1997: It Was a Very Good Year...
July 6, 2009 • By Gregory Vilfranc
So, I am an iTunes junkie and I recently gifted myself Wyclef's The Carnival, released on June 24, 1997. 
Upon playing the very first skit/intro, memories of sights, sounds and scents flooded my consciousness of some really great times.
It was a fine year... the year I fell in love for the first time (January 25, 1997 9:35am to be exact).
HIGHLIGHTS of '97
In The Sports
Tim Duncan, Chauncey Billups and Tracy McGrady were all drafted into the NBA 1st, 3rd and 9th on June 25th. A few weeks prior on June 11th, Michael Jordan played the famous "Flu game" versus the Utah Jazz and somehow managed to finish the game with 38 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block.
Tiger Woods made golf history at the US Masters by becoming the youngest champion and first black player to win a major tournament. He finished at 18 under par, the lowest ever total in the Masters and the biggest winning margin.
Tiger Woods made golf history at the US Masters by becoming the youngest champion and first black player to win a major tournament. He finished at 18 under par, the lowest ever total in the Masters and the biggest winning margin.While fighting Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson was disqualified in the third round after biting off a large chunk of the reigning champion's right ear. The crowd reacted in an ugly manner and a riot was narrowly averted by the Las Vegas police.
In the Politics
Kofi Annan became the UN's 7th Secretary-General. The Ghanaian was a former head of UN peacekeeping. He would go on to be
elected for a second term and win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001. President Clinton formally apologized for Tuskegee: a 1930s government experiment in which a number of Black Americans who had syphilis were prevented from receiving treatment. The experiment lasted for 40 years, long after antibiotics were discovered. Some of the men died, went blind or mad and many of their relatives became infected.
Hundreds of thousands of Black women gathered in Philadelphia for a solidarity rally aimed at building political, economic and social unity within black communities in the USA. It was the largest gathering of black women in American history and inspired by Louis Farrakhan's Million Men march in 1995.
In The Music
*Jimi Hendrix became the first rock star to be commemorated by an English Heritage blue plaque on a property, placed in honor of the time the guitarist spent in London. He is still one of the most influential figures in rock music.
* Notorious B.I.G. was shot dead leaving a Vibe magazine party in Los Angeles. According to reports, up to ten shots were fired. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Hip hop mourned the loss of one of its greatest talents. Just like Tupac's death, no one has ever been convicted for Biggie's murder.
* Following Notorious B.I.G's death his second album, spookily entitled Life After Death, was released on Puffy's Bad Boy label. It was a big hit, but Puffy's tribute to his late friend - I'll Be Missing You - proved an even bigger global smash. Sampling The Police, it made a star out of Puffy who'd been instrumental (no pun intended) in so many of 1990s hip hop successes. Arguably, it was Puffy who propelled hip hop from the streets to become the biggest selling musical form (even though critics say he watered the sound down). He seemed to live the hip hop dream, making millions through his super savvy business moves.
* Roni Size's Reprazent project won the prestigious Mercury Music Prize for their debut album New Forms
. Fusing jazz, hip hop, and soul vocals into a live band format, the award took drum & bass into the mainstream.
* Missy Misdemeanour Elliott released her debut album Supa Dupa Fly. After her work with Aaliyah, she'd already broken barriers as a female producer. Now, she did it as a solo artist; writing her own songs and creating her own style that rebuked female stereotyping. Her innovative work and collaborations with Timbaland enormously redefined R&B and hip hop.
* With the release of Tina Moore's Never Gonna Let You Go, 2-step garage got national exposure. Using RnB influences instead of a 4/4 beat, the release was the point where UK garage moved beyond its US house roots. The 2-step pattern was the first in a series of musical evolutions that spawned the grime, dubstep and breakbeat garage styles over the coming years.
* Notorious B.I.G. was shot dead leaving a Vibe magazine party in Los Angeles. According to reports, up to ten shots were fired. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. Hip hop mourned the loss of one of its greatest talents. Just like Tupac's death, no one has ever been convicted for Biggie's murder.* Following Notorious B.I.G's death his second album, spookily entitled Life After Death, was released on Puffy's Bad Boy label. It was a big hit, but Puffy's tribute to his late friend - I'll Be Missing You - proved an even bigger global smash. Sampling The Police, it made a star out of Puffy who'd been instrumental (no pun intended) in so many of 1990s hip hop successes. Arguably, it was Puffy who propelled hip hop from the streets to become the biggest selling musical form (even though critics say he watered the sound down). He seemed to live the hip hop dream, making millions through his super savvy business moves.
* Roni Size's Reprazent project won the prestigious Mercury Music Prize for their debut album New Forms
. Fusing jazz, hip hop, and soul vocals into a live band format, the award took drum & bass into the mainstream.* Missy Misdemeanour Elliott released her debut album Supa Dupa Fly. After her work with Aaliyah, she'd already broken barriers as a female producer. Now, she did it as a solo artist; writing her own songs and creating her own style that rebuked female stereotyping. Her innovative work and collaborations with Timbaland enormously redefined R&B and hip hop.
* With the release of Tina Moore's Never Gonna Let You Go, 2-step garage got national exposure. Using RnB influences instead of a 4/4 beat, the release was the point where UK garage moved beyond its US house roots. The 2-step pattern was the first in a series of musical evolutions that spawned the grime, dubstep and breakbeat garage styles over the coming years.
|
Notable Album Releases |
Notable Singles |
In the Grammies |
|
* Supa Dupa Fly - Missy Misdemeanor Elliott
* New Forms - Roni Size Reprazent * Portishead - Portishead * Life After Death - Notorious B.I.G. * Nuyorican Soul - Nuyorican Soul * Modus Operandi - Photek |
* Hypnotize - Notorious B.I.G. * In My Bed - Dru Hill * Tina Moore - Never Gonna Let You Go * My Desire - Amira * Dem2 - Destiny * It's A London Thing - Scott Garcia * Brown Paper Bag - Roni Size Reprazent * Soul In Motion - DJ Krust * Dancehall Queen - Beenie Man * The Rain - Missy Elliott * Aaliyah - 4 Page Letter * I'll Be Missing You - Sean Puffy Combs |
* Carry On - Donna Summer & Giorgio Moroder
* On & On - Erykah Badu * Baduizm LP - Erykah Badu * I Believe I Can Fly - R. Kelly (3 Grammys) * No Diggity - Blackstreet * Men In Black - Will Smith * I'll Be Missing You - 112, Faith Evans & Sean 'Puffy' Combs * No Way Out - Puff Daddy And The Family * Fallen Is Babylon - Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers |
I don't know how many memories I was able to invoke in you all.
I just know that at 18 years old, I was in love, convinced that I was headed to the NBA, had recently discovered my singing voice and that I wasn't a bad looking guy. I was also working at Goldman Sachs makin' like 500 a week thinkin' I was the 'ish!
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