Posted by
africa hit
on
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Remember the ‘90s? Unemployment rates were low, sitcoms were still a thing and the rest of the world didn’t hate us yet.
The ‘90s were a transitionary period, with one foot in the old world and one in the burgeoning digital age. Feeling nostalgic for a decade that gave us not only the Seattle scene but also TRL? Here are 9 reasons why ‘90s music ruled.
1. ‘90s Rap
No one can deny the impact that ‘90s hip-hop had on the world; it was clever, it was powerful, and it gave a voice to a demographic that had previously lacked an expressive outlet in pop culture. Artists like The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, Dr. Dre were highly influential in bringing the West Coast movement to center stage in the ‘90s.
2. Riot Grrrl
Gender was a hot topic in the time of Daria and TGIF. The riot grrrl movement was taking shape, with Kathleen Hanna’s Bikini Kill paving the way for like-minded groups like Sleater-Kinney, Bratmobile and Hanna’s own Le Tigre. Their combined fempower and subsequent commercial success gave misogynists the world over their first, and definitely not last, wake-up call of the decade.
3. Electronic Movement
Industrial and electronic music in the ‘90s is not just that one scene from The Matrix. The genre went from a small movement in the ‘80s to a national underground sensation in the ‘90s. European techno and EDM, Air, Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, and an endless myriad stream of DJs and ravers took up the mantle of the weirdest and druggiest subculture of the decade.
4. Britpop
If the ‘60s marked the first British rock invasion, then the ‘90s was the second coming. Monosyllabic groups like Blur, Pulp, Suede and Oasis (also known to British music critics and cover artists as “the best band to grace the Earth since Jesus turned one loaf of bread and three fish into The Who”) came down from their silver ships and graced our eardrums with their magical English sounds.
5. Mainstream Alternative Pop
Remember a time when you didn’t mind listening to mainstream radio? “Alternative” bands like Third Eye Blind, Collective Soul, Everclear and Train dominated airwaves in the ‘90s. And while you may not have wanted to pay to see them live, you sure as hell didn’t mind hearing them on your morning commute.
6. American Indie Rock
Indie rock these days comes in more flavors than Smirnoff, but once upon a time the genre was actually removed from the big labels that now dominate it. Cult favorites like Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., and Yo La Tengo turned the distortion up and bought the cheapest recording equipment, singing candidly about mundane life, complicated extended metaphors, and other such activities that make vinyl hipsters sigh with envy.
7. Punk Revival
Few artists have had as much of an influence on modern music than Green Day. Their particular raucous revival of punk rock set off a firestorm of pick slides, power chords, and entire subgenres of DIY noise rock. Sublime, Rancid, Blink-182 and Offspring were not far behind, and soon the-pre Internet radio airwaves were awash in punk, pop punk, ska, and surfer rock.
8. Grunge
From this sleepy metropolis in Seattle came the most undisputed influential movement in modern rock and alternative. Grunge music formed in the late ‘80s, but didn’t catch fire until Nirvana’s Nevermind and Pearl Jam’s Ten, both released in 1991. With its muddy guitars, heavy distortion, and slow, angsty songs, grunge caught an emotion that Generation X didn’t realize it was feeling yet.
9. The Digital Evolution
At the end of the ‘90s we saw the birth of Napster and the boom of MP3 file sharing. For every band of technophobes like Metallica, who famously battled Napster, there are now three new ways for a budding artist to distribute their music for free. The effect that peer-to-peer sharing networks like Napster have had on the music industry is incalculable. (Though we’re sure many industry lawyers made it their job to try.) Once music went digital, it was burnable and once it was burnable, all bets were off.
This evolution was the beginning of the decline of the psychical format and hence why things like the Decluttr app are increasing in popularity as people rush to get rid of their old CDs. But, while the format has changed, music is more accessible than ever before and artists have capitalized on this fact. Concert attendance and merchandise sales have increased and the music world has become a new and exciting landscape where your new favorite bands are now just a click away. We can’t wait to see what happens next.
