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Remembering Y2K Afrofuturism in Music Videos | Video Essay
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- čas přidán 14. 08. 2024
- Just having some fun with nostalgia...
"There’s a popular criticism that a lot of fantasy and sci-fi of the past ended up crafting new worlds that rarely included black people. We existed in the margins of dystopia, the underground of the underground, Or even just didn’t exist at all. Erased or never centered in these narratives. But around the dawn of the New Millennium, there seemed to be this blip in the timeline where black people weren’t just envisioning the future themselves, we were really serving, The Future."
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
03:04 - A E S T H E T I C & Vibes
07:29 - Computer Blue
12:06 - Blaque To The Future
17:36 - Angels & Demons
21:05 - Conclusive Thoughts
References/Resources:
Y2K Bug: www.nationalge...
Y2K Hysteria Explained: www.ranker.com...
Y2K Tensions in the Last Days of the 1900’s: • Y2K: Tensions in the L...
20 Years Ago, Y2K Hysteria Led to Emergency Bunkers and Cost the U.S. $100 Billion: people.com/hum...
Black Space - Imagining Race in Science Fiction Film: www.amazon.com...
“Black to the Future” by Mark Dery (coined the term “Afrofuturism”): www.uvic.ca/vi...
Black To The Future : Afrofuturism in Music Videos
Introduction to Afrofuturism: www.okayafrica....
Afrofuturism - From the Past to the Living Present: newsroom.ucla....
What is Afrofuturism and Why is it Important?: www.blerd.com/...
Sci-Fi Digital Series “Afrofuturism” Complete Series | DUST
Afrofuturism Aesthetics: aesthetics.fan...
Kaylan Michel - “Lost in the Land Collages”: trendland.com/...
Y2K Aesthetic Institute: / y2kaestheticinstitute
Y2K Aesthetic Wiki: aesthetics.fan...
The Y2K aesthetic: who knew the look of the year 2000 would endure?: www.theguardia...
Y2K Aesthetic Montage: • HELLCOM - UNITY2000
How Left Eye’s Group Wrestled Music from Matthew Knowles: www.theguardia...
Blaque to the Future: The Afrofuturistic Girl Group Returns With Torch: / blaque-to-the-future-t...
Quote in Conclusive Thoughts - "Inherent Vice" by Thomas Pynchon
Sir you just gonna have a whole high quality channel and NOT tell nobody?
Real g’s move in silence like linguine or whatever Wayne said…👀😳
But seriously thank you so much! Getting seen is the hardest part man
My sentiments when I first saw the Boondocks breakdown.
@@goldfro May I ask something? Why do black people care if white people don't acknowledge their history? Can't you pass this message onto Africans? It would be quite potent if you imported the positive aspects of black American culture like Harlem Renaissance, Jazz, old black Hollywood movies with Dorothy Dandridge to South Africa. Memorialize Katherine Johnson (NASA mathematician), Sister Rosetta Tharpe Godmother of Rock n Roll, and forgotten gems.
@@williampearson6299 Well I refuse to speak for all black people, but if you’re asking how I personally feel about that…by history do you just mean art of a certain age? I think feeling erased by the dominant exporters/traditional gatekeepers of American visual culture kinda sucks. It’s not crazy to want to feel seen/acknowledged by your fellow humans.
I encourage you to make videos on all the topics you listed there if you think they are missing from the conversation 😊 I made a video about Y2K Afrofuturism but that shouldn’t stop you from making what you wanna see!✌🏾
@@goldfro Tyler Perry became a billionaire and created his own studio by catering to black women. Perhaps the issue with black people is that they keep waiting on white legitimacy when everybody else does whatever they like for their own people - Bollywood, Chinese cinema, anime industry. Wokeness isn't helping black people, it's actually sabotaging them as white men are the majority in those writers' rooms and can't write black characters without stereotyping or making them look outright bad with colorblind casting. ie. Reva from Star Wars who is a revamped Kylo Ren. Quentin Tarantino and Robert De Niro are the only exceptions (Django Unchained and A Bronx Tale snuck in love stories with black women).
