I Love the 1990s: Part I

There is something about autumn that makes me feel nostalgic, so travel with me as I go back to the 1990s.  I was born in the 1980s, but I came of age during the 1990s.  My love for that period grows with each passing day.  The lessons learned in the 1990s are still with me today.  

The television shows released during the 1990s are on another level.  Although the current television shows have better production quality, the shows from the 1990s had an authentic feel that cannot be duplicated.  A Different World is one of my all time favorite shows.  I still remember watching the show and believing that college life would be just like it was at fictional Hillman College.  Because I did not attend an HBCU, my college experience was somewhat different than the show.  But, many of the issues the show addressed, I saw firsthand while a college student in the early 2000s.  I cannot talk about television shows and not mention my all time favorite show, Martin.  Martin Lawrence is a comedic genius and his show was well ahead of its time.  Ole Otis, Jerome, Bob from Marketing, Roscoe, and Dragonfly Jones are a few of my favorite characters.  Family Matters was another one of my favorite shows that I watched with my parents on Friday nights.  That show provided laughs for people of all ages and also discussed important family topics.  The Cosby Show portrayed the black nuclear family in a positive light.  Cliff Huxtable was a physician and his wife, Clair Huxtable, was an attorney.  Teen Summit was a great show that addressed serious issues young, black teenagers were dealing with.  It aired during a time when the programming on BET was still good.  That said, how could I forget about BET’s Rap City: The Basement.  I looked forward to coming home after school and watching the latest and greatest in hip hop on the show.  I could go on and on about great 1990s television shows.

The other day, as I sat on my couch looking at old pictures, I came across an old picture of myself during the 1990s.  I was wearing an Avirex shirt, black Avirex jeans and black Timberland Boots.  Also, I was wearing a gold chain with a cross pendant, a black doo-rag, “diamond” earrings and a black New York Yankees fitted hat.  Those were the days!  Back in the 1990s, people wore baggy clothes, which is completely different than the popular style today.  Cross Colors is one of the least fashionable clothing brands ever crafted, but, it was very popular in the early 1990s.  Nautica bubble coats and UNLV Starter brand coats were big during the 1990s.  Timberland boots were wildly popular during the 1990s.  I recall asking my mother to buy me a pair of wheat Timberland Boots.  I asked her to buy me the kind with the leather at the top of the boot, which sold for $145.00.  If I had walked the halls of Cook Middle School with the boots without the leather, I would have been clowned for sure.  During my time at Cook Middle School, the “fashionable” young ladies wore Reebok Classics and tennis skirts.  The popular style of dress was heavily influenced by the hip hop culture.  I remember going back-to-school shopping with my mother the week before beginning high school.  We went to Hanes Mall and went to my favorite stores at the time—Belk, Hects and Dillards.  I was on a mission to find Tommy Hilfiger, Polo and Nautica t-shirts, book bags, and shorts.  Those were some of the best times of my life.  Remember CHAPS by Ralph Lauren?  The acronym CHAPS stood for “Could Have Had a Polo Shirt.” 

I met a few friends at a bar the other night and we a good conversation about the 1990s.  One of my friends talked about how he recently spoke with his 15 year old cousin.  His cousin told him that he had recently learned about “old school” gaming systems in his technology class.  He said he learned about the Nintendo, and my friend was excited and started telling him all about Mike Tyson’s Punchout and so many other games.  Then, his cousin said, “I learned about the Nintendo 64, not the Nintendo.”  He told his cousin that the Nintendo 64 is not old school. We all laughed about the experience and starting talking about technology during the 1990s.  Who remembers their mother giving them a quarter to keep in their pocket in case they had to use a pay phone to make an emergency phone call?  Who remembers beepers?  I had two or three different beepers in high school.  I remember owning a Nintendo and playing Blades of Steel, Tecmo Bowl, and Arch Rivals.  If you owned or even played a Nintendo game, you remember having to blow dust out of the game and the gaming console.  The joystick on the Nintendo had two buttons, “a” and “b.” I still remember having to use an antenna to get a clear picture on the tube television at my grandmother’s house.   Life was simple and the gaming systems, and pay phones were signs of that fact.  During the 1990s, many people in my age range did not have bills to pay, or children to care for or any other major responsibilities.  My biggest responsibility was going to school, making good grades and taking out the trash.  Because I love the 1990s so much, I will revisit this topic again soon.