WATCH VIDEO
The ‘90s were a transitionary period, with one foot in the old world and one in the burgeoning digital age. Feeling nostalgic for a decade that gave us not only the Seattle scene but also TRL? Here are 9 reasons why ‘90s music ruled.
1. ‘90s Rap
No one can deny the impact that ‘90s hip-hop had on the world; it was clever, it was powerful, and it gave a voice to a demographic that had previously lacked an expressive outlet in pop culture. Artists like The Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac, Dr. Dre were highly influential in bringing the West Coast movement to center stage in the ‘90s.
2. Riot Grrrl
Gender was a hot topic in the time of Daria and TGIF. The riot grrrl movement was taking shape, with Kathleen Hanna’s Bikini Kill paving the way for like-minded groups like Sleater-Kinney, Bratmobile and Hanna’s own Le Tigre. Their combined fempower and subsequent commercial success gave misogynists the world over their first, and definitely not last, wake-up call of the decade.
3. Electronic Movement
Industrial and electronic music in the ‘90s is not just that one scene from The Matrix. The genre went from a small movement in the ‘80s to a national underground sensation in the ‘90s. European techno and EDM, Air, Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, and an endless myriad stream of DJs and ravers took up the mantle of the weirdest and druggiest subculture of the decade.
4. Britpop
If the ‘60s marked the first British rock invasion, then the ‘90s was the second coming. Monosyllabic groups like Blur, Pulp, Suede and Oasis (also known to British music critics and cover artists as “the best band to grace the Earth since Jesus turned one loaf of bread and three fish into The Who”) came down from their silver ships and graced our eardrums with their magical English sounds.
5. Mainstream Alternative Pop
Remember a time when you didn’t mind listening to mainstream radio? “Alternative” bands like Third Eye Blind, Collective Soul, Everclear and Train dominated airwaves in the ‘90s. And while you may not have wanted to pay to see them live, you sure as hell didn’t mind hearing them on your morning commute.
6. American Indie Rock
Indie rock these days comes in more flavors than Smirnoff, but once upon a time the genre was actually removed from the big labels that now dominate it. Cult favorites like Pavement, Dinosaur Jr., and Yo La Tengo turned the distortion up and bought the cheapest recording equipment, singing candidly about mundane life, complicated extended metaphors, and other such activities that make vinyl hipsters sigh with envy.
7. Punk Revival
Few artists have had as much of an influence on modern music than Green Day. Their particular raucous revival of punk rock set off a firestorm of pick slides, power chords, and entire subgenres of DIY noise rock. Sublime, Rancid, Blink-182 and Offspring were not far behind, and soon the-pre Internet radio airwaves were awash in punk, pop punk, ska, and surfer rock.
8. Grunge
From this sleepy metropolis in Seattle came the most undisputed influential movement in modern rock and alternative. Grunge music formed in the late ‘80s, but didn’t catch fire until Nirvana’s Nevermind and Pearl Jam’s Ten, both released in 1991. With its muddy guitars, heavy distortion, and slow, angsty songs, grunge caught an emotion that Generation X didn’t realize it was feeling yet.
9. The Digital Evolution
At the end of the ‘90s we saw the birth of Napster and the boom of MP3 file sharing. For every band of technophobes like Metallica, who famously battled Napster, there are now three new ways for a budding artist to distribute their music for free. The effect that peer-to-peer sharing networks like Napster have had on the music industry is incalculable. (Though we’re sure many industry lawyers made it their job to try.) Once music went digital, it was burnable and once it was burnable, all bets were off.
This evolution was the beginning of the decline of the psychical format and hence why things like the Decluttr app are increasing in popularity as people rush to get rid of their old CDs. But, while the format has changed, music is more accessible than ever before and artists have capitalized on this fact. Concert attendance and merchandise sales have increased and the music world has become a new and exciting landscape where your new favorite bands are now just a click away. We can’t wait to see what happens next.
WATCH VIDEO