I’m so glad to have been a Black teenager during this Y2K era in the US. The music videos of Black American Artists definitely reflected a positive future looking vision and cyber cool aesthetic. Man, the last ~20 years have been like multiple punches to the face starting with the back to back, shocking deaths of Aaliyah and Left Eye. Two artists that were at the forefront of this wave. Living in an increasingly coarsening, reactionary American Empire in socio-economic decline is not the future so many of us envisioned at the turn of the millennium. 😫
The visuals on this go DUMB bruh. This is amazing.
Thanks Vic! I’m tryin to push these lil amateur after effects skills lol
I don't understand why you aren't receiving millions of view or subscribers. Your essays are fantastic, your voice is soothing, and by god your editing is wonderful. I found you a few days ago and I practically consumed all your videos and I'm still hungry for more. Keep up the good work and expect me to stick around for a long time :]
Thanks for coming along ☺️ Y’all are so encouraging! Working on some new new so we’ll see where this all goes 💛✌🏾
Afrofuturism is like one of the coolest concepts after black panther the whole aesthetic got me originally hooked! It’s nice to see the future inspired by blackness and not just the typical white narrative we still push. To me it’s the same reason why people love cyborg ninja and other Asian inspired futuristic styles but it just resonates with my history a bit more.
This video needs more attention. Amazing
Let the people know!
welp today officially is a MISSY ELLIOT listening day 😌😌 great analysis great editing amazing video fro 😎😎
Yesss any day is a good day for Missy Misdemeanor! Thank you Tayo ☺️☺️🙏🏾
Easily one of my top favourite videos on this platform man. You really took me back to the days of being an island kid coming home from school, seeing this on tv just imagining
Thank you! We can’t go back but it’s fun to remember ✌🏾
"Blaque To The Future" Damn why didn't I think of that as my YT title lol. Loved how you talked about this from a fresh new angle. You're absolutely right about Afrofuturism being deeper than visual aesthetics. Very good points were made! You just earned a new subscriber
I thought I came up with the name and then found an article about a laque that used it I was so disappointed lol
First of all, this was a fantastic analysis. You sir are a cut above the average YT commentator. And I apologize for my inbound comment essay...
I'm neither American, black, or much of a RnB/Hiphop fan (In fact I'm an industrial metalcore-head who was raised in east Asia) but I distinctly remember how 'futuristic', well, futuristic by Y2K era reckoning so many music videos from black artists looked to me as a kid/teen. They all felt like pieces from a really high budget glossy sci-fi epic, embracing all the glorious potential that CGI, Computer Blue™, metallic sheen clothes and fluorescent lights could offer.
It was a future that was forever ultra stylish and cool yes, but had a certain darkness and fear lurking under the glamour - like as much as the good times were rolling everyone knew they would not last forever, but nobody wanted to say so out loud for fear of breaking the spell. Really captured the moment of new millennial anxiety but also a hope that this new epoch would be greater than what came before.
I really wouldn't mind if someone revived that Look again, its been about 20 years so it's perfectly primed for a nostalgic comeback...
Thank you so much! I appreciate that. The Music Video form being a vehicle for culture beyond the music is so fascinating to me. I may just be a little obsessed but I’m glad they had similar impression on people outside my very narrow cultural perspective.
As for Y2K Afrofuturism aesthetic coming back…I think things have changed and moved past the “shiny” optimism. I more-so see things like solar punk catching on, given the recentering of the environment in our anxiety about the future. But you never know
@@goldfro You're welcome, and your obsession is entirely valid! Personally, I could go on forever about the current obsession with science fiction/dystopian imagery in metal/punk/alt music videos nowadays.
&You have a good point. The shiny naivety of the early 00's has been fairly shattered, replaced by doomer nihilism. Although, I kind of see Solarpunk as the child of the Y2K Afrofuturism - almost a neo-tribal revival, with a reverence for preserving the natural and biological in the face of conformity and artifice - the Earth our mother, the stars our father kind of stuff. But like I said, neither black nor American so I might be entirely misreading things...
