It’s a strange feeling not having your “Day One” – the people who believed in you before you believed in yourself – not being around to see how the story progresses. I don’t think I would have been able to get into college without the support of Aunt Ethel Lee. Sadly, she suffered a stroke my freshman year and didn’t live to see me graduate.
By the time I turned 21, the words “Tomorrow is not guaranteed” didn’t need a motivational poster to me.
opinion columnist
LZ Granderson
LZ Granderson writes about American culture, politics, sports, and life in America.
When I was a sophomore in college, my best friend died of complications from AIDS. My favorite cousin was shot and killed in Chicago when he was in third grade.
On many days, what helped me get through it was listening to the classic “They Reminisce Over You (TROY)” on repeat. It was like healing through a trauma bond.
For this 1992 song, Pete Rock and CL Smooth were inspired by the loss of their childhood friend Troy Dixon, who died in an accident. Dixon himself was a member of the group Heavy D and the Boys.
“Reminisce” is one of those songs that I don’t listen to very often as an experience. The lyrics are descriptive, like Polaroids. This song reminds me of my aunt’s living room with its plastic furniture.
I applaud hip-hop for its healing power for those who cannot afford therapy. However, it wasn’t always easy for that side of the culture to break through the gangsta personification that was driving big business for record labels. In the early 1990s, around the time of the Rodney King assault and subsequent police acquittal, the West Coast scene saw the birth of Death Row Records, Boyz N the Hood, Snoop, Tupac, and The Chronic. . Black pain and joy were expressed, but too often the focus was on violence on the streets and in executive circles.
When it came to the Billboard charts, the jazz-fused “Reminisce” didn’t leave much of a mark. But that had nothing to do with its power.
In his 1994 song, Shaquille O’Neal wanted to honor his father’s presence in his life by quoting the last three words of this “In Memory” line.
As I go back in time, I remember a man who is not on the family tree.
My right hand, Poppa Doc, I see.
I always had a father because he took me from boy to man
When my biological problems didn’t bother me
Fast forward 30 years later to the final episode of “Ozark.” As Ruth Langmore drives her car toward her impending death, the last song she hears is “Reminisce.” That’s an incredible amount of longevity for a song that barely scraped the charts.
Again, black music has never waited for industry permission. Gospel, jazz, blues, rock and roll, Motown…why is hip-hop different?
Born in 1973, it took six years for hip-hop to land a record deal. And that was reportedly because record producer Sylvia Robinson was on the verge of bankruptcy and was willing to take a chance.That’s crazy, that’s How an influential song like Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” came about. (What’s less shocking is that Billboard Magazine gave the new wave band Blondie their first No. 1 hit featuring rap vocals with 1980’s “Rupture.” Sad. In particular, it weighs heavily on brands and the industry is marginalizing black artists.
To celebrate hip-hop’s 50th anniversary this month, music journalist Naima Cochrane is asking her followers on social media a series of questions about their relationship with hip-hop culture. One question asked us to choose the definitive hip-hop track. My choice was easy.
Before I heard the title, Tom Scott’s saxophone sample at the beginning of “Reminisce” came to mind. The fact that his obscure six seconds from 1967 are still woven throughout his 1992 track with memorable craftsmanship 20 years later is a testament to the song’s overall brilliance. .
I admire club bangers that move the crowd, but I’ve always loved hip-hop the most when it requires me to stay still.
Make me responsible.
Forces you to admit your hurt.
When I think about those who have passed away, “Reminisce” is still one of the ways I connect with it. It would also break me down. That’s one of the great things about hip-hop’s longevity. For half a century, it has given black men a new way to express their creativity and vulnerability.
We also covered underreported aspects of hip-hop.
NWA was more than a provocation.That group is Sound the alarm and report on the prevalence of police brutality.Judging from This week’s guilty plea According to former Mississippi police officers who called themselves the “Goon Squad,” that wake-up call remains relevant. So too is the emotional storytelling of “Reminisce,” which has kept it on “best of” lists from The Source to Rolling Stone.
Don’t get me wrong. I love a good party. But in an era when hip-hop replaced the bottle in my hand with a mirror, the beat lands differently. That’s because when hip-hop is truly at its best, the beat doesn’t hit or drop.
It hugs.
