championship by defeating the Seattle Supersonics.

    8. July - The Centennial Olympic Park bombing at the 1996 Summer Olympics kills 2 and injures 111.

    9. Aug - Tiger Woods makes his professional PGA Tour debut.

    10. Sep - Tupac Shakur dies.

    11. Oct - The Fox News Channel is launched.

    12. Nov - Bill Clinton defeats Republican challenger Bob Dole to win his second term.

    13. Dec - Death of JonBenét Ramsey: A six-year-old beauty queen is beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colorado; her body is found the following day.

    14. Open Comments:

    15. Music Snapshots

    16. #1 Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los del RĂ­o

    17. #2 One Sweet Day, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men

    18. #3 Because You Loved Me, Celine Dion

    19. Record of the Year: Change the World – Eric Clapton

    20. Album of the Year: Falling Into You – Celine Dion

    21. Song of the Year: Change the World

    22. Best New Artist: LeAnn Rimes

    23. Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: You're Makin' Me High – Toni Braxton

    24. Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Your Secret Love – Luther Vandross

    25. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Killing Me Softly – Fugees

    26. Best R&B Song: Exhale (Shoop Shoop), Babyface, songwriter (Whitney Houston)

    27. Best R&B Album: Words – The Tony Rich Project

    28. Best Rap Solo Performance: Hey Lover – LL Cool J

    29. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: Tha Crossroads – Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

    30. Best Rap Album: The Score – Fugees

    31. Movie Snapshots

    32. #1 Independence Day

    33. #2 Twister

    34. #3 Mission: Impossible

    35. Notables: Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, The Birdcage, Fargo, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, The Nutty Professor, Kazaam, Set It Off, Space Jam, Jerry Maguire.

    36. TV Snapshots

    37. #1 - ER

    38. #2 - Seinfeld

    39. #3 - Suddenly Susan

    40. Debuts: Moesha, The Daily Show, Kenan & Kel, The Steve Harvey Show, In The House, Malcolm & Eddie, Homeboys in Outer Space, The Jamie Foxx Show

    41. Economic Snapshots

    42. Income = 36.3k (Previously 36K)

    43. House = 118.2K (113)

    44. Car = 16.3k (15.5)

    45. Rent = 554(550)

    46. Harvard = 27.5k (26k)

    47. Movie = 4.42 (4.35)

    48. Gas = 1.22 (1.12)

    49. Stamp = .32 (-)

    50. Social Scene: Tupac Killed

    51. Childhood: Tupac Shakur, born Parish Crooks, was born on June 16, 1971, to Black Panther activist parents in New York City. Thirteen days later, his mother, Alice Faye Walker (Afeni Shakur), changed his name. The parents wanted to avoid him being targeted by Black Panther-affiliated enemies. His mother was imprisoned while she was pregnant with him. Tupac's father, Billy Garland, was also a Panther but lost contact with Afeni when Tupac was five years old. The rapper would not see his father again until he was 23 - I thought my father was dead all my life.

    52. Early Life: He had a difficult childhood, as he grew up in the company of criminals, militant activist, violence, and a drugged addicted mother with a transient lifestyle. Art became a constructive and safe escape. His first acting stint was in 1983 (@12 yrs. old) with the Harlem’s 127th StreetRepertory Ensemble when he performed in a play ‘A Raisin in the Sun’ at the Apollo Theater. In 1984, Tupac's family moved from New York City to Baltimore, Maryland.There he studied poetry, jazz, acting, and ballet at the Baltimore School for the Arts and befriended Jada Pinkett. The family later moved to Marin City, California, across the bay from Oakland, in 1988 (@17 yrs. old). They went to the home of a woman Afeni had been close to during her Black Panther days and lived in a poor housing complex, referred to as ‘the Jungle.’

    53. Early Career: While attending high school he participated in a poetry workshop known as The Microphone Sessions, organized by Leila Steinberg, who would eventually become his first manager. She introduced 19-year-old Tupac to Atron Gregory, a manager for the World Class Wrekin Cru’ and tour manager for NWA, who had just returned to the Bay Area, started TNT Records, and quickly gained attention by signing Digital Underground. Gregory matched Tupac with Digital Underground as a roadie and backup dancer. Tupac’s talent was soon recognized by the group, and he began rapping in some of their songs. He debuted on ‘Same Song,’ which was featured in the 1991 film Nothing But Trouble. (@20 yrs. old)

    54. Solo Career: He released his debut solo album ‘2Pacalypse Now’ in 1991. (Big hit - 'Brenda's Got a Baby') Also in 1991, Shakur filed a $10-million lawsuit against the Oakland Police Department for allegedly brutalizing him over jaywalking. The case was settled for about $43,000. (1992 - Juice, first starring role) His second album, ‘Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z’ came out in 1993. It was more successful than its predecessor and contained the hits ‘Keep Ya Head Up’ and ‘I Get Around’. (1993 - Poetic Justice, co-starred with Janet Jackson) In 1994, he formed a group Thug Life and they released one album ‘Thug Life: Volume 1. (1994 - Above the Rim, Co-starred with Duane Martin) During this period he had several brushes with the law (he was associated with the shooting of a 6 yr. old Qa'id Walker-Teal in Marin City / shooting two policemen / various physical assaults) and was shot in an armed robbery case. After recovering from the shooting, he was sent to prison on a sexual assault charge. He released the album ‘Me Against the World’ in 1995 (@24) while serving his prison term. The album was an immediate hit and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

    55. Final Album: During 1995, while imprisoned, impoverished, and with his mother about to lose her house, Tupac had his wife get word to Marion Suge Knight, in Los Angeles, boss of the Death Row Records, at the time a verry successful company, and asked for a meeting. Tupac's mother received $15k, Suge paid Tupac's $1.4m bail, signed the rapper, and went to work on the album ‘All Eyez on Me’. The album was recorded in two weeks! In a matter of two weeks, Tupac recorded and completed the double-disc album, completing two out of three albums he owed Death Row. (The third release would end up being the posthumously released The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory) Released in February of 1996, the album featured five singles and went multi-Platinum in just a few months after its release.

    56. Death: Seven months later, in September 1996, Tupac was killed in a drive-by shooting. He was 25 years old.

    57. Open Comments:

    58. Question: Confused young man or someone to be taken seriously? (What did he represent?)

    59. Music Scene:

    60. Black Songs in the Top 40

    61. #1 Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix), Los del RĂ­o

    62. #2 One Sweet Day, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men

    63. #4 Nobody Knows, The Tony Rich Project

    64. #5 Always Be My Baby, Mariah Carey

    65. #6 Give Me One Reason, Tracy Chapman

    66. #7 Tha Crossroads, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

    67. #9 You're Makin' Me High / Let It Flow, Toni Braxton

    68. #10 Twisted, Keith Sweat

    69. #11 C'mon N' Ride It (The Train), Quad City DJ's

    70. #14 Exhale (Shoop Shoop), Whitney Houston

    71. #16 Sittin' Up in My Room, Brandy

    72. #17 How Do U Want It / California Love, 2Pac featuring K-Ci and JoJo

    73. #20 Hey Lover, LL Cool J

    74. #21 Loungin, LL Cool J

    75. #23 Be My Lover, La Bouche

    76. #27 I Can't Sleep Baby (If I), R. Kelly

    77. #32 Not Gon' Cry, Mary J. Blige

    78. #33 Gangsta's Paradise, Coolio featuring L.V.

    79. #34 Only You, 112 featuring The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase

    80. #35 Down Low (Nobody Has to Know), R. Kelly featuring The Isley Brothers

    81. #36 You're the One, SWV

    82. #37 Sweet Dreams, La Bouche

    83. #38 Before You Walk Out of My Life / Like This and Like That, Monica

    84. #40 1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New), Coolio

    85. #42 No Diggity, Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre

    86. Vote:

    87. Top RnB Albums

    88. Jan - Waiting to Exhale, Soundtrack / Various artists

    89. Feb - Str8 off tha Streetz of Muthaphukkin Compton, Eazy-E

    90. Mar - All Eyez on Me, 2Pac

    91. Mar - The Score, Fugees

    92. Apr - The Coming, Busta Rhymes

    93. Apr - The Resurrection, Geto Boys

    94. Jun - Gettin' It (Album Number Ten), Too Short

    95. Jun - Legal Drug Money, Lost Boyz

    96. Jun - The Nutty Professor, Soundtrack / Various artists

    97. Jul - Secrets, Toni Braxton

    98. Jul - Keith Sweat, Keith Sweat

    99. Jul - It Was Written, Nas

    100. Aug - Beats, Rhymes and Life, A Tribe Called Quest

    101. Sep - ATLiens, Outkast

    102. Sep - Home Again, New Edition

    103. Oct - Another Level, Blackstreet

    104. Nov - Bow Down, Westside Connection

    105. Nov - Ironman, Ghostface Killah

    106. Nov - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, Makaveli

    107. Nov - Tha Doggfather, Snoop Dogg

    108. Dec - Hell on Earth, Mobb Deep

    109. Dec - Muddy Waters, Redman

    110. Vote:

    111. Featured Artist: The Fugees

    112. Lauryn Hill (@21 yrs. old in 1996) was born in 1975 to a high school teacher and computer expert in New Jersey. Her mother played piano and her father sang in nightclubs. Young Lauryn sang in church choirs, gospel groups and showed a strong voice. She loved '60s and '70s soul and by age thirteen, she was playing the amateur night showtime at the Apollo, doing a cover of Smokey Robinson's "Who's Loving You". Hill nabbed minor roles on television's As the World Turns and in the film Sister Act II: Back in the Habit. Her work with the Fugees began in 1987 in high school with friend Prakazrel Samuel Michel.

    113. "Pras" (@23 in 1996) was born in Brooklyn in 1972 and raised in New Jersey. He showed an early interest in music and attended Rutgers University and Yale University, pursuing a double major in Philosophy and Psychology.

    114. Wyclef Jean (@27 yrs. old) was born in 1969 in Haiti, the son of a minister. When he was nine, he moved to the projects of Brooklyn, and later New Jersey, where he took up guitar and the study of music.

    115. The trio formed in the late '80s, named themselves the Tranzlator Crew and used Hill's soap opera acting proceeds to pay for equipment. They toured the tri-state area and were signed to major label Ruffhouse/Columbia in 1993. Hill was still a minor. Shortly thereafter, they renamed themselves Fugees, a derisive slang term for refugees, and released a debut 12-inch Fugees (Tranzlator Crew) "Boof Baf" to no notable sales.

    116. Their 1994 debut LP Blunted on Reality, stylized in a fashion like A Tribe Called Quest, Poor Righteous Teachers, and Digable Planets, did better. However, it was the remixed versions of "Nappy Head (Mona Lisa)" and "Vocab" that earned the group another budget for a follow-up album. (Also, notable, in later interviews Pras would say that a married Wyclef and the underage Hill were having a clandestine relationship at the time)

    117. Combining a mix of conscious hip hp, soul, and reggae, with a homemade basement studio, sampled melodies, live guitars, bass, keys, "The Score" arrived in 1996, filling the void between gangsta and glitter. It became an instant classic, ultimately selling over 18 million copies.

    118. Open Comments:

    119. Internal "Affairs": In the summer of 1996, on the Smoking Grooves Tour, Hill met Rohan Marley, (one of Bob Marley's kids) and even though the former University of Miami football player was initially rebuffed, because Hill was still seeing Jean, , no one knew who the child really belonged to.

    120. In the summer of 1996 Hill had met Rohan Marley, a son of Bob Marley and a former University of Miami football player. Hill subsequently began a relationship with him, while still also involved with the married Wyclef. She soon became visibly pregnant. Marley and Hill's first child was born the following summer.

    121. Soon after Zion was born, she learned that Marley already had a wife and two children from another marriage.

    122. Amid newfound international fame and baby Daddy drama, Wyclef did not support Hill's solo desires (she had made appearances on Wyclef's solo project), thus leading to the group splitting up.

    123. Hill started work on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill; blocking out Wyclef Jean from any type of production help after he had snubbed her. Her old-school takes on "Doo Wop (That Thing)" helped it rule the charts in 1998 and win five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Album -- the most ever for a woman.

    124. Meanwhile, Hill was having more of Marley's children and becoming close with Brother Anthony, a spiritual adviser who studied the Bible with her several times per week. In 2001, she recorded an MTV Unplugged session where she broke down in tears and admitted to being deranged and emotionally unstable. Rolling Stone called the session "a public breakdown", though it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and went platinum.

    125. She has been a sporadic and reluctant public figure ever since.

    126. Question: Have you ever had an affair with a co-worker? How did it turn out?

    127. Movie Scene: Set It Off. [Directed by F. Gary Gray Action, Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller. Starring Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett, and Vivica A. Fox]

    128. Rotten Tomatoes, Critics Consensus: It may not boast an original plot, but Set It Off is a satisfying, socially conscious heist film thanks largely to fine performances from its leads.

    129. Emanuel Levy, Variety 11-1996: Influenced by "Thelma & Louise" and "Waiting to Exhale," F. Gary Gray's "Set It Off" is a well-crafted girls-n-the-hood actioner, with an acute social conscience and plenty of soul. A tale of female bonding and empowerment, this relevant film boasts a terrific cast, headed by Jada Pinkett and Queen Latifah in career-making performances.

    130. Stephen Holden, New York Times 11-1996: Just Trying to Get Even While They Get Rich. On the long list of Hollywood heist movies that make you root for its criminals to steal a million dollars and live happily ever after, F. Gary Gray's film ''Set It Off'' is one of the most poignantly impassioned. If this messy roller coaster of a film often seems to be going in several directions at once, it never for a second loses empathy for its quartet of black female bank robbers who grew up together in a Los Angeles housing project and earn meager wages working for a janitorial service... A pop psychologist might translate the story into a fable called ''Women Who Rob Banks and the Society That Hates Them.'

    131. Roger Ebert 11-1996: “Set It Off” is advertised as a thriller about four black women who rob banks. But it's a lot more than that. It creates a portrait of the lives of these women that's so observant and informed; it's like “Waiting to Exhale” with a strong jolt of reality. The movie surprised and moved me: I expected a routine action picture and was amazed how much I started to care about the characters.

    132. Kent, Entertainment Weekly 09-2019: Why Set It Off is an era-defining film that shouldn't be remade. We are clearly in the age of reboots and remakes, but the '90s heist film is irreplaceable.

    133. Question 1: Remake or Sequel?

    134. Question 2: Do we really want more black female action heroines/stories? (i.e., women of Black Panther, "Breaking In" movie, Berry, Valkyrie, Guardians...etc.)

    135. TV Scene: Moesha

    136. Screen Rant: No show lasts for six seasons without making a cultural impact; Moesha was nominated for 32 awards and won three: two NAACP Image Awards and one SHINE Award. The series was syndicated, and still airs around the world. Netflix picked up streaming rights to the series in 2020, which became available to US subscribers on August 1, 2020. As new viewers will discover, however, despite how influential the show was, it ends abruptly after a significant cliffhanger for the main character in the season 6 finale. Despite the recognition, the show steadily declined in ratings, leading to its cancelation.

    137. Moesha Mitchell went through quite the journey on Moesha. At the beginning of the series, Moesha was still dealing with her mother's death a few years prior and learning to come to terms with her new stepmother, Deirdre "Dee" Mitchel (Sheryl Lee Ralph) — who just happened to be the vice principal at Moesha's school. The final season sees Brandy experiencing the trials and tribulations of being a young adult, complete with an engagement to long-time on-again, off-again boyfriend Quinton "Q" Brooks (Fredro Starr) and attending college. The final episode ends with the reveal of a positive pregnancy test in Moesha's dorm — who it belongs to, however, is a mystery. Since the show never got another season, the storyline was never resolved.

    138. According to EW, at the time, UPN's plan was to address the pregnancy cliffhanger in the spin-off series The Parkers, which premiered on the network in 1999. The Parkers followed Moesha's "boy-crazy" friend Kimberly Ann "Kim" Parker as she navigated attending college with her mother, who has decided to enlist at the same time as her daughter. For unknown reasons, however, the planned resolution never took place, despite The Parkers running until 2005. With there being reports of a possible reboot series in the works, perhaps this Moesha storyline — as well as the question of what happened to Moesha's brother Myles, who disappeared in the finale — can finally be laid to rest."

    139. Question: Is it reboot worthy? / Is any classic black TV show reboot worthy?

    140. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1996?

  • Topics: Million Man March, TLC, Friday, UPN (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

    http://afropopremix.com

    1995 Notes 1. Snapshots 2. President: Bill Clinton 3. Jan - The WB Television Network and The United Paramount Network (UPN) launches. 4. Mar - Yahoo! was incorporated and soon became the first popular online directory and search engine on the World Wide Web. 5. Mar - Mississippi ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment, becoming the last state to approve the abolition of slavery. The amendment was nationally ratified in 1865. Until February 7, 2013, the state of Mississippi had never submitted the required documentation to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, meaning it never officially abolished slavery. 6. Mar - Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E is suddenly hospitalized, diagnosed with AIDS, and dies due to its complications. 7. Apr - Oklahoma City bombing: 168 people, including 8 Federal Marshals and 19 children, are killed at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Timothy McVeigh and one of his accomplices, Terry Nichols, set off the bomb. 8. May - In Culpeper, Virginia, actor Christopher Reeve is paralyzed from the neck down after falling from his horse in a riding competition. [See - “Superman Curse”] 9. Sep - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opens. 10. Oct - The Million Man March is held in Washington, D.C. The event was conceived by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. 11. Dec - The presidents of Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia sign a peace treaty in Paris, ending a three-and-a-half-year war. 12. Music Snapshots 13. #1 "Gangsta's Paradise", Coolio featuring L.V. 14. #2 "Waterfalls", TLC 15. #3 "Creep", TLC 16. Record of the Year: "Kiss From a Rose", Seal 17. Album of the Year: Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette 18. Song of the Year: "Kiss From a Rose", Seal 19. Best New Artist: Hootie & the Blowfish 20. Best Female R&B: Anita Baker for "I Apologize" 21. Best Male R&B: Stevie Wonder for "For Your Love" 22. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: TLC for "Creep" 23. Best R&B Song: Stevie Wonder (songwriter) for "For Your Love" 24. Best R&B Album: TLC for CrazySexyCool 25. Best Rap Solo: "Gangsta's Paradise", Coolio 26. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By", Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige 27. Best Rap Album: Poverty's Paradise, Naughty by Nature 28. Movie Snapshots 29. #1 Die Hard with a Vengeance 30. #2 Toy Story 31. #3 Apollo 13 32. Notables: Higher Learning, Major Payne, Bad Boys, New Jersey Drive, Friday, Braveheart, Batman Forever, Pocahontas, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Clueless, Waterworld, Mortal Kombat, The Tuskegee Airmen, The Usual Suspects, Seven, Dead Presidents, The American President, Casino, Money Train, Heat, Waiting to Exhale. 33. TV Snapshots 34. Top TV Shows 35. #1 ER 36. #2 Seinfeld 37. #3 Friends 38. Debuts: The Wayans Bros. (WB), The Parent 'Hood (WB), Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (still airing), In the House 39. Economic Snapshots 40. Income = 35.9k (Previously 37K) 41. House = 113.1K (119) 42. Car = 15.5k (12.5) 43. Rent = 550 (533) 44. Harvard = 26.2k (24.9) 45. Movie = 4.35 (4) 46. Gas = 1.12 (1.09) 47. Stamp .32 (.29) 48. Social Scene: Million Man March 49. A political demonstration in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 16, 1995, to promote African American unity and family values. Estimates of the number of marchers, most of whom were African American men, ranged from 400,000 to nearly 1.1 million, ranking it among the largest gatherings of its kind in American history. 50. Several African American leaders did not support the march, including Mary Frances Berry, chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and Rep. John Lewis, the latter of whom saw Farrakhan’s message as an effort to “resegregate America.” 51. Comments: 52. Featured Speaker: Louis Farrakhan, @62 yrs old 53. Born Louis Eugene Wolcott on May 11, 1933, in New York City, New York, to Sarah Mae Manning and Percival Clark. His parents separated even before he was born. 54. He did not know his biological father and was brought up by his stepfather Louis Wolcott. The death of his stepfather in 1936 led to the relocation of his family to Boston, Massachusetts. 55. From an early age, he received rigorous training in violin, so much so that by the time he turned 13 he had mastered the instrument and was playing along with the ‘Boston College Orchestra’ and ‘Boston Civic Symphony.’ 56. In his first year as a teenager, he became one of the first black performers to appear on the ‘Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour. ‘The following year, he had two national level victories under his belt. 57. He attended the prestigious ‘Boston Latin School’ after which he was admitted to ‘English High School. ‘After graduating from ‘English High School,’ he enrolled for a three-year course at the ‘Winston-Salem Teachers College’ on a track scholarship. 58. Starting from the 1950s, he pursued a career in music. He recorded several calypso albums under the pseudonym ‘The Charmer. ‘He toured frequently since the release of his first album. In 1955, he organized a show titled ‘Calypso Follies’ in Chicago. 59. Interestingly, one of his songs remained a chartbuster and on top of the ‘Billboard Chart’ for five years in a row. 60. It was while pursuing his professional music career that he was first exposed to the teachings of ‘Nation of Islam’ through his friend and saxophonist Rodney Smith. 61. Later, Elijah Muhammad invited him to attend the Nation of Islam’s annual ‘Saviours' Day’ address. Inspired by the discourse, he resolved to be a member of ‘Nation of Islam’ (NOI) in 1955. (@22) 62. He fulfilled all the requirements to become a registered Muslim/ registered believer/ registered laborer of NOI. Subsequently, he received an approval by the NOI headquarter in July 1955. 63. Initially known by the name Louis X, his name was later changed to the ‘holy name’ Louis Farrakhan. A derivative of the Arabic word furqan, which means "The Criterion". He gave up on a music career and dedicated his life to the ‘Nation of Islam.’ 64. Within a span of nine months, he worked his way up and started serving as the assistant minister to Malcolm X, who was heading the Muhammad’s Temple of Islam in Boston at that time. 65. He was soon made the minister as Malcom X was shifted to the Temple of Muhammad in Harlem, New York. Farrakhan replaced Malcom X as the minister at the Boston Temple. 66. Malcolm X was assassinated on 21 February 1965 and Farrakhan profited from it as he was appointed to two prominent positions in NOI. (@32) 67. He was appointed to the chair of the minister of the influential Harlem Mosque in 1965, a position which he held until 1975. Furthermore, he became the national spokesman and representative of NOI and served in this position until Elijah Muhammad’s death in 1975. 68. In 1975, the Nation's leadership chose Wallace Muhammad, also known as Warith Deen Mohammad, the fifth of Elijah Muhammad's sons, not Farrakhan, as the new Supreme Minister. 69. Though Farrakhan remained a loyalist of the Muhammad clan for some time, in 1977 he withdrew his support from the organization and rebuilt the original ‘Nation of Islam’ which had been established by its founders. 70. Soon after its foundation, he started a weekly newspaper by the name ‘The Final Call, Inc.’ The objective of this initiation was to communicate his views and thoughts to the supporters and members. 71. Two years later, along with his supporters, he organized the first ‘Saviours’ Day’ convention in Chicago. His group promised to walk by the principles of Elijah Muhammad. 72. Throughout his leadership, he blamed the Jewish community and other ethnic and racial groups for the sufferings endured by African Americans. 73. In October of 1995, he planned a broad coalition, intending to assemble about one million men in Washington DC for the ‘Million Man March.’ 74. At the convention, he was the keynote speaker along with distinguished African American intellectuals, such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King III, Cornel West, Jesse Jackson, and Benjamin Chavis. 75. Question: Who else could pull this off today? Where have our leaders gone? (Besides Obama) 76. Music Scene 77. #1 "Gangsta's Paradise", Coolio featuring L.V. 78. #2 "Waterfalls", TLC 79. #3 "Creep", TLC 80. #4 "Kiss from a Rose", Seal 81. #5 "On Bended Knee", Boyz II Men 82. #6 "Another Night", Real McCoy 83. #7 "Fantasy", Mariah Carey 84. #9 "Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days)", Monica 85. #10 "This Is How We Do It", Montell Jordan 86. #11 "I Know", Dionne Farris 87. #12 "Water Runs Dry", Boyz II Men 88. #13 "Freak Like Me", Adina Howard 89. #15 "I Can Love You Like That", All-4-One 90. #18 "Boombastic" / "In the Summertime", Shaggy 91. #20 "You Gotta Be", Des'ree 92. #21 "You Are Not Alone", Michael Jackson 93. #23 "One More Chance", The Notorious B.I.G. 94. #24 "Here Comes the Hotstepper", Ini Kamoze 95. #25 "Candy Rain", Soul for Real 96. #27 "I Believe", Blessid Union of Souls 97. #28 "Red Light Special", TLC 98. #29 "Runaway", Janet Jackson 99. #31 "Colors of the Wind", Vanessa Williams 100. #32 "Someone to Love", Jon B. 101. #34 "If You Love Me", Brownstone 102. #36 "I Got 5 on It", Luniz 103. #37 "Baby", Brandy 104. #40 "He's Mine", MoKenStef 105. Vote: 106. Jan - My Life, Mary J. Blige 107. Feb - Cocktails, Too Short 108. Mar - Safe + Sound, DJ Quik 109. Apr - Me Against the World, 2Pac 110. Apr - Friday, Soundtrack 111. Jun - Poverty's Paradise, Naughty by Nature 112. Jul - HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, Michael Jackson 113. Jul - Operation Stackola, Luniz 114. Aug - The Show, the After Party, the Hotel, Jodeci 115. Aug - E. 1999 Eternal, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony 116. Sep - The Show, Soundtrack 117. Oct - 4,5,6, Kool G Rap 118. Oct - Daydream, Mariah Carey 119. Oct - Doe or Die, AZ 120. Nov - Dogg Food, Tha Dogg Pound 121. Dec - R. Kelly, R. Kelly 122. Dec - Waiting to Exhale, Soundtrack 123. Vote: 124. Featured Artists: TLC 125. Tionne Tenese Watkins (@25) was born on April 26, 1970, in Des Moines, Iowa, into a family of African American, Native American and Irish descent. Both her parents, James and Gayle Watkins, were musicians and singers. 126. Her parents divorced when she was three years old. Thereafter, she was raised by her mother, who taught her to be “confident and independent”. At the age of nine, they moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where her maternal grandmother used to live. 127. As a child, she was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia (SCA), as a result of which, she had to spend a lot of time in hospitals. 128. As a teenager, she began working as a hair model, eventually serving as a manicurist and shampoo girl at a popular Atlanta hair salon. 129. In 1990, (@20) Tionne Watkins heard that a teenager named Crystal Clear was planning to open an all-girls group like Bell Biv DeVoe, having a tomboyish, hip-hop image. Eventually, she appeared for an audition and joined the three-member band, the third one being Lisa Lopes. 130. Calling themselves ‘2nd Nature’, they soon started working with Jermaine Dupri and Rico Wade on demo tape material. 131. Meanwhile, Watkins met Perri "Pebbles" Reid, the owner of the management and production company, Pebbitone, and managed to arrange an audition with her. 132. Impressed by the girls, Reid arranged an audition with the local record label, LaFace Records, co-founded by her then husband Antonio Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmund. She also changed the group’s name to TLC with ‘T’ representing Tionne, ‘L’ Lisa, and ‘C’ Crystal. 133. Although Antonio Reid was impressed by Watkins and Lopes, he did not approve of Clear, who was eventually replaced by Rozonda Thomas in April 1991. Very soon, Watkins became "T-Boz", Lopes became "Left-Eye", and Thomas became "Chilli”, so that ‘TLC’ continued to be the acronym of their names. 134. Their debut album, 'Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip' was released on February 25, 1992, by LaFace Records. It peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 200, selling six million copies worldwide, and was certified quadruple platinum RIAA. 135. 'Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip' scored three top-ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Baby-Baby-Baby’ peaking at number two, ‘Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg’ at number six and ‘What About Your Friends’ at number seven. Moreover, ‘Baby-Baby-Baby’ also peaked at number one at Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. 136. In 1993, the group started working on their second album, ‘CrazySexyCool’. But because of Lisa’s personal problems, it took time to complete and was ultimately released on September 15, 1994. 137. Certified Diamond, the album was a huge success, peaking at the 3rd position on the US Billboard 200. It sold over 11 million copies in the United States alone. The album was nominated for six Grammy Awards, out of which it won two and helped TLC to become the second-best selling girl group of all time. 138. Billboard named them the ‘Artist of the Year’ at the Billboard Music Awards. The album also appeared on Rolling Stone Magazine’s ’500 Greatest Albums of All Time’. 139. Despite the success, TLC was forced to file for bankruptcy because of poor contracts they had signed in 1991. Eventually, the group signed a new contract with the same company and went back to work. 140. Rozonda Ocelian Thomas (@24) was born on 27th February 1971 in Atlanta, Georgia to Abdul Ali and Ava Thomas. Her mother is of African American as well as Native American descent, while her father is of East Indian and Middle Eastern Background. She was raised by a single mother and did not meet her father until she was 25. 141. Thomas studied at Benjamin E. Mays High School, from where she graduated in 1989. Soon she started working as a back-up dancer for the R&B group Damian Dame. 142. In 1991, (@20) Rozonda Thomas joined the pop group TLC. 143. Lisa Nicole Lopes (@24) was born on May 27, 1971, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father was Ronald Lopes Sr., a staff sergeant in the US Army, and her mother was Wanda Denise, a seamstress. She was of Cape Verdean, Mexican, American, African and Portuguese descent. She was the eldest of three siblings. Her parents divorced when she was in school. Following this, she was raised by her paternal grandmother. 144. At the age of five, she began playing the piano and eventually started composing songs over the next few years. She studied at the Philadelphia School for Girls. 145. In late 1990, having heard of an open casting call for a new girl group through her then-boyfriend, Lopes moved to Atlanta to audition. 146. Lopes’ personal life, though, was marred by her rocky relationship with football great Andre Rison, and in 1994, she was arrested for burning down his home. 147. In 2000, she began her solo-project ‘Supernova’ which was set to be released in August 2001. However, the date was postponed repeatedly. It was eventually broadcast over the internet in 2002. The album was yet to be released formally and a fourth TLC project was in the making, when Lopes met with a tragic car accident in 2002 which unfortunately put an end to her life. she was just 30 years old. 148. Question: Is the WAP controversy justified? 149. Movie Scene: Friday 1995 film 150. (Links and Resources: Strong Black Legends: John Witherspoon; "John Witherspoon's Style of Comedy was Timeless," Justin Tinsley, The Undefeated; Gene Siskel's review, Chicago Tribune; Desson Howe's review, Washington Post; "After 20 Years, Friday Is (Still) The Most Important Film Ever Made About The Hood," Kelley L. Carter, BuzzFeed; "John Witherspoon Made Every Scene Better," Rembert Brown, New York Times; Review by Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly. - Find additional episodes, leave a comment, or make a donation to support the podcast at unaffiliatedcritic.com.) 151. Reviews: 152. Gene Siskel: For all of the shouting, mugging and rap music, a surprisingly dull comic yarn about a young man (Ice Cube) trying to survive in the 'hood. Colorful characters abound, but nothing ties them together. I knew the picture was in trouble when its first gag involved an old lady spewing obscenities. (Rating: 1 star) 153. By Desson Howe, Washington Post Staff Writer - April 28, 1995: "Friday," a comedy starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker, is dirty, offensive, infantile and may launch a few sanctimonious opinion columns. And I mean that in the nicest way. The movie, which shamelessly hawks its own "Friday" music video at the beginning and eschews political correctness whenever possible, happens to be incredibly funny. 154. After 20 Years, “Friday” Is (Still) The Most Important Film Ever Made About The Hood: - Kelley L. Carter, BuzzFeed News Reporter. Posted April 20, 2015. 155. “...Todd Boyd, a professor at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts as well as screenwriter and producer of the 1999 coming-of-age drama The Wood, says that Friday didn't just add an element of comedy to depictions of everyday life in black neighborhoods, it spawned a new genre — the hood comedy. 156. “The film demonstrated that black life was not all drugs, violence, dysfunction, and pathology — yet instead of offering a Cosby Show-like fantasy, Friday put these issues in context, finding humor in the everyday lives of regular black people,” he explains. “Since the 1970s, Hollywood has always looked favorably upon low-budget black films that produce high profit margins at the box office. Friday expanded the representation of the hood into the realm of comedy and achieved box office success at the same time.” 157. Other hood comedies that followed include: 1996’s satire Don’t Be a Menace While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, 1998’s The Player’s Club (Cube wrote and directed it), 2001’s How High, and 2002’s Barbershop, the latter of which Cube starred in. 158. Question: Friday or Carwash? - Chris Tucker or Mike Epps? 159. TV Scene 160. “Was UPN Black America’s Last Hope for a Black Sitcom-Friendly Broadcast Television Network?” April 20, 2017 - https://shadowandact.com 161. “...Since ABC’s "Black-ish" debuted this fall, it has drawn numerous comparisons to "The Cosby Show" — and I have questions. I wonder why the majority of essays and critiques jumped to a show that has been off-air for 22 years. Although few television shows rivaled the mainstream popularity of Bill Cosby’s chef d’oeuvre, plenty of Black sitcoms have filled its gap since its 1992 finale. Does no one remember the quasi-Black glory of United Paramount Network (UPN)? And can there ever be another like it? 162. From 1995 to 2006 UPN was the home for over 10 concurrently running Black sitcoms (and a handful of dramas). Given the sheer volume of programming, that’s remarkable in and of itself. But perhaps what is more noteworthy than the number of shows is the range of Black life they displayed. 163. "All of Us," produced by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, centered on a blended family of two divorced spouses and their significant others. The Essence Atkins and Rachel True-helmed "Half & Half" explored the relationship between two estranged half-sisters. "Moesha" was UPN’s most successful sitcom during its five-year run and introduced America to another beloved, nuclear Black family besides the Huxtables. Other notable UPN sitcoms included "One on One," "The Parkers," "Eve," and "Malcolm & Eddie." 164. UPN actively sought programming aimed for Black audiences at a time when Black mainstays from the Big Three networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) were waning. "Family Matters" was cancelled from ABC’s coveted TGIF lineup in 1998. Fox declined to extend Martin Lawrence’s eponymously named sitcom the previous year. The major networks were beginning to narrow their viewership to exclude all-Black casting on their sitcoms. Not only were Black actors finding work on shows sold to UPN, but established Black producer-writers like Eunetta T. Boone and Ralph Farquhar found a home as well. 165. Despite—and maybe because of—its friendliness to Black programming, UPN suffered from a reputation as a sub-par network. The ratings for their sitcoms often scraped the bottom of the Nielsen barrel. UPN is remembered more for its utter failures ("Homeboys in Outer Space") and ignored when we fondly recall the glory of "Girlfriends." 166. “UPN took the rejects. UPN was 'the Black channel,'” we joke. UPN may not have been perfect, but it gave Black audiences so much to choose from without feeling as if one show had to represent the totality of Blackness. 167. Accordingly, "Black-ish" has a lot riding on its success. Black audiences tune in hoping big wigs take notice and order more Black sitcoms. But it is telling that major networks began a “blackout” of successful Black cast shows in the late 90s and The CW essentially did the same a decade later. 168. "Black-ish" could be the start of another heyday for Black sitcoms. We reach backward to "The Cosby Show" because we love it best and we always will. But in doing so, we ignore the stable of Black shows that kept us laughing long after The Huxtables faded to black. However, the success of "Black-ish" will remain singular until executives reexamine their beliefs about African American audiences; we need them, like UPN once did, to give us a chance. I just hope it doesn’t take another decade. 169. Other Notable UPN Shows: Everybody Hates Chris 2005 / Girlfriends 2000 / All of Us 2003 / Moesha 1996 / The Parkers 1999 / Malcolm and Eddie 1996 / In The House 1995 / Between Brothers 1997 / 170. Other Notable WB Shows: The WB The Wayans Brothers 1995 / The Parent 'Hood 1995 / Steve Harvey Show 1996 / The Jamie Foxx Show 1996 / Smart Guy 1997 / MIB Animated 1997 / The PJs 1999 171. Question: What the hell is wrong with BET? 172. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1995?
  • Topics: OJ Simpson, R. Kelly & Aaliyah, Samuel Jackson, Black TV Cancellation (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

