Remembering 90s and Early 2000s Urban Culture
What is nostalgia and why does it seem as if everyone’s life is revolving around it? “The word “nostalgia” comes from two Greek roots: νόστος, nóstos (“return home”) and ἄλγος, álgos (“longing”).” (Boym, 2001) No matter how much time passes by the idea of what was still lingers in the back of our minds, and we can’t help but long for what used to be. This idea doesn’t change, when discussing the nostalgia people have for 90s and early 2000s urban culture. With the influence of the internet and social media, everyone has a chance to feel a sense of loss for something that they either lived through or heard about. 90s and early 2000s urban culture, had a huge impact on people due to its music, film, and fashion industries. Even in 2018, we still hear people saying, “I miss the 90s,” as they walk around in their purple, yellow, and blue windbreakers and baggy jeans. With the technology available, it has made things that used to be very exclusive and, “authentic,” are now available to the mass consumers. Now we see people from the suburbs or any walk of life passing this exclusive culture as their own or as if they were a part of it years ago, before it was, “in.” What made the 90s and early 2000s so significant that even after almost two decades most people refuse to move forward? Is it fashion, music, films, or general way of living (the simpler time) that has everyone hooked, unwilling to let go?
When people think the 90s urban culture, the first that comes to mind is the fashion, as well as how most of that fashion bled into the early 2000s. Fashion was a big thing, the urban community really came into its own during this time. More and more Black and Hispanic celebrities were coming into the spotlight, therefore they had more representation, than ever before. This hadn’t been seen in earlier eras, so the idea of seeing someone who looked like the minority of consumers really meant something. This made everything more memorable.
There were many memorable fashion statements from this era, such as- the wide leg jeans, durags, windbreakers, large chains, tilted hats, low rise jeans for women, Jordan sneakers. Even now we still see the people, wearing these very items. These were staples in the urban community, you couldn’t turn a corner in the projects and avoid the dominant fashion. Today we see many of these styles still being used, however it is mainly by the middle-aged population, that were teens and young adults during the 90s. They have more vivid memories of what used to be, therefore they are more likely to long for what they’ve lost, “I would define it as a longing for a home that no longer exists or has never existed. Nostalgia is a sentiment of loss and displacement, but it is also a romance with one’s own phantasy.” (Boym)
Fashion has been used as one of many forms of expressions for years, so it is no surprise that people used it in the 90s and early 2000s, as well. Although most of the people still enraptured by 90s and early 2000s urban fashion have lived through the era, we’ve seen an unexpected rise in the number of younger generations bringing back the style. “90s babies, do you remember this,” many headlines in magazines and online social media post have been surfacing as of recently showing off the fashion trends of decades past. These kinds of posts target a specific audience, the “90s baby,” that were born towards the end of the decade, the kids who don’t really remember the trends. Why do this, one may ask, it helps people feel included in the loop, they are the main group helping these trends resurface. They are the ones that feel this nostalgia, restorative, that they don’t really have vivid memories over.
Another notable area of the 90s and early 2000s urban culture was the cinematic aspect. This era was exposed to an extended number of movies depicting life in neighborhoods that were majority- minority. These films showcased the daily life of the people who were living in low income areas, something relatable to many of the people watching, which made the movies relatable. Now, these same movies, are known as, “hood classics.” This shows the impact that these films have had on the people who watched them when they first released, and newer generations that watched them recently.
The film industry has always had a huge cultural impact, however movies that hit home always tend to leave a bigger dent on the public. If something makes a connection with the audience, it’s more likely the consumer will return. “The original nostalgia had been a plausible emotion in the sense that there was a remedy (…a world that was familiar.)” (Reynolds, 2012) A sense of familiarity is important when speaking of nostalgia, as that is main objective, and that’s what the audience felt when watching these classic hood movies. The films were familiar, in the sense that a majority of the audience either lived it script or was around similar settings. Although most of the movies depicted the sad truth that is urban life, that very aspect made it a homey, familiar, feel good movie. This relatability and familiarity allows these movies to become timeless, as some of the things depicted are still happening now, which enables newer generations to make their own connections and feel their own nostalgia with these films. The accessible reality of these movies opens the gate, to both restorative and reflective nostalgia, for the audience. It permits the ones who have lived through it to piece their memories together, and the ones who weren’t necessarily apart of the situation could reflect on the message and become more aware of what the reality was.
If there is one thing that can inarguably be labeled as the definer of 90s and 2000s culture, it is music. Music has always been an important aspect of culture, but it’s most important when speaking about the 90s and early 2000s.The 80s saw the beginning of the rap epidemic, which bled into the 90s. Along with the “Gangsta Rap,” that started in the 80s and prospered into the 90s, many other forms of rap gained movement, such as Storytelling Rap. Storytelling rap was pioneered by big rappers such as Notorious B.I.G and Slick Rick. The concept behind Storytelling, is to take a story either fictional or nonfictional and compose that alongside hard beats. Storytelling rap is a perfect example of nostalgia in music. Most music does have that nostalgic upbringing, but the idea of freely and vividly reliving a story through rap made it more appealing to consumers. The entire essence of 90s and early 2000s urban culture, was to seem closed off and rather emotionless, however we see the disconnect form the social norm with this subgenre of music. While the pioneers of the rap industry were mainstream at the time, the newer generation of rappers constantly seem to be inspired by them, to this day. Even with new artist surfacing, the music of the pioneers is still heavily played and honored.
We can tie this to the nostalgia one gets when listening to the music. The idea of a song or sound sparking a feeling of nostalgia is not a new concept; it was first seen in swiss soldiers. The sounds of cowbells and songs the other soldiers would sing would give them a desire to go back to their homeland. This could be associated with the longing of a time before, when speaking of 90s and early 2000s music. Along with the music, comes the public figures attached to it. Artist such as Nas, nelly, and 50 cent all took inspiration from prior artist and transformed the rap industry in the early 2000s. They still paid homage to the pioneers, as do current mainstream artist. Nostalgia makes music timeless. It allows people to travel back in time to a time using sounds.
As stated before there are two types of nostalgia, reflective and restorative. Reflective nostalgia focuses on the longing and loss of one’s memory. Although describing it as longing and loss might bring forth negative connotations, reflective nostalgia isn’t a bad thing. It allows you to embrace the past as it was. On the contrary, restorative nostalgia is focused on completing the past. It is based on completely filling any missing pieces of the past, until it is picture perfect. One could think of restorative as a renovation to a historical site. There’s still the original base to work with, but most of the things around it aren’t exactly like they originally were. That’s the main difference between the two. One focusing on loss, the other focusing on building the ideal past.
Given these points, Nostalgia for 90s and early 2000s urban culture, is mainly thought about as fashion, cinema, and music. Although most of the people who feel this nostalgia are the people who have vivid memories of these eras, there is a jump in younger people bringing the 90s and early 2000s back to the surface. This separation between the multiple generations feeling nostalgia for this era, shows the clear contrast in the two types of nostalgia. The older generation feeling a loss, and the younger wanting to build their perfect idea of the past. The idea of going back to a familiar place and having that inclusivity is what make the 90s and early 2000s so memorable to everyone and enables them to feel nostalgia.
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