...Like It’s Golden
Like any senseless creator in the world, I am up after the midnight hour, knowing I need to be resting my body and spirit. I take one last stroll through Twitter Land and I spotted a RT (meaning a retweet...I won’t bother explaining...you guys should know the term) from my homie that took me slightly down a music, but more so, a journal hole.
The tweet was a video of Arsenio Hall’s legendary finale show where, it seem as if, the whole Golden Era of Hip Hop was paying homage to his final show being aired. I have seen this clip numerous times and seeing it again, in 2019, reminded me of why I dubbed this event one of my favorite Hip Hop moments I experienced...on TV (I REALLY wished I grew up in New York growing up). I believe this was shot in 1994. I am not really into Googling memories, if that makes sense.
I immediately let my sleeping Tweeters know that I will FOREVER love this era of Hip Hop. Then, instead of gearing my brain to listen to 90’s Hip Hop music until 4am, I resulted to giving Hip Hop and Hookah its first blog post, from me. Also, I tweeted that I want to listen to GZA ‘Liquid Swords’ album and Raekwon ‘Glaciers of Ice’ song. Why these particular choices? Because in the 90’s, I was exposed to an entity that simply will not be replaced.
Wu Tang Clan, Craig Mack, Gangstarr, A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, De La Soul, Jeru Da Damaja, Biggie, Mobb Deep, Black Sheep...even Outkast, Scarface, UGK, Goodie Mob, Snoop Dogg, Ras Kass, Kurupt, Xzibit, Tracey Lee, Lords of the Underground (I met them at the YMCA on Cleveland Road...Duval flow...‘94ish), and other artists that are in the back of my brain, but if you cut on a song, I am sure that I can spot it...artist and the song. All of these, and other notable, artists shaped what Hip Hop stands for. The new artists and the seasoned ones, that actual pay respect to the 90s, is great and when you weed out the bad ones, it shows how Hip Hop has evolved to this giant that keeps breaking down walls. I love it all...but listen...when I get stuck on what to listen to? If it is not a podcast or air from the outside window of me driving, I am reverting to Outkast ‘ATLiens’ or ATCQ ‘Midnight Marauders’...easily.
This era of music easily gets me in a great spot. I have lately dubbed myself ‘King’ in my own respects, but I have also labeled myself as ‘Uncle Al’, being that I have my old guy ways when it comes to Hip Hop. You like what you like. You gravitate to what plays with your heart strings. J. Cole, Wale, K. Dot and Wiz Khalifa will get an instant spin if they dropped projects, but when the first two bars of ‘Check The Rhyme’ comes on, I have fell back into the time I use to bump ATCQ’s album walking the halls of Ribault Senior High School. It was a great time for music for me, and most of my peers. It was golden.
-Al Pete
P. S. I might go nuts on my Instagram page and post throwback videos...who knows (@mralpete).