    http://afropopremix.com

    Snapshots 1. Bill Clinton is President 2. Jan - In Detroit, Michigan, Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an assailant, under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband. Tonya later pleads guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for trying to cover-up the attack, is fined $100,000, and banned from the sport. 3. Jan - During a segment on NBC's Today, host Bryant Gumbel asks, "What is the internet, anyway?" 4. Feb - During the opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, guest host Martin Lawrence makes sexually explicit jokes about female genitalia and feminine hygiene, which results in NBC banning him from appearing on the network (for the next year) and SNL (for life). In repeats of the episode, the offending section of the monologue is replaced by a title card read by an off-screen player (writer Jim Downey), saying that although SNL is neutral about the issues mentioned by Lawrence, network policy prevents his remarks from being re-broadcast, and that the incident almost cost the entire cast of SNL their jobs. 5. Apr - Kurt Cobain, songwriter and frontman for the band Nirvana, is found dead at his Lake Washington home. He is believed to have committed suicide three days before he was found. 6. Jun - Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman are murdered outside the Simpson home in Los Angeles. O.J. Simpson is later acquitted of the killings but is held liable in a civil suit. 7. Nov - Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan announces that he has Alzheimer's disease. 8. Nov - WXYC, the student radio station of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provides the world's first internet radio broadcast, aka live streaming. 9. Nov - Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot five times and robbed after entering the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan. 10. Sep - The pilot episode for Friends airs on NBC. 11. Open Comments 12. Top 3 Pop Songs 13. #1 "The Sign", Ace of Base 14. #2 "I Swear", All-4-One 15. #3 "I'll Make Love to You", Boyz II Men 16. Record of the Year: Sheryl Crow for "All I Wanna Do" 17. Album of the Year: Tony Bennett for MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett 18. Song of the Year: Bruce Springsteen for "Streets of Philadelphia" 19. Best New Artist: Sheryl Crow 20. Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: Toni Braxton for "Breathe Again" 21. Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Babyface for "When Can I See You" 22. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "I'll Make Love to You" 23. Best R&B Album: Boyz II Men for II 24. Best Rap Solo Performance: "U.N.I.T.Y." – Queen Latifah 25. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "None of Your Business" – Salt-N-Pepa 26. Top 3 Movies 27. #1 The Lion King 28. #2 Forrest Gump 29. #3 True Lies 30. Notables: House party 3, Blue Chips, Sugar Hill, Above The Rim, The Ink Well, Crooklyn, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Speed, Forrest Gump, True Lies, The Shawshank Redemption, Jason's Lyric, Pulp Fiction, Dumb and Dumber 31. Top # TV Shows 32. #1 Seinfeld 33. #2 ER 34. #3 Home Improvement 35. Debuts - Sister, Sister, South Central, Rolanda 36. Economic Scene 37. Income = 37k (Previously 31K) 38. House = 119K (113) 39. Car = 12.5k (12.7) 40. Rent = 533 (532) 41. Harvard = 24.9k (23.5) 42. Movie = 4 (4.14) 43. Gas = 1.09 (1.16) 44. Stamp .29 (Same) 45. Social Scene: OJ Simpson 46. O.J. Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, in Putrero Hill, California, in the family of Eunice and Jimmy Lee Simpson. His father was a chef and bank custodian and his mother were a hospital administrator. Soon after his birth he developed rickets and had to wear braces on his legs till he was five. In 1952, his father left the family when he was still very young, and his mother had to take responsibility of raising the four children. He joined the ‘Persian Warriors’, a street gang in his early teens and was confined at the ‘San Francisco Youth Guidance Center’ for a short while. He played football for his team the ‘Galileo Lions’ at the ‘Galileo High School’ (now known as ‘Galileo Academy of Science and Technology’) in San Francisco. 47. List of the most familiar faces that played pivotal roles in the trial. 48. Marcia Clark (Prosecution / Ice Queen): An ace trial lawyer for the L.A. District Attorney's office, Clark spent years in the Special Trials Unit, which involved some of the most complex investigations, before becoming the lead prosecutor of the Simpson murder trial. Described as cold and calculating, Clark turned off many black female jurors who viewed her courtroom style as harsh and aggressive. After losing the Simpson case, Clark resigned from the L.A. District Attorney's office. 49. Christopher Darden (Prosecution / Uncle Tom / Token): Despite being a co-prosecuting attorney with Clark, Darden had limited trial experience. Still, as a black man amid a majority black jury, his participation was important so as to dismiss the notion that the otherwise all-white prosecution had racist motivations against Simpson. Although Darden floundered at the start of the trial and was purportedly intimidated by Cochran, he gained momentum as events progressed. However, he made a consequential mistake when he demanded that Simpson try on the infamous bloody gloves, which ended up being too small for the accused's hands. The loss of the Simpson trial devastated Darden, who was known for his short fuse, and he took a leave of absence. 50. Robert Shapiro (Defense / Publicity Hound): A lover of the spotlight, lead defense counsel Shapiro knew how to make a deal without going to trial and was a master at manipulating the media in order to garner sympathy for his famous clients. In fact, he was praised as the "Defense Counsel of the Year" in 1994, which even Judge Ito applauded. But when he began representing Simpson, Shapiro found himself jostling to keep his leadership role as other attorneys on his team were chomping at the bit to outshine him. Reportedly, co-defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey leaked stories to the press about Shapiro's ego, one of many indications there was infighting within the group. However, the blow that removed Shapiro from his lead status was when Cochran won Simpson's favor by visiting him in jail — something Shapiro preferred not to do with any of his clients. Once Cochran took over as lead counsel, Shapiro was vocally critical and attempted to distance himself from his team's chosen strategies. He would later tell Barba ra Walters that "not only did we play the race card, we dealt it from the bottom of the deck." 51. Johnnie Cochran (Defense / Master Manipulator): Having moved up the legal ranks in L.A.'s criminal division, Cochran went on to represent some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Michael Jackson and James Brown. In 1994, he was considered one of the best trial lawyers in the nation, and it was Simpson himself who asked Shapiro to bring Cochran onto the team. Once Cochran gained control of Simpson's defense strategy and pushed Shapiro to the side, he wooed the courtroom and media. Using his "black preacher" style approach, he controversially used the race card to curry sympathy for Simpson. After prosecutor Darden made the mistake of demanding Simpson try on the ill-fitted bloody gloves, Cochran uttered the famous phrase: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." That moment became a turning point of the trial, giving Simpson's defense a huge advantage. 52. Lance Ito (Judge / Wanna Be): Before Lance Ito was appointed to the bench in 1989, he was an attorney for the L.A. district and at one point, worked under Cochran. A fan of media attention, Ito was arguably too lax about different aspects of the Simpson trial, giving interviews and inviting celebrities and journalists into his chambers. Judge Ito was further criticized on his decision to allow cameras in the courtroom and letting attorneys stall and have too many sidebars. His willingness to include Detective Mark Fuhrman's old taped interviews, in which he denigrated black people, was also a huge source of contention for the prosecution. In a strange twist, the tapes also revealed Fuhrman had made disparaging remarks about Ito's wife, Margaret York, who was Fuhrman's department superior at the time. When those comments were exposed, the prosecution asked for Ito to recuse himself due to his possible bias against Fuhrman, but later the request was withdrawn. 53. Mark Fuhrman (Detective & Witness / Racists): Among the most controversial figures of the Simpson trial was L.A. homicide detective Mark Fuhrman. Responsible for discovering the "bloody glove" at the murder scene, Fuhrman did what the LAPD refused to do to Simpson — he threw the former NFL star in jail. Although Fuhrman denied ever having racist tendencies or using the n-word, a taped interview he had chosen to do 10 years earlier revealed otherwise. In the recording, he was quoted as saying to incarcerated black people: "You do what you're told, understand, n—r?" A wave of backlash hit Fuhrman, but he continued denying being a racist and also pushed back against the defense's theory that he planted the bloody glove to frame Simpson. 54. Dennis Fung (Criminologist & Witness / Dunce): As the prosecution's witness, Dennis Fung — the LAPD criminologist who collected evidence at the murder scene — ended up spending the longest time testifying on the stand. For nine days, Fung recalled how he collected samples of blood, albeit admittedly overlooking some important areas where blood drops were identified and not always using gloves. The defense ate up Fung's inefficient and careless actions and implicated him as a liar who was part of a larger LAPD conspiracy against Simpson. 55. Kato Kaelin (Witness / ???, Comedy Relief): Aspiring actor and houseguest of Simpson, Brian "Kato" Kaelin was a star witness for the prosecution. Present at Simpson's Rockingham mansion at the time of the murders, Kaelin claimed that he ate dinner with Simpson that night but could not account for the star athlete's whereabouts between the hours of 9:36 p.m. and 11 p.m. (the prosecution theorized that Simpson murdered his ex-wife and Goldman between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.). Due to Kaelin's shiftiness on the stand, prosecutor Clark turned against him and treated him as a hostile witness. Regardless, Kaelin — with his thick tufts of blond hair and surfer dude ways — gained considerable popularity in the media as a likable and comedic character of the trial. 56. Allan Park (Witness / Voice of Reason): As the limousine driver who was hired to drive Simpson to the airport for his evening flight to Chicago, Allan Park was a vital witness to the prosecution. Competent and composed, Park helped bolster the idea that Simpson may not have been at the Rockingham mansion when the double homicide occurred. Still, the jury did not give much weight to his testimony, asking for his transcript only hours before deliberation. Reportedly, one juror wholly dismissed Park's testimony because he was unable to recall the number of cars parked at the Rockingham mansion. Upon hearing this, Park was shocked his testimony was so casually disregarded. 57. Open Floor: 58. Question: What did you want to happen? 59. Music Scene: Black songs from the Top 40 60. #3 "I'll Make Love to You", Boyz II Men 61. #5 "Hero", Mariah Carey 62. #7 "Breathe Again", Toni Braxton 63. #11 "Bump n' Grind", R. Kelly 64. #12 "Again", Janet Jackson 65. #14 "Whatta Man", Salt-n-Pepa and En Vogue 66. #16 "Without You" / "Never Forget You", Mariah Carey 67. #17 "You Mean the World to Me", Toni Braxton 68. #19 "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", Prince 69. #20 "Fantastic Voyage", Coolio 70. #22 "Regulate", Warren G featuring Nate Dogg 71. #23 "If You Go", Jon Secada 72. #24 "Back & Forth", Aaliyah 73. #26 "When Can I See You", Babyface 74. #29 "Shoop", Salt-n-Pepa 75. #30 "Any Time, Any Place", Janet Jackson 76. #31 "Shine", Collective Soul 77. #36 "Can We Talk", Tevin Campbell 78. #37 "Funkdafied", Da Brat 79. #39 "Gangsta Lean", DRS 80. Vote 81. Top RnB Albums 82. Jan - Doggystyle , Snoop Doggy Dogg 83. Jan - Diary of a Mad Band, Jodeci 84. Feb - 12 Play, R. Kelly 85. Apr - Above the Rim, Soundtrack/Various artists 86. Jun - Nuttin' But Love, Heavy D & the Boyz 87. Jun - Above the Rim, Soundtrack/Various artists 88. Jun - Regulate...G Funk Era, Warren G 89. Jul - Get Up on It, Keith Sweat 90. Jul – Funkdafied, Da Brat 91. Aug - We Come Strapped, MC Eiht featuring Compton's Most Wanted 92. Sep - Changing Faces, Changing Faces 93. Sep – II, Boyz II Men 94. Oct - Rhythm of Love, Anita Baker 95. Oct - Jason's Lyric, Soundtrack/Various artists 96. Nov - Murder Was the Case, Soundtrack/Various artists 97. Nov - The Icon Is Love, Barry White 98. Dec – Tical, Method Man 99. Dec - Dare Iz a Darkside, Redman 100. Dec - My Life, Mary J. Blige 101. Dec - Miracles: The Holiday Album, Kenny G 102. Vote: 103. Music Scene: R. Kelly and Aaliyah 104. R. Kelly is an American singer-songwriter, often referred to as the King of R&B. 105. Robert Sylvester Kelly, better known as R. Kelly to his fans, is an American singer. He is one of the best-selling music artists in the United States and the most successful R&B male artist of the 1990s. A multi-faceted personality, Kelly is a singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, and former semi-professional basketball player. 106. R. Kelly was born on January 8, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He and his three siblings were raised by their mother Joanne in the Baptist church, where she served as the lead singer of the choir. 107. The family lived in poverty and struggled to make ends meet. Kelly started singing as part of the church choir when he was eight. 108. He had a very difficult childhood as he was often sexually abused by a woman. In his 2012 autobiography ‘Soulacoaster,’ he had penned down his experience and the reason why he never told about his ordeal to anyone. When he was 11, he was shot in the shoulder while riding his bike home. 109. He had an untreated learning disability, which made it difficult for him to read and write. Eventually, he had to drop out of high school. 110. He studied at the ‘Kenwood Academy’ in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. He was an athletic young boy and played basketball for his high school team. However, his music teacher Lena McLin, who had recognized his musical talent, advised him to leave the sport and focus on music. 111. He was very close to his mother, who took him to church and clubs where she performed. She died of cancer in 1993. 112. Kelly gained recognition in 1989 when he, along with Marc McWilliams, Shawn Brooks, and Vincent Walker, participated in the TV show ‘Big Break,’ where he went on to win the $100,000 grand prize. 113. As a youngster, he formed the group ‘MGM’ (Musically Gifted Men) along with his friends Marc McWilliams, Vincent Walker, and Shawn Brooks. In 1990, ‘MGM’ recorded and released their first single, ‘Why You Wanna Play Me’ and disbanded shortly after. 114. In 1992, Kelly released his debut album ‘Born into the 90’s’ along with a musical group named ‘Public Announcement.’ The album produced several hit songs and was eventually certified platinum 115. Kelly's first solo album, ‘12 Play,’ was released in November 1993. 116. R. Kelly, 27, achieves mainstream success when his single “Bump n’ Grind”, released in January of 1994, hits number one on the Billboard 100. A month later, his protĂ©gĂ© Aliyah releases her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number, which was almost entirely written and produced by him. 117. His self-titled album ‘R. Kelly’ was out in 1995. Featuring introspective lyrics and foot-tapping music, this album became a huge hit and spawned three number one singles – ‘You Remind Me of Something,’ ‘Down Low (Nobody Has to Know),’ and ‘I Can't Sleep (Baby If I). 118. Aaliyah Biography: Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York, to Diane and Michael Haughton. She had one brother whom she was very close to. She was very family oriented and had close relations with her parents and grandmother. She was of African American descent. 119. Her mother was a vocalist and young Aaliyah began singing when she was a child, performing at weddings, charity events, and for church choir. Her uncle Barry Hankerson was married to recording artist Gladys Knight who played a major role in introducing Aaliyah to the show business. 120. She attended a Catholic school named ‘Gesu Elementary,’ where she was cast to play a role in a stage play titled ‘Annie.’ 121. With support from Gladys, Aaliyah auditioned for commercials and television programs, and also for several record labels. She started appearing in concerts alongside Gladys when she was 11. 122. Aaliyah signed with ‘Jive Records’ and her Uncle Barry Hankerson's ‘Blackground Records’ when she was just 12. Her debut album ‘Age Ain't Nothing but a Number,’ which was recorded when the singer was just 14, was released in 1994. 123. In its very first week, the album sold almost 74, 000 copies. Soon, it reached from 24th to the 18th position in ‘Billboard 200,’ eventually selling over three million copies in the United States, where it was certified double platinum by the ‘RIAA.’ 124. The tremendous success of the album catapulted Aaliyah to international stardom. During this time, rumors of her illegal marriage with her mentor and recording artist and producer R. Kelly began circulating. 125. In order to silence the rumors, Aaliyah left ‘Jive Records’ and signed a contract with ‘Atlantic Records,’ under which she released her second album ‘One in a Million’ in 1996. This album was also a major success. It peaked at No. 18 on the ‘Billboard 200,’ and sold over 3.7 million copies in the United States and over eight million copies worldwide. It was certified double platinum by the ‘RIAA.’ 126. Aaliyah, along with her crew, flew to the Bahamas on August 25, 2001, to shoot the music video of the song, ‘Rock the Boat.’ Completing the shoot early, the crew decided to return to Florida instead of waiting for the next day as per schedule. For their return, they boarded a small private airplane. 127. The plane was smaller than the one the crew had arrived in. However, the whole party and the equipment were accommodated on board, overloading the plane with a surplus of 320 kg and one excess passenger. The plane crashed soon after taking off, killing everyone on board. 128. Open Comments: 129. Controversies 130. Illegal marriage: According to Vibe and the Chicago Sun-Times, 27-year-old Kelly and 15-year-old protĂ©gĂ©e Aaliyah were illegally married in a secret ceremony on August 31, 1994, in Cook County.[126][127] Upon meeting Kelly and prior to the nuptials, Aaliyah admitted she had falsely stated she was 18. In a 2008 interview, Kelly's tour manager, Demetrius Smith, said that he facilitated the wedding by obtaining falsified identification for Aaliyah which listed her as 18 years of age. 131. He married Andrea, his former backup dancer, in 1996. The couple has three children. They divorced in 2009 after almost 13 years of marriage. 132. 1998, Kelly paid Tiffany Hawkins $250,000 after she claimed Kelly had induced her to have group sex with other teenage girls when she was 15 years old. 133. 2001: Sued by intern: Tracy Sampson sues R. Kelly, accusing him of inducing her "into an indecent sexual relationship" when she was 17 years old. The woman, a former intern at Epic Records, claimed she was "treated as his personal sex object and cast aside". "He often tried to control every aspect of my life including who I would see and where I would go," she said in her legal case against him. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, said the New York Post. 134. 2002: Two more court cases - Kelly is sued for a third time by Patrice Jones, a Chicago woman who claims he impregnated her when she was underage, and that she was forced to have an abortion. A woman named Montina Woods also sued Kelly, alleging that he videotaped them having sex without her knowledge. The recording was allegedly circulated on an R Kelly "sex tape" sold by bootleggers under the title R. Kelly Triple-X. The star settled both cases out of court, paying an undisclosed sum in return for a non-disclosure agreement. 135. 2017, Kelly was accused of forcing girls to stay in an ‘abusive cult.’ 136. 2018, the ‘Women of Color’ branch of the ‘Time's Up’ movement called for a boycott of Kelly's music and performances over the many allegations against him. The boycott was accompanied by a social media campaign called ‘Mute R. Kelly.’ 137. 2019, Kelly was taken back to the ‘Cook County Jail’ after failing to pay $161,633 in child support. On March 9, 2019, he was released after someone, who didn't want to be identified, paid off the child support. 138. 2019, Lifetime began airing a six-part documentary series, “Surviving R. Kelly”, detailing sexual abuse and misconduct allegations against Kelly. 139. Question: Why do we treat R Kelly different than Michael? 140. Movie Scene: Sam Jack Mutha F@#A 141. Samuel Leroy Jackson was born on December 21, 1948, in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee and was raised by his mother Elizabeth Jackson as his father lived away from the family and later passed away from alcoholism. He met his father only twice during his life. 142. He studied at a number of segregated schools and graduated from ‘Riverside High School’ in Chattanooga. During his time at school, he played the French horn and the trumpet in the school orchestra. He suffered from stuttering when he was a child. 143. He initially dreamt of pursuing a degree in marine biology at ‘Morehouse College’ in Atlanta, but soon switched degrees after he discovered the actor in him. He graduated from the institute in 1972 and at the same time, co-founded the theatre group, ‘Just Us Theatre.’ 144. After appearing in several plays, including ‘The Opera’ and ‘A Soldier’s Play,’ he made his motion picture debut in the blaxploitation film ‘Together for Days’ in 1972. Four years later, he appeared in the television series ‘i’ On.’ 145. He moved to New York City and spent the next several years appearing in stage plays, such as ‘The Piano Lesson’ and ‘Two Trains Running.’ In 1977, he appeared in the film ‘The Displaced Person.’ 146. It is believed that in his early years he was mentored by Morgan Freeman. Later on, in his career, he started doing noticeable roles in films like ‘School Daze’ and ‘Do the Right Thing,’ which released in 1988 and 1989, respectively. 147. In 1990, he appeared in ‘Goodfellas’ in a minor role and then worked as a substitute on ‘The Cosby Show’ for the next three years. 148. From 1990 to 1993, he worked in films like ‘Def by Temptation,’ ‘The Return of Superfly,’ ‘Strictly Business,’ ‘Jungle Fever,’ ‘Patriot Games,’ ‘True Romance,’ ‘Amos & Andrew,’ ‘Jurassic Park,’ and ‘Loaded Weapon 1.’ 149. In 1994, he played the critically acclaimed role of Jules Winnfield in the hit film ‘Pulp Fiction.’ Jackson became a world icon after the release and subsequent success of the movie. It was later revealed that director Quentin Tarantino specifically wanted him for the role. 150. Open Comments: 151. Question: Is Sam better than Denzel? 152. TV Scene: The Death of Black TV 153. Cancelled in 1994: Jan - The Les Brown Show, Feb – Thea, The Sinbad Show, May – Roc, In Living Color, and The Arsenio Hall Show 154. Article #1: A TELEVISION TREND: AUDIENCES IN BLACK AND WHITE by Paul Farhi November 29, 1994 155. All across the country tonight, millions of households will tune to ABC's "Home Improvement." In a typical week, the situation comedy about the host of a household fix-it show is the most-watched program on the air. Yet one group of viewers is decidedly sparse among the masses of "Home Improvement" fans. In African American households, the program barely makes the top 30. Other big network hits are even less popular: "Seinfeld" and "Frasier" don't even crack the top 90 
The top show for black audiences this season: "Living Single," a Fox sitcom that ranks 69th among all audiences.” 156. Article #2: Let’s rewind a bit. In the mid-'80s, when there wasn't a whole lot of programming aimed specifically at black folks, black and white viewers watched mostly the same shows — 15 of the top 20 most-watched shows for black audiences in the 1985-96 season were also in white viewers' top 20. But by the next decade, everything had changed. While the then-Big Three had a handful of shows with black casts in the mid-1990s like Family Matters and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, it was the upstart networks like Fox and later UPN and the WB (Both launched in Jan 1995) that seriously doubled down on black viewers in a bid to become commercially viable as quickly as possible. The result was a kind of alternate TV universe where you could find black folks on-screen seemingly every night of the week — In Living Color; Roc; Sister, Sister; Moesha; In The House; The Jamie Foxx Show; Malcolm & Eddie. (Alas, Latinos and Asian-American folks were then, as now, mostly absent from lead roles on network TV, even on th e smaller "netlets.") 157. Lots of these shows had big, devoted black followings. While huge swaths of America yearned for Ross and Rachel to get together, my high school classmates and I geeked over the fact that an episode of Fox's New York Undercover played "Flava In Ya Ear" over the cold open
 Fox's 1994-95 Thursday night lineup — Martin at 8 p.m., Living Single at 8:30 and New York Undercover at 9 — were the three highest-rated shows among black TV viewers that season. But among white viewers, none of those three shows even cracked the top 100. By the end of the 1990s, Fox switched its focus from black audiences to go after young male viewers, a demographic that they felt was more desirable to advertisers.” 158. By 2008, the viewing habits of black viewers and white viewers were converging once more. With few "black shows" on broadcast TV, everyone was watching American Idol, Dancing With the Stars or CSI. Black folks who wanted to watch black folks on TV had to go to cable, and so they did. - https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/04/01/395777889/this-isnt-the-first-time-network-tv-discovered-black-people 159. Question: Do we need “Black” TV? 160. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1994?
  • Topics: OJ Simpson, R. Kelly & Aaliyah, Samuel Jackson, Black TV Cancellation (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

