Folks, the early ‘90s were a much simpler, more innocent time. It was a time in which you could believe that Shock G, the mastermind behind Oakland-based funk/rap collective Digital Underground and Humpty Hump, the outfit’s Groucho-nosed comedian, were two different people. At least I believed they were two different people. What can I say?… Read More “The Humpty Dance” by Digital Underground (1990)
“Hold On” was THE song of summer 1990 (for reference, THE song of summer ‘89 was “Keep On Movin” by Soul II Soul and THE song of summer ‘91 was “I Wanna Sex You Up” by Color Me Badd.) En Vogue’s debut single seemed to be coming out of every stereo, booming from every jeep,… Read More “Hold On” by En Vogue (1990)
There was a point in late 1990 when it felt like Deee-lite was gonna be the next best thing. They were multicultural (middle-American lead singer, Russian DJ, Asian secondary DJ). They had pop cred, disco cred and hip-hop cred. They had a multitude of influences and some fairly major juice (“Groove is in The Heart”… Read More “Groove Is In The Heart” by Deee-lite (1990)
After a one-song break to accommodate Rick Springfield’s finest moment, Teddy Riley returns to give another white singer some extra flavor. Jane Child got more attention for her look than her music, which was fairly prototypical L.A. pop/soul. She rocked feathered hair on top with cornrows on the bottom. She also had a nose ring… Read More “Don’t Wanna Fall In Love (New Jack Swing Remix)” by Jane Child (1990)
“Does She Love That Man” is not a happy song, and Breathe’s David Glasper is not a very happy man (although if you’re familiar with Breathe’s catalog, this might not be a surprise to you). In this particular instance, his lady has left him, and it’s right before Christmas. He appears to be blind to… Read More “Does She Love That Man” by Breathe (featuring David Glasper) (1990)
“It’s the ones who resist that we most want to kiss/Wouldn’t you say?” “Cowboys And Angels” is George Michael’s most successful stab at lounge-jazz. George’s hushed vocal is the perfect complement to the lyrics, which the singer eventually revealed he wrote after finding himself in a bit of a love triangle; in love with a… Read More “Cowboys and Angels” by George Michael (1990)
The greatest call and response in hip-hop history. If someone asks you if they can kick it, and you say “no, you can’t”, then you’re an asshole. “Can I Kick It” was Tribe’s third single, and was the first to really stamp coolness on Q-Tip’s flow. “El Segundo” and “Bonita Applebum” were a nerdy kind of cool, but “Can… Read More “Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest (1990)
There were hip-hop love songs before “Bonita Applebum”, and then there was “Bonita Applebum”. In my opinion, it was the jam that began to set ATCQ apart from the other Native Tongue groups. The Jungle Brothers could’ve maybe done a song like “Bonita”, but they didn’t have Q-Tip’s voice or production. De La’s love songs… Read More “Bonita Applebum” by A Tribe Called Quest (1990)
Really well-made comedy records get me every time. And when “Big Daddy vs. Dolemite” came around in the fall of 1990, there was no precedent for a rapper to team up with a comedian. But Big Daddy Kane gave blaxploitation-era hero Rudy Ray Moore (famous for his Dolemite movies) a call, and the two brought… Read More “Big Daddy Vs. Dolemite” by Big Daddy Kane (1990)
Hip-hop moved so fast in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s that rappers could be at the top of the heap in January of one year and have fallen off by the end of that same year. Such a fate besieged LL Cool J when he released 1989′s Walking With A Panther. Hip-hop had passed him by in two… Read More “Around The Way Girl” by LL Cool J (1990)
Five Star Jamz 