Music: Hip-hop & Rap

Hey everyone!

Our last music blog will be about 90’s hip-hop and rap. Hip-hop became popular in the 80’s and grew bigger and bigger in the 90’s, this period of time was called the golden age of hip hop. Some strong themes in hip hop were Afrocentricity and political militancy. Some of the more know hip hop artist of the 90’s are Run DMC and A Tribe Called Quest. Hip hop was popular in that decade because everything was being discovered, so therefore everything was still innovative and new. Even though there was an emphasis on Black Nationalist rap, there were still some very well-known white hip-hop artists, like Eminem and Vanilla Ice and his Ice Ice Baby…

Hip hop became the best-selling music genre of the mid 90’s with selling millions of records of artist such as Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg (These days without the Doggy) and Wu-Tang Clan. Some of the more famous female hip hop and rap artist of the nineties are Lauryn Hill (who was nominated for 10 Grammy’s for her album “The Miseducation” and won 5 of them), Missy Elliot and Queen Latifah.

The mid nineties were marked by the deaths of the West-Coast rapper 2pac and the East-Coast rapper The Notorious B.I.G., which conspiracy theorists claim were killed as a result of the East Coast – West Coast hip hop rivalry.

 

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This was all on hip hop and rap, and it also marks the ending of our music topic.

To close this week’s topic we have found a site where can enter a certain date (Birthday or Anniversary etc.) and it will generate which song was at the top of the charts that day, and each year forward. Click Here

Next week our topic will be 90’s electronics!

Music: Rock

Hi !

The nineties brought us some great Rock bands that broadened the genre. Bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam really brought Grunge to the mainstream, whereas bands like Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins broadened the alternative rock sound.

Grunge became known in the early nineties as a genre that had a “dirty” sound and where the artists had an unkempt appearance. They rebelled against the mainstream rock which they thought was commercialized and too highly produced. Grunge lyrics were often about social alienation and entrapment and had an apathic feel to it. The popularity of Grunge declined when Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain died in 1994 (and Nirvana subsequently seized to exist), Pearl Jam had touring problems and Alice in Chains lead singer Layne Stanley left the band in 1996. After Grunge, post-grunge became more popular with bands like Foo Fighters, whose front man was Nirvanas old drummer.

Another popular rock genre was pop-punk with leading bands such as Green Day and Weezer. These bands had a fan base of mostly teenagers, which proved to be a great success. Alternative rock and metal emerged from the late 80’s hardcore scene and gained popularity after grunge broke into the mainstream. Alternative rock and metal fused all sorts of genres like prog-rock, punk, industrial and even hip-hop and rap (bands like Rage Against the Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers).

Rock is a genre that proves to be timeless, since many of the artists mentioned here are still active today with bringing out new albums and touring. Here is a list of greatest rock songs of the 90’s. (In a random order, everyone can decide for themselves what the best song is).

Click on the link to see the youtube video of each song.

1.  The Offspring - Self Esteem
2.  Weezer – Buddy Holly
3.  Green Day – Basket Case
4.  Alice In Chains – Man In The Box
5.  Foo Fighters - Everlong
6.  Nine Inch Nails – Closer
7.  Rage Against the Machine – Killing In The Name Of
8.  Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under The Bridge
9.  Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
10.  Depeche Mode – Enjoy The Silence
11.  Radiohead – Paranoid Android
12.  Nirvana - Come As You Are
13.  Smashing Pumpkins – 1979
14.  Blur - Song 2
15.  Metallica - Enter Sandmen
16.  Radiohead - Creep
17.  Oasis - Wonderwall
18.  Pearl Jam - Jeremy
19.  R.E.M. – Losing My Religion
20.  Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit

Next time the topic will be 90’s hip-hop and rap!

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Music: Happy Hardcore

Today we will discuss (happy) hardcore and related genres like rave and hardcore house (Gabberhouse). Dutch hardcore can not be confused with American hardcore, which is a totally different genre and sounds more like punk. Happy hardcore is, as the name says, a happier variant of hardcore house. It is characterized by mealy-mouthed lyrics song by (usually) a woman. It also has a high tempo and often contains piano fragments. Happy hardcore was very popular in the Netherlands and to a lesser extend in Great Britain.  A lot of different hardcore movements formed in the nineties, in order to make it more mainstream, happy hardcore was formed. This form of hardcore had more melody to it than hardcore house for example and therefore was easier to listen to. Happy hardcore had a growing fan base in the Netherlands and it eventually became a genre in itself, it was most popular during the mid-nineties but is still listened to today.

Some of the most familiar happy hardcore artist are DJ Paul Elstak, Party Animals, Charley Lownoise & Mental Theo, Dune, Scooter and Hakkûhbar. Hakkûhbar was a typical “Gabber” artist, “gabbers” were known for the bald head (boys), tracksuits and typical way of dancing, known as “hakken”.

To give foreign visitors an idea of what Dutch happy hardcore is; here is a compilation. Dutch visitors can enjoy it too of course ;)

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Even now in 2012, hardcore is still popular and a lot of the above mentioned artists still perform. There are even festivals devoted to hardcore only, such as (Sensation) Black and Decibel Outdoor.

We hoped you have learned some more about happy hardcore in the nineties. Next time we will go over Rock and other related genres!

Music: boy- and girlbands

This week we will discuss 90’s music, each time we will go over a different genre. Today we will talk about different boy- and girl bands that were successful in the nineties.

Maybe the most well-known girl band is of course the Spice Girls, which originated in 1994. Their first big hit was “Wannabe” (1996), which created world fame for them. They have sold over 75 million records, making them the best-selling female group of all time. Each of the five Spice Girls had a different character and nickname. Which Spice Girl are you? Do the quiz here: Click Click!

The group split up in 2000, only to reunite in 2007 and splitting up again in 2008. According to latest news there are planning to reunite once again.

Spice Girls; then and now. Find the 10 differences! ^_^ 

The best selling boy band off all time is the Backstreet Boys (BSB), with having sold over more than 130 million records worldwide. BSB formed in 1993 and became famous with their 1996 debut album "Backstreet Boys". They took a break form 2002 to 2005, when they came back with the album "Never Gone". In 2006 Kevin Richardson left BSB and the remaining 4 members are still active today. Other well-known boy bands from the nineties are: New Kids on the Block, Take That, Boyzone, 'N Sync, 5ive and Westlife

Here is a compilation video of Backstreet Boys songs. Enjoy!

  

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A Dutch mixed group which was very famous in the Netherlands was the Vengaboys. They consisted of 2 guys and 2 girls and were known for all the different costumes they wore. Some of their biggest hits were: “We Like to Party”, “Shalala Lala” and “Uncle John from Jamaica”.

That was all on boy- and girl bands, next time we will talk about (happy) hardcore, so make sure to check the blog regularly!

 

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Human Jukebox

To get you guys in the right mood for next week, here is a clip of all 90's music

How many do you remember?

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