    http://afropopremix.com

    Snapshots 1. Bill Clinton is President 2. Jan - In Detroit, Michigan, Nancy Kerrigan is clubbed on the right leg by an assailant, under orders from figure skating rival Tonya Harding's ex-husband. Tonya later pleads guilty to conspiracy to hinder prosecution for trying to cover-up the attack, is fined $100,000, and banned from the sport. 3. Jan - During a segment on NBC's Today, host Bryant Gumbel asks, "What is the internet, anyway?" 4. Feb - During the opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, guest host Martin Lawrence makes sexually explicit jokes about female genitalia and feminine hygiene, which results in NBC banning him from appearing on the network (for the next year) and SNL (for life). In repeats of the episode, the offending section of the monologue is replaced by a title card read by an off-screen player (writer Jim Downey), saying that although SNL is neutral about the issues mentioned by Lawrence, network policy prevents his remarks from being re-broadcast, and that the incident almost cost the entire cast of SNL their jobs. 5. Apr - Kurt Cobain, songwriter and frontman for the band Nirvana, is found dead at his Lake Washington home. He is believed to have committed suicide three days before he was found. 6. Jun - Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman are murdered outside the Simpson home in Los Angeles. O.J. Simpson is later acquitted of the killings but is held liable in a civil suit. 7. Nov - Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan announces that he has Alzheimer's disease. 8. Nov - WXYC, the student radio station of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provides the world's first internet radio broadcast, aka live streaming. 9. Nov - Rapper Tupac Shakur is shot five times and robbed after entering the lobby of Quad Recording Studios in Manhattan. 10. Sep - The pilot episode for Friends airs on NBC. 11. Open Comments 12. Top 3 Pop Songs 13. #1 "The Sign", Ace of Base 14. #2 "I Swear", All-4-One 15. #3 "I'll Make Love to You", Boyz II Men 16. Record of the Year: Sheryl Crow for "All I Wanna Do" 17. Album of the Year: Tony Bennett for MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett 18. Song of the Year: Bruce Springsteen for "Streets of Philadelphia" 19. Best New Artist: Sheryl Crow 20. Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: Toni Braxton for "Breathe Again" 21. Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Babyface for "When Can I See You" 22. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "I'll Make Love to You" 23. Best R&B Album: Boyz II Men for II 24. Best Rap Solo Performance: "U.N.I.T.Y." – Queen Latifah 25. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "None of Your Business" – Salt-N-Pepa 26. Top 3 Movies 27. #1 The Lion King 28. #2 Forrest Gump 29. #3 True Lies 30. Notables: House party 3, Blue Chips, Sugar Hill, Above The Rim, The Ink Well, Crooklyn, Beverly Hills Cop 3, Speed, Forrest Gump, True Lies, The Shawshank Redemption, Jason's Lyric, Pulp Fiction, Dumb and Dumber 31. Top # TV Shows 32. #1 Seinfeld 33. #2 ER 34. #3 Home Improvement 35. Debuts - Sister, Sister, South Central, Rolanda 36. Economic Scene 37. Income = 37k (Previously 31K) 38. House = 119K (113) 39. Car = 12.5k (12.7) 40. Rent = 533 (532) 41. Harvard = 24.9k (23.5) 42. Movie = 4 (4.14) 43. Gas = 1.09 (1.16) 44. Stamp .29 (Same) 45. Social Scene: OJ Simpson 46. O.J. Simpson was born on July 9, 1947, in Putrero Hill, California, in the family of Eunice and Jimmy Lee Simpson. His father was a chef and bank custodian and his mother were a hospital administrator. Soon after his birth he developed rickets and had to wear braces on his legs till he was five. In 1952, his father left the family when he was still very young, and his mother had to take responsibility of raising the four children. He joined the ‘Persian Warriors’, a street gang in his early teens and was confined at the ‘San Francisco Youth Guidance Center’ for a short while. He played football for his team the ‘Galileo Lions’ at the ‘Galileo High School’ (now known as ‘Galileo Academy of Science and Technology’) in San Francisco. 47. List of the most familiar faces that played pivotal roles in the trial. 48. Marcia Clark (Prosecution / Ice Queen): An ace trial lawyer for the L.A. District Attorney's office, Clark spent years in the Special Trials Unit, which involved some of the most complex investigations, before becoming the lead prosecutor of the Simpson murder trial. Described as cold and calculating, Clark turned off many black female jurors who viewed her courtroom style as harsh and aggressive. After losing the Simpson case, Clark resigned from the L.A. District Attorney's office. 49. Christopher Darden (Prosecution / Uncle Tom / Token): Despite being a co-prosecuting attorney with Clark, Darden had limited trial experience. Still, as a black man amid a majority black jury, his participation was important so as to dismiss the notion that the otherwise all-white prosecution had racist motivations against Simpson. Although Darden floundered at the start of the trial and was purportedly intimidated by Cochran, he gained momentum as events progressed. However, he made a consequential mistake when he demanded that Simpson try on the infamous bloody gloves, which ended up being too small for the accused's hands. The loss of the Simpson trial devastated Darden, who was known for his short fuse, and he took a leave of absence. 50. Robert Shapiro (Defense / Publicity Hound): A lover of the spotlight, lead defense counsel Shapiro knew how to make a deal without going to trial and was a master at manipulating the media in order to garner sympathy for his famous clients. In fact, he was praised as the "Defense Counsel of the Year" in 1994, which even Judge Ito applauded. But when he began representing Simpson, Shapiro found himself jostling to keep his leadership role as other attorneys on his team were chomping at the bit to outshine him. Reportedly, co-defense lawyer F. Lee Bailey leaked stories to the press about Shapiro's ego, one of many indications there was infighting within the group. However, the blow that removed Shapiro from his lead status was when Cochran won Simpson's favor by visiting him in jail — something Shapiro preferred not to do with any of his clients. Once Cochran took over as lead counsel, Shapiro was vocally critical and attempted to distance himself from his team's chosen strategies. He would later tell Barba ra Walters that "not only did we play the race card, we dealt it from the bottom of the deck." 51. Johnnie Cochran (Defense / Master Manipulator): Having moved up the legal ranks in L.A.'s criminal division, Cochran went on to represent some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Michael Jackson and James Brown. In 1994, he was considered one of the best trial lawyers in the nation, and it was Simpson himself who asked Shapiro to bring Cochran onto the team. Once Cochran gained control of Simpson's defense strategy and pushed Shapiro to the side, he wooed the courtroom and media. Using his "black preacher" style approach, he controversially used the race card to curry sympathy for Simpson. After prosecutor Darden made the mistake of demanding Simpson try on the ill-fitted bloody gloves, Cochran uttered the famous phrase: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." That moment became a turning point of the trial, giving Simpson's defense a huge advantage. 52. Lance Ito (Judge / Wanna Be): Before Lance Ito was appointed to the bench in 1989, he was an attorney for the L.A. district and at one point, worked under Cochran. A fan of media attention, Ito was arguably too lax about different aspects of the Simpson trial, giving interviews and inviting celebrities and journalists into his chambers. Judge Ito was further criticized on his decision to allow cameras in the courtroom and letting attorneys stall and have too many sidebars. His willingness to include Detective Mark Fuhrman's old taped interviews, in which he denigrated black people, was also a huge source of contention for the prosecution. In a strange twist, the tapes also revealed Fuhrman had made disparaging remarks about Ito's wife, Margaret York, who was Fuhrman's department superior at the time. When those comments were exposed, the prosecution asked for Ito to recuse himself due to his possible bias against Fuhrman, but later the request was withdrawn. 53. Mark Fuhrman (Detective & Witness / Racists): Among the most controversial figures of the Simpson trial was L.A. homicide detective Mark Fuhrman. Responsible for discovering the "bloody glove" at the murder scene, Fuhrman did what the LAPD refused to do to Simpson — he threw the former NFL star in jail. Although Fuhrman denied ever having racist tendencies or using the n-word, a taped interview he had chosen to do 10 years earlier revealed otherwise. In the recording, he was quoted as saying to incarcerated black people: "You do what you're told, understand, n—r?" A wave of backlash hit Fuhrman, but he continued denying being a racist and also pushed back against the defense's theory that he planted the bloody glove to frame Simpson. 54. Dennis Fung (Criminologist & Witness / Dunce): As the prosecution's witness, Dennis Fung — the LAPD criminologist who collected evidence at the murder scene — ended up spending the longest time testifying on the stand. For nine days, Fung recalled how he collected samples of blood, albeit admittedly overlooking some important areas where blood drops were identified and not always using gloves. The defense ate up Fung's inefficient and careless actions and implicated him as a liar who was part of a larger LAPD conspiracy against Simpson. 55. Kato Kaelin (Witness / ???, Comedy Relief): Aspiring actor and houseguest of Simpson, Brian "Kato" Kaelin was a star witness for the prosecution. Present at Simpson's Rockingham mansion at the time of the murders, Kaelin claimed that he ate dinner with Simpson that night but could not account for the star athlete's whereabouts between the hours of 9:36 p.m. and 11 p.m. (the prosecution theorized that Simpson murdered his ex-wife and Goldman between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.). Due to Kaelin's shiftiness on the stand, prosecutor Clark turned against him and treated him as a hostile witness. Regardless, Kaelin — with his thick tufts of blond hair and surfer dude ways — gained considerable popularity in the media as a likable and comedic character of the trial. 56. Allan Park (Witness / Voice of Reason): As the limousine driver who was hired to drive Simpson to the airport for his evening flight to Chicago, Allan Park was a vital witness to the prosecution. Competent and composed, Park helped bolster the idea that Simpson may not have been at the Rockingham mansion when the double homicide occurred. Still, the jury did not give much weight to his testimony, asking for his transcript only hours before deliberation. Reportedly, one juror wholly dismissed Park's testimony because he was unable to recall the number of cars parked at the Rockingham mansion. Upon hearing this, Park was shocked his testimony was so casually disregarded. 57. Open Floor: 58. Question: What did you want to happen? 59. Music Scene: Black songs from the Top 40 60. #3 "I'll Make Love to You", Boyz II Men 61. #5 "Hero", Mariah Carey 62. #7 "Breathe Again", Toni Braxton 63. #11 "Bump n' Grind", R. Kelly 64. #12 "Again", Janet Jackson 65. #14 "Whatta Man", Salt-n-Pepa and En Vogue 66. #16 "Without You" / "Never Forget You", Mariah Carey 67. #17 "You Mean the World to Me", Toni Braxton 68. #19 "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", Prince 69. #20 "Fantastic Voyage", Coolio 70. #22 "Regulate", Warren G featuring Nate Dogg 71. #23 "If You Go", Jon Secada 72. #24 "Back & Forth", Aaliyah 73. #26 "When Can I See You", Babyface 74. #29 "Shoop", Salt-n-Pepa 75. #30 "Any Time, Any Place", Janet Jackson 76. #31 "Shine", Collective Soul 77. #36 "Can We Talk", Tevin Campbell 78. #37 "Funkdafied", Da Brat 79. #39 "Gangsta Lean", DRS 80. Vote 81. Top RnB Albums 82. Jan - Doggystyle , Snoop Doggy Dogg 83. Jan - Diary of a Mad Band, Jodeci 84. Feb - 12 Play, R. Kelly 85. Apr - Above the Rim, Soundtrack/Various artists 86. Jun - Nuttin' But Love, Heavy D & the Boyz 87. Jun - Above the Rim, Soundtrack/Various artists 88. Jun - Regulate...G Funk Era, Warren G 89. Jul - Get Up on It, Keith Sweat 90. Jul – Funkdafied, Da Brat 91. Aug - We Come Strapped, MC Eiht featuring Compton's Most Wanted 92. Sep - Changing Faces, Changing Faces 93. Sep – II, Boyz II Men 94. Oct - Rhythm of Love, Anita Baker 95. Oct - Jason's Lyric, Soundtrack/Various artists 96. Nov - Murder Was the Case, Soundtrack/Various artists 97. Nov - The Icon Is Love, Barry White 98. Dec – Tical, Method Man 99. Dec - Dare Iz a Darkside, Redman 100. Dec - My Life, Mary J. Blige 101. Dec - Miracles: The Holiday Album, Kenny G 102. Vote: 103. Music Scene: R. Kelly and Aaliyah 104. R. Kelly is an American singer-songwriter, often referred to as the King of R&B. 105. Robert Sylvester Kelly, better known as R. Kelly to his fans, is an American singer. He is one of the best-selling music artists in the United States and the most successful R&B male artist of the 1990s. A multi-faceted personality, Kelly is a singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, and former semi-professional basketball player. 106. R. Kelly was born on January 8, 1967, in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He and his three siblings were raised by their mother Joanne in the Baptist church, where she served as the lead singer of the choir. 107. The family lived in poverty and struggled to make ends meet. Kelly started singing as part of the church choir when he was eight. 108. He had a very difficult childhood as he was often sexually abused by a woman. In his 2012 autobiography ‘Soulacoaster,’ he had penned down his experience and the reason why he never told about his ordeal to anyone. When he was 11, he was shot in the shoulder while riding his bike home. 109. He had an untreated learning disability, which made it difficult for him to read and write. Eventually, he had to drop out of high school. 110. He studied at the ‘Kenwood Academy’ in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. He was an athletic young boy and played basketball for his high school team. However, his music teacher Lena McLin, who had recognized his musical talent, advised him to leave the sport and focus on music. 111. He was very close to his mother, who took him to church and clubs where she performed. She died of cancer in 1993. 112. Kelly gained recognition in 1989 when he, along with Marc McWilliams, Shawn Brooks, and Vincent Walker, participated in the TV show ‘Big Break,’ where he went on to win the $100,000 grand prize. 113. As a youngster, he formed the group ‘MGM’ (Musically Gifted Men) along with his friends Marc McWilliams, Vincent Walker, and Shawn Brooks. In 1990, ‘MGM’ recorded and released their first single, ‘Why You Wanna Play Me’ and disbanded shortly after. 114. In 1992, Kelly released his debut album ‘Born into the 90’s’ along with a musical group named ‘Public Announcement.’ The album produced several hit songs and was eventually certified platinum 115. Kelly's first solo album, ‘12 Play,’ was released in November 1993. 116. R. Kelly, 27, achieves mainstream success when his single “Bump n’ Grind”, released in January of 1994, hits number one on the Billboard 100. A month later, his protĂ©gĂ© Aliyah releases her debut album, Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number, which was almost entirely written and produced by him. 117. His self-titled album ‘R. Kelly’ was out in 1995. Featuring introspective lyrics and foot-tapping music, this album became a huge hit and spawned three number one singles – ‘You Remind Me of Something,’ ‘Down Low (Nobody Has to Know),’ and ‘I Can't Sleep (Baby If I). 118. Aaliyah Biography: Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born on January 16, 1979, in Brooklyn, New York, to Diane and Michael Haughton. She had one brother whom she was very close to. She was very family oriented and had close relations with her parents and grandmother. She was of African American descent. 119. Her mother was a vocalist and young Aaliyah began singing when she was a child, performing at weddings, charity events, and for church choir. Her uncle Barry Hankerson was married to recording artist Gladys Knight who played a major role in introducing Aaliyah to the show business. 120. She attended a Catholic school named ‘Gesu Elementary,’ where she was cast to play a role in a stage play titled ‘Annie.’ 121. With support from Gladys, Aaliyah auditioned for commercials and television programs, and also for several record labels. She started appearing in concerts alongside Gladys when she was 11. 122. Aaliyah signed with ‘Jive Records’ and her Uncle Barry Hankerson's ‘Blackground Records’ when she was just 12. Her debut album ‘Age Ain't Nothing but a Number,’ which was recorded when the singer was just 14, was released in 1994. 123. In its very first week, the album sold almost 74, 000 copies. Soon, it reached from 24th to the 18th position in ‘Billboard 200,’ eventually selling over three million copies in the United States, where it was certified double platinum by the ‘RIAA.’ 124. The tremendous success of the album catapulted Aaliyah to international stardom. During this time, rumors of her illegal marriage with her mentor and recording artist and producer R. Kelly began circulating. 125. In order to silence the rumors, Aaliyah left ‘Jive Records’ and signed a contract with ‘Atlantic Records,’ under which she released her second album ‘One in a Million’ in 1996. This album was also a major success. It peaked at No. 18 on the ‘Billboard 200,’ and sold over 3.7 million copies in the United States and over eight million copies worldwide. It was certified double platinum by the ‘RIAA.’ 126. Aaliyah, along with her crew, flew to the Bahamas on August 25, 2001, to shoot the music video of the song, ‘Rock the Boat.’ Completing the shoot early, the crew decided to return to Florida instead of waiting for the next day as per schedule. For their return, they boarded a small private airplane. 127. The plane was smaller than the one the crew had arrived in. However, the whole party and the equipment were accommodated on board, overloading the plane with a surplus of 320 kg and one excess passenger. The plane crashed soon after taking off, killing everyone on board. 128. Open Comments: 129. Controversies 130. Illegal marriage: According to Vibe and the Chicago Sun-Times, 27-year-old Kelly and 15-year-old protĂ©gĂ©e Aaliyah were illegally married in a secret ceremony on August 31, 1994, in Cook County.[126][127] Upon meeting Kelly and prior to the nuptials, Aaliyah admitted she had falsely stated she was 18. In a 2008 interview, Kelly's tour manager, Demetrius Smith, said that he facilitated the wedding by obtaining falsified identification for Aaliyah which listed her as 18 years of age. 131. He married Andrea, his former backup dancer, in 1996. The couple has three children. They divorced in 2009 after almost 13 years of marriage. 132. 1998, Kelly paid Tiffany Hawkins $250,000 after she claimed Kelly had induced her to have group sex with other teenage girls when she was 15 years old. 133. 2001: Sued by intern: Tracy Sampson sues R. Kelly, accusing him of inducing her "into an indecent sexual relationship" when she was 17 years old. The woman, a former intern at Epic Records, claimed she was "treated as his personal sex object and cast aside". "He often tried to control every aspect of my life including who I would see and where I would go," she said in her legal case against him. The case was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum, said the New York Post. 134. 2002: Two more court cases - Kelly is sued for a third time by Patrice Jones, a Chicago woman who claims he impregnated her when she was underage, and that she was forced to have an abortion. A woman named Montina Woods also sued Kelly, alleging that he videotaped them having sex without her knowledge. The recording was allegedly circulated on an R Kelly "sex tape" sold by bootleggers under the title R. Kelly Triple-X. The star settled both cases out of court, paying an undisclosed sum in return for a non-disclosure agreement. 135. 2017, Kelly was accused of forcing girls to stay in an ‘abusive cult.’ 136. 2018, the ‘Women of Color’ branch of the ‘Time's Up’ movement called for a boycott of Kelly's music and performances over the many allegations against him. The boycott was accompanied by a social media campaign called ‘Mute R. Kelly.’ 137. 2019, Kelly was taken back to the ‘Cook County Jail’ after failing to pay $161,633 in child support. On March 9, 2019, he was released after someone, who didn't want to be identified, paid off the child support. 138. 2019, Lifetime began airing a six-part documentary series, “Surviving R. Kelly”, detailing sexual abuse and misconduct allegations against Kelly. 139. Question: Why do we treat R Kelly different than Michael? 140. Movie Scene: Sam Jack Mutha F@#A 141. Samuel Leroy Jackson was born on December 21, 1948, in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee and was raised by his mother Elizabeth Jackson as his father lived away from the family and later passed away from alcoholism. He met his father only twice during his life. 142. He studied at a number of segregated schools and graduated from ‘Riverside High School’ in Chattanooga. During his time at school, he played the French horn and the trumpet in the school orchestra. He suffered from stuttering when he was a child. 143. He initially dreamt of pursuing a degree in marine biology at ‘Morehouse College’ in Atlanta, but soon switched degrees after he discovered the actor in him. He graduated from the institute in 1972 and at the same time, co-founded the theatre group, ‘Just Us Theatre.’ 144. After appearing in several plays, including ‘The Opera’ and ‘A Soldier’s Play,’ he made his motion picture debut in the blaxploitation film ‘Together for Days’ in 1972. Four years later, he appeared in the television series ‘i’ On.’ 145. He moved to New York City and spent the next several years appearing in stage plays, such as ‘The Piano Lesson’ and ‘Two Trains Running.’ In 1977, he appeared in the film ‘The Displaced Person.’ 146. It is believed that in his early years he was mentored by Morgan Freeman. Later on, in his career, he started doing noticeable roles in films like ‘School Daze’ and ‘Do the Right Thing,’ which released in 1988 and 1989, respectively. 147. In 1990, he appeared in ‘Goodfellas’ in a minor role and then worked as a substitute on ‘The Cosby Show’ for the next three years. 148. From 1990 to 1993, he worked in films like ‘Def by Temptation,’ ‘The Return of Superfly,’ ‘Strictly Business,’ ‘Jungle Fever,’ ‘Patriot Games,’ ‘True Romance,’ ‘Amos & Andrew,’ ‘Jurassic Park,’ and ‘Loaded Weapon 1.’ 149. In 1994, he played the critically acclaimed role of Jules Winnfield in the hit film ‘Pulp Fiction.’ Jackson became a world icon after the release and subsequent success of the movie. It was later revealed that director Quentin Tarantino specifically wanted him for the role. 150. Open Comments: 151. Question: Is Sam better than Denzel? 152. TV Scene: The Death of Black TV 153. Cancelled in 1994: Jan - The Les Brown Show, Feb – Thea, The Sinbad Show, May – Roc, In Living Color, and The Arsenio Hall Show 154. Article #1: A TELEVISION TREND: AUDIENCES IN BLACK AND WHITE by Paul Farhi November 29, 1994 155. All across the country tonight, millions of households will tune to ABC's "Home Improvement." In a typical week, the situation comedy about the host of a household fix-it show is the most-watched program on the air. Yet one group of viewers is decidedly sparse among the masses of "Home Improvement" fans. In African American households, the program barely makes the top 30. Other big network hits are even less popular: "Seinfeld" and "Frasier" don't even crack the top 90 
The top show for black audiences this season: "Living Single," a Fox sitcom that ranks 69th among all audiences.” 156. Article #2: Let’s rewind a bit. In the mid-'80s, when there wasn't a whole lot of programming aimed specifically at black folks, black and white viewers watched mostly the same shows — 15 of the top 20 most-watched shows for black audiences in the 1985-96 season were also in white viewers' top 20. But by the next decade, everything had changed. While the then-Big Three had a handful of shows with black casts in the mid-1990s like Family Matters and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, it was the upstart networks like Fox and later UPN and the WB (Both launched in Jan 1995) that seriously doubled down on black viewers in a bid to become commercially viable as quickly as possible. The result was a kind of alternate TV universe where you could find black folks on-screen seemingly every night of the week — In Living Color; Roc; Sister, Sister; Moesha; In The House; The Jamie Foxx Show; Malcolm & Eddie. (Alas, Latinos and Asian-American folks were then, as now, mostly absent from lead roles on network TV, even on th e smaller "netlets.") 157. Lots of these shows had big, devoted black followings. While huge swaths of America yearned for Ross and Rachel to get together, my high school classmates and I geeked over the fact that an episode of Fox's New York Undercover played "Flava In Ya Ear" over the cold open
 Fox's 1994-95 Thursday night lineup — Martin at 8 p.m., Living Single at 8:30 and New York Undercover at 9 — were the three highest-rated shows among black TV viewers that season. But among white viewers, none of those three shows even cracked the top 100. By the end of the 1990s, Fox switched its focus from black audiences to go after young male viewers, a demographic that they felt was more desirable to advertisers.” 158. By 2008, the viewing habits of black viewers and white viewers were converging once more. With few "black shows" on broadcast TV, everyone was watching American Idol, Dancing With the Stars or CSI. Black folks who wanted to watch black folks on TV had to go to cable, and so they did. - https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/04/01/395777889/this-isnt-the-first-time-network-tv-discovered-black-people 159. Question: Do we need “Black” TV? 160. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1994?
  • Topics: WTC Bombing, Urban Fashion, Dr. Dre, Menace II Society, Living Single (Bonus Artist: Luck)

    http://afropopremix.com/

    https://www.vibe.com/2016/01/1993-the-year-hip-hop-and-rb-conquered-the-world

    "1993: The Year Hip-Hop And R&B Conquered The World"

    1993 was a historically transformative period for hip-hop and rhythm and blues. When VIBE Magazine dropped its iconic black and white debut issue in September of 1993—featuring a ridiculously fresh faced Snoop Doggy Dogg gracing the landmark cover—it was yet another reminder how ubiquitous urban culture had become.

    1993: Hip Hop Artist that released albums
    A Tribe Called Quest / Bone Thugs-n-Harmony / Cypress Hill / De La Soul / Digable Planets / Digital Underground / DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince / Eazy-E / Fat Joe / Geto Boys / Heavy D & the Boyz / Ice Cube / Ice-T / Insane Clown Posse / Jodeci / Jungle Brothers / Kid Rock / Kris Kross / KRS-One / LL Cool J / Luke / MC Lyte / Naughty by Nature / Onyx / Queen Latifah / Run-D.M.C. / Salt-n-Pepa / Shaquille O'Neal / Snoop Dogg / Tag Team / The Roots / Too Short / Tupac / Wu-Tang Clan / Yo-Yo



    Next recording: Sunday June, 28th 2020

    Time:
    Decatur / Tulsa - 12 noon
    Denver - 11a
    California - 10a

    Topics:
    Social - World Trade Center bombing
    Social - Urban fashion

    Music - The Chronic, by Dr. Dre
    Movies - Menace II Society
    TV - Living Single


    1. 1993 notes

    2. Bill Clinton, President

    3. Feb – Former tennis player Arthur Ashe, 49, dies of the AIDS virus in New York. Ashe was believed to have contracted the virus from a blood transfusion during a heart surgery ten years earlier.

    4. Feb – World Trade Center bombing: In New York City, a van bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center explodes, killing six and injuring over 1,000.

    5. Feb – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, with a warrant to arrest leader David Koresh on federal firearms violations. Four agents and five Davidians die in the raid and a 51-day standoff begins.

    6. Mar - ESPN holds the first ever ESPY Awards.

    7. Apr – The Kuwaiti government claims to uncover an Iraqi assassination plot against former U.S. President George H. W. Bush shortly after his visit to Kuwait. Two Iraqi nationals confess to driving a car bomb into Kuwait on behalf of the Iraqi Intelligence Service.

    8. Apr - Colorado Rockies becomes a baseball team

    9. Jun - The final episode of Soul Train with Don Cornelius as host airs.

    10. Jul – U.S. President Bill Clinton announces his 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy regarding homosexuals serving in the American military.

    11. Sep – PLO leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin shake hands in Washington D.C., after signing a peace accord.

    12. Oct – A large scale battle erupts between U.S. forces and local militia in Mogadishu, Somalia; eighteen Americans and over 1,000 Somalis are killed. The assault was planned to include an air and ground phase. As the mission was ongoing, Somali forces shot down two American Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters using RPG-7s. A desperate defense of the downed helicopters began, which would become dramatized in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down. Fighting lasted through the night to defend the survivors of the crashes, including the insertion of two sniper commandos who would be posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. In the morning, a UNOSOM II armored convoy fought their way to the helicopters, incurring further casualties but eventually rescuing the survivors.

    13. Nov – President Clinton signs the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act into law, requiring purchasers of handguns to pass a background check.

    14. Open Comments:

    15. Top 3 Pop Songs

    16. #1. "I Will Always Love You" Whitney Houston

    17. #2. "Whoomp! (There It Is)" Tag Team

    18. #3. "Can't Help Falling in Love" UB40

    19. Record of the Year: "I Will Always Love You", Whitney Houston

    20. Album of the Year: The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album

    21. Song of the Year: "A Whole New World" by Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle

    22. Best New Artist: Toni Braxton

    23. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Toni Braxton for "Another Sad Love Song"

    24. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Ray Charles for "A Song for You"

    25. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: Sade for "No Ordinary Love"

    26. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "That's the Way Love Goes" by Janet Jackson

    27. Best Rap Solo Performance: Dr. Dre for "Let Me Ride"

    28. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: Digable Planets for "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)"

    29. Top 3 movies

    30. #1. Jurassic Park

    31. #2. Mrs. Doubtfire

    32. #3. The Fugitive

    33. Notables: CB4, Groundhog Day, The Crying Game, Falling Down, Indecent Proposal, Who's the Man?, Sleepless in Seattle, Poetic Justice, Carlito's Way, A Bronx Tale

    34. Top 3 TV Shows

    35. #1. 60 Minutes

    36. #2. Home Improvement

    37. #3. Seinfeld

    38. Debuts: Living Single (Forgot to Mention "Martin" debut for 1992)

    39. Economic Snapshots

    40. Avg. Income: 31k (30k - previously)

    41. New Home: 113k (122.5k)

    42. Avg Rent: 532 (519)

    43. New Car: 12.7k (16.9k)

    44. Harvard: 23.5k (15.4k)

    45. Movie Ticket: 4.14 (4.25)

    46. Gas: 1.16 1.05 (1.05)

    47. Stamp: .29 (.29)

    48. Social Scene: WTC Bombing

    49. A 1,200-pound bomb in a Ryder rental truck parked in a parking garage beneath the World Trade Center exploded. The explosion created a hole about 6 stories deep. An estimated 50,000 people were evacuated, yet only 6 people died.

    50. Ramzi Yousef directed the organization and execution of the bombing. He said he did it to avenge the sufferings Palestinian people had endured at the hands of US-aided Israel. He is the nephew of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed - the accused mastermind of the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington that killed nearly 3,000 people and ultimately brought down the World Trade Center.

    51. Timeline

    52. February 26, 1993 - At 12:18 p.m. ET, a bomb explodes on the second subterranean level of Vista Hotel's public parking garage, below the 2 World Trade Center building.

    53. February 28, 1993 - The FBI confirms that a bomb caused the explosion. In the wreckage, federal agents find shattered van parts with a vehicle identification number.

    54. March 4, 1993 - Mohammad Salameh is arrested after he claims a refund on a rented van authorities believe carried the explosives. 6 More arrested over next 8 months.

    55. March 29, 1993 - The World Trade Center re-opens.

    56. August 25, 1993 - Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman (The Blind Sheik) an Egyptian cleric who emigrated to the United States, is indicted for involvement for in the terrorist plot. Some of the 1993 bombing suspects frequented the New Jersey mosque where he preached.

    57. February 7, 1995 - Suspected WTC bombing mastermind Yousef is captured abroad by the FBI and State Department.

    58. October 1995 - Abdel-Rahman is convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison.

    59. January 8, 1998 - After being convicted, Yousef is sentenced to 240 years in prison for his role in organizing the bombing. "I am a terrorist and proud of it," he tells the court. He has been locked away in solitary confinement at the federal "Supermax" prison in Florence, Colorado, since 1998.

    60. February 18, 2017 - Abdel-Rahman, the blind Egyptian-born cleric who inspired terrorist plots including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, passes away in an American prison at the age of 78.

    61. Question: What do you remember about this attack and/or the 9/11 attack?

    62. Social Scene (2) Urban Wear / Street gear explosion

    63. First generation of hip-hop acts dressed like the top RnB acts that influenced them: Classic Motown, Rick James, Michael Jackson, Prince, George Clinton, etc...

    64. 1983: Run-DMC set a new standard in hip-hop fashion, choosing casual wear like adidas sneakers and Kangol hats over suits, fancy shoes and other expensive gear. They popularized, the B-Boy look of bucket hats, sneakers, and gold chains.

    65. Mid 80's Dapper Dan, born Daniel Day, a haberdasher who would import bootlegged fabrics or screen-print logos onto luxury leather, then turn them into one-of-a-kind, street-inflected pieces. His boutique, operated from 1982–92 and is most associated with introducing high fashion (opposite Run-DMC's casual style) to the hip hop world, with high profile clients over the years including Eric B. & Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, & LL Cool J.

    66. 1984-1992: Tommy Hilfiger & Polo Ralph Lauren: Between 1984 and 1989, Ralph Lauren was king of the hip-hop culture. When Tommy Hilfiger was released in the early 1990s, both brands battled each other for the hearts of musicians and the attention of hip-hop fans around the world. In 1992, Grand Puba wrote lyrics for the Mary J. Blige’s song “What’s the 411?” and mentioned Hilfiger because that’s what he was repping at the time. Puba said he gave a shout-out to the brand because rap artists recognized “whatever’s fresh, whatever’s dope.”

    67. 1990: Founded in 1989, Cross Colours was geared toward young African Americans to help promote pride in their ethnicity. Based on the principle of “clothes without prejudice,” Cross Colours is one of the most iconic brands to embrace hip-hop culture. In 1990, on the first season of the hit primetime television show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, lead actor Will Smith wore a series of boldly hued and geometric looks designed by the young Los Angeles–based urban apparel line. African American-owned, founded by Carl Jones and T.J. Walker, the brand quickly skyrocketed. Soon, it was being worn by almost every musical icon of the era. Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Run DMC, Dr. Dre, Lil Kim, Mary J. Blige, members of TLC, television show In Living Color, and Muhammad Ali.

    68. 1993: With the mainstream success of hip-hop, street gear/urban wear sales exploded and legitimized "Urban" fashion as a legitimate niche for major retail outlets.

    69. Notable brands: Pelle (1978), Karl Kani (1989), Phat Farm (1992), PNB Nation (1992), Fubu (1992), Ecko Unlimited (1993), Mecca (1994), Enyce (1996), Sean John (1998), Rocawear (1999)

    70. Question: What old-school gear/style would you still rock today?

    71. Music Scene:

    72. Black Songs from the top 40

    73. #1. "I Will Always Love You" Whitney Houston

    74. #2. "Whoomp! (There It Is)" Tag Team

    75. #4. "That's the Way Love Goes" Janet Jackson

    76. #5. "Freak Me" Silk

    77. #6. "Weak" SWV

    78. #7."If I Ever Fall in Love" Shai

    79. #8. "Dreamlover" Mariah Carey

    80. #9. "Rump Shaker" Wreckx-n-Effect

    81. #10. "Informer" Snow

    82. #11. "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" Dr. Dre

    83. #12. "In the Still of the Nite" Boyz II Men

    84. #13. "Don't Walk Away" Jade

    85. #14. "Knockin' da Boots" H-Town

    86. #15. "Lately" Jodeci

    87. #16. "Dazzey Duks" Duice

    88. #17. "Show Me Love" Robin S.

    89. #18. "A Whole New World" Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle

    90. #19. "If" Janet Jackson

    91. #20. "I'm So Into You" SWV

    92. #21."Love Is" Vanessa Williams and Brian McKnight

    93. #23. "I'll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me)" Exposé

    94. #24. "Ditty" Paperboy

    95. #25. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" Snap!

    96. #29. "Right Here" SWV

    97. #30. "I Have Nothing" Whitney Houston

    98. #31. "Mr. Wendal" Arrested Development

    99. #33. "Saving Forever for You" Shanice

    100. #35. "If I Had No Loot" Tony! Toni! Toné!

    101. #37. "Slam" Onyx

    102. #38. "Looking Through Patient Eyes" P.M. Dawn

    103. #39. "I'm Every Woman" Whitney Houston

    104. #40. "Baby I'm Yours" Shai

    105. Vote:

    106. Number One RnB Albums

    107. Jan The Bodyguard - Soundtrack / Whitney Houston

    108. Feb The Chronic - Dr. Dre

    109. Mar 19 Naughty III - Naughty by Nature

    110. Mar Till Death Do Us Part - Geto Boys

    111. Apr Loose Control - Silk

    112. Apr 14 Shots to the Dome - LL Cool J

    113. May Down with the King - Run-D.M.C.

    114. May Fever for Da Flavor - H-Town

    115. Jun janet. - Janet Jackson

    116. June 26 Menace II Society - Soundtrack / Various artists

    117. Aug Black Sunday - Cypress Hill

    118. Sep The World Is Yours - Scarface

    119. Sep Music Box - Mariah Carey

    120. Oct Toni Braxton - Toni Braxton

    121. Oct 187, He Wrote - Spice 1

    122. Nov It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa - Eazy-E

    123. Nov Get in Where You Fit In - Too Short

    124. Nov Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest

    125. Dec Shock of the Hour - MC Ren

    126. Dec Doggystyle - Snoop Doggy Dogg

    127. Dec Lethal Injection - Ice Cube

    128. Vote:

    129. Music Scene: The Chronic by Dr. Dre, (@age 28 yrs. old)

    130. Bio: Dr Dre (Andre Romelle Young) is an American rapper, producer and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Aftermath Entertainment.

    131. His initial stint with music was as a DJ in the local club, The Eve After Dark. It was during this time that he took up the moniker Dr Dre that has lived with him all through. In 1984, Dre began his musical career as a member of the musical group, World Class Weckin’ Cru. The group soon dominated the electro-hop scene in the West Coast with their first single, ‘Surgery’ selling more than 50,000 copies within Compton alone. In 1986, he along with Eazy-E, Ice Cube and DJ Yella formed the local gangsta rap group N.W.A. (Niggaz for Life). N.W.A worked on the themes of urban crime and gang lifestyle. Their lyrics were harsh and overt, and brought to mainstream America the slice of ‘real’ life on streets. N.W.A’s debutant studio album, ‘Straight Outta Compton’ met with blockbuster success, selling more than 2 million copies. Its single, ‘Fuck Tha Police’ explored the tension between black youth and police officials. In 1991, the group released its second album, ‘Efil4zaggin’ before disbanding. In 1991, he co-founded Death Row Records with Sue Knight. In 1992, he released his first single, which served as the title track for the film ‘Deep Cover’. The single featured the debut of rapper Snoop Dogg as well.

    132. In 1993, Dre made the big leap of his career with his maiden album, ‘The Chronic’. Its singles, ‘Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang’, ‘Let Me Ride’, ‘Fuck with Dre Day’ created a revolution in the music industry, making the album a cultural phenomenon. The album with its G-funk sound dominated the hip hop music for the early 1990s.Following success as a rapper, he switched to being a producer. He produced Snoop Dogg’s debut album, ‘Doggystyle’, Tupac Shakur’s work, ‘All Eyez on Me’ and several film songs.
    133. In 1996, following contractual dispute, he left Death Row Records for good. Same year, he set up his own label, Aftermath Entertainment in connection with Interscope Records.

    134. Audio clip 1 - Review

    135. Audio clip 2 - Jimmy Iovine

    136. Question: Are you tired of Ganster Rap? If so, when and why?

    137. Movie Scene: Menace II Society

    138. Audio Clip Trailer

    139. Firmly established "Hood" films as commercially viable, just like fashion.

    140. Question: which of the following is your favorite "hood" film?

    141. Colors, 1988 / King Of New York, 1990 / Boyz N The Hood, 1991 / Juice, 1992 / New Jack City, 1992 / South Central, 1992 / Deep Cover 1992 / Menace II Society, 1993 / Poetic Justice, 1993 / Sugar Hill, 1993 / Strapped, 1993 / CB4*, 1993

    142. Soon to come: Fresh (1994) / Above the Rim (1994) / Friday (1995) / Higher Learning (1995) / New Jersey Drive (1995) / Set It Off (1996) / Dead Presidents (1995) / Hoodlum (1997) / The Players Club (1998) / Belly (1998) / In Too Deep (1999)

    143. TV Scene: Living Single, starring Queen Latifah (@ 23 yrs. old)

    144. Audio clip Theme song

    145. Queen Latifah is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, record producer and talk show host

    146. Dana Elaine Owens was born on 18th March 1970 in Newark, New Jersey, to Lance and Rita Owens. Her father was in police services. Her parents got divorced when she was eight. She was raised by her mother in Baptist faith. Her mother played a catalyst role in her music career. She had an older brother, Lance Owens, who also worked in police service. He died in a motorbike accident in 1992. This motorbike was presented to him by Latifah. She attended Catholic School in Newark, New Jersey. During her high school days, she was part of girls’ basketball team. She began rapping during high school. She formed her first rap group ‘Ladies Fresh’ when she was in junior year. She met local DJ Mark James. He formed a group named ‘Flavor Unit’ of which Latifah was the original member. James made a demo record of Latifah's rap ‘Princess of the Posse’. This recording caught attention of ‘Tommy Boy Music’ who immediately signed Latifah. In 1988, this music company offered her first single, ‘Wrath of My Madness’. The song got a positive response and she got an opportunity of a European tour and to perform at the ‘Apollo Theater’. In 1989, when she was just 19 years old, Latifah released her first album, ‘All Hail to the Queen’, which went on to sell more than 1 million copies.

    147. Queen invested her money in a small video store on the ground floor of her apartment. She elevated this business to turn it into a record production company. In 1991, when she was just 21 years old, she rolled out ‘Flavor Unit Records and Management Company’ in New Jersey in partnership with her old friend Shakim Compere. She became the CEO of this company. In the same year, she also tried her hands at acting. She debuted in inter-racial romance drama ‘Jungle Fever’. In 1992, she appeared in crime thriller ‘Juice’.

    148. Soon she grabbed a leading role in the groundbreaking a sitcom ‘Living Single’.

    149. By late 1993, her record company signed 17 rap groups. One of these groups, ‘Naughty by nature’, was extraordinarily successful. In the same year, this company released, album ‘Black Reign’.

