How Old School Hip-Hop Took Over the World, 1979–1989
Old school hip-hop went from Bronx block parties to the Billboard charts in ten short years. Here’s how two turntables and a microphone changed everything.
Old school hip-hop went from Bronx block parties to the Billboard charts in ten short years. Here’s how two turntables and a microphone changed everything.
The Tyson bite fight happened on June 28, 1997, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. In the third round of his rematch with WBA heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield’s right ear, then bit the left ear seconds later. Referee Mills Lane disqualified Tyson, who was…
The Purple Rain movie made Prince a superstar in 1984. Nine wild facts about the film, the album, Apollonia, and that famous motorcycle.
Labyrinth (1986) premiered in U.S. theaters on June 27, 1986. Directed by Jim Henson, executive produced by George Lucas, and starring David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King opposite a teenage Jennifer Connelly, the $25 million fantasy bombed at the box office — grossing just $12.7 million domestically — before home video turned it into…
The grunge resurgence in 2020s fashion didn’t start on a runway. It started on Depop, in thrift bins, and on TikTok feeds full of Doc Martens and your dad’s old flannel.
The core Saved by the Bell cast went very different directions after Bayside. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack) and Mario Lopez (Slater) stayed working actors and hosts, Tiffani Thiessen (Kelly) jumped to Beverly Hills, 90210 and a cooking show, Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie) shocked everyone with Showgirls, Lark Voorhies (Lisa) stepped back from acting, and Dustin Diamond (Screech)…
On June 26, 1997, Bloomsbury released just 500 copies of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone after 12 publishers rejected it. Inside the launch that changed publishing forever.
The 15 best Seinfeld episodes ranked, from The Contest to The Soup Nazi, plus the characters and catchphrases that made the show about nothing iconic.
On June 25, 1982, two science-fiction movies opened on the same day and both bombed: Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and John Carpenter’s The Thing. Critics shrugged, audiences stayed away, and Steven Spielberg’s E.T. buried them at the box office. Four decades later, both are considered among the greatest sci-fi films ever made — proof that…
Beach party movies ruled the 1960s with Frankie, Annette, surf rock and Eric Von Zipper. The wild story of all 7 AIP classics and the 1987 revival.
On June 24, 1982, British Airways Flight 9 — a Boeing 747 named City of Edinburgh — flew into an invisible cloud of volcanic ash from Indonesia’s Mount Galunggung at 37,000 feet. All four engines flamed out, turning the 250-ton jumbo jet into the world’s largest glider for 16 minutes. Captain Eric Moody and his…
How NWA’s Straight Outta Compton went triple platinum with no MTV, no radio, and an FBI letter trying to shut them down. The 1988 album that broke gangsta rap.