Bringing Back the 90s: Grunge vs Gangsta Showdown
If you’re coming late to this series of posts, I’m on a quest to be known as the guy who started the Retro-90s fad that we’ll inevitably have. On the last Friday of each month for the remainder of the year, I’m going to wax nostalgic about that wonderful decade. When the buzz gets going, I’ll get 10 times more money for this blog than I’m currently getting. (Math review – 10 x $0 = $0) Here’s what you missed so far:
April – Yes, I went Hootie on you.
May – Acoustic guitars, life changers
June – Ten (yes TEN) memorable 1990s movie songs
July – The Decade in Sports
August – The Economy
In the world of music, there were two revolutions in two different genres that everyone points to as game-changers. The arrival of Grunge brought in a new wave for rock and roll with its heavy instrumentation and emotionally charged lyrics. Rock was in a silly phase with hair bands wearing spandex and singing vapid ballads and party songs.
Yes, YOU!! metalinsider.net
Grunge made things serious again.
The other revolution was in rap/hip-hop where mainstream rap had become too slick, polished, and focused on looks and dance moves. Then Gangsta rap exploded in the 90s with its gritty depictions of life in urban America. Yes, it was often violent, drug-fueled, and misogynistic. But it’s probably more representative than this…
mamapop.com
But which one really defined the 90s? Let’s look at the facts…
The winner is – Of course it’s a tie! They both were equally important. But I know that people don’t like it when there’s no winner. So here are the two angst-filled anthems that I rated as a draw. You decide.
Well? Who won? Yeah, I agree.
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10 comments on “Bringing Back the 90s: Grunge vs Gangsta Showdown”
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wine century
Doppel Member, Baby!
I’m mortified that you picked Singles over Friday. Puff, Puff Pass and you knooooow THIS!
Why Kurt, WHYYYYYYYY?????
Okay, so full disclosure – I live in the Pacific Northwest, and went to college here. I had an alt-rock/sasquatch rock college radio show right before the whole “grunge” thing got big and went to the shows and met everyone and everything… so I’m totally a biased, old-fogey who drones like a boomer who was at Woodstock, but… Maaaan, grunge wins everything here! Everything! And you can bet your flannel shirt on it!
Lol Vanilla Ice looks so weird with the costume. But it’s so funny how that shit was cool back then.
Speechless….
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This chart is amazing! I feel like gansta music has withstood the test of time better than grunge. With the exception of pearl jam of course
But Vedders latest stuff sounds like Kenny loggins should be singing it…
Grunge was under represented in this comparison. When you compared songs about drug use you picked chronic over Alice in chains dirt which if you’ve ever used or been withdrawing drugs sounds the way that state of mind is and captures drug use in a more realistic and hard way than tbh any hip hop artist then or now ever will. Besides weed ain’t much of a high. Guys like cobain, staley, and al Jourgensen were shooting up 400$ a day and smoking crack on the clock and the best part they didn’t justify or glorify their use. Forget cobain.. Layne staleys life was depressing as fuck. These dudes didnt look at their drug use as guys like led Zeppelin did to party and have fun. Sorry but grunge wins by a long shot in every aspect regarding the way the music sounds, the people behind it, and the content. There is clearly more depth to grunge than the shallowness of gangsta rap