    150. audio clip - Friends vs Living Single

    151. Question: Did Friends have any character that was better than Living Single?

    152. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1993?
  • Topics: L.A. Riots, Mary J. Blige, White Men Can't Jump, Def Comdey Jam (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)


    1992 Snapshots

    1. President: George H. W. Bush

    2. Feb - In Indianapolis, Indiana, boxer Mike Tyson is convicted of raping Desiree Washington.

    3. Mar - H. Ross Perot announces that he will run for U.S. President.

    4. Apr - Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted of the murder of mob boss Paul Castellano and of racketeering, and is later sentenced to life in prison.

    5. Apr - Former tennis player Arthur Ashe, 48, announces that he is suffering from the AIDS virus, which he is believed to have contracted from a blood transfusion during heart surgery in 1983.

    6. Apr - In Simi Valley, California, a jury acquits four LAPD police officers accused of excessive force in the videotaped beating of black motorist Rodney King, causing the 1992 Los Angeles riots and leading to 53 deaths and $1 billion in damage.

    7. May - After 30 years, Johnny Carson retires as host of NBC's The Tonight Show.

    8. Jun - During a spelling bee at a Trenton, New Jersey elementary school, U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle erroneously corrects a student's spelling of the word potato, indicating it should have an e at the end.

    9. Jul - 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Spain

    10. Oct - The video game Mortal Kombat is released.

    11. Nov - Governor Bill Clinton of Arkansas defeats incumbent President George H. W. Bush and businessman H. Ross Perot in the US presidential election. ["It's the economy, stupid"/ "I didn't inhale."]

    12. Dec - Hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre releases his solo debut studio album The Chronic.

    13. Top 3 Pop Songs

    14. #1 - End of the Road", Boyz II Men

    15. #2 - "Baby Got Back", Sir Mix-a-Lot

    16. #3 - ‘Jump", Kris Kross

    17. Record of the Year - Eric Clapton for "Tears in Heaven"

    18. Album of the Year - Eric Clapton for Unplugged

    19. Song of the Year - Eric Clapton "Tears in Heaven"

    20. Best New Artist - Arrested Development

    21. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Chaka Khan for The Woman I Am

    22. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male - Al Jarreau for Heaven and Earth

    23. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Boyz II Men for "End of the
    24. Road"

    25. Best Rap Solo Performance - Sir Mix-a-Lot for Baby Got Back

    26. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group - Arrested Development for Tennessee

    27. #1 - Aladdin

    28. #2 - The Bodyguard

    29. #3 - Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

    30. Notables: Juice, American Me, Basic Instinct, Deep Cover, Sister Act, A league of Their Own, Mo' Money, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Mighty Ducks, Reservoir Dogs, Malcolm X, The Bodyguard, A Few Good Men, Toys, White Men Can't Jump

    31. Top 3Tv Shows

    32. #1 60 Minutes

    33. #2 - Roseanne

    34. #3 - Home Improvement

    35. Debuts: Hanging with Mr. Cooper and Def Comedy Jam

    36. Economic Snapshots

    37. Avg. Income: 30k (29.9k - previously)

    38. New Home: 122.5 (120k)

    39. Avg Rent: 519 (495)

    40. New Car: 16.9k (16.8k)

    41. Harvard: 15.4 (14.5k)

    42. Movie Ticket: 4.25 (4.25)

    43. Gas: 1.05 (1.12)

    44. Stamp: .29 (.25)

    45. Social Scene: LA Riots

    46. Audio Clip

    47. Open Comments

    48. Question: Do riots actually serve a meaningful purpose? What would you tell your kids if
    49. they were in a riot? (On either side)

    50. Music Scene

    51. Top Black Songs from the top 40

    52. #1. "End of the Road". Boyz II Men

    53. #2. "Baby Got Back". Sir Mix-a-Lot

    54. #3. "Jump". Kris Kross

    55. #4. "Save the Best for Last". Vanessa Williams

    56. #5. "Baby-Baby-Baby". TLC

    57. #7. "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)". En Vogue

    58. #9. "All 4 Love". Color Me Badd

    59. #10. "Just Another Day". Jon Secada

    60. #11. "I Love Your Smile". Shanice

    61. #14. "Black or White". Michael Jackson

    62. #16. "I'll Be There". Mariah Carey

    63. #19. "Remember the Time". Michael Jackson

    64. #20. "Finally". CeCe Peniston

    65. #23. "Can't Let Go". Mariah Carey

    66. #24. "Jump Around". House of Pain

    67. #25. "Diamonds and Pearls". Prince and The New Power Generation

    68. #27. "Masterpiece". Atlantic Starr

    69. #29. "Giving Him Something He Can Feel". En Vogue

    70. #31. "Come and Talk to Me". Jodeci

    71. #33. "Humpin' Around". Bobby Brown

    72. #35. "Tell Me What You Want Me to Do". Tevin Campbell

    73. #36. "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg". TLC

    74. #37. "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday". Boyz II Men

    75. #38. "Move This". Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K

    76. #40. "Tennessee". Arrested Development

    77. #41. "The Best Things in Life Are Free". Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson

    78. #42. "Make It Happen". Mariah Carey

    79. #44. "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss". P.M. Dawn

    80. #46. "2 Legit 2 Quit". Hammer

    81. #47. "Please Don't Go". KWS

    82. #48. "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)". Mint Condition

    83. Vote:

    84. Top RnB Albums

    85. Jan - Dangerous, Michael Jackson

    86. Feb - Keep It Comin', Keith Sweat

    87. Apr - Private Line, Gerald Levert

    88. May - The Comfort Zone, Vanessa Williams

    89. May - Funky Divas, En Vogue

    90. May - Totally Krossed Out, Kris Kross

    91. Jun - Dead Serious, Das EFX

    92. Oct - What's the 411?, Mary J. Blige

    93. Nov - Bobby, Bobby Brown

    94. Dec - The Predator, Ice Cube

    95. Vote:

    96. Featured Artist: Mary J. Blige

    97. Audio:

    98. Open Comments

    99. Movie Scene: White Men Can't Jump

    100. Audio Clip

    101. Open Comments

    102. Question: Why do Black people LOVE basketball?

    103. TV Scene: Def Comedy Jam

    104. According to Russel Simmions, In his book "Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money + God" The inspiration for Def COmedey Jam was a club on Crenshaw Blvd in L.A. called the Comedy Act Theater. Robin Harris hosted performances there, and he already had a serious underground buzz, from House PArty and Do the Right Thing. At the same time, everywhere Russell traveled, the "Black Comedy" nights were hot, and Russel was always looking for stuff that was "hot" with his hip-hop customer base.

    105. In 1989, he eventually hooked up with Hollywood power player Stan Lathan (Sanford & Son, Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice, Remington Steele ,Cagney & Lacey, Frank's Place, Roc and the 1984 classic feature film Beat Street) and they began creating Def Comedy Jam.

    106. The original run of Def Comedy Jam ran from July 1, 1992 to January 1, 1997. In the fall of 2006 it returned to HBO. Many comedians had their careers launched by the huge success of this series!

    107. Robin Harris was going to be the original host, but he died in 1990. Eddie Murphy was a big supporter of Martin Lawrence to replace Harris.

    108. The show caught major criticism for using excessive foul language and a “supposed” negative representation of African Americans. Bill Cosby and Sidney Potier were major critics.

    109. Def Comedy Jam, went on to become the longest running HBO series ever, launched the careers of several A-List comedians today.

    110. 1992 Alumni:

    111. Chris Tucker, Martin Lawrence, Steve Harvey, Bernie Mac, Bill Bellamy, DL Hughley, Adele Givens, Cedric the Entertainer, Dave Chapelle, Eddie Griffin, Joe Torry, Michael Colyar, and Ricky Harris Jr.

    112. Open Comments

    113. Question: Favorite bit/comedian?

    114. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1992?

  • Questions:

    1. Scared yet: CV19 what we know

    2. Health: How you be? personally, family, and friends

    3. Quarantine life: stir crazy yet? How is technology helping? What’s up with Work/Exercise/Entertainment/Education?

    4. Government response: local state federal

    5. Future behavior: keep social distancing, hand washing, gloves masks wipes

    (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

  • Topics: Rodney King, Boyz II Men / Jodeci, Boyz In the Hood, Roc - Sitcom (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)


    1991 General Snapshots

    1. President: George H. W. Bush

    2. January - Gulf War: The Congress of the United States passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to liberate Kuwait. 5 days later, Operation Desert Storm begins with airstrikes against Iraq.

    3. January - Whitney Houstondelivers her now legendary rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner"

    4. February - Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated".

    5. February - Tim Meadows and Adam Sandler join the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live.

    6. March - An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles, California police officers.

    7. July - Boxer Mike Tyson is arrested and charged with raping Miss Black America contestant Desiree Washington in Indianapolis, Indiana.

    8. July - Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is arrested after the remains of eleven men and boys are found in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin apartment. Police soon find out that he is involved in six more murders.

    9. August - Nickelodeon introduces its series of Nicktoons, with Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show the first three to air.

    10. August - The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is first released in the United States.

    11. October - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews both Supreme Court candidate Clarence Thomas and former aide Anita Hill, who alleges that Thomas sexually harassed her while she worked for him.

    12. October - Jennifer Lopez joins the cast as one of the Fly Girls on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (she would leave the show after the next season). Other cast additions include future Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx.

    13. November - Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson announces that he has HIV, effectively ending his NBA career.

    14. November - Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies from AIDS at 45 years old, one day after making his diagnosis public.

    15. December - The Cold War ends as President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev resigns and the Soviet Union dissolves.

    16. Open Comments

    17. Top 3 Pop Songs

    18. #1 - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", Bryan Adams

    19. #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd

    20. #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory

    21. Record of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole

    22. Album of the Year: Unforgettable... with Love performed by Natalie Cole

    23. Song of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole

    24. Best New Artist: Marc Cohn

    25. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Lisa Fischer for "How Can I Ease the Pain" & Patti LaBelle for "Burnin'"

    26. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Luther Vandross for Power of Love

    27. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "Cooleyhighharmony"

    28. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "Power of Love/Love Power" performed by Luther Vandross

    29. Best Rap Solo Performance: LL Cool J for "Mama Said Knock You Out"

    30. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Summertime"

    31. Top 3 Movies

    32. #1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

    33. #2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

    34. #3. Beauty and the Beast

    35. Notables: The Silence of the Lambs, New Jack City, The Five Heartbeats, A Rage in Harlem, Thelma & Louise, Jungle Fever, Point Break, and House Party 2

    36. Top 3 TV Shows

    37. #1 60 Minutes

    38. #2 Roseanne

    39. #3 Murphy Brown

    40. Mea Culpa: Family Matters originated 9/22/1989 on ABC

    41. Notables: The Party Machine with Nia Peeples, The Jerry Springer Show, The Montel Williams Show, Hammerman, & Roc.

    42. Economic Snapshots

    43. Avg. Income: 29.9k (29K)

    44. New Home: 120k (previously 123K)

    45. Avg Rent: 495 (465)

    46. New Car: 16.8k (16K)

    47. Harvard: 14.5k (13.5k)

    48. Movie Ticket: 4.25 (3.50)

    49. Gas: 1.12 (1.34)

    50. Stamp: .25 (.25)

    51. Social Scene: Police Beating of Rodney King

    52. Early Life: Rodney King (@ 26 yrs. old), born in Sacramento, CA, was an American taxi driver who is best known for the 1991 police beatings and the 1992 riots as a result of the officers’ trial.

    53. Prior Record: In 1987, he pleaded no contest to a charge of battery. In 1989, King was imprisoned for robbery after robbing a store; he served one year of a two-year sentence.

    54. 1991 Arrest: Rodney King attempted to outrun a police patrol car in March 1991. King had been drinking and feared he would be over the limit, driving under the influence charge would have seen King return to jail. King refused to pull over for the police and a high-speed chase ensued. Eventually, King was cornered, and he and the other occupants of the car were ordered to leave the vehicle and lie face down on the ground. King refused and was forcibly removed from the car. While on the ground the police beat and abused the three men. The Los Angeles Police Department then arrived on the scene; the original officers on the scene had been highway patrol. Rodney King resisted arrest and was tasered. King was then viciously beaten repeatedly while on the ground by police wielding batons. King continually attempted to stand up only to be met with a further hail of baton blows from the four police officers. King suffered from thirty-three baton blows and six kicks before having his arms and legs cuffed. Eight officers were involved in his arrest. George Halliday, a man who lived near the sight of the arrest, had filmed the arrest from the time that King was tasered. Halliday contacted the LAPD about his videotape, but the police department showed no interest in the footage. Halliday next presented the footage to a local TV station which aired the footage. It caused a sensation across the media. The footage made Rodney King’s arrest a lightning rod for a more comprehensive discussion about police brutality against minorities.

    55. Legal Proceedings: Rodney King had suffered facial fractures, lacerations and a broken ankle from his arrest. The city awarded King damages amounting to 3.8 million dollars as well as covering his legal costs which totaled to close to two million dollars. He was also not charged with drink driving or evading arrest due to the time between the incident and the start of legal proceedings. Four LAPD officers were charged with using excessive force. The legal case against the officers was mired in controversy from the start as the initial judge, Bernard Kamins was removed, and the trial received a change of venue. Warren Christopher also began a commission to investigate accusations of police discrimination. Three of the officers charged were acquitted, and the fourth faced a no verdict. The court’s decision shocked the nation. The mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, and the President of the United States of America, George Bush, both declared they could not understand the verdict and condemned the officers involved. Many African Americans considered the trial a whitewash and were incensed. Following the 1992 Riots, the officers were tried in a federal court, and two were found guilty and sentenced to thirty months in prison.

    56. Rodney King Riots: Following the court's verdict and the release of the officers, widespread civil unrest erupted in North America. The worst of the rioting was confined to LA, but Las Vegas, San Francisco, Atlanta and even Toronto in Canada experienced violence. The 1992 LA Riots became known as the Rodney King Riots due to their link to the court case. King appeared on TV during the riots to appeal for calm. Before the verdict was announced the police, force had been expecting trouble, money for overtime and a delay in the reading of the verdict were granted to give police time to prepare. Rioting started at a liquor store in Normandie. LAPD officers attempted to make an arrest a hostile crowd surrounded them and forced them to retreat. TV coverage of the violence encouraged more people to take to the streets, and the police communications proved wholly inadequate to deal with the spread of the violence. The rioters began destroying property and attacking people going about their business. Over a thousand firearms were looted, and some fires were started as night set in. The riots spread throughout the city and emergency workers came under gunfire as they attempted to tackle the fires and help the wounded. A curfew was declared, and the National Guard began deploying. Despite this the second day of looting and arson took place. Rioting spread to Hollywood, Inglewood, Long Beach and Compton. Police was criticized for focusing their attention on defending the wealthier areas of LA such as Beverley Hills. Other minority neighborhoods were forced to form militias to protect their property. Korean shopkeepers were involved in a shoot-out with rioters in Koreatown. On the third day of rioting, the Federal government took direct control of all military in the area and began overseeing the response to the riots. Troops and police officers from other regions of California started pouring into the city. On the fourth day, over thirteen thousand soldiers were deployed on the streets of LA, and the rioting was slowly quelled. The riot was spread over six days, but troops remained in the area for weeks afterward. Fifty-five people died during the riots and over two thousand hospitalized. A billion dollars’ worth of damage had been done; the worst affected were the Korean community. Eleven thousand people were arrested during the rioting, but because of the sheer volume of prisoners, police were unable to prosecute the majority.

    57. King After the Riots: Rodney King continued to have run-ins with the law and was sometimes arrested after the 1992 Riots. In 2007, King was shot in an attempted robbery. King appeared in a reality TV show, Sober House, which covered celebrities in rehab. 2012 saw King publish his memoirs, The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption. Rodney King fathered a daughter with Carmen Simpson when they were both teenagers. In 1985, he married Daneta Lyles, and they had a daughter together. The pair divorced in 1988. King then married Crystal Waters, with whom he also had a daughter. They divorced in 1996. King had been arrested for assaulting both his wives. In 2010, King began living with Cynthia Kelly, and it was she who found him in the swimming pool on 17 June 2012. King was pronounced dead by medical staff, and plenty of drugs and alcohol were found in his system.

    58. The King beating began a wave of reforms for the Los Angeles Police Department, including tighter rules on when officers can use force, more minority officers, and stricter term limits for police chiefs.

    59. Question: What is the lesson to be learned?

    60. Question: What do we teach the children about dealing with cops?

    61. Top Black Songs from the top 40

    62. #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd

    63. #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory

    64. #4 - "Rush Rush", Paula Abdul

    65. #8 - "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)", Hi-Five

    66. #9 - "The First Time", Surface

    67. #11 - "Motownphilly", Boyz II Men

    68. #12 - "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)", Stevie B

    69. #13 - "Someday", Mariah Carey

    70. #16 - "All the Man That I Need", Whitney Houston

    71. #18 - "I Adore Mi Amor" , Color Me Badd

    72. #19 - "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", Janet Jackson

    73. #20 - "Good Vibrations", Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

    74. #21 - "Justify My Love", Madonna

    75. #22 - "Emotions", Mariah Carey

    76. #24 - "Romantic", Karyn White

    77. #25 - "Hold You Tight", Tara Kemp

    78. #26 - "I Don't Wanna Cry", Mariah Carey

    79. #28 - "Every Heartbeat", Amy Grant

    80. #29 - "Sensitivity", Ralph Tresvant

    81. #30 - "Touch Me (All Night Long)", Cathy Dennis

    82. #31 - "I've Been Thinking About You", Londonbeat

    83. #32 - "Do Anything", Natural Selection

    84. #34 - "Coming Out of the Dark", Gloria Estefan

    85. #35 - "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over", Lenny Kravitz

    86. #36 - "Here We Go", C+C Music Factory

    87. #38 - "Summertime", DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

    88. #40 - "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", Rythm Syndicate

    89. Vote:

    90. Top R&B Albums

    91. Jan - I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston

    92. Feb - The Future - Guy

    93. Feb - Do Me Again - Freddie Jackson

    94. Mar - Business as Usual - EPMD

    95. Apr - Ralph Tresvant - Ralph Tresvant

    96. Apr - Hi-Five - Hi-Five

    97. Apr - New Jack City - Soundtrack / Various artists

    98. Jun - Power of Love - Luther Vandross

    99. Jul - Make Time for Love - Keith Washington

    100. Aug - Jungle Fever - Soundtrack / Stevie Wonder

    101. Aug - Cooleyhighharmony - Boyz II Men

    102. Sep - Boyz n the Hood - Soundtrack / Various artists

    103. Oct - Can You Stop the Rain - Peabo Bryson

    104. Oct - Good Woman - Gladys Knight

    105. Oct - Different Lifestyles - BeBe & CeCe Winans

    106. Nov - As Raw As Ever - Shabba Ranks

    107. Nov - Forever My Lady - Jodeci

    108. Nov - Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black - Public Enemy

    109. Dec - Diamonds and Pearls - Prince and The New Power Generation

    110. Dec - Death Certificate - Ice Cube

    111. Vote:

    112. Featured Artists #1: Boyz II Men is the most commercially successful R&B group of all time. They've sold millions of records and produced three of the longest-running No. 1 pop singles in music history. The pioneering R&B group is known for their flawless blend of four-part harmonies, and their influence is still felt to this day.

    113. Formation: Boyz II Men formed in 1988 at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. Nathan Morris and Marc Nelson founded the group, originally known as Unique Attraction. Other members came and went due to graduation, but Morris and Nelson eventually met Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockmanand Michael McCary, and the group stabilized. They took inspiration from the popular R&B group New Edition and renamed themselves Boyz II Men after their song "Boys to Men." They got their big break in 1989 when they snuck backstage at a concert to sing for New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoemember Michael Bivins. They sang an a cappella rendition of the New Edition song "Can You Stand the Rain." Bivins was impressed and agreed to help them get signed. Marc Nelson left the group not long before they started working on their debut album, allegedly due to personality differences. Boyz II Men became a quartet—with Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman—that would soon find international fame.

    114. Early Career: Bivins helped produce Boyz II Men's first album, Cooleyhighharmony, on Motown Records in 1991. The new jack swing style was characteristic of Bell Biv DeVoe's music, but Boyz II Men's classic, soulful vocals offered something different that was eventually dubbed "hip hop doo wop." Since the very beginning, Boyz II Men has featured all members equally as lead vocalists, going against the typical R&B group set up of one lead singer/front man and a handful of nameless backups. Their arrangement became a sort of trademark for the group. Cooleyhighharmony was a major success, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and winning them a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The singles "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" both became No. 1 R&B hits.

    115. Commercial Breakthrough: After their debut, they abandoned the new jack swing style to focus on creating a more mature, pop-infused sound. They released the wildly successful single "End of the Road" in 1992. The song spent a record-breaking 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the year's most popular song. Just like that, Boyz II Men has transformed from R&B up-and-comers to mainstream superstars.

    116. Legacy: Boyz II Men was instrumental in bringing R&B back to the mainstream, where it had not appeared since the '70s. With a staggering 60 million albums sold worldwide; they hold the distinction of being the best-selling R&B group of all time. For more than 20 years they have created a catalog of massively successful songs known for rich, smooth harmonies and timeless subject matter.

    117. Open Comments:

    118. Featured Artists #2: Jodeci, one of the premier '90s R&B acts, were a quartet notable for successfully marrying gospel-esque harmonization’s with a sexier-than-thou style. Also, they were the first act that future hip-hop superstars Timbaland and Missy Elliott were involved with.

    119. Biography: Jodeci was an R&B group formed from two sets of two brothers, the Haileys and the DeGrates. All four of them were brought up in the Pentecostal church in North Carolina, the DeGrates' father was a minister. As young boys, they sang in gospel choirs which recorded albums and had their songs played on the radio, but they weren't destined to meet until they were teenagers. Their girlfriends introduced them. However, when they did meet, K-Ci was with a girl Dalvin had been dating, and a fight nearly broke out. The Hailey brothers and DeVante started hanging out together, partying and talking about making R&B records together, coming up with the name Jodeci at this time. At age 16, DeVante ran away to Minneapolis to get a job in Prince's organization but was refused. He returned to Charlotte, where he wrote a song and recorded JoJo singing it. The two planned on going to New York to shop the demo around by themselves, but both K-Ci and Dalvin decided to tag along at the last minute. By the time they got to New York, they had demo recordings of 29 songs, which they brought to the offices of Uptown Entertainment. They were almost rejected, but rapper Heavy D overheard the tape and talked Uptown president Andre Harrell into hearing the group. Harrell was impressed, and just like that, Jodeci signed a recording contract. In 1991, they recorded Forever My Lady, which featured the gold single "Come and Talk to Me" and went on to sell over three million copies.

    120. Jodeci Albums: 1991: Forever My Lady (3x platinum) / 1993: Diary of a Mad Band (2x platinum) / 1995: The Show, The After Party, The Hotel (platinum)

    121. Open Comments:

    122. Track vs Track Album Battle: Cooleyhighharmony vs Forever My Lady

    123. Movie Scene: John Singleton / Boyz In the Hood

    124. John Singleton’s 1991 feature film debut, Boyz n the Hood, garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Singleton followed-up with Poetic Justice in 1993 and Higher Learning in 1995. Subsequent works include 1997's Rosewood, 2000's Shaft remake and 2001's Baby Boy. In 2005, he produced Hustle & Flow and directed Four Brothers. The filmmaker died on April 29, 2019, after suffering a stroke.

    125. Profile: He grew up in South Central Los Angeles and studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. During his four-year studies there, he won three writing awards.

    126. These achievements in writing earned Singleton a contract with the powerful Creative Artists Agency during his sophomore year at USC, and in May of 1990, his agent sent the script for Boyz N the Hood to Columbia pictures. The response was immediate: “I thought John’s script had a distinctive voice and great insight,” Frank Price, chairman of Columbia Pictures, said in an interview excerpted in the New York Times. “He’s not just a good writer, but he has enormous self-confidence and assurance. In fact, the last time I’d met someone that young with so much self-assurance was Steven Spielberg.” Columbia wanted to make the picture, but at first wanted someone else to direct it. Singleton believed only he could do it. “They asked me if I would consider anybody else directing it,” he recalled to Interview’s Steven Daly. “And I said, Hell, no, I’m not gonna let somebody from Idaho or Encino direct a movie about living in South Central Los Angeles. They can’t come in here and cast it and go through the rewrites and know exactly what aesthetics are unique to this film.” In 1991, Columbia Pictures bought his script for Boyz n the Hood and budgeted it at $7 million. The film portrayed life in crime-ridden South-Central L.A. and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director in 1991, making Singleton the first African American and the youngest person ever nominated for the award. The film also garnered a nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

    127. Legacy: Regina King, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Nia Long, Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut, Tyra Banks, Tyrese Gibson, Taraji P Henson

    128. Open Comments:

    129. Boyz In the Hood Summary: Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence and prospects.

    130. Major Themes: (1) the power of family and black culture in the ghettos, (2) effects of capitalism to American citizens especially the Negros living in harsh environments, (3) the power of temptation and (4) more so juvenile and gang associated delinquencies that are usually influenced by peer and social pressure (5) gentrification, (6) living in a bad neighborhood, and (7) gangs.

    131. Question: What themes stood out for you?

    132. Television Scene: Roc (3 Seasons) Comedy, Sitcom

    133. Summary: Garbageman Roc Emerson and his wife shared their Baltimore home with his outspoken father and apathetic brother. In an unusual move, the sitcom's entire second season was performed live. Series star Charles S. Dutton won a 1993 NAACP Image Award for his portrayal of Roc. The show deals with real life issues such as gang violence, local politics, drugs, teens and sexually transmitted diseases. Roc reminded you of a typical family with normal problems such as parenting and dealing with live in relatives. The series gaining momentum in the last season could not make its presence felt on Tuesdays, the networks worst night for ratings. The struggle eventually led up to the series cancellation.

    134. Awards: 1992: GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Episode, 1994: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Charles S. Dutton

    135. Question: Has anyone ever watched this?

    136. Vote: Most impactful item/event from 1991?

  • Topics: Rodney King, Boyz II Men / Jodeci, Boyz In the Hood, Roc - Sitcom (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)


    1991 General Snapshots

    1. President: George H. W. Bush

    2. January - Gulf War: The Congress of the United States passes a resolution authorizing the use of military force to liberate Kuwait. 5 days later, Operation Desert Storm begins with airstrikes against Iraq.

    3. January - Whitney Houstondelivers her now legendary rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner"

    4. February - Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush announces that "Kuwait is liberated".

    5. February - Tim Meadows and Adam Sandler join the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live.

    6. March - An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles, California police officers.

    7. July - Boxer Mike Tyson is arrested and charged with raping Miss Black America contestant Desiree Washington in Indianapolis, Indiana.

    8. July - Serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer is arrested after the remains of eleven men and boys are found in his Milwaukee, Wisconsin apartment. Police soon find out that he is involved in six more murders.

    9. August - Nickelodeon introduces its series of Nicktoons, with Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show the first three to air.

    10. August - The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is first released in the United States.

    11. October - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews both Supreme Court candidate Clarence Thomas and former aide Anita Hill, who alleges that Thomas sexually harassed her while she worked for him.

    12. October - Jennifer Lopez joins the cast as one of the Fly Girls on the Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color (she would leave the show after the next season). Other cast additions include future Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx.

    13. November - Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson announces that he has HIV, effectively ending his NBA career.

    14. November - Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury dies from AIDS at 45 years old, one day after making his diagnosis public.

    15. December - The Cold War ends as President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev resigns and the Soviet Union dissolves.

    16. Open Comments

    17. Top 3 Pop Songs

    18. #1 - "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", Bryan Adams

    19. #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd

    20. #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory

    21. Record of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole

    22. Album of the Year: Unforgettable... with Love performed by Natalie Cole

    23. Song of the Year: "Unforgettable" performed by Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole

    24. Best New Artist: Marc Cohn

    25. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Lisa Fischer for "How Can I Ease the Pain" & Patti LaBelle for "Burnin'"

    26. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Luther Vandross for Power of Love

    27. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Boyz II Men for "Cooleyhighharmony"

    28. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "Power of Love/Love Power" performed by Luther Vandross

    29. Best Rap Solo Performance: LL Cool J for "Mama Said Knock You Out"

    30. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Summertime"

    31. Top 3 Movies

    32. #1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

    33. #2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

    34. #3. Beauty and the Beast

    35. Notables: The Silence of the Lambs, New Jack City, The Five Heartbeats, A Rage in Harlem, Thelma & Louise, Jungle Fever, Point Break, and House Party 2

    36. Top 3 TV Shows

    37. #1 60 Minutes

    38. #2 Roseanne

    39. #3 Murphy Brown

    40. Mea Culpa: Family Matters originated 9/22/1989 on ABC

    41. Notables: The Party Machine with Nia Peeples, The Jerry Springer Show, The Montel Williams Show, Hammerman, & Roc.

    42. Economic Snapshots

    43. Avg. Income: 29.9k (29K)

    44. New Home: 120k (previously 123K)

    45. Avg Rent: 495 (465)

    46. New Car: 16.8k (16K)

    47. Harvard: 14.5k (13.5k)

    48. Movie Ticket: 4.25 (3.50)

    49. Gas: 1.12 (1.34)

    50. Stamp: .25 (.25)

    51. Social Scene: Police Beating of Rodney King

    52. Early Life: Rodney King (@ 26 yrs. old), born in Sacramento, CA, was an American taxi driver who is best known for the 1991 police beatings and the 1992 riots as a result of the officers’ trial.

    53. Prior Record: In 1987, he pleaded no contest to a charge of battery. In 1989, King was imprisoned for robbery after robbing a store; he served one year of a two-year sentence.

    54. 1991 Arrest: Rodney King attempted to outrun a police patrol car in March 1991. King had been drinking and feared he would be over the limit, driving under the influence charge would have seen King return to jail. King refused to pull over for the police and a high-speed chase ensued. Eventually, King was cornered, and he and the other occupants of the car were ordered to leave the vehicle and lie face down on the ground. King refused and was forcibly removed from the car. While on the ground the police beat and abused the three men. The Los Angeles Police Department then arrived on the scene; the original officers on the scene had been highway patrol. Rodney King resisted arrest and was tasered. King was then viciously beaten repeatedly while on the ground by police wielding batons. King continually attempted to stand up only to be met with a further hail of baton blows from the four police officers. King suffered from thirty-three baton blows and six kicks before having his arms and legs cuffed. Eight officers were involved in his arrest. George Halliday, a man who lived near the sight of the arrest, had filmed the arrest from the time that King was tasered. Halliday contacted the LAPD about his videotape, but the police department showed no interest in the footage. Halliday next presented the footage to a local TV station which aired the footage. It caused a sensation across the media. The footage made Rodney King’s arrest a lightning rod for a more comprehensive discussion about police brutality against minorities.

    55. Legal Proceedings: Rodney King had suffered facial fractures, lacerations and a broken ankle from his arrest. The city awarded King damages amounting to 3.8 million dollars as well as covering his legal costs which totaled to close to two million dollars. He was also not charged with drink driving or evading arrest due to the time between the incident and the start of legal proceedings. Four LAPD officers were charged with using excessive force. The legal case against the officers was mired in controversy from the start as the initial judge, Bernard Kamins was removed, and the trial received a change of venue. Warren Christopher also began a commission to investigate accusations of police discrimination. Three of the officers charged were acquitted, and the fourth faced a no verdict. The court’s decision shocked the nation. The mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley, and the President of the United States of America, George Bush, both declared they could not understand the verdict and condemned the officers involved. Many African Americans considered the trial a whitewash and were incensed. Following the 1992 Riots, the officers were tried in a federal court, and two were found guilty and sentenced to thirty months in prison.

    56. Rodney King Riots: Following the court's verdict and the release of the officers, widespread civil unrest erupted in North America. The worst of the rioting was confined to LA, but Las Vegas, San Francisco, Atlanta and even Toronto in Canada experienced violence. The 1992 LA Riots became known as the Rodney King Riots due to their link to the court case. King appeared on TV during the riots to appeal for calm. Before the verdict was announced the police, force had been expecting trouble, money for overtime and a delay in the reading of the verdict were granted to give police time to prepare. Rioting started at a liquor store in Normandie. LAPD officers attempted to make an arrest a hostile crowd surrounded them and forced them to retreat. TV coverage of the violence encouraged more people to take to the streets, and the police communications proved wholly inadequate to deal with the spread of the violence. The rioters began destroying property and attacking people going about their business. Over a thousand firearms were looted, and some fires were started as night set in. The riots spread throughout the city and emergency workers came under gunfire as they attempted to tackle the fires and help the wounded. A curfew was declared, and the National Guard began deploying. Despite this the second day of looting and arson took place. Rioting spread to Hollywood, Inglewood, Long Beach and Compton. Police was criticized for focusing their attention on defending the wealthier areas of LA such as Beverley Hills. Other minority neighborhoods were forced to form militias to protect their property. Korean shopkeepers were involved in a shoot-out with rioters in Koreatown. On the third day of rioting, the Federal government took direct control of all military in the area and began overseeing the response to the riots. Troops and police officers from other regions of California started pouring into the city. On the fourth day, over thirteen thousand soldiers were deployed on the streets of LA, and the rioting was slowly quelled. The riot was spread over six days, but troops remained in the area for weeks afterward. Fifty-five people died during the riots and over two thousand hospitalized. A billion dollars’ worth of damage had been done; the worst affected were the Korean community. Eleven thousand people were arrested during the rioting, but because of the sheer volume of prisoners, police were unable to prosecute the majority.

