Who sat around and decided that "30" was the official age of maturity? Whoever the culprits, I appluad you. They hit the nail on the head with such a proclamation. I've been twenty-nine years old for all of two weeks and in celebrating the year long departure of the "Brutal Twenties", I have begun to realize how certain things have changed. I mean, really changed. Not to say there is anything wrong with that, but somethings could have just stayed the same. Not to sound cliche, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
With that being said, what happened to the 90's? Its evident that with the resurrection of snapback caps, bleached hi-top fades, and nostalgic sports apparel that the younger generation is catching wind of just how awesome the decade was. Sometimes, taking a trip down memory lane is always worth the drive, but there is something deeper withing the culture that Generation X birthed. For an era in time, it seemed we reached the pinnacle of all the things we'd hoped for as a whole. Bill Clinton was in office. Hip-Hop was phenomenal. Michael Jackson was unstoppable. The Simpsons, whether it be Bart and Homer or O.J.,were entertaining the entire country. Fashion was discovering a new frontier and technology was covering uncharted territory. In the midst of all these things, there was one entity that had its fingers on the pulse of it all: MTV.
By the late 80's, it seems as though MTV's format was converting to a more urban and younger audience. Yo! MTV Raps jumped on air in '88 and opened the door for hip-hop artist to target a broader arena. Then somewhere around 1992, things went into overdrive. I was only 10 years old, but I still remember Kevin Powell being on the first season of "The Real World": New York and telling Julie, "Black people don't have the power to be racist." That scene with them arguing in front of the apartment has been embedded into my psyche. Even to see Heather B. grind it out as she worked on her album was something that resided deep inside me. Before then, I had no clue what young black men and women did, or was supposed to do, when they left home and was force to take on the world on their own. Sure, I had older siblings and relatives that taught me many life lessons, but I was still influenced by what I saw on television, and this was a groundbreaking show. It wasn't a Spike Lee Joint. This wasn't House Party. This was, at the time, real life, in the real world.
Not only was I increasing my scope on life, I was introduced to politics. Schools can break social studies and the government works, but for whatever reason, there seems to be an unwritten law for Gen X that says, "If you want to do something new, make sure it looks cool." MTV was all about making things cooler than the 80's, so what better way to get young America involved with presidental elections? Choose Or Lose. I had no idea who or what Bill Clinton had to offer as a candidate for presidency, but I knew one thing: He was on MTV. Those are moments in time that will never be duplicated. This was a network that was all about being in tune with the youth.
As I approach my "Awesome Thirties", I'm lightly saddened at how things just won't be like the good ole days. Someone one should really consider a network that strictly focuses on showing the revolution that took place during the 90's. The magnitude of such a new-age hyper modernistic era would give a new life to a culture that is so evidently influenced by it. As the good book says, there is nothing new under the sun. Hopefully, MTV catches wind of this petition and does something about it as soon as possible. Of course, that's only if the ball hasn't started rolling on this concept already. I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed and wish its the latter of the two.
Peace
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