The Rise and Fall of Music pt 2

The Rise and Fall of Music (pt2)

The 70’s take over consisted of The Jackson 5, the Doobie Brothers, Kool & The Gang, the O’Jays, Eric Clapton/Dereck & the Domino’s, the Bee Gees, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, Aero Smith, Sly & the Family Stone, Billy Joel and many more. One particular person that I love from the 70’s era was Curtis Mayfield; his soundtrack for the movie ‘Super Fly’ is what set it all off. He was gifted, being able to play multiple instruments like the guitar, bass, piano, saxophone and drums, unlike the artists of today who only know of a microphone.

“I'm your mama, I'm your daddy

I'm that nigga in the alley

I'm your doctor, when in need

Want some coke, have some weed

You know me, I'm your friend

Your main boy, thick and thin

I'm your pusherman

I'm your pusherman”    ……. Who didn’t know the lyrics of this song??? Aside from the song ‘Pusherman’, Mayfield also made ‘Freddie’s Dead’, ‘People Get Ready’ and ‘Super Fly’ amongst many other number 1 hits.

In the 70’s, mood rings, lava lamps, Rubik’s cube, smiley face stickers and more made its way into the world. The movie Annie Hall (1977) inspired women to dress differently, sporting traditional men’s clothing such as derby hats, tweed jackets and neckties as well as baggy pants and skirts.

As the fashion was making a statement, so was the music. “Rock & Roll” was nearly extinct. The Beatles broke up, Elvis Presley died and disco became the craze!! Regardless the music ‘you’ preferred, rock music was big business. Artists such as Aerosmith, the Bee Gees, Alice Cooper, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, John Lennon & Bruce Springsteen made rock music popular.

Now I can sit here and pick your brains about how Michael Jackson was the most adored and loved artist rocking round, but who doesn’t know that. In 1970, MJ was 12 years old and his solo career sky rocketed. Bob Marley gained a huge base of fans in the U.S. with his reggae music and “Easy Listening” regained its momentum with groups like the Carpenters. 

There was a lot going on in the 70’s, the 1^st Gay Pride march, the Watergate scandal, Nixon was forced to resign and so forth. The times were changing and so were the years.

1980’s, the minimum wage was $3.10. The cost of a BMW was $12,000 and a Mercedes 280E was $14,800. What a difference some decades can make!! The 80’s spawned a new breed, the Billionaire’s and the “Splurgers”. Video games and talk shows entered our lives, war on drugs, Kermit the Frog, A.I.D.S was the epidemic and unemployment rose. Families changed enormously and drastically; more divorces, more unmarried people living together and single parent homes became the norm.

While the “norms” were developing cable was born and MTV impacted music and young people drastically. We transformed from cassette tapes to compact discs and from the hustle to break dancing. We also learned of the new wave Rap/Hip-hop.

Rap had originated in prison 20 years earlier by inmates who turned “poetic meter” into musical rhythm. Early rap was “laced with hostility toward society”. Music like ‘911 is a Joke’ by Flava Flav was the biggest hype, while Milli Vanilli, M.C. Hammer and Vanilla Ice were making renown names for themselves. MJ’s album ‘Thriller’ became the bestselling album of all time!! L.L. Cool J was enticing the ladies with his lip licking and fine physique while letting you know that “Mama Said Knock You Out”. Vanilla Ice hit us with ‘Ice, Ice, Baby’ and M.C. Hammer started up a dance that took us by storm along with his hit ‘You Can’t Touch This’. Oh and let’s not forget his phenomenal “Hammer pants” that became a fashion fad.

The 80’s had also introduced us to the well known and loved Whitney Houston. Blessed with her presence in 1985, she gave the world her best with her album ‘Whitney Houston’ which had three #1 singles, “Saving All My Love For You’ a favorite of mine, ‘How Will I Know’ and ‘Greatest Love of All’, but then hit us with her extraordinary talent in 1987 with her top selling album ‘Whitney’ which listed ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’.

Music made a really big impact on lives in the 80’s. Many of us now recall more memories in the 80’s then any other decade, that is, if you were born during those times.

As the 90’s began to make way, music progressed and so did the economy. Minimum wage increased, revolutions came and went and the world went through trial and triumph constantly, but what remained was the love for music.

The 90’s was about to make the biggest change to society by introducing the world to the ‘World Wide Web’. Violence was a part of everyday life and 1993 September 11^th, marked history for all Americans, yet and still, through it all, music remained and surprisingly more choices were available to the world music wise. Latino music grew in popularity and country became more main stream. Artists like Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, Selena (top Latin singer until her death in ’95), Hootie & the Blowfish, Garth Brooks and Celine Dion graced us with their voices that still ring though the radio’s today.

In the 90’s, we were introduced to Gangsta Rap by Dr. Dre releasing ‘The Chronic’. The Notorious BIG and Tupac contributed to this new style of Hip Hop as well before they were murdered years later. West Coast rap dominated the rap game in the start of the 90’s, but East Coast rap became more prominent later with artists like Jay-Z and Ja-Rule. We trans-versed from Run-D.M.C- ‘Walk This Way’, AC/DC- ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’, Guns N’ Roses- ‘Welcome to The Jungle’, Wham!, Paula Abdul, Public Enemy, Salt n Pepa and the one and only Bobby Brown straight into the new era of music. The 90’s brought us artists like Ice T, Ice Cube, Monie Love, Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, N.W.A, P.M. Dawn, Geto Boys, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Yo-Yo, Arrested Development, Naughty by Nature and many, many more.  From DJ battles to back yard BBQ’s being the lime light, the 90’s were the years to grow up in.

Out from the 90’s and slowly into a new millennium, the 2G, in these years to come, the world was presented a new way of administering music.  Aside from the musicians we know best, unsigned artist began making a major name for their work. Street battling became the hype and homemade mix-tapes were being made like dollars are made at the Treasury. The year 2000 was making its way in and who but the best of all time made mix-tapes #1 priority, no one but 50 Cent.  Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent started out selling his mix-tapes out of the trunk of his car. He was denied and turned down left and right by different labels until he was finally picked up by Dr. Dre and Eminem, two very lyrical geniuses. It was then that music took a dramatic change.

TO BE CONTINUED…..