    57. King After the Riots: Rodney King continued to have run-ins with the law and was sometimes arrested after the 1992 Riots. In 2007, King was shot in an attempted robbery. King appeared in a reality TV show, Sober House, which covered celebrities in rehab. 2012 saw King publish his memoirs, The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption. Rodney King fathered a daughter with Carmen Simpson when they were both teenagers. In 1985, he married Daneta Lyles, and they had a daughter together. The pair divorced in 1988. King then married Crystal Waters, with whom he also had a daughter. They divorced in 1996. King had been arrested for assaulting both his wives. In 2010, King began living with Cynthia Kelly, and it was she who found him in the swimming pool on 17 June 2012. King was pronounced dead by medical staff, and plenty of drugs and alcohol were found in his system.

    58. The King beating began a wave of reforms for the Los Angeles Police Department, including tighter rules on when officers can use force, more minority officers, and stricter term limits for police chiefs.

    59. Question: What is the lesson to be learned?

    60. Question: What do we teach the children about dealing with cops?

    61. Top Black Songs from the top 40

    62. #2 - "I Wanna Sex You Up", Color Me Badd

    63. #3 - "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", C+C Music Factory

    64. #4 - "Rush Rush", Paula Abdul

    65. #8 - "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)", Hi-Five

    66. #9 - "The First Time", Surface

    67. #11 - "Motownphilly", Boyz II Men

    68. #12 - "Because I Love You (The Postman Song)", Stevie B

    69. #13 - "Someday", Mariah Carey

    70. #16 - "All the Man That I Need", Whitney Houston

    71. #18 - "I Adore Mi Amor" , Color Me Badd

    72. #19 - "Love Will Never Do (Without You)", Janet Jackson

    73. #20 - "Good Vibrations", Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch

    74. #21 - "Justify My Love", Madonna

    75. #22 - "Emotions", Mariah Carey

    76. #24 - "Romantic", Karyn White

    77. #25 - "Hold You Tight", Tara Kemp

    78. #26 - "I Don't Wanna Cry", Mariah Carey

    79. #28 - "Every Heartbeat", Amy Grant

    80. #29 - "Sensitivity", Ralph Tresvant

    81. #30 - "Touch Me (All Night Long)", Cathy Dennis

    82. #31 - "I've Been Thinking About You", Londonbeat

    83. #32 - "Do Anything", Natural Selection

    84. #34 - "Coming Out of the Dark", Gloria Estefan

    85. #35 - "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over", Lenny Kravitz

    86. #36 - "Here We Go", C+C Music Factory

    87. #38 - "Summertime", DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince

    88. #40 - "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", Rythm Syndicate

    89. Vote:

    90. Top R&B Albums

    91. Jan - I'm Your Baby Tonight - Whitney Houston

    92. Feb - The Future - Guy

    93. Feb - Do Me Again - Freddie Jackson

    94. Mar - Business as Usual - EPMD

    95. Apr - Ralph Tresvant - Ralph Tresvant

    96. Apr - Hi-Five - Hi-Five

    97. Apr - New Jack City - Soundtrack / Various artists

    98. Jun - Power of Love - Luther Vandross

    99. Jul - Make Time for Love - Keith Washington

    100. Aug - Jungle Fever - Soundtrack / Stevie Wonder

    101. Aug - Cooleyhighharmony - Boyz II Men

    102. Sep - Boyz n the Hood - Soundtrack / Various artists

    103. Oct - Can You Stop the Rain - Peabo Bryson

    104. Oct - Good Woman - Gladys Knight

    105. Oct - Different Lifestyles - BeBe & CeCe Winans

    106. Nov - As Raw As Ever - Shabba Ranks

    107. Nov - Forever My Lady - Jodeci

    108. Nov - Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black - Public Enemy

    109. Dec - Diamonds and Pearls - Prince and The New Power Generation

    110. Dec - Death Certificate - Ice Cube

    111. Vote:

    112. Featured Artists #1: Boyz II Men is the most commercially successful R&B group of all time. They've sold millions of records and produced three of the longest-running No. 1 pop singles in music history. The pioneering R&B group is known for their flawless blend of four-part harmonies, and their influence is still felt to this day.

    113. Formation: Boyz II Men formed in 1988 at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. Nathan Morris and Marc Nelson founded the group, originally known as Unique Attraction. Other members came and went due to graduation, but Morris and Nelson eventually met Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockmanand Michael McCary, and the group stabilized. They took inspiration from the popular R&B group New Edition and renamed themselves Boyz II Men after their song "Boys to Men." They got their big break in 1989 when they snuck backstage at a concert to sing for New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoemember Michael Bivins. They sang an a cappella rendition of the New Edition song "Can You Stand the Rain." Bivins was impressed and agreed to help them get signed. Marc Nelson left the group not long before they started working on their debut album, allegedly due to personality differences. Boyz II Men became a quartet—with Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman—that would soon find international fame.

    114. Early Career: Bivins helped produce Boyz II Men's first album, Cooleyhighharmony, on Motown Records in 1991. The new jack swing style was characteristic of Bell Biv DeVoe's music, but Boyz II Men's classic, soulful vocals offered something different that was eventually dubbed "hip hop doo wop." Since the very beginning, Boyz II Men has featured all members equally as lead vocalists, going against the typical R&B group set up of one lead singer/front man and a handful of nameless backups. Their arrangement became a sort of trademark for the group. Cooleyhighharmony was a major success, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and winning them a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The singles "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" both became No. 1 R&B hits.

    115. Commercial Breakthrough: After their debut, they abandoned the new jack swing style to focus on creating a more mature, pop-infused sound. They released the wildly successful single "End of the Road" in 1992. The song spent a record-breaking 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the year's most popular song. Just like that, Boyz II Men has transformed from R&B up-and-comers to mainstream superstars.

    116. Legacy: Boyz II Men was instrumental in bringing R&B back to the mainstream, where it had not appeared since the '70s. With a staggering 60 million albums sold worldwide; they hold the distinction of being the best-selling R&B group of all time. For more than 20 years they have created a catalog of massively successful songs known for rich, smooth harmonies and timeless subject matter.

    117. Open Comments:

    118. Featured Artists #2: Jodeci, one of the premier '90s R&B acts, were a quartet notable for successfully marrying gospel-esque harmonization’s with a sexier-than-thou style. Also, they were the first act that future hip-hop superstars Timbaland and Missy Elliott were involved with.

    119. Biography: Jodeci was an R&B group formed from two sets of two brothers, the Haileys and the DeGrates. All four of them were brought up in the Pentecostal church in North Carolina, the DeGrates' father was a minister. As young boys, they sang in gospel choirs which recorded albums and had their songs played on the radio, but they weren't destined to meet until they were teenagers. Their girlfriends introduced them. However, when they did meet, K-Ci was with a girl Dalvin had been dating, and a fight nearly broke out. The Hailey brothers and DeVante started hanging out together, partying and talking about making R&B records together, coming up with the name Jodeci at this time. At age 16, DeVante ran away to Minneapolis to get a job in Prince's organization but was refused. He returned to Charlotte, where he wrote a song and recorded JoJo singing it. The two planned on going to New York to shop the demo around by themselves, but both K-Ci and Dalvin decided to tag along at the last minute. By the time they got to New York, they had demo recordings of 29 songs, which they brought to the offices of Uptown Entertainment. They were almost rejected, but rapper Heavy D overheard the tape and talked Uptown president Andre Harrell into hearing the group. Harrell was impressed, and just like that, Jodeci signed a recording contract. In 1991, they recorded Forever My Lady, which featured the gold single "Come and Talk to Me" and went on to sell over three million copies.

    120. Jodeci Albums: 1991: Forever My Lady (3x platinum) / 1993: Diary of a Mad Band (2x platinum) / 1995: The Show, The After Party, The Hotel (platinum)

    121. Open Comments:

    122. Track vs Track Album Battle: Cooleyhighharmony vs Forever My Lady

    123. Movie Scene: John Singleton / Boyz In the Hood

    124. John Singleton’s 1991 feature film debut, Boyz n the Hood, garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. Singleton followed-up with Poetic Justice in 1993 and Higher Learning in 1995. Subsequent works include 1997's Rosewood, 2000's Shaft remake and 2001's Baby Boy. In 2005, he produced Hustle & Flow and directed Four Brothers. The filmmaker died on April 29, 2019, after suffering a stroke.

    125. Profile: He grew up in South Central Los Angeles and studied screenwriting at the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. During his four-year studies there, he won three writing awards.

    126. These achievements in writing earned Singleton a contract with the powerful Creative Artists Agency during his sophomore year at USC, and in May of 1990, his agent sent the script for Boyz N the Hood to Columbia pictures. The response was immediate: “I thought John’s script had a distinctive voice and great insight,” Frank Price, chairman of Columbia Pictures, said in an interview excerpted in the New York Times. “He’s not just a good writer, but he has enormous self-confidence and assurance. In fact, the last time I’d met someone that young with so much self-assurance was Steven Spielberg.” Columbia wanted to make the picture, but at first wanted someone else to direct it. Singleton believed only he could do it. “They asked me if I would consider anybody else directing it,” he recalled to Interview’s Steven Daly. “And I said, Hell, no, I’m not gonna let somebody from Idaho or Encino direct a movie about living in South Central Los Angeles. They can’t come in here and cast it and go through the rewrites and know exactly what aesthetics are unique to this film.” In 1991, Columbia Pictures bought his script for Boyz n the Hood and budgeted it at $7 million. The film portrayed life in crime-ridden South-Central L.A. and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Director in 1991, making Singleton the first African American and the youngest person ever nominated for the award. The film also garnered a nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

    127. Legacy: Regina King, Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, Nia Long, Angela Bassett, Morris Chestnut, Tyra Banks, Tyrese Gibson, Taraji P Henson

    128. Open Comments:

    129. Boyz In the Hood Summary: Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence and prospects.

    130. Major Themes: (1) the power of family and black culture in the ghettos, (2) effects of capitalism to American citizens especially the Negros living in harsh environments, (3) the power of temptation and (4) more so juvenile and gang associated delinquencies that are usually influenced by peer and social pressure (5) gentrification, (6) living in a bad neighborhood, and (7) gangs.

    131. Question: What themes stood out for you?

    132. Television Scene: Roc (3 Seasons) Comedy, Sitcom

    133. Summary: Garbageman Roc Emerson and his wife shared their Baltimore home with his outspoken father and apathetic brother. In an unusual move, the sitcom's entire second season was performed live. Series star Charles S. Dutton won a 1993 NAACP Image Award for his portrayal of Roc. The show deals with real life issues such as gang violence, local politics, drugs, teens and sexually transmitted diseases. Roc reminded you of a typical family with normal problems such as parenting and dealing with live in relatives. The series gaining momentum in the last season could not make its presence felt on Tuesdays, the networks worst night for ratings. The struggle eventually led up to the series cancellation.

    134. Awards: 1992: GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Episode, 1994: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Charles S. Dutton

    135. Question: Has anyone ever watched this?

    136. Vote: Most impactful item/event from 1991?

  • Topics: A Black Renaissance?, Mariah Carey, House Party, In Living Color / The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound) 1990 General Snapshots 1. George Bush Sr. President 2. January - United States invasion of Panama: General Manuel Noriega, the deposed "strongman of Panama", surrenders to American forces. 3. January - Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office in Richmond, Virginia. 4. January - Mayor Marion Barry is arrested for drug possession in an FBI sting. 5. February - James "Buster" Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson to win the World Heavyweight Boxing crown. 6. February - A smoking ban takes effect on all domestic U.S. flights of less than six hours. 7. March - Greyhound bus drivers’ strike for higher pay. 8. April - STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. 9. June - Nelson Mandela tours North America, visiting 3 Canadian cities and 8 U.S. cities. 10. July - George H. W. Bush signs the Americans with Disabilities Act, designed to protect disabled Americans from discrimination. 11. August - Gulf War: Iraq invades Kuwait, eventually leading to the Gulf War. 12. September - Chris Rock makes Saturday Night Live debut. 13. October - Evander Holyfield defeats James "Buster" Douglas to become the heavyweight boxing champion. 14. November - Sharon Pratt Kelly is elected Mayor of the District of Columbia, becoming the first black woman to head a major U.S. city. She takes office January 2, 1991. 15. Top 3 Pop Songs 16. #1 "Hold On" Wilson Phillips 17. #2 "It Must Have Been Love" Roxette 18. #3 "Nothing Compares 2 U" SinĂ©ad O'Connor 19. Record of the Year - "Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins 20. Album of the Year - Quincy Jones (producer & artist) for Back on the Block 21. Song of the Year - "From a Distance" performed by Bette Midler 22. Best New Artist - Mariah Carey 23. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Anita Baker for Compositions 24. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male - Luther Vandross for "Here and Now" 25. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group - Ray Charles & Chaka Khan for "I'll Be Good to You" 26. Best Rhythm & Blues Song - "U Can't Touch This" performed by M.C. Hammer 27. Best Rap Solo Performance - M.C. Hammer for "U Can't Touch This" 28. Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group - Big Daddy Kane, Ice T, Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, Quincy D. III & Quincy Jones for "Back on the Block" 29. Top 3 Movies 30. #1 Ghost 31. #2 Home Alone 32. # 3 Pretty Woman 33. Other Notables: 34. Top 3 TV Shows 35. Cheers 36. 60 Minutes 37. Roseanne 38. Debuts: In Living Color, True Colors, Brewster Place, The Fresh Prince 39. Economic Snapshots 40. New Home: 123k (previously 120K) 41. Avg Rent: 465 (425) 42. Avg. Income: 29k (27K) 43. New Car: 16k (15K) 44. Harvard: 13.5k (12.7k) 45. Movie Ticket: 4 3.50 - same 46. Gas: 1.34 (.97) 47. Stamp: .25 (.25) 48. Social Scene: Pop Culture Dominance and Influence 49. Politics: Colin Powell, Douglas Wilder, Congressional Black Caucus @ 25 (John Lewis 2nd term) 50. Business: Ebony/Jet, Russel Simmons, Reginald F. Lewis 51. Sports: Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr. 52. Music: Michael Jackson, Prince, Whitney, Janet Jackson, MC Hammer, Anita Baker 53. Movies: Eddie Murphy, Denzel Washington, Whoopi Goldberg, Morgan Freeman, Spike Lee, Robert Townsend 54. Television: Oprah (Daytime), Cosby (Prime time), Aresnio (Nighttime) 55. Open Comments: 56. Question: Assimilation? OK, but who is changing who? Are we changing America or is America Changing us? 57. Music Scene 58. Black Songs from the Top 40 59. #4 "Poison" Bell Biv DeVoe 60. #6 "Vision of Love" Mariah Carey 61. #8 "Hold On" En Vogue 62. #11 "Do Me!" Bell Biv DeVoe 63. #13 "Pump Up the Jam" Technotronic 64. #14 "Opposites Attract" Paula Abdul and The Wild Pair 65. #15 "Escapade" Janet Jackson 66. #17 "Close to You" Maxi Priest 67. #21 "All Around the World" Lisa Stansfield 68. #22 "I Wanna Be Rich" Calloway 69. #23 "Rub You the Right Way" Johnny Gill 70. #24 "She Ain't Worth It" Glenn Medeiros and Bobby Brown 71. #26 "The Power" Snap! 72. #30 "Two to Make It Right" Seduction 73. #33 "Step by Step" New Kids on the Block 74. #36 "I Don't Have the Heart" James Ingram 75. #38 "Rhythm Nation" Janet Jackson 76. #41 "Everything" Jody Watley 77. #42 "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" Soul II Soul featuring Caron Wheeler 78. #43 "Here and Now" Luther Vandross 79. Top RnB Albums 80. January Tender Lover Babyface 81. January Back on the Block Quincy Jones 82. April Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em MC Hammer 83. June Poison Bell Biv DeVoe 84. June Johnny Gill Johnny Gill 85. August I'll Give All My Love to You Keith Sweat 86. December I'm Your Baby Tonight Whitney Houston 87. Featured Artist: Mariah Angela Carey, (Songbird) singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and philanthropist 88. Childhood - Born to Patricia (Hickey), an Irish American mezzo-soprano opera singer, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer. They got divorced when Carey was only three. Her first public performance was at the age of six. By the age of sixteen, she was skipping classes to write songs and her brother, Morgan, paid for her first recording session. She finally graduated from Harborfields High School, in 1987. 89. Career - Before Carey got her big break, she worked as a temp and juggled with a few odd jobs such as a beautician, hair sweeper in a salon, waitress and as a coat check girl. After several years of struggling, Carey began singing background vocals for the pop and salsa singer-songwriter Brenda Starr in the late 1980s. Additionally, Carey wrote four songs with Ben Margulies, which solely constituted her demo tape. Margulies was a drummer, guitarist, piano player and singer. (One of Margulies's bandmates went to high school with Mariah’s older brother) Starr ultimately helped Carey land a record contract by giving her demo tape to Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola. In 1988, Mottola signed her***. 90. In June of 1990, her self-titled album, ‘Mariah Carey’, which contained four No.1 hits were released. It was the best-selling album of 1991 and has been certified nine times Platinum. 91. Aside from her voice, she has become known for her songwriting. Yahoo Music editor Jason Ankeny wrote, "She earned frequent comparison to rivals Whitney Houston and Celine Dion but did them both one better by composing all of her own material." Also, according to Billboard magazine, she was the most successful artist of the 1990s in the United States. Additionally, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) lists Carey as the third best-selling female artist of all-time behind Madonna, Rhianna, maybe Taylor Swift. 92. Open Comments: 93. Point #1 – Divas status is earned. (She stuck to her guns re: song writing / Dunked on everyone / Checked Eminem) 94. Pont #2 – Studio performer, but not studio tricks. 95. Point #3 – The Christmas Song 96. Question: Is Mariah a "Soul" singer? 97. Movie Scene: House Party,” 
an infectious, engaging comedy starring the rap duo Kid 'N Play.” 98. Plot: Although Kid has been grounded by his father, he sneaks out for a party at his friend Play's house. But Kid has no clue about the trouble that awaits him in the form of three thugs from school. 99. Release date: March 9, 1990 / Rotten Tomatoes: 93% 4.5 Stars 100. Budget - $2.5m, / Box office - $26.4m 101. Open Comments: 102. Point #1: Cast is great (Tisha & Martin broke out) 103. Point #2: First truly successful "Hood" comedy franchise. (4! sequels) 104. Point #3: Not possible without the success of Robert and Spike. Director said the project only got the green light because of the recent box office success of "black" movies. 105. Question: What are some of your house party war stories? 106. Television Scene 107. #1 - In Living Color (1990–1994): [IMDB Rating: 8.1/10] Keenen Ivory Wayans (@ wasn't looking to do a TV show. In 1988, he was riding high on the success of his cult hit I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and contemplating his next movie. But he took a meeting with a fledgling network called Fox, which made an offer he couldn't refuse. "They told me I could do whatever I wanted," Wayans, 61, recalls. What he wanted was to do a show like Saturday Night Live only much, much edgier. Homey Da Clown, Homeboy Shopping Network, Men on Films, Fire Marshall Bill, Oswald Bates, Wanda, The Fly Girls — the skits Wayans and his mostly African American cast performed each week pushed the envelope not just of TV's color barrier but of TV comedy, won an Emmy and incubated the careers of stars Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Lopez, and several members of the Wayans family. 108. Open Comments: 109. Question: Chapelle or In Living Color? 110. #2 - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996) [MDB Rating: 7.9/10]: A streetwise, poor young man from Philadelphia is sent by his mother to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins in their Bel-Air mansion. 111. Open Comments 112. Point #1 - Will and Jazzy were supposed to do the movie House Party 113. Point #2 - Quincy is doing the most! - Fresh Prince, a collaboration of Quincy Jones and the then-married team of Andy and Susan Borowitz, was based loosely on the life of Will Smith’s then-manager Benny Medina (and on the lifestyle of Jones’ own family) and ran on NBC from 1990-96. NBC was wary of a project starring a rapper, and the show was derided at first by some for a lack of grit. Ultimately, critiques proved ignorant, as the sitcom became part of the cultural DNA of the 1990s. “The Cosbys were affluent,” said Quincy Jones in 2015, “but the Banks’ were wealthy. I don’t think you’d ever seen a wealthy African-American family on television until Fresh Prince, and you definitely hadn’t seen a kid from the hip-hop generation until Fresh Prince.” 114. Open Comments: 115. Question: Why wasn't this just "Different Strokes" - Pt. 2? 116. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1990?

  • Topic: Transitioning from Gen-X to Gen-Y. (Born 1980-1994) (Bonus Artitst: Luck Pacheco) Question #1: Millennials, who are you, and what do you want? (What motivated you when you were 20 and just starting out) Question #2: Favorite memories of growing up in the 90's? Question #3: Why are you guys so sensitive, spoiled, and lazy? Question #4: Who/what represents the best of your generation? Question #5: Thoughts on Gen Z? (Born 1995-2015)

  • Topics: 80's Tech, MC Hammer, Do The Right Thing, The Arsenio Hall Show (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

    1989 Notes

    1. General Snapshots

    2. George Bush Sr. President

    3. Feb - Barbara Harris is the first woman (and first black woman) consecrated as a bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

    4. Mar - Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Alaska's Prince William Sound the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (38,000 m3) of oil after running aground.

    5. Apr - Bill White becomes president of baseball's National League, becoming the first African American to head a major sports league.

    6. Apr - Trisha Meili is attacked while jogging in New York City's Central Park; as her identity remains secret for years, she becomes known as the "Central Park Jogger."

    7. May - President Bush vetoes a minimum-wage bill passed by Congress on May 17 that would have increased the minimum wage to $4.55 an hour.

    8. Jun - In Texas v. Johnson, the United States Supreme Court ruled that burning the Flag of the United States was protected speech under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

    9. Jun - In Penry v. Lynaugh, the Supreme Court rules that states can execute murderers as young as 16 or who are mentally retarded.

    10. Jul - In Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, the Supreme Court gives the state’s new authority to restrict abortions.

    11. Aug - President Bush nominates United States Army Gen. Colin Powell as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, making him the first African American to hold that position.

    12. Aug - Hughey P. Newton was murdered in Oakland, California by Tyrone Robinson, a member of the Black Guerrilla Family.

    13. Aug - Yusef Hawkins is shot in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York, sparking racial tensions between African Americans and Italian Americans.

    14. Nov - Douglas Wilder wins the Virginia governor's race, becoming the first elected African American governor in the United States.

    15. Nov - David Dinkins becomes the first African American mayor of New York City.

    16. Nov - Congress passes legislation to raise the minimum wage from $3.35 to $4.25 an hour by April 1991. Bush signs this bill on November 17.

    17. Nov - Clarence Page 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary

    18. Nov - Denzel Washington: First African American actor to receive two Best Supporting Actor nominations. Cry Freedom / Glory (Won)

    19. Misc.: Ron Brown is elected chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first African American to lead a major United States political party.

    20. Misc.: The first of 24 Global Positioning System satellites is placed into orbit.

    21. Open Comments:

    22. Top 3 Pop Songs

    23. #1 "Look Away" Chicago

    24. #2 "My Prerogative" Bobby Brown

    25. #3 "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" Poison

    26. Record of the Year: Bette Midler for "Wind Beneath My Wings"

    27. Album of the Year: Bonnie Raitt for Nick of Time

    28. Song of the Year: "Wind Beneath My Wings" performed by Bette Midler

    29. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Anita Baker for "Giving You the Best That I Got"

    30. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Bobby Brown for "Every Little Step"

    31. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Soul II Soul & Caron Wheeler for "Back to Life"

    32. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "If You Don't Know Me By Now" performed by Simply Red

    33. Best Rap Performance: Young MC for "Bust a Move"

    34. Open Comments

    35. Top Movies

    36. #1 - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

    37. #2 Batman

    38. #3 Back to the Future Part II

    39. Other Notables: Look Who's Talking, Dead Poets Society, Lethal Weapon 2, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Disney, Ghostbusters II, The Little Mermaid Disney, Born on the Fourth of July, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Lean on Me, Field of Dreams, Weekend at Bernie's, When Harry Met Sally..., Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Harlem Nights, The War of the Roses, Steel Magnolias, Glory, and Driving Miss Daisy*.

    40. Top 3 TV Shows

    41. #1 - The Cosby Show

    42. #2 - Roseanne

    43. #3 - Cheers

    44. Debuts: Saved by the Bell, American Gladiators, Doogie Howser, M.D., Baywatch, America's Funniest Home Videos, COPS, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons

    45. Economic Snapshot:

    46. New Home: 120K - previously 91,777

    47. Avg Rent: 425 - p. 420

    48. Avg. Income: 37K - p. 24k

    49. New Car: 15K - p. 10,432

    50. Harvard: 12,700 - p. 12,015

    51. Movie Ticket: 3.50 - same

    52. Gas: .97 - p. .91

    53. Stamp: .25 - same

    54. Social Scene: Top Tech of The 80’s

    55. Mobile Tech

    56. Sony Walkman: Before the iPod effectively killed off an entire industry, the Sony Walkman was the original, must-have portable cassette player. Unlike portable radio players, the Japan-made Walkman allowed people to choose what to listen to via portable headphones, and make playlists on tape, alongside FM and AM radio frequencies. Like with Texas Instrument’s Speak and Spell, the first model hit shelves in the late 1970s, but it rose to prominence during the two decades that followed. So ubiquitous it became that the word Walkman even entered the English dictionary in 1986. The model pictured is the WM-F77.

    57. Nokia-Mobira Cityman 900: These days, the mobile phone is so far advanced we barely even call it a mobile phone any more, but back in the '80s the sheer thought of carrying a phone any further than the length of a coiled plastic chord seemed fantasy at best. Then along came a handful of firms, including a certain Finnish outfit by the name of Nokia-Mobira and made portable phone calls an actual reality. Looking back the sheer size of it is almost laughable (18cm high and 760g in weight to be precise), but it was practically lightweight compared to the colossal Talkman, which weighed in at shocking 5.5kg! Still, it put Nokia on the map and set the stage for the firm's dominance to come in the late '90 and early '00s.

    58. The Boombox: Much like the VHS player, the humble Boombox was more of a collective movement than the work of one particular model, but it still became one of the most iconic devices of the late '80s. Again, to keep things on message with this feature, the classic Boombox wasn't just a powerful all-in-one music player (with AM/FM radio and multiple cassette decks) it was also a portable music player (if you were willing to lug it around). While its size and battery-powered portability eventually saw it go the way of the dodo in and around the mid '90s, the 'ghetto blaster' became intertwined with the rise of hip hop in the States and secured itself a place in the annals of gadget lore.

    59. Sharp pocket computer: The 1980s was the decade of the microprocessor, led by the likes of Sharp and its range of pocket computers. These gadgets resembled calculators but worked in a similar way to how we use keyboards on modern-day PCs and laptops. Below a 24-digit dot matrix LCD display sat a full QWERTY-style keyboard you could use to program BASIC code. The computer’s battery was said to last 200 hours and it even came with a connector that let you attach a printer or tape drive.

    60. Epson ET-10 Pocket TV: If you haven't already twigged, there's a bit of a pattern forming with this feature - good ol' portability. From music on the move to phone calls away from home, handheld technology helped define the decade and every single one that's followed. And so, it was the turn of the humble TV, already shrinking as a regular set, to get the micro treatment. The ET-10 from Epson was one of the first, and the most popular, with its two-inch liquid crystal display offering proper TV viewing while out and about (and in a decent spot to catch the analogue signal). With a five-hour battery, the ET-10 was a proper little dynamo and foreshadowed the portable TV experience we take for granted now with tablets and smartphones.

    61. Casio Databank: It’s a testament to just how cool and iconic the Casio Databank watches became - they’re still sold in various models and designs today. One of the original models of this calculator watch, the gold version of the DBC 610 (pictured), was first released in 1985 and later re-released due to popular demand. The designs of these modern versions have barely deviated from the original and still feature a membrane keyboard, with Mode and Adjust physical buttons on the side.

    62. Gaming Tech

    63. Nintendo Entertainment System: Another iconic Japanese import of the 1980s was the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES. A remodeled version of the company’s Family Computer, or Famicom, the 8-bit NES was originally designed to be a joint venture between Nintendo and Atari until a dispute over licensing meant Nintendo decided to go it alone. It helped lift the gaming industry out of the slump of 1983 by offering easier-to-use controllers, standardized graphics and a wider variety of game genres. It brought hugely popular arcade games, including Donkey Kong, to home TVs.

    64. Nintendo Game Boy: Fresh off the success of its Nintendo Entertainment System, the Japanese giant launched a handheld version of is 8-bit console called the Nintendo Game Boy in 1989. It effectively used the same A and B controls and D pad seen on the NES, positioned below a 4.7cm x 4.3xm “pea soup” green LCD display. Using ROM cartridges also similar in design to those used on the NES, these games could be inserted and removed on the back of the device. The Game Boy ran on four AA batteries and was an incredibly robust console, making it a popular choice among kids. The Game Boy and its successor the Game Boy Color have sold in excess of 118 million units and spawned several later models, namely the Game Boy Lite and Game Boy Advance.

    65. Simon: Another classic from the 1980s that is still sold today is the Simon game. Named after the Simon Says game, the toy’s premise is simple – the colored panels light up and you must repeat the pattern and tones it creates. Yet despite this simple gameplay, it was a great feat of engineering at the time of release in 1978 and became a pop culture icon during the 1980s.

    66. Speak and Spell: One of the world’s first handheld PCs and gaming consoles, the educational Speak and Spell from Texas Instruments was unveiled during the 1978 Consumer Electronic Shows. Its visual display was among the first of its kind and it used interchangeable cartridges to let children play different games, aimed at helping to improve their spelling and vocabulary. It became one of the iconic toys of the 1980s until its final model was released in 1992, and its use of the first single-chip microcontroller and speech synthesizer paved the way for many of the gadgets we use today.

    67. Social Media Tech

    68. Polaroid Sun AF 660: Polaroid cameras have seen a resurgence of late, thanks in part to the release of a classic-looking digital model called One Step Plus. Yet the original designs, such as the Polaroid Autofocus Lightmixer 660 pictured, can still be found on auction sites selling for decent sums. Part of the Polaroid 600 series, the Autofocus 660 (also known as the AF 660) had an 116mm lens and was the first in the range to use Polaroid's patented Sonar Autofocus technology. This system used sensors to establish how far away a subject was, using sonar pulses, to achieve an accurate autofocus shot.

    69. Computing Tech

    70. Apple Macintosh 128K: Long before Steve Jobs debuted the iPhone on stage in Cupertino in 2007, his company specialized in personal computers. The first of which was known as the Apple Macintosh. It was later renamed the Macintosh 128K to differentiate it from its successor, the Macintosh 512K. Released to great fanfare in 1984, Alien director Ridley Scott created the now-infamous advert for the computer, broadcast during that year’s Superbowl. The Macintosh 128K got its name by the fact it ran on 128K of RAM. It had a 9in CRT monitor, single-sided floppy disk drive and featured a handle on the top that meant it could be moved from place to place.

    71. Smart Home Tech

    72. The Clapper: Sadly not every gadget that came out of the '80s set the precedent for a bloodline of tech to come, but hey, there's something pretty satisfying about clapping your hands (or whichever body parts you preferred using) to turn off a lamp. Plugging into a power socket in your wall, the Clapper was basically a sound activated on/off switch that could link up to devices for hours of clap-controlled hilarity. It didn't work that great and was prone to being set off by anything from coughs to dog barks. Still, it looked good in the movies, right?

    73. VHS player/VCR recorder: Okay, with so many different players that helped make VHS the preferred video format in the '80s (sorry BetaMax), it's hard to nail down particular model that made all the difference, but it just goes to prove how influential those chunky video cassettes became in the '80s and '90s. From Panasonic to JVC, all the big and aspiring electronics giants had their own player and future fortunes were made as the home video entertainment market boomed. Now you could buy films and watch them in the comfort of your home own home. More importantly, you could eventually record TV content as well. Grainy compilations of Red Dwarf and Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles? Yes please!

    74. Only thing missing was the internet

    75. Open Comments:

    76. Music Scene:

    77. Top Black songs from Billboard Top 40 Chart

    78. #2 "My Prerogative" Bobby Brown

    79. #4 "Straight Up" Paula Abdul

    80. #5 "Miss You Much" Janet Jackson

    81. #6 "Cold Hearted" Paula Abdul

    82. #8 "Girl You Know It's True" Milli Vanilli

    83. #10 "Giving You the Best That I Got" Anita Baker

    84. #14 "Don't Wanna Lose You" Gloria Estefan

    85. #16 "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" Milli Vanilli

    86. #19 "On Our Own" Bobby Brown

    87. #21 "Blame It on the Rain" Milli Vanilli

    88. #25 "Like a Prayer" Madonna

    89. #28 "Baby Don't Forget My Number" Milli Vanilli

    90. #30 "Forever Your Girl" Paula Abdul

    91. #33 "Wild Thing" Tone Lƍc

    92. #36 "Buffalo Stance" Neneh Cherry

    93. #46 "Real Love" Jody Watley

    94. Vote:

    95. Top RnB Albums

    96. Jan - Giving You the Best That I Got, Anita Baker

    97. Jan - Karyn White, Karyn White

    98. Mar - Don't Be Cruel, Bobby Brown

    99. Apr - Let's Get It Started, MC Hammer

    100. Apr – Guy, Guy

    101. May - The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, Slick Rick

    102. May - Feet High and Rising, De La Soul

    103. Jul - Walking with a Panther, LL Cool J

    104. Aug - Big Tyme, Heavy D and the Boyz

    105. Sep - 2 Keep On Movin', Soul II Soul

    106. Sep - Unfinished Business, EPMD

    107. Sep - No One Can Do It Better, The D.O.C.

    108. Oct - Tender Lover, Babyface

    109. Nov - Silky Soul, Frankie Beverly and Maze

    110. Nov - Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814, Janet Jackson

    111. Dec - Stay with Me Regina Belle

    112. Vote:

    113. Featured Artist: MC Hammer, Stanley Kirk Burrell (@27 Yrs. old)

    114. Childhood & Early Life: Born and raised in Oakland, California. He was the youngest of his 6 siblings and lived in a government housing project apartment in East Oakland. His father, Lewis Burrell, worked as warehouse supervisor while his mother was a secretary. Interested in baseball from his early boyhood, he spent time around the ‘Oakland Coliseum’ and entertained by dancing during the breaks. ‘Oakland Athletics’ owner, Charles Finley, watched him perform in the Coliseum’s parking lot and hired the 11-year Burrell as ‘batboy.’ Burrell’s resemblance to the baseball player ‘Hammerin’ Hank Aaron earned him the nick-name ‘Hammer.’ The ‘MC’ part came from ‘Master of Ceremonies’ as he performed at various clubs while on the road with A’s. He played baseball (second base) during high school years and wished to be a professional player but was not selected. After high school, he enlisted for US Navy and served as aviation storekeeper for 3 years.

