Tag: 1990s
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Songs That Soundtracked the AIDS Crisis: Madonna’s “In This Life”
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Picture it! America 1992. AIDS becomes the number one cause of death for men 25 – 44 years old. Activists are still in a fierce battle with big pharma and the US government to provide access to HIV drug trials. And the moral panic about sex, women’s bodies, and AIDS…
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Kevin Aviance’s “Cunty” Remains a Legendary & Impactful Song
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standing at over six feet tall, kevin aviance annihilated social expectations of gender expression all while conquering ballroom and dance music. before making his mark in new york city’s nightlife in the early 90s, he was a commanding presence in ballroom as a member of the house of aviance. in…
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UNCANNY ALLIANCE
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in the early 1990s, there was no shortage of dance groups from new york garnering national notoriety at both the club and radio level. but only a few were able to brilliantly fuse the complicated feelings of joy and isolation, self discovery, camp and humor into catchy pop hooks the…
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For My Mother: “A Day In My Life (Without You)”
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I remember the night in the summer of 1991 as I sat on the steps with my two-speaker double cassette radio. I was playing my music with Robert as we talked about all the boys we had crushes on. You were drunk out of your mind and joined us on…
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Ten House Tracks From the 90s that Will Lift Your Spirits the way Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” Does
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if you are up at this time like i am it is probably because you have been dancing in the privacy of your bedroom to beyoncé’s new track “break my soul.” released as the lead single from her forthcoming album “renaissance,” scheduled for release on july 29th, “break my soul”…
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the songs i loved: mc trouble’s “(i wanna) make you mine”
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there was a time beginning in the early 1990s when highly choreographed hip-hop music videos were frowned upon and viewed as a legitimate threat a rapper’s street cred. however, that wasn’t always the case. in 1990, even rappers were expected to be able to dance. while this was often attributed…
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Janet Jackson: A Deep Appreciation Of
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i met robert on the very first day of school in the seventh grade in september 1989. as soon as i walked into the classroom and witnessed him commanding space with his beautiful spirit, i knew the semester would be different. i would no longer be the “only one” in…
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in the summer of 1988, i had a friend named jacqueline who lived next door from us. she was a bubbly preteen just as i was and loved music almost as much as me. what i what think connected us the most was that she too had a mother who…
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OAKTOWN’S 357
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oaktown’s 357 were one of hip-hop’s most exciting groups of the early 1990s. heir combination of catchy rhymes, dope fashions, and stunning choreography not only separated them from other groups like salt ‘n pepa and jj fad, who were garnering attention from top 40 radio, but 357 captivated a generation…
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LIZ TORRES
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one of the first chicago house music singers to garner national notoriety in the mid-80s, especially in gay clubs, liz torres commanded the dance floor with her collaborations with fellow chicago-house pioneers jesse jones and master c&j. by 1990, liz reached her peak when she signed with major label jive…
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The (Mis)Education of AIDS Storylines on TV Shows: The Golden Girls
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before the advent of social media and digital organizing, network television played an integral role in raising awareness about social issues. this often resulted in sometimes dramatic and/or awful “very special” episodes of popular sitcoms. this series unpacks and revisits some of these shows with a historical lens. the golden…
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MARTHA WASH
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martha wash is one of the greatest vocalists in music history. and i would wager my mariah carey cd collection (which at this moment is 250 plus of cds, cassettes, and vinyl) that you have shaken your ass to a martha wash record. in the late 1970s, marta got her…