As I was walking around campus, I noticed a young man about five paces ahead of me – he
was blasting Nirvana. A group of students I passed as I entered the University Center were
talking about how they wish they were the age they are now in the 1990s.
On Facebook, I see pages devoted to the nineties, such as “90’s Babies Only” and “The 90’s
Are All That.” For two to three hours a day, my friends and I reminisce about the decade.
We have our jam sessions, I as the deejay, blasting Blackstreet, Aaliyah, N-SYNC, Missy
Elliot, Timbaland and Sisters with Voices (SWV).
Has anyone noticed that Ariana Grande’s voice is reminiscent of Mariah Carey’s? Ariana’s
song, “The Way” with Mac Miller samples the 1998 hit, “Still Not a Player” by Big Pun and Joe.
More examples: Ciara’s “Body Party” is a sampling of Ghost Town Dj’s, “My Boo.” Tamar
Braxton’s song, “The One” is a sampling of Biggie Small’s 1994 hit, “Juicy.”
If I could be my current age of 20 in 1993, I would go to as many Martin Lawrence comedy
shows I could. I would also save any amount of money to see the greatest performer of all time,
Michael Jackson, in concert.
I tell others how, as an aspiring journalist, I loved watching “Moesha” because she wrote for
her high school’s newspaper. She was headstrong and intelligent, and I felt that she was the
ultimate black teenager of the ‘90s.
I cannot cover everything ‘90s here, but I can describe what I observe and how in 2013, we
revisit that decade often in television, music and movies are parallel to that time. Because of this,
I have come to the conclusion that we crave the ‘90s.
I watch a lot of television, and I often listen to music. This past year, I have seen my favorite
‘90s celebrities re-emerge. Musicians are sampling ‘90s era music, and websites like Pandora
and iHeartRadio have stations dedicated to that time.
Because of individuals such as Nick Cannon, who was introduced on the Nickelodeon 90s
show “All That,” I relive the era. Cannon is now the chairman and development consultant for
TeenNick. He, along with Keith Dawkins, senior vice president and general manager of
Nicktoons and TeenNick, have brought back Nickelodeon shows from the decade.
There is a scheduled block on TeenNick called, “The 90s Are All That” that airs shows of that
time. Episodes of “Doug,” “Are You Afraid of the Dark,” and “Kenan & Kel” and other shows
are played. During the television block, fans can make comments and reminisce via social
networks.
MTV2 has also managed to dig up television series my sister and I used to watch on a weekly
basis. The network has been playing “Smart Guy,” “Saved by the Bell,” “Martin,” and “The
Wayans Bros.”
One of my favorite talk show hosts, Ricki Lake, has also returned. Lake had a talk show that
lasted for ten years, first premiering in 1993. My favorite episodes were the episodes where she
had undiscovered people with raw talent come on her show.
I did not watch Arsenio Hall’s talk show back in the early 1990s, but I saw his revival of the
show a few weeks ago. “The Arsenio Hall Show” premiered Monday, Sept. 16, and it had me
dying of laughter.
I can only hope that each passing year will be infused with ‘90s flare. We miss the 90s
because it has shaped how we are today, and it allows us to revisit an exciting and simpler time.