    115. Career: After being honorably discharged from the US Navy, Hammer began playing in clubs and formed ‘Holy Ghost Boys,’ a Christian rap music group with Jon Gibson. One of their songs, ‘The Wall,’ became a hit. Two former A’s player, Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy, helped him financially to start his own record label, ‘Bust It Records.’ Hammer released his debut album, ‘Feel My Power,’ through his own label, ‘Oakland Records,’ in 1987, and the album sold over 60,000 copies. He released a single, ‘Ring ‘Em,’ and marketed it on his own. Hammer formed a troupe with dancers, musicians and vocalist, and presented stage shows and live shows at clubs. Through his album and one of his live acts, he earned a multi-album deal with the ‘Capitol Records’ in 1988. His first album through ‘Capitol,’ was the 1989 album, ‘Let’s Get It Started,’ a revised version of ‘Feel My Power.’ With its charted numbers, ‘Turn This Mutha Out,’ ‘Let’s Get it Started,’ ‘They Put Me in the Mix’ among others, the album sold more than 2 million copies and was certified double platinum.

    116. Hammer toured around with his live show promoting the album and installed a recording studio at the back of this tour bus, where he recorded songs. His next album, ‘Please, Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em,’ was brought out on February 12, 1990. The single, ‘U Can’t Touch This,’ from this album proved most successful and is considered as his signature song.

    117. He was a part of many TV shows and films, including cartoon-show, ‘Hammerman,’ ‘Saturday Night Live,’ ‘The Right Connections,’ ‘Deadly Rhapsody,’ ‘The Surreal Life,’ among many others. He appeared as a dance judge on the show, ‘Dance Fever’ (2003). ‘Hammertime’ (2009) was his reality TV series on ‘A&E Network,’ which dealt with his daily life. Hammer established ‘Oakland Stable’ in 1991 for thoroughbred horses. He was also involved with various business ventures from clothing lines, to tech start-up and product endorsements. Hammer sported a lavish lifestyle with a huge mansion at Fremont, California, sprawling estate and luxury cars. He also spent a large amount of money on his stage shows, staff, and relatives. With $13 million in debt, he filed for bankruptcy in 1996. In 1997, he turned to faith and became a preacher with a Christian Ministry TV show.

    118. Open Comments:

    119. Question: Would you rather flame out spectacularly like Hammer or low-key longevity?

    120. Movie Scene: Do The Right Thing, Spike Lee

    121. Breakdown: by Walker Valdez - “The film
focuses on a single day of the lives of racially diverse people who live and work in a lower-class neighborhood in Brooklyn New York. However, this ordinary day takes place on one of the hottest days of the summer. The film centers on how social class, race and the moral decisions that the characters make have a direct effect on the way people interact with each other. It starts with the film’s characters waking up to start their day and climaxes with a neighborhood riot after police officers excessively restrain and kill a young black man named Radio Raheem for fighting an older Italian American restaurant owner named Sal in his pizzeria, and then outside on the street. The film, although released in 1989, with its social commentary on the effect that race has on police brutality is just as relevant today as when it was released 26 years ago.

    122. Cast was bananas!

    123. Negative Review - David Denby, then writing for New York, also predicted a dire outcome
He accused Lee of creating "the dramatic structure that primes black people to cheer the explosion as an act of revenge," and concluded, “The end of this movie is shambles, and if some audiences go wild, he's partly responsible."

    124. The same notion crept into Joe Klein's editorial in the same issue of New York, in which he surmised as to the film's possible political effect on David Dinkins's mayoral campaign. He wrote: "Dinkins will also have to pay the price for Spike Lee's reckless new movie about a summer race riot in Brooklyn"

    125. Speaking about the reviews more than 10 years later, Lee was still livid: "What the fuck is that?... What he's saying is, 'Pray to God that this film doesn't open in your theater, (because) niggers are gonna go crazy.'" Lee points out that white audiences aren't presumed to "go crazy" over far more violent action films, "but we're such mental midgets that we can't tell the difference between what's on screen and what's in real life?"

    126. Positive Review - Roger Ebert: “I have been given only a few filmgoing experiences in my life to equal the first time I saw “Do the Right Thing.” Most movies remain up there on the screen. Only a few penetrate your soul. In May of 1989 I walked out of the screening at the Cannes Film Festival with tears in my eyes. Spike Lee had done an almost impossible thing. He'd made a movie about race in America that empathized with all the participants. He didn't draw lines or take sides but simply looked with sadness at one racial flashpoint that stood for many others.”

    127. Question: What is the right thing to do in the face of systemic social injustice?

    128. TV Scene: The Arsenio Hall Show

    129. Arsenio Hall (@ 33 yrs. old) is a famous American comedian, actor and talk show host who gained his fame from the show ‘The Arsenio Hall Show’ that aired from the year 1989 to 1994 and 2013 to 2014. Born and raised in Cleveland, as a child, Arsenio used to perform magic tricks. He joined and graduated from Warrensville Heights High School and later pursued his higher education from Kent State University.

    130. Early Profession and Career: “Arsenio was a passionate and determined child from childhood and wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. During his early career days, he went to Los Angeles to pursue a career in comedy. He has appeared on Thicke of the Night as an announcer, besides, Alan Thicke. Arsenio appeared on numerous talk shows which made him popular among the audiences. However, he reached in a prominent place in the talk show genre when he got an opportunity to host his own show ‘The Arsenio Hall Show.’ The late-night show was a hit.

    131. Where did he come from?

    132. Open Comments:

    133. Question: Where do you go nowadays to tap into black culture?

    134. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1989?

  • Topics: Gangs, Keith Sweat, Al. B. Sure!, Bobby Brown, Coming to America, A Different World (Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

    Snapshots 1. Ronald Reagan President (Last Year!) 2. Jan - Doug Williams super bowl [Two weeks earlier, CBS commentator Jimmy the Greek had been fired for remarking that blacks were better at sports because of slave plantation breeding techniques: “During the slave period, the slave owner would breed his big black with his big woman so that he would have a big black kid — that’s where it all started.”] 3. Feb – Winter Olympics: Jamaican Bobsled team! Debi Thomas 1988 winter Olympics Bronze medal - The best African American figure skater in history 4. Jul - Jessie Jackson keep hope alive speech at the DNC 5. Jul - The first ever edition of "Shark Week" airs on Discovery Channel. 6. Aug - Yo! MTV Raps 7. Sep - James Brown, while high on PCP, was involved in a high-speed chase with the police. He was eventually convicted of assaulting an officer and possession of an unlicensed firearm, among other charges. He spent three years in prison 8. Sep – Summer Olympics: Florence Joyner She is considered the fastest woman of all time, based on the world records she set in 1988 for both the 100 m and 200 m still stand. Jackie Joyner-Kersee long jump and heptathlon, Carl Lewis, Steve Lewis, and roger kingdom 9. Oct - Sega's two-year head start on Nintendo in the 16-bit gaming wars began on October 29, 1988, when the Sega Genesis launched 10. Nov - George Bush elected President 11. Dec - Mad Max Robinson dies 12. Dec - Roots: The Gift, the third installment of the Roots series is broadcast on ABC. 13. Open Comments: 14. Top Pop Songs 15. #1 - "Faith" - George Michael 16. #2 - Need You Tonight" - INXS 17. #3 - "Got My Mind Set on You" - George Harrison 18. Grammy Awards 19. Record of the Year: Bobby McFerrin for "Don't Worry, Be Happy" 20. Album of the Year: George Michael (producer & artist) for Faith 21. Song of the Year: Bobby McFerrin for "Don't Worry, Be Happy" 22. Best New Artist: Tracy Chapman 23. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Anita Baker for "Giving You the Best That I Got" 24. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Terence Trent D'Arby for Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'arby 25. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Gladys Knight & the Pips for "Love Overboard" 26. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: Anita Baker for "Giving You the Best That I Got" performed by Anita Baker 27. Best Rap Performance: "Parents Just Don't Understand" – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. [The first award for Best Rap Performance was presented to DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince for "Parents Just Don't Understand". Jeff and Smith led a boycott in protest of the awards presentation not being televised, and some members of the rap community felt that more qualified artists were overlooked. 28. Top 3 Movies 29. #1 - Rain Man 30. #2 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit 31. #3 - Coming to America 32. Other Notables: Big, Twins, Crocodile Dundee II, Die Hard, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, Cocktail, Beetlejuice, Above the Law, Colors, A Fish Called Wanda, Young Guns, Tougher Than Leather, Child's Play, The Land Before Time, Tequila Sunrise, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, and School Daze. 33. Top 3 TV Shows 34. #1 - The Cosby Show 35. #2 - Roseanne 36. #3 - A Different World 37. Economic Snapshots 38. New Home: 91,777 39. Avg Rent: 420 40. Avg. Income: 24,457 41. New Car: 10,432 42. Harvard: 12,015 43. Movie Ticket: 3.50 44. Gas: .91 45. Stamp: .25 46. Social Scene: Gangs and the movie Colors 47. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZvatzKVM2g 48. “Bulls”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJQAKDbq0hI 49. Stevin Levitt, Freakonomics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UGC2nLnaes 50. @9:35 - Summary: McDonalds vs Gang 51. Factors: Socio-political-economical, hyper masculinity and criminal justice/policing 52. Other ethnicities “evolved” out of their “street-gang” phases, but black- brown people are dealt with differently. 53. Open Comments: 54. Question: would more representation in the criminal justice system help – how to counter our internal factor? 55. Music Scene: 56. Top Black Singles 57. #6 - "So Emotional", Whitney Houston 58. #11 - "One More Try", George Michael 59. #12 - "Wishing Well", Terence Trent D'Arby 60. #15 - "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car", Billy Ocean 61. #21, "Man in the Mirror", Michael Jackson 62. #27, "Father Figure", George Michael 63. #33 - "Where Do Broken Hearts Go", Whitney Houston 64. #36 - "The Way You Make Me Feel", Michael Jackson 65. #37 - "Don't Worry, Be Happy", Bobby McFerrin 66. Top Black Albums 67. Jan – Bad, Michael Jackson 68. Jan - Characters, Stevie Wonder 69. Feb - All Our Love, Gladys Knight & the Pips 70. Mar - Make It Last Forever, Keith Sweat 71. Apr - Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby, Terence Trent D'Arby 72. May - Faith, George Michael 73. Jul - In Effect Mode, Al B. Sure! 74. Aug - Strictly Business, EPMD 75. Sep - Don't Be Cruel, Bobby Brown 76. Sep - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy 77. Oct - Don't Let Love Slip Away, Freddie Jackson 78. Nov - Giving You the Best That I Got, Anita Baker 79. Nov - Any Love, Luther Vandross 80. Vote: 81. Featured Artists: New jack swingers 82. Keith Sweat (@ 27 yrs. old): Known for his distinctive ‘whining’ vocal style, Sweat has established himself as one of the most successful male R&B/soul singers not only in America but also in other parts of the world. Born Keith Douglas Sweat, he was raised in Harlem and by the time he was 14 he had performed at various nightclubs in and around New York City. He graduated from the City College of New York with a BS degree in ‘communications’, after which he worked for a brief period as a successful brokerage assistant in a Wall Street firm. Despite a prosperous career at the Wall Street, he chose to pursue his passion for music and began writing songs and tried selling them to various record labels. In 1975, he began his career in music as a member of the Harlem based band called the ‘Jamilah’. In 1984, he left ‘Jamilah’ in order to begin a solo career and subsequently sang at various nightclubs in New York. He was quickly noticed and given an opportunity to record an independent album for ‘Stadium Records’. He recorded ‘My Mind Is Made Up’ for the ‘Stadium Records’ and he was also credited as the co-writer and co-producer of ‘You Are the One for Me’. On November 25, 1987 his debut solo album ‘Make It Last Forever’ was released, which sold three million copies. The biggest hit from this album was the song that inaugurated the new jack swing era "I Want Her" 83. Bobby Brown (@ 19 yrs. old): Brown changed producers for this album and worked extensively with hit-making songwriting and production duo Babyface and L.A. Reid. Alex Henderson of AllMusic wrote: “Don't Be Cruel was to Bobby Brown what Control was to Janet Jackson – a tougher, more aggressive project that shed his "bubblegum" image altogether and brought him to a new artistic and commercial plateau. With "My Prerogative" and the title song, Brown became a leader of new jack swing” 84. Al B. Sure!(@ 20 yrs. old): During the late '80s, Al B. Sure! enjoyed a brief run as one of new jack swing's most popular romantic singers. Born Al Brown in Boston, he grew up in Mount Vernon, NY, listening to smooth crooners like Marvin Gaye and Johnny Mathis; he later became interested in rap and added that skill to his vocal repertoire. At age ten, he and a friend performed on a song written by Ellie Greenwich for the soundtrack of Sesame Street, and later he began writing songs with his cousin Kyle West. While in high school (where he quarterbacked the football team), he became friends with Edward Ferrell, aka DJ Eddie F, who was working with rapper Heavy D at the time. Eddie F introduced the still-teenaged Al B. Sure! to Heavy D's manager/Uptown label head Andre Harrell, who had him sing backing vocals on several Heavy D tracks and helped him get a deal with Warner Brothers. In 1987, Al was selected by Quincy Jones as the first winner of the Sony Innovators Talent Search. He collaborated with Jones on various projects, most notably the platinum single “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)” from Jones’ double-platinum-certified album Back on the Block. On this hit, he was one of a quartet with El DeBarge, Barry White, and James Ingram. His debut album of 1988 In Effect Mode topped the Billboard R&B chart for seven consecutive weeks, selling more than two million copies. 85. Open Comments: 86. Question: Al B. Said “There’s a generation of women starving to be told I love you again” What happened?! Who is bringing it back? 87. Movie Scene: Coming to America 88. Trailer: 89. The Hollywood Reporter's original review: “Eddie Murphy's latest Coming to America is likely to leave the wreath-bearers, the frantic faithful, the crowd herders and the legions of line-waiters in numbed, disbelieving disappointment
Distressingly, the film flops into the blandest of sitcom formats, never realizing its regal potential...Coming to America is the filmic equivalent of using a Maserati to go to the corner grocery store
Yes, there are some crazy pieces crammed into America — Murphy and Hall in their multi-roles do a running black barbershop bit that is good and nuts — but this comedy is generally tame and sappy
The plot itself is pathetic
No getting around it, while the script completely misses as a social satire, the writers have botched the romance part of America as well
Rivaling the inept screenplay is John Landis' cornball direction, which includes a TV season's worth of reactive cutaways to an ugly poodle
On a production level, at least, Coming to America gets top marks. — Duane Byrge originally published on June 24, 1988. 90. Open Comments: 91. Question: Is this Eddie’s best movie? Was Arsenio better than Eddie? Sequel or a remake? 92. Television Scene: A Different World 93. Theme song differences 94. Debbie Allen’s influence 95. Why didn’t any of them go onto stardom? - 96. Vote: Best/most important/favorite pop culture item from 1988?
  • Topics: Crack Epidemic, Michael Jackson - Bad, Hollywood Shuffle, Eyes on the Prize (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco) Snapshots 1. Ronald Reagan President – (Should have been impeached) 2. January 3. The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, became the very first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 4. March 5. U.S. President Ronald Reagan addresses the American people on the Iran-Contra Affair, acknowledging that his overtures to Iran had 'deteriorated' into an arms-for-hostages deal. 6. Jim Bakker, head of PTL Ministries, resigns after admitting an affair with church secretary Jessica Hahn. 7. April 8. Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of English rock band Queen, is diagnosed with AIDS. He dies four years later after making his diagnosis public. 9. Matt Groening's The Simpsons debuts as a series of short animated segments as part of The Tracey Ullman Show on Fox. 10. May 11. U.S. Senator Gary Hart drops out of the running for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, amid allegations of an extramarital affair with Donna Rice. 12. June 13. During a visit to Berlin, Germany, U.S. President Ronald Reagan challenges Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. 14. Teddy Seymour is officially designated the first black man to sail around the world, when he completes his solo sailing circumnavigation in Frederiksted, St. Croix, of the United States Virgin Islands. 15. Edwards v. Aguillard: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that a Louisiana law requiring that creation science be taught in public schools whenever evolution is taught is unconstitutional. 16. July 17. Ronald Reagan nominates former Solicitor General Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. The nomination is later rejected by the Senate, the first and only nominee rejection to date. 18. October 19. Jesse Jackson launches his second campaign for U.S. President. 20. The United States is caught up in a drama that unfolds on television as a young child, Jessica McClure, falls down a well in Midland, Texas, and is later rescued. 21. December 22. Prozac makes its debut in the United States. 23. Open Comments 24. Black Snapshots 25. Mar - The first ever Soul Train Music Awards 26. Apr - Los Angeles Dodgers general manager Al Campanis makes racially insensitive comments when 27. asked about the scarcity of black field or general managers in MLB. Campanis, who had played alongside Robinson and was known for being close to him, was being interviewed about the subject on Nightline. Anchorman Ted Koppel asked him why, at the time, there had been few black managers and no black general managers in Major League Baseball. Campanis' reply was that blacks "may not have some of the necessities to be, let's say, a field manager, or, perhaps, a general manager" for these positions. Elsewhere in the interview, he said that blacks are often poor swimmers "because they don't have the buoyancy." Koppel says he gave Campanis several opportunities to clarify, ("Do you really believe that?") or back down from his remarks, but Campanis confirmed his views with his replies. Campanis was fired less than 48 hours later. 28. Literature – Rita Dove wins a Pulitzer for Thomas and Beulah and Toni Morrison publishes Beloved; it will win a Pulitzer and become a movie. Terri McMillan's first book, Mama, was published in 1987, later works include Disappearing Acts, Waiting To Exhale, and How Stella got Her Groove Back. James Baldwin, author of If Beale Street Could Talk, passed away. 29. John H. Johnson is named the first BE Entrepreneur of the Decade, having built Johnson Publishing Co. Inc., producers of Ebony, Jet, and Fashion Fair cosmetics into an international powerhouse. Born and raised in Arkansas, Johnson’s family moved to Chicago when he was a teen. He excelled in school, received a scholarship to the University of Chicago, and began working at an insurance company. He got his start when his mother used her furniture as collateral for a $500 loan to start his first publication, Negro Digest, in 1942, which served as the launching pad for him to create the largest African American publishing company in the world. Seemingly, there wasn’t a single African American household in late 20th century America in which you could not find a copy of Ebony or Jet on the coffee table. In September 1955, Johnson made a decision that forever shook the world. Not one to vacillate on any issue, he revealed to millions the mutilated corpse of Emmett Till, a Chicago youngster who had been bludgeoned and shot in Mississippi for reportedly whistling at a white woman. Shortly thereafter, other black publications followed Jet’s lead in publishing the photos. It galvanized clusters of African Americans nationwide to protest such senseless acts of violence. In one bold move, the determined 37-year-old publisher helped launch the civil rights movement. 30. Open Comments 31. Top 3 Pop Songs 32. #1 - "Walk Like an Egyptian", The Bangles 33. #2 - "Alone", Heart 34. #3 - "Shake You Down", Gregory Abbott 35. Grammy Awards 36. Record of the Year - Paul Simon for "Graceland" 37. Album of the Year -U2 for The Joshua Tree 38. Song of the Year - "Somewhere Out There" performed by Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram 39. Best New Artist - Jody Watley 40. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female - Aretha Franklin for Aretha 41. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male - Smokey Robinson for "Just to See Her" 42. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal - Aretha Franklin & George Michael for "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" 43. Best R&B Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist) - David Sanborn for "Chicago Song" 44. Best Rhythm & Blues Song - Bill Withers (songwriter) for "Lean on Me" performed by Club Nouveau 45. Open Comments 46. Top 3 Movies 47. #1 - Beverly Hills Cop II 48. #2 – Platoon 49. #3 - Fatal Attraction 50. Other Notables: Lethal Weapon, Predator, Spaceballs, Full Metal Jacket, RoboCop, La Bamba, The Lost Boys, Who's That Girl, Disorderlies, Dirty Dancing, The Big Easy, Hellraiser, The Princess Bride, Three Men and a Baby, Wall Street, Good Morning, Vietnam, and Eddie Murphy Raw 51. Open Comments 52. Top 3 TV Shows 53. #1 - The Cosby Show 54. #2 - A Different World 55. #3 - Cheers 56. Debuts: 21 Jump Street, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and A Different World 57. Open Comments 58. Economic Snapshots 59. New Home: 92,024 60. Avg Rent: 395 61. Avg. Income: 24,375 62. New Car: 10,370 63. Harvard: 11,390 64. Movie Ticket: 3.00 65. Gas: .89 66. Stamp: .22 67. Social Scene: The Crack Epidemic 68. Crack cocaine 69. What is it - Crack cocaine, is a free base form of cocaine that can be smoked. Cocaine had a reputation as a “party” drug for rich white people. Heroine was a “street” drug for poor black people. Crack became popular on the “streets” with dealers because it turns powder cocaine into an extremely profitable and addictive drug you can now sell to anybody, rich, poor, black, and white. Users liked it because it is a cheap and very potent. 70. Epidemic background – In 1981, crack started showing up in southern states, like Miami and Houston, and on the west coast, Los Angeles and Oakland. (Coastal/Port cities) Crack was basically an unheard-of drug until 1985. That year was the first time the term "crack" was used by the press, November, 29 New York Times article - A NEW, PURIFIED FORM OF COCAINE CAUSES ALARM AS ABUSE INCREASES, By Jane Gross. Within a year, over one thousand stories showed up in the press. By 1987, The DOJ said crack was in 46 out of 50 states. 71. How did it Happen? The main conspiracy theory out there is that Reagan had the CIA do it. 72. Audio Clip 73. Question: Did crack impact your life at all? Why/Why not? 74. Music Scene: Black Songs from the top 40 75. #3 - "Shake You Down", Gregory Abbott 76. #4 - "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", Whitney Houston 77. #7 - "Here I Go Again", Whitesnake 78. #14 - "Always", Atlantic Starr 79. #16 - "Looking for a New Love", Jody Watley 80. #17 - "Head to Toe", Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam 81. #22 - "Didn't We Almost Have It All", Whitney Houston 82. #24 - "I Want Your Sex", George Michael 83. #29 - "Lean on Me", Club Nouveau 84. #31 - "Lost in Emotion", Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam 85. #36 - "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)", Aretha Franklin and George Michael 86. #37 - "Control", Janet Jackson 87. #38 - "U Got the Look", Prince 88. #39 - "Somewhere Out There", Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram 89. Vote: 90. Top RnB Albums 91. Jan - Just Like the First Time, Freddie Jackson 92. May - Give Me the Reason, Luther Vandross 93. Jun - Jody Watley, Jody Watley 94. Jul - One Heartbeat, Smokey Robinson 95. Jul - Bigger and Deffer, LL Cool J 96. Sep - If I Were Your Woman, Stephanie Mills 97. Dec – Characters, Stevie Wonder 98. Vote 99. Featured Artist: Michael Jackson, BAD 100. Open Floor 101. Question 1: Best Song on the Album 102. Question 2: Best MJ song ever? 103. Movie Scene: Hollywood Shuffle, by Robert Townsend and Keenan Ivory Wayans 104. Robert Townsend, writer, producer, director, and actor was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 6, 1957, the second oldest of four children to Shirley and Robert Townsend. Growing up on the Westside of Chicago, Townsend was raised by his mother in a single parent home. As a child Townsend watched TV where he learned to do impersonations of his favorite actors. In 1974, at age 17, he joined Chicago’s Experimental Black Actors Guild X-Bag Theatre and studied at the Second City comedy workshop for improvisation. In 1975, he had a brief uncredited role in the 1975 movie, Cooley High. After high school, Townsend enrolled at Illinois State University, studied for a year, dropped out and moved to New York to pursue comedy. 105. Townsend met Keenan Ivory Wayans while they were both auditioning at the Improvisation Comedy club and the two formed a lifelong friendship. Keenan left for Hollywood, Robert stayed in NYC, and in 1980, at age 23, he almost landed Eddie Murphy’s spot on SNL. Keenan soon talked him into moving to Hollywood and pursuing an acting career. 106. He performed on comedy specials such as Rodney Dangerfield: It’s Not Easy Being Me and landed minor roles in films such as A Soldier’s Story (1984) with Denzel Washington, Streets of Fire (1984) with Diane Lane, and American Flyers, a 1985 movie starring Kevin Costner. 107. The auditioning process in Hollywood, along with other industry processes, were making Robert and Keenan very frustrated. Tired of the run-around and shuffling back and forth for opportunities that were patronizing and demeaning, they decided to make their own movie. At age 30, without any funding beyond the money saved from his earlier work, he co-wrote, directed, and starred in the critically acclaimed 1987 film, Hollywood Shuffle. Later that same year he directed his old friend Eddie Murphy’s stand-up special Raw. In 1991 he directed and starred in The Five Heartbeats, a biographical drama based loosely on the lives of the rhythm and blues group, the Dells and Temptations. He also directed and starred in The Meteor Man (1993) with James Earl Jones and Bill Cosby and went on to co-create the television series The Parent 'Hood (1995-99) 108. Open Floor 109. Audio Clip 110. Question 1: Is Tyler Perry a Tom? 111. Question 2: What are today’s stereotypes? 112. Television scene: Eyes on the Prize- An American television series and 14-part documentary about the Civil Rights Movement in the United States that originally aired on PBS in 1987. 113. Produced by Blackside, Eyes on the Prize tells the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberations continue to be felt today. Winner of numerous Emmy Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, an International Documentary Award, and a Television Critics Association Award, Eyes on the Prize is the most critically acclaimed documentary on civil rights in America. 114. The 1987 original airing: America's Civil Rights Years 1954–1965 (6 parts) Pt. 1 - Awakenings (1954–1956)": Chronicles the murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi and the Montgomery bus boycott in Alabama. Pt. 2 - "Fighting Back (1957–1962)”: Chronicles the school desegregation crises at Central High School by the Little Rock Nine in Arkansas and by James Meredith at the University of Mississippi during the Ole Miss riot of 1962. Pt. 3 - "Ain't Scared of Your Jails (1960–1961)": Covers the Nashville sit-ins and boycotts that sought to end racial segregation at lunch counters in Tennessee and the Freedom Riders efforts to end segregation on interstate transportation and terminals throughout the southern United States. Pt. 4 - "No Easy Walk (1961–1963)": Examines the failed attempt by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Albany, Georgia to end segregation and the subsequent lessons learned to win a major victory in Birmingham, Alabama during the Birmingham campaign. The film also covers the March on Washington, one of the largest political rallies for civil rights in United States. Pt. 5 - "Mississippi: Is This America? (1962–1964)" Chronicles the murder of Medgar Evers in 1963 and the murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner in 1964 in Mississippi. The film also covers the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) attendance at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City during the United States presidential election of 1964. Pt. 6 - "Bridge to Freedom (1965)": Examines the effort to restore voting rights in Selma, Alabama during the Selma to Montgomery marches. 115. Review from Common Sense Media: - IS IT ANY GOOD? - This documentary series is wonderfully narrated by Julian Bond and peppered with feisty first-person accounts from the people who lived it. Watching early film of Martin Luther King, Jr. as a 26-year-old clergyman at the beginning of his historic odyssey and seeing the young, future Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall just after his victory in Brown vs. the Board of Education are highlights in a film that consistently strives for excellence, integrity, and clarity. It's a fascinating, emotional journey marked by moments of sadness, disgust, pride, and ultimately joy. Eyes on the Prize brings a crucial part of America's recent past to life. 116. About Henry Hampton: Hampton was born in St. Louis and as a child suffered from polio. He obtained a B. A. degree from Washington University in his hometown. He was a renowned producer whose television documentary Eyes on the Prize set the pattern for nonfiction accounts of the civil rights movement. His films include The Great Depression and America's War on Poverty, both of which were critically acclaimed. Hampton founded and ran Blackside Productions; the United States' largest African American owned documentary film Production Company. His work focused on the lives of the poor and disenfranchised and chronicled the 20th century's great political and social movements. 117. Open Floor: 118. Question: None 119. Vote: Favorite/Best/Most Important Pop Culture Item of 1987

  • Topics: Chicago Bears, Janet Jackson, Anita Baker, She's Gotta Have It, 227-(TV Sitcom)(Bonus Artist: hidingtobefound)