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Menace to Society or Boyz in the Hood: Which is the Better Movie?

I love ‘hood classics’ and both Menace II Society and Boyz n the Hood fit the bill.  If you are unfamiliar with ‘hood classics,’ see the following: Juice, New Jack City, Paid in Full, among other great movies.  In my opinion, ‘hood classics’ tell important stories about inner city life in various ghettos across the country.  By ghetto, I mean an impoverished, crime ridden neighborhood.  Which movie is better?  I will attempt to solve that question based on the following: (1) Plot, (2) Acting, and (3) Favorite scene.

Menace II Society is a movie about a group of young, inner city friends growing up Los Angeles during the turbulent, violent 1990’s.  The movie follows the intertwined lives of the friends as they finish high school.  Some of the group members planned to go to college, while others planned to stay in their neighborhoods.  Other members, still, planned to leave California and start their lives anew elsewhere.  Some were successful in their quests, while others were not so lucky. 

Boyz n the Hood is another 1990’s movie chronicling the lives of a group of teenage friends from South Central,Los Angeles.  The friends had different perspectives on life and how it should be lived.  The one constant fact among the friends seemed to be that each person understood how prevelant discrimination  was during the 1990’s.  The movie even touches on police brutality and intra-race discrimination.  Again, some members experienced success, while others were devoured by the mean streets of South Central, Los Angeles.

The plots in both movies are really good, but I have to give the edge to Boys n the Hood.

Menace II Society: 7/10

Boyz n the Hood: 9/10

Of the two movies, Menace II Society employed the least inexperienced cast.  That said, I think the Menace cast did an excellent job.. Larenz Tate played O-Dog, and I think he absolutely owned his performance.  He is an underrated actor, but he has yet to land that breakthrough performance that can catapult his career to the next level.  This role was a long way from his role in Inkwell, but he managed to pull it off with flying colors.  MC Eight also did an excellent job portraying his role as A-Wax.  Ironically, or maybe not ironically, MC Eight is a former gang member and  an older hip hop artist.  He is an OG in reality, and I think that authenticity made his performance that much more believable.  Tyrin Turner played the role of Caine, who was a man torn between the street life and a life with beautiful Ronnie, played by Jada Pinkett.  He is another actor who has not been able to land roles in big time movies.  His character in Belly is memorable because of that ridiculous wig he wore.  In Menace, his character represents what happens when people “live by the gun.”  This tragic role has been played out on the big screen in so many movies including: Scarface, Carlito’s Way, Goodfellas, New Jack City and so many more great movies.  Caine is my favorite character in the movie.

Boyz n the Hood had the more well known, polished cast.  Cuba Gooding Jr. played Tre Styles who represented a guy who grew up in ‘the hood,’, but wanted more for himself than the hood could offer.  He was blessed in the sense that he had a strong father who kept him on the right track. Furious Styles, played by Laurence Fishburne, represented the educated man who still lives in the hood, not because he has to, but because he believes he can make a difference in his community.  He taught Tre how to become a man in an environment filled with gang violence, police brutality and overt racial discrimination. Angela Bassett played Reva Styles, who was Tre’s mother who was educated, sophisticated and loving.  She made the hard decision of allowing Tre move in with Furious as he was becoming a teenager because she could not “teach him how to be a man.”  She is one of my favorite characters as well.  Ricky is played by Morris Chestnut and he was Tre’s best friend and big time high school football star.  His character represents a good guy who dies in the hood because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  That happens too often (See Trayvon Martin).  My favorite character, however, is Doughboy who was played by Ice Cube.  Doughboy represents that person who lives and breathes the hood.  He is my favorite character because he was also probably the most loyal, caring person in the movie.  As hard as he was on Ricky, he protected him in his own way and he did what he believed had to be done to avenge his death.

The acting in both movies is good, but I give the edge to the Boyz n the Hood cast.

Menace II Society: 8/10

Boyz n the Hood: 9/10

  

Both movies have great scenes, and it was very difficult to choose just one from each movie.  That said, here is my attempt:

From Menace II Society.  This scene symbolizes the point of the movie when Caine's life changed forever.

From Boyz in the Hood.  This scene foreshadowed one of the most famous, and saddest scenes in recent history.  RICKY!!!!!!!!

Both movies have many great scenes.  I think this a tie.

Menace II Society: 9/10

Boyz n the Hood: 9/10

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