    General Snapshots 1. Ronald Reagan is President 2. Jan - The first federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day, honoring Martin Luther King Jr., is observed. 3. Jan - The first group of inductees to the Rock and Roll HOF, included Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, and 3 other white performers. Also inducted were, James Brown*, Little Richard*, Fats Domino*, Ray Charles*, Chuck Berry*, Sam Cooke*, Robert Johnson*, and Jimmy Yancey*. 4. Jan - Super Bowl XX: The Chicago Bears defeat the New England Patriots 46–10 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. 5. Jan - Space Shuttle Challenger disintegrates 73 seconds after launch, killing the crew of seven astronauts, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe (see Space Shuttle Challenger disaster). President Ronald Reagan postpones for one week the State of the Union address that had been scheduled for the evening and instead addresses the nation on the Challenger disaster. 6. Mar - Halley's Comet is a comet visible from Earth every 75–76 years. It last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061. 7. Apr - The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults, hosted by Geraldo Rivera, is a two-hour live American television special. 8. Apr - In Ukraine, one of the reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear plant explodes, creating the world’s worst nuclear disaster. 31 are killed directly by the incident, many more die from cancer in later years, many thousands more are exposed to significant amounts of radioactive material, and vast territories in Ukraine and Belarus are rendered uninhabitable. 9. May - Hands Across America: approximately 6.5 million people form a human chain from New York City to Long Beach, California, to raise money to fight hunger and homelessness. The event raised about $15 million. A total of 24 cities participated along the route, including: Champaign, Illinois (with Walter Payton), Chebanse, Illinois (A cornfield in central Illinois served as center-point of the nation with 16,000 people in attendance), Springfield, Illinois (with 50 Abraham Lincoln impersonators), and St. Louis, Missouri (with Kathleen Turner under the St. Louis Arch) 10. Aug - In Edmond, Oklahoma, United States Postal Service employee Patrick Sherrill guns down 14 of his co-workers before committing suicide. 11. Sep - Desmond Tutu becomes the first black Anglican Church bishop in South Africa’s Cape Town, the most senior position in southern Africa's Anglican hierarchy. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from black theology with African theology; politically, he identifies as a socialist. 12. Nov - Iran–Contra affair: The United States has been selling weapons to Iran in secret, in order to secure the release of 7 American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon. Also, profits from the covert weapons sales to Iran were illegally diverted to the anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua. National Security Council member Oliver North and his secretary, Fawn Hall, start shredding documents implicating them. 13. Nov - Mike Tyson wins his first world boxing title by defeating Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas. Tyson won the title by TKO in the second round, and at the age of 20 years and 4 months became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout or stoppage, 12 of them in the first round. 14. Dec - Three African Americans are assaulted by a group of white teens in the Howard Beach neighborhood of Queens, New York. One of the victims, Michael Griffith, is run over and killed by a motorist while attempting to flee the attackers. 15. Open Comments: 16. Top 3 Pop Songs 17. 1 "That's What Friends Are For, Dionne and Friends 18. 2 "Say You, Say Me", Lionel Richie 19. 3 "I Miss You", Klymaxx 20. Grammy Award Winners 21. Record of the Year: "Higher Love", Steve Winwood 22. Album of the Year: Paul Simon (producer & artist) for Graceland 23. Song of the Year: Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager (songwriters) for "That's What Friends Are For" performed by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight & Stevie Wonder 24. Best New Artist: Bruce Hornsby & the Range 25. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Anita Baker for Rapture 26. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: James Brown for "Living in America" 27. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: Prince and The Revolution for "Kiss" 28. Best Rhythm & Blues Song: "Sweet Love" performed by Anita Baker 29. Open Comments 30. Top 3 Movies 1. Top Gun 2. Crocodile Dundee 3. Platoon 31. Other Notables: The Karate Kid Part II, Star Trek IV, Back To School, Aliens, The Golden Child, Ruthless People, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Crocodile Dundee, The Fly, Howard the Duck, Labyrinth, Little Shop of Horrors, Platoon, Pretty in Pink, Stand By Me, Top Gun, The Three Amigos ---AND UNDER THE CHERRY MOON! 32. Open Comments 33. Top 3 TV Shows 1. The Cosby Show 2. Family Ties 3. Cheers 34. Open Comments 35. Economic Snapshot 36. New Home: 89,463 37. Avg Rent: 385 38. Avg. Income: 22,300 39. New Car: 9,300 40. Harvard:10,600 yearly 41. Movie Ticket: 2.75 42. Gas: .89 43. Stamp: .22 44. Social Scene: Chicago Bears – Super Bowl Shufflin!! 45. “In March of 1920 a man telephoned me. Mr. Chamberlain asked if I would like to come to Decatur and work for the Staley Company. [George Chamberlain was general superintendent of the A. E. Staley Company, a food starch company of Decatur, Illinois. In 1919, the company's Fellowship Club had formed a football team. It had done well against other local teams, but Mr. Staley wanted to build it into a team that could compete successfully with the best semi-professional and industrial teams in the country.” - George Halas, in his book Halas by Halas. 46. The franchise was founded in Decatur, Illinois, on September 17, 1920 and moved to Chicago in 1921. It is one of only two remaining franchises from the NFL's founding in 1920, along with the Arizona Cardinals, which was originally also in Chicago. Originally named the Decatur Staleys, the company hired George Halas, a Chicago native, and Edward "Dutch" Sternaman in 1920 to run the team. The 1920 Decatur Staleys season was their inaugural regular season completed in the newly formed American Professional Football Association (later renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922). The team relocated to Chicago in 1921, where the club was renamed the Chicago Staleys. Under an agreement reached by Halas and Sternaman with Staley, Halas purchased the rights to the club from Staley for $100 (~$1,400 in 2019). In 1922, Halas changed the team name from the Staleys to the Bears. The team moved into Wrigley Field, which was home to the Chicago Cubs baseball franchise and, as with several early NFL franchises, the Bears derived their nickname from their city's baseball team. Halas liked the bright orange-and-blue colors of his alma mater, the University of Illinois, and the Bears adopted those colors as their own. 47. The 1985 Bears were simply the greatest team ever, and here's why. The collection of players Chicago put together not just on defense, but also offense, made them one of the most talented teams ever assembled. The Bears steam-rolled their way through the regular season with a 15-1 record. In Super Bowl XX, they destroyed the Pats 46-10, with the only 10 points they would give up in the entire playoffs. At the time, the 36-point win was the largest in Super Bowl history. Chicago finished with an 18-1 overall record and allowed only five of the teams they faced that year to score more than 10 points in a game. They had the greatest running back in NFL history, Walter Payton. They had the best middle linebacker in NFL history, Mike Singletary. And they even had the 1985 Coach of the Year, Mike Ditka. But, most importantly, they had the greatest team in the history of the NFL. (Including the “Punkie” QB and the Fridge!) They were the 1985 Chicago Bears. R.I.P. Sweetness. Although you wore No. 34 on the field, you will always be No. 1 in Bears fans' hearts! - MATT REAGAN [https://bleacherreport.com/articles/136752-1985-chicago-bears-the-greatest-team-ever] 48. Question: Did you care? 49. Music Scene 50. Black Songs from the Top 40 51. 1 "That's What Friends Are For, Dionne and Friends 52. 2 "Say You, Say Me", Lionel Richie 53. 3 "I Miss You", Klymaxx 54. 4 "On My Own", Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald 55. 6 "How Will I Know", Whitney Houston 56. 7 "Party All the Time", Eddie Murphy 57. 11 "Greatest Love of All", Whitney Houston 58. 12 "Secret Lovers", Atlantic Starr 59. 16 "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)", Billy Ocean 60. 19 "Kiss", Prince and The Revolution 61. 26 "I Can't Wait", Nu Shooz 62. 31 "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going", Billy Ocean 63. 32 "When I Think of You", Janet Jackson 64. 39 "Dancing on the Ceiling", Lionel Richie 65. 43 "What Have You Done For Me Lately", Janet Jackson 66. Vote: 67. Top RnB Albums 68. Jan - In Square Circle, Stevie Wonder 69. Feb – Promise, Sade 70. Apr – Control, Janet Jackson 71. Jun - Winner in You, Patti LaBelle 72. Aug - Love Zone, Billy Ocean 73. Aug - Raising Hell, Run–D.M.C. 74. Sep – Rapture, Anita Baker 75. Oct - Word Up!, Cameo 76. Nov - Give Me the Reason, Luther Vandross 77. Dec - Just Like the First Time, Freddie Jackson 78. *Dec - Life, Love & Pain, the debut album of Club Nouveau (Personal Favorite – 1st “Grown Up” album I bumped) 79. Vote 80. Featured Artist: Janet Damita Jo Jackson (@ 20 yrs. old): a.k.a, Ms. Jackson if you’re Nasty. 81. One of the most awarded artists in the world, her career longevity, hit records and trail of achievements reflect her influence in shaping and redefining the scope of popular music. In her more than four decades of music career that has spanned over eleven studio albums and seven world tours, Jackson has sold more than 100 million records with four of her albums being included in Rolling Stone's ‘500 Greatest Albums’ and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's ‘Definitive 200’ list. She was a fixture on MTV and a major role model for young artist. 82. Childhood and career: Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, she was the youngest of the ten children. With the entire family into the entertainment business, it was only natural for Janet Jackson to follow suit. She recorded herself in the studio and by the age of seven, had performed at the Las Vegas Strip at MGM Casino. In 1976, Jackson began acting in the variety show ‘The Jacksons’. The following year, she grabbed a main role as Penny Gordon Woods in the sitcom ‘Good Times’. This was followed by a role in ‘A New Kind of Family’ and a recurring role in ‘Different Strokes’. At the age of 16, Jackson received a contract with A&M Records. Under the label, she released her debut album ‘Janet Jackson’ in 1982. The album peaked at number 63 on the Billboard 200, and number six on the publication’s R&B albums chart. In 1984, Jackson released her second album ‘Dream Street’. The album was moderately successful, peaking at 147 on the Billboard 200, and number 19 on the R&B albums chart. Its lead single ‘Don’t Stand a Chance’ peaked at number nine on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. Continuous tiffs with her father led Jackson to come out from under his shell. She then teamed with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis to come up with her third album ‘Control’ in 1986 which became a major hit. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified five times platinum by the RIAA, selling over ten million copies worldwide. 83. ‘Control’ gave Jackson her first breakthrough success. It not just spawned top five singles but also gave her, her first number one hit on the Hot 100. The album went on to receive six Billboard Awards, including Top Pop Singles Artist and three Grammy nominations. It also won four American Music Awards from twelve nominations, the highest ever till date. ‘Control’ gained crossover pop appeal, giving Jackson her own identity, away from her clan. Following the stupendous success of ‘Control’, Jackson was bounded by the pressure to come up with its sequel. However, she refrained from bowing down to the pressure and instead came up with her fourth album ‘Rhythm Nation 1814’ that dealt with a socially conscious theme. 84. Open Comments: 85. Question 1: Nipple Gate - In a 2006 interview with MTV, Justin Timberlake admitted that Jackson suffered more in wake of the controversy. “If you consider it 50-50, then I probably got 10 percent of the blame,” Timberlake told MTV’s John Norris in a 2006 interview. “I think America is harsher on women. I think America is unfairly harsh on ethnic people.” He also said that he could have “handled [the aftermath] better.” - Why did she get crushed? 86. Question 2: TMZ 6/23/2019 - Janet Jackson has broken her silence amid new allegations against her brother, Michael Jackson, in "Leaving Neverland" -- and her message is simple ... his rep will be just fine. Janet says, "I love it when I see kids emulating him, when adults still listen to his music. It just lets you know the impact that my family has had on the world." She added, "I hope I'm not sounding arrogant in any way -- I'm just stating what it is. It's really all God's doing, and I'm just thankful for that." She's also defended him in the past, specifically when Jordy Chandler accused Michael of sexual abuse in '93. At the time, Janet called it a money grab. – Denial or Business? 87. Featured Artist: Anita Denise Baker (@ 28 yrs. old): a.k.a., 'The Songstress'. Singer and songwriter. 88. Childhood & Early Life: Born in Toledo, Ohio. She was abandoned by her parents at the age of two and was raised by a foster family in Detroit, Michigan. Her foster parents passed away when she was only 12 and her foster sister took care of her upbringing after the death of her foster parents. Baker had an interest in music from an early age and started singing R & B in nightclubs in Detroit by the time she was 16. It was after one of those performances that funk band leader David Washington of ‘Chapter 8’ identified her and asked her to go to go for an audition in order to join the band. 89. Career: Baker became a member of the band ‘Chapter 8’ in 1975 (@ 17 yrs. old) and following a string of performances, the band was handed a deal by Ariola Records in 1979. The group’s first album ‘Chapter 8’ was released in 1979 and featured the singles "Ready for Your Love," a duet between Baker and bandmate Gerald Lyles, and the Baker-led "I Just Want to Be Your Girl." In 1979, Ariola Records was taken over by Arista Records and Chapter 8 lost their contract as Arista Records was of the view that Baker was not fit to be the group’s lead singer. Baker went back to Detroit and worked as a waitress and a receptionist for a law firm. In 1983 (@ 25yrs old), she released her debut solo album, 'The Songstress', under the Beverly Glen label. The album was a popular one and many of the songs made it to the music charts. Following the release of the album she had a protracted legal battle with the Beverly Glen label over payment of royalties and breach of contract issues. She won the case against the label in 1985, signed with Elektra Records label, and came out with her second album 'Rapture' in 1986. The album became a big hit, with over eight million copies sold worldwide and led to ‘The Rapture Tour’. 90. Open Comments: 91. Question: Parade Magazine 9/12/19 - Short hair, don’t care! Tamron Hall has been rocking a short ‘do for over 20 years—and the TV personality, 48, revealed on her new self-titled daytime talk show that she decided to first go for the chop because of an old flame. “I cut my hair when I was 18 years old because my boyfriend at the time had a crush on Anita Baker, and I had a bigger crush on him than he did on me apparently,” she shared. So, Hall modeled her hair after the “Sweet Love” singer, who has been credited as one of the pioneers of the pixie haircut. – Do you like the pixie on women? 92. Movie Scene: She’s Gotta Have It 93. A 1986 American black-and-white comedy-drama film written, edited and directed by Spike Lee. Filmed on a small budget and Lee's first feature-length film, it earned positive reviews and launched Lee's career. The plot concerns a young woman (Johns) who is seeing three men, and the feelings this arrangement provokes. Nola idealizes the freedom to have multiple sex partners that men have typically enjoyed, saying “A woman can be a sexual being, doesn’t have to belong to a man, and perhaps shouldn’t even wish for such a thing.” Nola's voice has been described as the most revolutionary element in the film, a representation of the struggle African American women faced in society at the time. 94. Review: By Esi Edugyan, he Guardian 12/2017 - Perhaps the most daring aspect of ‘She’s Gotta Have It’ was not its portrayal of sexuality but simply its willingness to view black people just as people. The film never highlights their racial otherness, exploring instead the whole messy business of their experiences. The black experience – to the extent such a thing even exists – is not only slavery and racism and economic disparity and brutality and the endless ongoing struggle, though it is all these things certainly. It is also sex and love and boredom and dreaming and joy. 95. Question: Are promiscuous black women now acceptable? 96. TV Scene 97. Debuts: Oprah Winfrey's Chicago-based talk show goes national, He's the Mayor, The Redd Foxx Show, Melba, featuring singer/actress Melba Moore. 98. Cancellations: Mar - Diff'rent Strokes, 1978 / Apr - Benson, 1979 / May - The Love Boat, 1977 99. Featured Show: “227” 100. “227” stars Marla Gibbs as Mary Jenkins. The series was adapted from a play written in 1978 by Christine Houston about the lives of women in a predominantly black apartment building. The show was created as a starring vehicle for Marla Gibbs, who had become famous as Florence Johnston, the sassy maid on The Jeffersons, and had starred in Houston's play in Los Angeles. This role was similar in nature. 101. “227” followed the lives of Mary Jenkins (Marla Gibbs), a nosy, tart-tongued, but loving housewife. Her husband, Lester (Hal Williams), had his own construction company, and their daughter, Brenda (Regina King), was boy-crazy yet smart and studious, in her first television acting role. Also cast in 227 was Sandra Clark (JackĂ©e Harry), Mary's young neighbor who constantly bickered back and forth with her about their respective views on life. Except for The Cosby Show and A Different World, “227” achieved higher ratings than other sitcoms airing at the time with a predominantly African American cast during the first two seasons. Awards: Winner of 1987 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series JackĂ©e Harry. 102. Open Comments: 103. Featured Character: Sandra's style was so great because it's the quintessential 1980's look of "grown and sexy". Sandra showed us Black women could be bold, fierce, fabulous, and fashionistas and rock any outfit with enough confidence to stop traffic. From interview with Lee Bailey’s Electronic Urban Report, “I was a diva, full and blown up. In fact, I was the ‘It’ girl. Oh yeah, I was that girl. I dressed well, had a lot of money. I don’t know how many cars. You know, it was the 80s, it was not a blur, but it flew so fast.” Fortunately, Harry had a great vehicle to shine in “227,” which struck a chord with its relatable characters. Harry’s hard work obviously paid off with Sandra, who became a certified hit with viewers. It’s a given that Harry put her stamp on the character, but she credits a couple of entertainment icons for helping to lay the groundwork for her and other women to be funny and sexy without missing a beat. Especially when it came to Sandra. “Just funny. Funny. And the clothes she wore, scandalous. Funny lines. Sexy, fancy. People wanted that and I didn’t know that, then,” Harry said about what made her beloved “227” character so endearing. “I grew up watching a lot of TV and I had seen women like that on TV
 a lot of different women like Mae West and Lucille Ball. That was my vision of funny. Pretty, but still funny and you can get away with a lot more. Which is still true today.” 104. Open Comments: 105. Question: Ever met a real-life “Jackee”? 106. Vote: Best Pop Culture item/event for 1986
  • Topics: Air Jordans, Whitney Houston, Sade, The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Phylicia Rashad (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

    1985 Notes General Snapshots 1. President: Ronald Reagan 2. Jan – In Hollywood, California, the charity single "We Are the World" is recorded by USA for Africa. The single raises money to combat the ongoing famine in Ethiopia. The American act consists of high-profile performers, including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross. 3. Jan – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner". 4. Mar – WrestleMania debuts at Madison Square Garden. In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. The attendance for the event was 19,121. The event was seen by over one million viewers through closed-circuit television, making it the largest pay-per-view showing of a wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time. 5. Apr – Coca-Cola changes its recipe and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months. 6. Aug - Ryan White who was expelled from Western High School in Indiana is allowed to attend his first day of classes via telephone. 7. Sep - The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA. 8. Oct – The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in U.S. stores. By 1988, industry observers stated that the NES's popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software. The NES was released two years after the North American video game crash of 1983, when many retailers and adult consumers regarded electronic games as a passing fad. With the NES, Nintendo also changed the relationship between console manufacturers and third-party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval. This led to higher-quality games, which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced games for earlier systems. 9. Nov - Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0. 10. Open Comments: 11. Top 3 Pop Songs 12. 1 "Careless Whisper" Wham! 13. 2 "Like a Virgin" Madonna 14. 3 "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Wham! 15. Grammy Awards 16. Record of the Year: Quincy Jones (producer) for "We Are the World" 17. Album of the Year: Phil Collins (producer & artist) for No Jacket Required 18. Song of the Year: Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) for "We Are the World" 19. Best New Artist: Sade 20. Top 3 Movies 21. Back to the Future 22. Rambo: First Blood Part II 23. Rocky IV 24. Other Notables: The Color Purple / Out of Africa / Cocoon / The Jewel of the Nile / Witness / The Goonies / Spies Like Us / The Breakfast Club / Brewster's Millions / St. Elmo's Fire / Krush Groove 25. Top 3 TV Shows 26. The Cosby Show 27. Family Ties 28. Murder, She Wrote 29. TV Debuts 30. Sep - What's Happening Now!! / Stir Crazy 31. Black Snapshots 32. Feb - Whitney Houston releases her debut album – Whitney Houston. 33. Mar – Mike Tyson makes his professional debut in Albany, New York, a match which he wins by a first-round knockout. 34. May - Michael Jordan is named as the NBA's "Rookie of the Year." 35. May – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mayor Wilson Goode, the first African American to hold that office, orders police to storm the headquarters of the black liberation/back-to-nature group MOVE to end a stand-off over serving arrest warrants. (Due process?!?!) The police drop 2 explosive devices into the headquarters, killing 6 adults and 5 children, and destroyed an additional 61 residental homes in the resulting fire. The survivors filed a civil suit against the city and the police department, and were awarded $1.5 million in 1996. 36. Jul - The final episode of The Jeffersons airs. (1975-) 10 yrs 37. Aug - Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972-) 13 yrs 38. Nov - Ebony Man: EM Magazine launches 39. Best Comedy Recording: Whoopi Goldberg - Original Broadway Show Recording 40. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Aretha Franklin for "Freeway of Love" 41. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Stevie Wonder for In Square Circle 42. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Commodores for "Nightshift" 43. Economic Snapshot 44. Avg. Income = $22,138 45. House = $99,331 46. New Car = $9,531 47. Avg. Rent = $375 48. Tuition at Harvard = $9,800 49. Movie Ticket = $2.75 50. Gas = $1.20 51. Stamp = $0.22 52. Socilal Scene: “Money, it's gotta be da shoes!” - Mars Blackmon 53. The Air Jordan I was originally released in 1985 and is almost single-handedly responsible for modern-day sneaker culture. Michael Jordan originally wanted to sign with either Converse or Adidas. But Converse declined and according to a Wall Street Journal article published in 2015 so did Adidas. Still MJ was not convinced. Only when Nike, thinking they had nothing to loose, offered to give MJ his own shoe- and clothing line did he change his mind. This was unheard of at the time, no NBA player had an entire product line named after them. As the first basketball player with his own signature shoes Jordan would immediately become the king of basketball sneaker advertising. Just to be on the safe side Nike worked an out-clause into the contract: if Air Jordans didn’t earn Nike $3 million in the first 3 years, or if Jordan didn’t make the NBA All-Star Game in his first three years, Nike could dump him. Jordan was voted into the All-Star Game as a Rookie starter and the "Air Jordan 1" shoe made Nike $130 million in 1985 alone. The rest is history. 54. Open Comments: 55. The pushback and common critisisms 56. Extremely superficial materialism is one of the only ways that many black Americans express a sense of self worth. 57. When you live in a society where nobody has a savings account, or a college degree, or has traveled abroad, having a fresh pair of sneakers and a gold chain shouldn't be your version of keeping up with the Joneses. 58. Liking shoes is as much of a "black thing" as liking chicken is a "black thing". Everyone likes both of these things. 59. Open Comments: 60. It became popular in the late 80s for people with moderate or low incomes to wear clothing adorned with the names and logos of luxury, high-end brands. Then all the luxury brands started making their own low-end, logo-covered versions. You wear your favorite sports team to affiliate yourself with them. It's the same thing with Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Jordache, Guess, Wrangler, Levi, Gitano, Bonjour, Sasson, etc., it's a way of signalling. 61. Question: We went from tailored suits and dresses to baggy jeans and yoga pants. From afro's and braids to fashioned bandanas and bleached blondes. From the stylish Supremes and Tempations to tatooed faces and pireced everytginhg. - What do you think is at the root of our decisions? Are we victims of advertising? 62. Music Scene 63. Black Songs from the Top 40 (No Lionel Richie showed up!) 64. 5 "I Feel for You" Chaka Khan 65. 6 "Out of Touch" Hall & Oates 66. 12 "Easy Lover" Philip Bailey and Phil Collins 67. 17 "Cherish" Kool & the Gang 68. 20 "We Are the World" USA for Africa 69. 22 "Part-Time Lover" Stevie Wonder 70. 23 "Saving All My Love For You" Whitney Houston 71. 26 "Cool It Now" New Edition 72. 28 "Loverboy" Billy Ocean 73. 29 "Lovergirl" Teena Marie 74. 31 "Oh Sheila" Ready for the World 75. 32 "Rhythm of the Night" DeBarge 76. 38 "Neutron Dance" The Pointer Sisters 77. 40 "Nightshift" Commodores 78. Vote: 79. Top RnB Singles 80. Jan - "Operator" Midnight Star 81. Jan - "Gotta Get You Home Tonight" Eugene Wilde 82. Feb - "Mr. Telephone Man" New Edition 83. Feb - "Missing You" Diana Ross 84. Mar - "Nightshift" The Commodores 85. Apr - "Back In Stride" Maze featuring Frankie Beverly 86. Apr - "Rhythm Of the Night" DeBarge 87. May - "We Are the World" USA for Africa 88. May - "Fresh" Kool & the Gang 89. May - "You Give Good Love" Whitney Houston 90. Jun - "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)" Freddie Jackson 91. Jul - "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)" Loose Ends 92. Jul - "Save Your Love (For #1)" RenĂ© & Angela 93. Aug - "Freeway of Love" Aretha Franklin 94. Sep - "Saving All My Love for You" Whitney Houston 95. Sep - "Cherish" Kool & the Gang 96. Sep - "Oh Sheila" Ready For the World 97. Oct - "You Are My Lady" Freddie Jackson 98. Oct - "Part-Time Lover" Stevie Wonder 99. Nov - "Caravan of Love" Isley-Jasper-Isley 100. Dec - "Don't Say No Tonight" Eugene Wilde 101. Vote: 102. Top RnB Albums 103. Jan - New Edition New Edition 104. Feb - Solid Ashford & Simpson 105. Mar - Gap Band VI The Gap Band 106. Mar p- Private Dancer Tina Turner 107. Apr - Nightshift The Commodores 108. Apr - Can't Stop the Love Frankie Beverly and Maze 109. May - The Night I Fell in Love Luther Vandross 110. Jun - Whitney Houston Whitney Houston 111. Jun - Rock Me Tonight Freddie Jackson 112. Nov - In Square Circle Stevie Wonder 113. Vote 114. Featured Artists: Whitney Houston and Sade 115. Whitney Elizabeth Houston, @22 yrs old: Singer, actress, model, and producer, Whitney Houston is one of the world’s most successful female entertainers of all time. 116. Born and raised in Newark NJ, she is the daughter of Grammy-award-winning gospel singer, Emily “Cissy” Houston and John R. Houston, who managed his daughter’s production company. 117. Childhood & Early Life 118. She was no stranger to the entertainment industry, having come from a line of singers and actresses. Not only did her mother’s vocal group, the ‘Sweet Inspirations’, sing backup for Aretha Franklin, but her cousins Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick are also renowned singers, as well as her godmother, Darlene Love. She began performing in her church’s gospel choir as a soloist at the age of eleven and learned to play the piano. While attending Catholic school, she took voice lessons from her mother, with whom she would occasionally perform in nightclubs. 119. Career 120. In 1977 (@ 14 yrs old), she was a backup singer for Michael Zager Band’s single ‘Life’s a Party’ and the following year she sang on Chaka Khan’s single ‘I’m Every Woman’. She was offered an opportunity to sign with a recording company, but her mother declined so she would finish high school. In the early 1980s, (@17 yrs old), she worked as a model, appearing in several magazines including, ‘Seventeen’, where she became the first African American to be featured on the cover. She also took on acting gigs appearing in TV show episodes such as, ‘Gimme a Break’, while continuing to develop her vocal skills. In 1983,(@ 20yrs old) she was signed with ‘Arista Records’. President Clive Davis spent the next couple years assembling lyricists and producers to balance her gospel-like sound with contemporary melodies. In 1985, her debut album, ‘Whitney Houston’ gradually became the number one selling album of her career. She went on to win two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards. 121. Open Comments: 122. A Hot Mess 123. On February 11th, 2012, Whitney Houston (@ 48 yrs old) was found facedown in a bathtub. Weeks later, an autopsy report would contribute Houston’s death to accidental drowning, heart disease and cocaine use. There were additional traces of a muscle relaxant, Xanax, marijuana and an allergy medication in the singer’s system. 124. The sad, secret life of Whitney Houston: From a secret lesbian relationship to a decades-long struggle with drugs, five years after singer’s death, a new film ‘Whitney: Can I Be Me’ examines what caused her tragic downfall - Tara Brady [Jun 12, 2017] https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-sad-secret-life-of-whitney-houston-1.3105861 125. Selected quotes from the article: 126. What exactly killed Houston? Why did she drown? How did she drown? Was she simply overwhelmed by the controlling demands of her formidable mother, Cissy Houston, Svengali Clive Davis, and her record company, Arista? Did the aftermath of her toxic and co-dependent marriage to Bobby Brown send her spiralling? Or was it the dissolution of her decades-old lesbian relationship with her assistant Robyn Crawford? It’s complicated, as documentarian Nick Broomfield discovered. “In the end I think the divide between who she was and what her public persona was became more and more difficult,” says documentarian Nick Broomfield. “And she just went down, 127. The imploding relations between Houston, Bobby Brown and Robyn Crawford. Brown told Us Weekly magazine that Houston was bisexual and that she once had an affair with Tupac Shakur. He went on to say that Houston kept her relationship with Crawford hidden because of Cissy. “I really feel that if Robyn was accepted into Whitney’s life, Whitney would still be alive today,” Brown told the magazine. “She didn’t have close friends with her anymore.” 128. From Cissy’s notorious 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey: “Would it have bothered you if your daughter was gay?” “Absolutely,” Cissy snapped back. “You wouldn’t have condoned it?” continued an incredulous Oprah. “Not at all.” ...“I didn’t particularly like [Crawford],” Cissy told the talk show queen. “She just spoke too much, disrespectful sometimes, like she had something over Nippy (Houston’s nickname), and I didn’t like that at all. She was all right, she turned out to be all right, I guess. That was her friend.” 129. Houston and Crawford first bonded while they were teenagers working at a community centre in East Orange, New Jersey. When Houston’s modelling career began to take off, she’d face bullying in school, and Crawford, who was originally a friend of Houston’s older brothers Michael and Gary, would frequently come to the rescue. When Houston moved out of her family home, she shared her first apartment with Crawford. Deep into Houston and Brown’s 14-year marriage, Crawford remained a fixture in Houston’s domestic arrangements. 130. Houston’s marriage to Brown, understandably, made for an uneasy romantic trinity. In Derrick Handspike’s unauthorised 2008 biography, Bobby Brown: The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But . . ., the author quotes Brown as saying: “Now I realise Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married. I believe her agenda was to clean up her image while mine was to be loved and have children. “Whitney felt she had to make rumours of a lesbian affair go away. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn’t go too well with her image. In Whitney’s situation the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation whether it was true or not.” 131. Supermarket tabloids did a brisk trade during the 1990s by peddling the idea that Houston’s life spiralled into addiction after she married Brown. She was the gospel-singing good girl – the church-going daughter of Cissy and a cousin of Dionne Warwick. He was a bad boy who, aged 20, when they first met, had already been shot and stabbed in the shoulder. Their tumultuous marriage (from 1992 to 2007), characterised by drug use, infidelity and a costly entourage, was seldom out of the headlines. But contrary to popular belief, Brown did not introduce his troubled wife to cocaine. Houston first dabbled with drugs with her brothers, Michael and Gary, as a teenager. The truth is that Houston was always as “street“ as her R&B star husband. But that part of her personal history didn’t fit with what Broomfield calls “the Whitney character”. As Pattie Howard, Houston’s backing vocalist, notes: “People may not know it but Whitney was from the ‘hood’. They wanted to present her as the princess. And that’s what white America was presented with.” Kenneth Reynolds, who worked in marketing for Arista Records recalls that: “Anything that was too black sounding was sent back. We wanted Joni Mitchell. We wanted Barbra Streisand. ” “She was very carefully groomed for nearly two years before the first album came out,” explains Broomfield. “So every aspect of her was carefully considered. She was a major project. A lot of money was spent on her. Anything that was too R&B was out. They didn’t want a female James Brown. That was not part of their vision. Which, of course, was a very successful vision.” 132. In 1989, just as Houston topped 25 million in album sales and surpassed the Beatles’s record with seven consecutive number one hits, she attended the Soul Train awards where, in response to her “white” music, she was roundly booed. Pre-BeyoncĂ© and Mariah Carey, “crossover” was synonymous with cultural betrayal. People shouted “Oreo” – brown on the outside, white on the inside – as her nomination for Best Female Vocalist was announced. “It’s not a good feeling,” says Houston, in Can I Be Me. “It’s horrible and kind of funny. You think: ‘Are they booing me?’ And you have to sit there and be cordial and smiley. And you feel like: ‘Oh my God’.” Kirk Whalum, the saxophonist who toured with Houston for more than seven years recalls that night, which coincidentally, was the first time she met Brown. “It was devastating [for her],” says Whalum. 133. By the end of the 90s, Houston found herself at the centre of a perfect storm of ongoing racial friction, marital troubles and drug abuse. Friends, unable to watch Houston’s decline, began to drift away. Her father, John, died in 2003, but not before his management company, John Houston Entertainment LLC, filed a $100 million lawsuit against his own daughter. Months before his death, he made a public appeal on the syndicated show, Celebrity Justice: “You get your act together, honey, and you pay me the money that you owe me.” Robyn Crawford’s departure in 2000, too, prompted a new, crippling dependency on crack-cocaine and other substances. - “Robyn was the one who was keeping her together,” says writer Allison Samuels. “That’s when drugs became so important to her.” 134. Open Comments: 135. The Smooth Operator -Helen Folasade Adu, professionally known as Sade (@26 yrs old) 136. Sade is an internationally renowned, multi-Grammy award winning singer who is known for her smooth, melodic vocals and the seamless incorporation of different styles of music. She was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria on January 16, 1959. Her father Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer of economics, and her mother Anne Hayes, a district nurse, had met in London. Sade was the couple’s second child. Shortly after her birth, Sade’s parents separated and she and her brother followed their mother to Colchester, Essex, England. There, the children were raised by their mother as well as their maternal grandfather. Upon finishing her education at Clacton County High School in Colchester, she enrolled at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design in London to pursue fashion and design. After completion of her program, she worked as a model and menswear designer. 137. Sade entered the music scene around 1980 when she started singing harmony for Arriva, a Latin funk band. She joined another funk band called Pride and was a background singer for the group. Pride garnered much attention from record companies due to their performances around London. Eventually Sade and fellow bandmates, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denma, and Andrew Hale signed a deal with the U.K. division of Epic Records and formed the band Sade. In 1984 the band’s debut album, Diamond Life, was released to much critical success and was bolstered by singles such as “Hang On to Your Love” and “Smooth Operator.” The band followed up their debut with their next album, Promise, which was released the following year. “The Sweetest Taboo,” a single from Promise, was on the U.S. Hot 100 for six months. She was awarded the Grammy for best new artist of 1985. 138. Open Comments: 139. Selected quote about her sound 140. Let's get this into context. With Sade it's unlikely there will ever be a full, naked baring of the soul. In terms of contemporary icons, it's better to listen to Mary J for stories of drama and shattered devotion. But Sade, today, is all about the acknowledged presence of absence. What's missing in her music is as important as what's present. - The Fader 141. A small, yet important, fact: When Sade signed her first record deal with Epic in the early '80s, she accepted a small advance, worth ~$70,000 in exchange for an unusually high cut of sales for a new artist—15 percent. It was a deal that ended up proving immensely lucrative, and it has freed her from many of the commercial demands that often encumber artists. Put simply, she only works when and how she wants to. As one executive at her label, Epic, put it to me: "Who's going to argue with a woman who's sold 50 million albums? She's more powerful than anyone working at the label, including the [President]." - The Fader 142. Question: Does the Sade sound ever wear out? 143. The Movie Scene 144. The Color Purple/Film synopsis 145. An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker. 146. Review by Roger Ebert 147. Returning to "The Color Purple" after almost 20 years, I can see its flaws more easily than when I named it the best film of 1985, but I can also understand why it moved me so deeply, and why the greatness of some films depends not on their perfection or logic, but on their heart. The movie may have inconsistencies, confusions and improbabilities, but there is one perfect thing at its center, and that is the character of Celie, as played by Whoopi Goldberg. "Here is this year's winner for best actress," I wrote in my original review, and that should have been true, but although "The Color Purple" had 11 nominations, it won not a single Oscar. When a movie character is really working, we become that character. That's what the movies offer: Escapism into lives other than our own. I am not female, I am not black, I am not Celie, but for a time during "The Color Purple," my mind deceives me that I am all of those things, and as I empathize with her struggle and victory I learn something about what it must have been like to be her. - Roger Ebert 148. Selected Quotes 149. In Honor of Its 33rd Anniversary, Here Are 10 Life Lessons I Learned From the Color Purple - By Melissa Kimble Dec 18, 2018 [https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a25616715/the-color-purple-quotes-anniversary/] 150. I was born a few years after the film was released. However, I can credit much of my self discovery to the many times I’ve watched it. My favorite quotes from the movie taught me valuable lessons about Black womanhood, faith, and self love. And these 10 are the ones I’ll never forget. 151. “Girl, you oughta bash Mister’s head open and think about heaven later.” By Oprah Winfrey - In a film where women are treated like inferiors, Sofia breaks the mold by refusing to be her husband's punching bag. This scene-stealing monologue, with its rage filled entrance by the O of O, is an act of defiance—especially one committed in early 20th century Georgia. It was powerful and necessary to see a Black woman go against the grain on screen. And to me, it was a call to action to be fearless. 152. "I'm poor, Black, I may even be ugly, but dear God, I’m here! I’m here!" By Whoopi Goldberg - What a victorious statement this was by Celie, who, up until this point, had spent most of her life feeling unworthy and invisible. It reminded me that even with our flaws and imperfections, we still deserve to show up in our own lives. 153. "Until you do right by me, everything you think about is going to crumble." By - Whoopi Goldberg - With these words, Celie breaks a cycle of abuse from Mister and sticks up for herself. I interpreted this line as a sign that I don’t have to carry the weight of people who have caused my pain; life will take care of everything. 154. “Miss Celie, why you always covering up your smile?” By Desreta Jackson - Growing up, I was very insecure about my smile. And when Shug Avery posed this question to Miss Celie, it also made me turn to myself. When Shug encourages Celie to smile, I learned that there’s no need to cover up my own 155. Open Comments: 156. Featured Artist 157. Caryn Elaine Johnson, a.k.a. Whoopi Goldberg (@ 30 yrs old): an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, Broadway star, political activist, author and talk show host, she is one of the most successful and established African American actresses of her time. 158. Born and raised in Manhattan, she is one of 14 entertainers ever to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. What differentiates Goldberg from her contemporaries is the excellence that she portrayed in all the mediums of entertainment, be it television, theatre, films or radio. 159. Childhood & Early Life 160. Her mother was a nurse and a teacher while her father served as a clergyman. She was raised in the Chelsea-Elliot Houses by her mother alone after her father disbanded the family when she was young. She studied until her teen years and later dropped out of school. Her started acting started at a young age. It was during her stage performance that people complimented her by saying that she looked like whoopee cushion. It was from there that she took the stage name Whoopi and adopted Goldberg as her surname to sound more Jewish. 161. Career 162. In 1974, (@ age 19) she moved to California and thereafter lived in various cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. It was during this time that she honed her acting skills and developed her talent as a stand-up comedian. However, soon thereafter, she returned to New York and started receiving training under acting coach Uta Hagen. Her first ever appearance on screen was for William Farley’s feature, ‘Citizen: I'm Not Losing My Mind, I'm Giving It Away’ in 1982 (@ 27). In 1983, she created, starred and directed a ‘The Spook Show’, a one-woman show that addressed the issue of race in American but in a unique and innovative style. Next, she created other off-Broadway productions such as ‘Little Girl’ an African-American child obsessed with having blond hair and ‘Fontaine’ a junkie who also happens to hold a doctorate in literature. The innovative presentation and sense of wit and style in her shows impressed director Mike Nicholas who offered to take ‘The Spook Show’ to the Broadway. The show which ran for 156 performances, met with much acclaim both commercially and critically. It went on to earn her a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. The eye-catching performance and amazing positive reception of the show earned her attention of the Hollywood bigwigs. It helped her bag a role in the Steven Spielberg film, ‘The Color Purple’, released in 1985. The movie met with resounding success, clutching 11 Academy Awards nominations and she won her first Golden Globe award. 163. Open Comments: 164. Oprah Gail Winfrey , a.k.a. Oprah Winfrey (@ 31 yrs old): Talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. 165. Childhood & Early Life 166. Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on a small family farm, to an unwed mother who had a short relationship with a soldier stationed nearby, Oprah grew up in dire poverty, and was primarily raised by her grandmother. Sexually abused and mistreated as a child, Winfrey rose above adversity to focus on her primary and high school education. 167. Career 168. When she was still a teenager, the local CBS television station in Nashville, Tennessee offered her a job as a co-anchor. She turned it down three times. At age 19, Oprah Winfrey said yes after the fourth offer. She failed the interview, but instead was offered a job as a full-time reporter for a Baltimore television news channel. She did poorly as a reporter, and by age 22 she was fired from the news division. The director of the station gave Winfrey a boost by selecting her to anchor a morning talk show entitled ‘People are Talking’. For the next seven years, her talk show enjoyed excellent ratings. In 1981, (@ 27) she moved to Chicago to host a talk show entitled ‘A.M. Chicago’. Four years later, (1985) after a tremendous boost in the ratings, the producers changed the name to ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’. She caught the attention of Quincy Jones, a Chicago native, and he cast her as Sofia for the first movie he produced, 'The Color Purple'. The following year ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ was broadcast nationally. 169. Open Comments: 170. TV Scene: 171. Featured Actor: Phylician Ayers Allen, a.k.a Phylicia Rashad is an Emmy-nominated American actress, singer, and director. 172. Her multi-faceted career began with Broadway before she branched into television and films. She is best remembered for her character as Claire Huxtable in the NBC sitcom ‘The Cosby Show’, which ran for eight years. The series brought Phylicia much deserved recognition, also earning her two Emmy nominations. Phylicia, however, is immortalized for her rich performances on the stage as an artist. She starred in several lavish musicals and dramas, all praised highly by critics. She became the first African American actress to walk away with a Tony Award for her performance in Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘Raisin in The Sun’. Subsequently, she was venerated within the African American acting community at the NAACP Awards, where she was called ‘The Mother’ of the Black Community. Her other popular plays include ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, ‘August: Osage Country’, and ‘Gem of the Ocean’. She has tried her hand at stage direction and has successfully directed hit plays at prominent stages. Over the course of her career, Rashad has starred in several television series and voiced many characters. Her prolific output continues to be on the rise as she is still an active part of the entertainment industry. 173. Childhood & Early Life: 174. Phylicia Rashad was born Phylician Ayers Allen on June 19, 1948, in Houston, Texas to Vivian Ayers and Andrew Arthur Allen. Her mother was a prize-winning poet and artist, while her father was a reputed orthodontist. She has three siblings: Andrew Arthur Allen Jr., Debbie Allen, and Hugh Allen. Phylicia was raised in the United States and Mexico. She studied at Howard University, Washington D.C. and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre in 1970. During her university days, she was inculcated into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. 175. Career 176. After graduating with a degree in theatre, Phylicia immediately joined the Negro Ensemble Company in New York. She toured the city and was seen in several plays under this troupe. Her Broadway debut occurred in 1972 and she was seen in several minor roles for hit musicals, including ‘The Wiz’ (1975) and ‘Dreamgirls’ (1981). In 1978, Rashad tried her hand at something new by releasing the concept album ‘Josephine Superstar’, an album that was based on Josephine Baker’s life. She decided to embark on an alternative career in television owing to the scarcity of good roles given to her. In 1982, after moving to television, Rashad landed a recurring role in the series ‘One Life to Live’ as Courtney Wright, a publicist. In 1984, Phylicia Rashad was roped in to play the role of Clair Huxtable, an attorney, in the hit comedy ‘The Cosby Show’. The show starred Bill Cosby in the lead role and Phylicia played his wife. The series ran for over eight years and was a critical and commercial success. Phylicia’s role as Clair proved to be the highest point in her career, earning her two Emmy Award nominations. 177. Open Comments 178. Question: Is she a good actor? Do you buy her in other roles? 179. Vote: Best Pop Culture item/event for 1985
  • Topics: Air Jordans, Whitney Houston, Sade, The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Phylicia Rashad (Bonus Artist: Luck Pacheco)

    1985 Notes General Snapshots 1. President: Ronald Reagan 2. Jan – In Hollywood, California, the charity single "We Are the World" is recorded by USA for Africa. The single raises money to combat the ongoing famine in Ethiopia. The American act consists of high-profile performers, including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Cyndi Lauper and Diana Ross. 3. Jan – The newest music video channel, VH-1, begins broadcasting on American cable. It is aimed at an older demographic than its sister station, MTV. The first video played is Marvin Gaye's rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner". 4. Mar – WrestleMania debuts at Madison Square Garden. In the main event, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T defeated Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper. The attendance for the event was 19,121. The event was seen by over one million viewers through closed-circuit television, making it the largest pay-per-view showing of a wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time. 5. Apr – Coca-Cola changes its recipe and releases New Coke. The response is overwhelmingly negative, and the original formula is back on the market in less than three months. 6. Aug - Ryan White who was expelled from Western High School in Indiana is allowed to attend his first day of classes via telephone. 7. Sep - The Farm Aid concert is held in Champaign, Illinois, USA. 8. Oct – The Nintendo Entertainment System is released in U.S. stores. By 1988, industry observers stated that the NES's popularity had grown so quickly that the market for Nintendo cartridges was larger than that for all home computer software. The NES was released two years after the North American video game crash of 1983, when many retailers and adult consumers regarded electronic games as a passing fad. With the NES, Nintendo also changed the relationship between console manufacturers and third-party software developers by restricting developers from publishing and distributing software without licensed approval. This led to higher-quality games, which helped change the attitude of a public that had grown weary from poorly produced games for earlier systems. 9. Nov - Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0. 10. Open Comments: 11. Top 3 Pop Songs 12. 1 "Careless Whisper" Wham! 13. 2 "Like a Virgin" Madonna 14. 3 "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Wham! 15. Grammy Awards 16. Record of the Year: Quincy Jones (producer) for "We Are the World" 17. Album of the Year: Phil Collins (producer & artist) for No Jacket Required 18. Song of the Year: Michael Jackson & Lionel Richie (songwriters) for "We Are the World" 19. Best New Artist: Sade 20. Top 3 Movies 21. Back to the Future 22. Rambo: First Blood Part II 23. Rocky IV 24. Other Notables: The Color Purple / Out of Africa / Cocoon / The Jewel of the Nile / Witness / The Goonies / Spies Like Us / The Breakfast Club / Brewster's Millions / St. Elmo's Fire / Krush Groove 25. Top 3 TV Shows 26. The Cosby Show 27. Family Ties 28. Murder, She Wrote 29. TV Debuts 30. Sep - What's Happening Now!! / Stir Crazy 31. Black Snapshots 32. Feb - Whitney Houston releases her debut album – Whitney Houston. 33. Mar – Mike Tyson makes his professional debut in Albany, New York, a match which he wins by a first-round knockout. 34. May - Michael Jordan is named as the NBA's "Rookie of the Year." 35. May – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mayor Wilson Goode, the first African American to hold that office, orders police to storm the headquarters of the black liberation/back-to-nature group MOVE to end a stand-off over serving arrest warrants. (Due process?!?!) The police drop 2 explosive devices into the headquarters, killing 6 adults and 5 children, and destroyed an additional 61 residental homes in the resulting fire. The survivors filed a civil suit against the city and the police department, and were awarded $1.5 million in 1996. 36. Jul - The final episode of The Jeffersons airs. (1975-) 10 yrs 37. Aug - Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (1972-) 13 yrs 38. Nov - Ebony Man: EM Magazine launches 39. Best Comedy Recording: Whoopi Goldberg - Original Broadway Show Recording 40. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female: Aretha Franklin for "Freeway of Love" 41. Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male: Stevie Wonder for In Square Circle 42. Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal: Commodores for "Nightshift" 43. Economic Snapshot 44. Avg. Income = $22,138 45. House = $99,331 46. New Car = $9,531 47. Avg. Rent = $375 48. Tuition at Harvard = $9,800 49. Movie Ticket = $2.75 50. Gas = $1.20 51. Stamp = $0.22 52. Socilal Scene: “Money, it's gotta be da shoes!” - Mars Blackmon 53. The Air Jordan I was originally released in 1985 and is almost single-handedly responsible for modern-day sneaker culture. Michael Jordan originally wanted to sign with either Converse or Adidas. But Converse declined and according to a Wall Street Journal article published in 2015 so did Adidas. Still MJ was not convinced. Only when Nike, thinking they had nothing to loose, offered to give MJ his own shoe- and clothing line did he change his mind. This was unheard of at the time, no NBA player had an entire product line named after them. As the first basketball player with his own signature shoes Jordan would immediately become the king of basketball sneaker advertising. Just to be on the safe side Nike worked an out-clause into the contract: if Air Jordans didn’t earn Nike $3 million in the first 3 years, or if Jordan didn’t make the NBA All-Star Game in his first three years, Nike could dump him. Jordan was voted into the All-Star Game as a Rookie starter and the "Air Jordan 1" shoe made Nike $130 million in 1985 alone. The rest is history. 54. Open Comments: 55. The pushback and common critisisms 56. Extremely superficial materialism is one of the only ways that many black Americans express a sense of self worth. 57. When you live in a society where nobody has a savings account, or a college degree, or has traveled abroad, having a fresh pair of sneakers and a gold chain shouldn't be your version of keeping up with the Joneses. 58. Liking shoes is as much of a "black thing" as liking chicken is a "black thing". Everyone likes both of these things. 59. Open Comments: 60. It became popular in the late 80s for people with moderate or low incomes to wear clothing adorned with the names and logos of luxury, high-end brands. Then all the luxury brands started making their own low-end, logo-covered versions. You wear your favorite sports team to affiliate yourself with them. It's the same thing with Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Jordache, Guess, Wrangler, Levi, Gitano, Bonjour, Sasson, etc., it's a way of signalling. 61. Question: We went from tailored suits and dresses to baggy jeans and yoga pants. From afro's and braids to fashioned bandanas and bleached blondes. From the stylish Supremes and Tempations to tatooed faces and pireced everytginhg. - What do you think is at the root of our decisions? Are we victims of advertising? 62. Music Scene 63. Black Songs from the Top 40 (No Lionel Richie showed up!) 64. 5 "I Feel for You" Chaka Khan 65. 6 "Out of Touch" Hall & Oates 66. 12 "Easy Lover" Philip Bailey and Phil Collins 67. 17 "Cherish" Kool & the Gang 68. 20 "We Are the World" USA for Africa 69. 22 "Part-Time Lover" Stevie Wonder 70. 23 "Saving All My Love For You" Whitney Houston 71. 26 "Cool It Now" New Edition 72. 28 "Loverboy" Billy Ocean 73. 29 "Lovergirl" Teena Marie 74. 31 "Oh Sheila" Ready for the World 75. 32 "Rhythm of the Night" DeBarge 76. 38 "Neutron Dance" The Pointer Sisters 77. 40 "Nightshift" Commodores 78. Vote: 79. Top RnB Singles 80. Jan - "Operator" Midnight Star 81. Jan - "Gotta Get You Home Tonight" Eugene Wilde 82. Feb - "Mr. Telephone Man" New Edition 83. Feb - "Missing You" Diana Ross 84. Mar - "Nightshift" The Commodores 85. Apr - "Back In Stride" Maze featuring Frankie Beverly 86. Apr - "Rhythm Of the Night" DeBarge 87. May - "We Are the World" USA for Africa 88. May - "Fresh" Kool & the Gang 89. May - "You Give Good Love" Whitney Houston 90. Jun - "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)" Freddie Jackson 91. Jul - "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)" Loose Ends 92. Jul - "Save Your Love (For #1)" RenĂ© & Angela 93. Aug - "Freeway of Love" Aretha Franklin 94. Sep - "Saving All My Love for You" Whitney Houston 95. Sep - "Cherish" Kool & the Gang 96. Sep - "Oh Sheila" Ready For the World 97. Oct - "You Are My Lady" Freddie Jackson 98. Oct - "Part-Time Lover" Stevie Wonder 99. Nov - "Caravan of Love" Isley-Jasper-Isley 100. Dec - "Don't Say No Tonight" Eugene Wilde 101. Vote: 102. Top RnB Albums 103. Jan - New Edition New Edition 104. Feb - Solid Ashford & Simpson 105. Mar - Gap Band VI The Gap Band 106. Mar p- Private Dancer Tina Turner 107. Apr - Nightshift The Commodores 108. Apr - Can't Stop the Love Frankie Beverly and Maze 109. May - The Night I Fell in Love Luther Vandross 110. Jun - Whitney Houston Whitney Houston 111. Jun - Rock Me Tonight Freddie Jackson 112. Nov - In Square Circle Stevie Wonder 113. Vote 114. Featured Artists: Whitney Houston and Sade 115. Whitney Elizabeth Houston, @22 yrs old: Singer, actress, model, and producer, Whitney Houston is one of the world’s most successful female entertainers of all time. 116. Born and raised in Newark NJ, she is the daughter of Grammy-award-winning gospel singer, Emily “Cissy” Houston and John R. Houston, who managed his daughter’s production company. 117. Childhood & Early Life 118. She was no stranger to the entertainment industry, having come from a line of singers and actresses. Not only did her mother’s vocal group, the ‘Sweet Inspirations’, sing backup for Aretha Franklin, but her cousins Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick are also renowned singers, as well as her godmother, Darlene Love. She began performing in her church’s gospel choir as a soloist at the age of eleven and learned to play the piano. While attending Catholic school, she took voice lessons from her mother, with whom she would occasionally perform in nightclubs. 119. Career 120. In 1977 (@ 14 yrs old), she was a backup singer for Michael Zager Band’s single ‘Life’s a Party’ and the following year she sang on Chaka Khan’s single ‘I’m Every Woman’. She was offered an opportunity to sign with a recording company, but her mother declined so she would finish high school. In the early 1980s, (@17 yrs old), she worked as a model, appearing in several magazines including, ‘Seventeen’, where she became the first African American to be featured on the cover. She also took on acting gigs appearing in TV show episodes such as, ‘Gimme a Break’, while continuing to develop her vocal skills. In 1983,(@ 20yrs old) she was signed with ‘Arista Records’. President Clive Davis spent the next couple years assembling lyricists and producers to balance her gospel-like sound with contemporary melodies. In 1985, her debut album, ‘Whitney Houston’ gradually became the number one selling album of her career. She went on to win two Emmy Awards, six Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards. 121. Open Comments: 122. A Hot Mess 123. On February 11th, 2012, Whitney Houston (@ 48 yrs old) was found facedown in a bathtub. Weeks later, an autopsy report would contribute Houston’s death to accidental drowning, heart disease and cocaine use. There were additional traces of a muscle relaxant, Xanax, marijuana and an allergy medication in the singer’s system. 124. The sad, secret life of Whitney Houston: From a secret lesbian relationship to a decades-long struggle with drugs, five years after singer’s death, a new film ‘Whitney: Can I Be Me’ examines what caused her tragic downfall - Tara Brady [Jun 12, 2017] https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-sad-secret-life-of-whitney-houston-1.3105861 125. Selected quotes from the article: 126. What exactly killed Houston? Why did she drown? How did she drown? Was she simply overwhelmed by the controlling demands of her formidable mother, Cissy Houston, Svengali Clive Davis, and her record company, Arista? Did the aftermath of her toxic and co-dependent marriage to Bobby Brown send her spiralling? Or was it the dissolution of her decades-old lesbian relationship with her assistant Robyn Crawford? It’s complicated, as documentarian Nick Broomfield discovered. “In the end I think the divide between who she was and what her public persona was became more and more difficult,” says documentarian Nick Broomfield. “And she just went down, 127. The imploding relations between Houston, Bobby Brown and Robyn Crawford. Brown told Us Weekly magazine that Houston was bisexual and that she once had an affair with Tupac Shakur. He went on to say that Houston kept her relationship with Crawford hidden because of Cissy. “I really feel that if Robyn was accepted into Whitney’s life, Whitney would still be alive today,” Brown told the magazine. “She didn’t have close friends with her anymore.” 128. From Cissy’s notorious 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey: “Would it have bothered you if your daughter was gay?” “Absolutely,” Cissy snapped back. “You wouldn’t have condoned it?” continued an incredulous Oprah. “Not at all.” ...“I didn’t particularly like [Crawford],” Cissy told the talk show queen. “She just spoke too much, disrespectful sometimes, like she had something over Nippy (Houston’s nickname), and I didn’t like that at all. She was all right, she turned out to be all right, I guess. That was her friend.” 129. Houston and Crawford first bonded while they were teenagers working at a community centre in East Orange, New Jersey. When Houston’s modelling career began to take off, she’d face bullying in school, and Crawford, who was originally a friend of Houston’s older brothers Michael and Gary, would frequently come to the rescue. When Houston moved out of her family home, she shared her first apartment with Crawford. Deep into Houston and Brown’s 14-year marriage, Crawford remained a fixture in Houston’s domestic arrangements. 130. Houston’s marriage to Brown, understandably, made for an uneasy romantic trinity. In Derrick Handspike’s unauthorised 2008 biography, Bobby Brown: The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But . . ., the author quotes Brown as saying: “Now I realise Whitney had a different agenda than I did when we got married. I believe her agenda was to clean up her image while mine was to be loved and have children. “Whitney felt she had to make rumours of a lesbian affair go away. Since she was the American Sweetheart and all, that didn’t go too well with her image. In Whitney’s situation the only solution was to get married and have kids. That would kill all speculation whether it was true or not.” 131. Supermarket tabloids did a brisk trade during the 1990s by peddling the idea that Houston’s life spiralled into addiction after she married Brown. She was the gospel-singing good girl – the church-going daughter of Cissy and a cousin of Dionne Warwick. He was a bad boy who, aged 20, when they first met, had already been shot and stabbed in the shoulder. Their tumultuous marriage (from 1992 to 2007), characterised by drug use, infidelity and a costly entourage, was seldom out of the headlines. But contrary to popular belief, Brown did not introduce his troubled wife to cocaine. Houston first dabbled with drugs with her brothers, Michael and Gary, as a teenager. The truth is that Houston was always as “street“ as her R&B star husband. But that part of her personal history didn’t fit with what Broomfield calls “the Whitney character”. As Pattie Howard, Houston’s backing vocalist, notes: “People may not know it but Whitney was from the ‘hood’. They wanted to present her as the princess. And that’s what white America was presented with.” Kenneth Reynolds, who worked in marketing for Arista Records recalls that: “Anything that was too black sounding was sent back. We wanted Joni Mitchell. We wanted Barbra Streisand. ” “She was very carefully groomed for nearly two years before the first album came out,” explains Broomfield. “So every aspect of her was carefully considered. She was a major project. A lot of money was spent on her. Anything that was too R&B was out. They didn’t want a female James Brown. That was not part of their vision. Which, of course, was a very successful vision.” 132. In 1989, just as Houston topped 25 million in album sales and surpassed the Beatles’s record with seven consecutive number one hits, she attended the Soul Train awards where, in response to her “white” music, she was roundly booed. Pre-BeyoncĂ© and Mariah Carey, “crossover” was synonymous with cultural betrayal. People shouted “Oreo” – brown on the outside, white on the inside – as her nomination for Best Female Vocalist was announced. “It’s not a good feeling,” says Houston, in Can I Be Me. “It’s horrible and kind of funny. You think: ‘Are they booing me?’ And you have to sit there and be cordial and smiley. And you feel like: ‘Oh my God’.” Kirk Whalum, the saxophonist who toured with Houston for more than seven years recalls that night, which coincidentally, was the first time she met Brown. “It was devastating [for her],” says Whalum. 133. By the end of the 90s, Houston found herself at the centre of a perfect storm of ongoing racial friction, marital troubles and drug abuse. Friends, unable to watch Houston’s decline, began to drift away. Her father, John, died in 2003, but not before his management company, John Houston Entertainment LLC, filed a $100 million lawsuit against his own daughter. Months before his death, he made a public appeal on the syndicated show, Celebrity Justice: “You get your act together, honey, and you pay me the money that you owe me.” Robyn Crawford’s departure in 2000, too, prompted a new, crippling dependency on crack-cocaine and other substances. - “Robyn was the one who was keeping her together,” says writer Allison Samuels. “That’s when drugs became so important to her.” 134. Open Comments: 135. The Smooth Operator -Helen Folasade Adu, professionally known as Sade (@26 yrs old) 136. Sade is an internationally renowned, multi-Grammy award winning singer who is known for her smooth, melodic vocals and the seamless incorporation of different styles of music. She was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria on January 16, 1959. Her father Adebisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer of economics, and her mother Anne Hayes, a district nurse, had met in London. Sade was the couple’s second child. Shortly after her birth, Sade’s parents separated and she and her brother followed their mother to Colchester, Essex, England. There, the children were raised by their mother as well as their maternal grandfather. Upon finishing her education at Clacton County High School in Colchester, she enrolled at Central St. Martin’s College of Art and Design in London to pursue fashion and design. After completion of her program, she worked as a model and menswear designer. 137. Sade entered the music scene around 1980 when she started singing harmony for Arriva, a Latin funk band. She joined another funk band called Pride and was a background singer for the group. Pride garnered much attention from record companies due to their performances around London. Eventually Sade and fellow bandmates, Stuart Matthewman, Paul Denma, and Andrew Hale signed a deal with the U.K. division of Epic Records and formed the band Sade. In 1984 the band’s debut album, Diamond Life, was released to much critical success and was bolstered by singles such as “Hang On to Your Love” and “Smooth Operator.” The band followed up their debut with their next album, Promise, which was released the following year. “The Sweetest Taboo,” a single from Promise, was on the U.S. Hot 100 for six months. She was awarded the Grammy for best new artist of 1985. 138. Open Comments: 139. Selected quote about her sound 140. Let's get this into context. With Sade it's unlikely there will ever be a full, naked baring of the soul. In terms of contemporary icons, it's better to listen to Mary J for stories of drama and shattered devotion. But Sade, today, is all about the acknowledged presence of absence. What's missing in her music is as important as what's present. - The Fader 141. A small, yet important, fact: When Sade signed her first record deal with Epic in the early '80s, she accepted a small advance, worth ~$70,000 in exchange for an unusually high cut of sales for a new artist—15 percent. It was a deal that ended up proving immensely lucrative, and it has freed her from many of the commercial demands that often encumber artists. Put simply, she only works when and how she wants to. As one executive at her label, Epic, put it to me: "Who's going to argue with a woman who's sold 50 million albums? She's more powerful than anyone working at the label, including the [President]." - The Fader 142. Question: Does the Sade sound ever wear out? 143. The Movie Scene 144. The Color Purple/Film synopsis 145. An epic tale spanning forty years in the life of Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), an African-American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. After Celie's abusive father marries her off to the equally debasing "Mister" Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), things go from bad to worse, leaving Celie to find companionship anywhere she can. She perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa. Based on the novel by Alice Walker. 146. Review by Roger Ebert 147. Returning to "The Color Purple" after almost 20 years, I can see its flaws more easily than when I named it the best film of 1985, but I can also understand why it moved me so deeply, and why the greatness of some films depends not on their perfection or logic, but on their heart. The movie may have inconsistencies, confusions and improbabilities, but there is one perfect thing at its center, and that is the character of Celie, as played by Whoopi Goldberg. "Here is this year's winner for best actress," I wrote in my original review, and that should have been true, but although "The Color Purple" had 11 nominations, it won not a single Oscar. When a movie character is really working, we become that character. That's what the movies offer: Escapism into lives other than our own. I am not female, I am not black, I am not Celie, but for a time during "The Color Purple," my mind deceives me that I am all of those things, and as I empathize with her struggle and victory I learn something about what it must have been like to be her. - Roger Ebert 148. Selected Quotes 149. In Honor of Its 33rd Anniversary, Here Are 10 Life Lessons I Learned From the Color Purple - By Melissa Kimble Dec 18, 2018 [https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a25616715/the-color-purple-quotes-anniversary/] 150. I was born a few years after the film was released. However, I can credit much of my self discovery to the many times I’ve watched it. My favorite quotes from the movie taught me valuable lessons about Black womanhood, faith, and self love. And these 10 are the ones I’ll never forget. 151. “Girl, you oughta bash Mister’s head open and think about heaven later.” By Oprah Winfrey - In a film where women are treated like inferiors, Sofia breaks the mold by refusing to be her husband's punching bag. This scene-stealing monologue, with its rage filled entrance by the O of O, is an act of defiance—especially one committed in early 20th century Georgia. It was powerful and necessary to see a Black woman go against the grain on screen. And to me, it was a call to action to be fearless. 152. "I'm poor, Black, I may even be ugly, but dear God, I’m here! I’m here!" By Whoopi Goldberg - What a victorious statement this was by Celie, who, up until this point, had spent most of her life feeling unworthy and invisible. It reminded me that even with our flaws and imperfections, we still deserve to show up in our own lives. 153. "Until you do right by me, everything you think about is going to crumble." By - Whoopi Goldberg - With these words, Celie breaks a cycle of abuse from Mister and sticks up for herself. I interpreted this line as a sign that I don’t have to carry the weight of people who have caused my pain; life will take care of everything. 154. “Miss Celie, why you always covering up your smile?” By Desreta Jackson - Growing up, I was very insecure about my smile. And when Shug Avery posed this question to Miss Celie, it also made me turn to myself. When Shug encourages Celie to smile, I learned that there’s no need to cover up my own 155. Open Comments: 156. Featured Artist 157. Caryn Elaine Johnson, a.k.a. Whoopi Goldberg (@ 30 yrs old): an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, Broadway star, political activist, author and talk show host, she is one of the most successful and established African American actresses of her time. 158. Born and raised in Manhattan, she is one of 14 entertainers ever to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. What differentiates Goldberg from her contemporaries is the excellence that she portrayed in all the mediums of entertainment, be it television, theatre, films or radio. 159. Childhood & Early Life 160. Her mother was a nurse and a teacher while her father served as a clergyman. She was raised in the Chelsea-Elliot Houses by her mother alone after her father disbanded the family when she was young. She studied until her teen years and later dropped out of school. Her started acting started at a young age. It was during her stage performance that people complimented her by saying that she looked like whoopee cushion. It was from there that she took the stage name Whoopi and adopted Goldberg as her surname to sound more Jewish. 161. Career 162. In 1974, (@ age 19) she moved to California and thereafter lived in various cities such as Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. It was during this time that she honed her acting skills and developed her talent as a stand-up comedian. However, soon thereafter, she returned to New York and started receiving training under acting coach Uta Hagen. Her first ever appearance on screen was for William Farley’s feature, ‘Citizen: I'm Not Losing My Mind, I'm Giving It Away’ in 1982 (@ 27). In 1983, she created, starred and directed a ‘The Spook Show’, a one-woman show that addressed the issue of race in American but in a unique and innovative style. Next, she created other off-Broadway productions such as ‘Little Girl’ an African-American child obsessed with having blond hair and ‘Fontaine’ a junkie who also happens to hold a doctorate in literature. The innovative presentation and sense of wit and style in her shows impressed director Mike Nicholas who offered to take ‘The Spook Show’ to the Broadway. The show which ran for 156 performances, met with much acclaim both commercially and critically. It went on to earn her a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. The eye-catching performance and amazing positive reception of the show earned her attention of the Hollywood bigwigs. It helped her bag a role in the Steven Spielberg film, ‘The Color Purple’, released in 1985. The movie met with resounding success, clutching 11 Academy Awards nominations and she won her first Golden Globe award. 163. Open Comments: 164. Oprah Gail Winfrey , a.k.a. Oprah Winfrey (@ 31 yrs old): Talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. 165. Childhood & Early Life 166. Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on a small family farm, to an unwed mother who had a short relationship with a soldier stationed nearby, Oprah grew up in dire poverty, and was primarily raised by her grandmother. Sexually abused and mistreated as a child, Winfrey rose above adversity to focus on her primary and high school education. 167. Career 168. When she was still a teenager, the local CBS television station in Nashville, Tennessee offered her a job as a co-anchor. She turned it down three times. At age 19, Oprah Winfrey said yes after the fourth offer. She failed the interview, but instead was offered a job as a full-time reporter for a Baltimore television news channel. She did poorly as a reporter, and by age 22 she was fired from the news division. The director of the station gave Winfrey a boost by selecting her to anchor a morning talk show entitled ‘People are Talking’. For the next seven years, her talk show enjoyed excellent ratings. In 1981, (@ 27) she moved to Chicago to host a talk show entitled ‘A.M. Chicago’. Four years later, (1985) after a tremendous boost in the ratings, the producers changed the name to ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’. She caught the attention of Quincy Jones, a Chicago native, and he cast her as Sofia for the first movie he produced, 'The Color Purple'. The following year ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ was broadcast nationally. 169. Open Comments: 170. TV Scene: 171. Featured Actor: Phylician Ayers Allen, a.k.a Phylicia Rashad is an Emmy-nominated American actress, singer, and director. 172. Her multi-faceted career began with Broadway before she branched into television and films. She is best remembered for her character as Claire Huxtable in the NBC sitcom ‘The Cosby Show’, which ran for eight years. The series brought Phylicia much deserved recognition, also earning her two Emmy nominations. Phylicia, however, is immortalized for her rich performances on the stage as an artist. She starred in several lavish musicals and dramas, all praised highly by critics. She became the first African American actress to walk away with a Tony Award for her performance in Lorraine Hansberry’s ‘Raisin in The Sun’. Subsequently, she was venerated within the African American acting community at the NAACP Awards, where she was called ‘The Mother’ of the Black Community. Her other popular plays include ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’, ‘August: Osage Country’, and ‘Gem of the Ocean’. She has tried her hand at stage direction and has successfully directed hit plays at prominent stages. Over the course of her career, Rashad has starred in several television series and voiced many characters. Her prolific output continues to be on the rise as she is still an active part of the entertainment industry. 173. Childhood & Early Life: 174. Phylicia Rashad was born Phylician Ayers Allen on June 19, 1948, in Houston, Texas to Vivian Ayers and Andrew Arthur Allen. Her mother was a prize-winning poet and artist, while her father was a reputed orthodontist. She has three siblings: Andrew Arthur Allen Jr., Debbie Allen, and Hugh Allen. Phylicia was raised in the United States and Mexico. She studied at Howard University, Washington D.C. and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in theatre in 1970. During her university days, she was inculcated into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. 175. Career 176. After graduating with a degree in theatre, Phylicia immediately joined the Negro Ensemble Company in New York. She toured the city and was seen in several plays under this troupe. Her Broadway debut occurred in 1972 and she was seen in several minor roles for hit musicals, including ‘The Wiz’ (1975) and ‘Dreamgirls’ (1981). In 1978, Rashad tried her hand at something new by releasing the concept album ‘Josephine Superstar’, an album that was based on Josephine Baker’s life. She decided to embark on an alternative career in television owing to the scarcity of good roles given to her. In 1982, after moving to television, Rashad landed a recurring role in the series ‘One Life to Live’ as Courtney Wright, a publicist. In 1984, Phylicia Rashad was roped in to play the role of Clair Huxtable, an attorney, in the hit comedy ‘The Cosby Show’. The show starred Bill Cosby in the lead role and Phylicia played his wife. The series ran for over eight years and was a critical and commercial success. Phylicia’s role as Clair proved to be the highest point in her career, earning her two Emmy Award nominations. 177. Open Comments 178. Question: Is she a good actor? Do you buy her in other roles? 179. Vote: Best Pop Culture item/event for 1985