Feel like I just got in the ground floor of another amazing social commentator. Gonna just start catching up on your backlog now if you don't mind.
Dont mind at all! Watch as many times as you like 👀
You convinced me to subscribe. Lol.
I always like the afrofuturism music videos especially as a teen. I seen it as hope for a future that they can control.
Deltron is an album I think of.
I tried to think of where to place Deltron in all this but i decided to focus more on music videos and visuals, it’s also slightly different aesthetic and politics, but it’s really cool on its own and people should check it out!
From the wise words of Louis Farrakhan "our people want better. And they'll do better if they're shown better.
I just found your channel and I love it I hope you will help lead people to be more open minded
The image of blacks raised in a individualist environment exercising tribalism is mind blowing. We thought we had that beat out of us, but we just incorporated the beat into rhythm. We see futurism hitting us all from the tattered to the spandex n foil. Raising consciousness is often sought for after material solitude is obtained. Will the future always be the antidote to our past or present? Maybe the tribalism part is still under the corporate control? We still keep it moving don't we! Good vid.
Interestingly futurism in the 90s was still linked to individuality which is why I think you almost always see people in isolation in a lot of these videos, and then the collectivist in videos had a more earthy boho look. However in the 70s you could see both perspectives in Afro Futurism and arguably this is a reflection of cultural changes
this explains why the scream music video is one of my favorite mj videos
I'm glad I found you when I did 😍
I'm in school studying to be a jeweller and my current project is designing a ring based on a culture/ subculture. I've discovered that afro- and Africanfuturism are two different subcultures and may explain the differences you're seeing in aesthetic.
What I'm coming to understand is that afrofuturism is by and for the diaspora (and more specifically, the African American diaspora, whereas Africanfuturism is by and for the continental Africans (usually West Africans, but it's spreading). Africanfuturism as a concept separates itself by de-centering Western influence and focusing more on the original cultures, traditions, and spirituality of continental Africans.
Loving this video and glad I've found a new amazing person to follow.
I'm surprised you didn't mention 9/11 when discussing the bleak parts, especially since how impactful it was that decade and still is. I feel like that ruined any kind of optimism or hope people had for the future.
On top of that though i loved watching this video! It was quite interesting to see as someone who loves learning about aesthetics and technology from different time periods.
I always thought the shiny, bubbly/computer-esque designs this era had were so cool-looking, as well as with the advancement of the Internet.
No spoilers for the eventual follow up video but yeah…lol
Another stunning essay! I have never seen some of these music videos before, and you really showcased just how visionary they are. I'm really excited to hear you say you're going to explore this more! While it's important to talk about the struggles we face, it's also important to talk about, and imagine, the future. I feel there is way too many dystopian media right now. When I ask folks what they imagine the future to be like, they say "Mad Max" or "Fallout". Media like that are great as a warning, but we also deserve just as much media that reflects our hopes for an optimistic future. It's really tough to imagine a better world if our media doesn't reflect it!
New comment here.I love this video.As someone who was way too young to remember this era of music ,I am hooked by the music videos even the outfits and music itself.Y2k fashion and music is somewhat making a comeback but a lot of people in my generation cannot tell the difference between the futuristic gloss of y2k and the mcbling era of the mid 2000s.I would definitely show this to people who mix the two together.
I’m hearing that from some of the younger viewers. It’s so Interesting as someone who grew up in it, cuz those two eras are very clearly separated in my mind for reasons I would probably explain in the follow up
@@goldfro As a older gen z person I don't remember all of the 2000s of course but can tell the difference between something made between 2000 and like 2005.But people still like to generalize a whole decade in terms of fashion and music.
Excited to see where this goes, great stuff!
Glad tumblr directed me to your channel. This was great video
Glad you’re here and thank you for watching! And thank tumblr for me next time you see her ✌🏾💛
Damn this is a phenomenal essay, and exactly what I was looking for!
Yo this is some HIGH QUALITY content what the hell
Glad that I found this channel, nice one man
Im glad you did too! Thank you for watching ✌🏾
Your account should have waaaayy more subscribers. These videos are so good, man.
literally these videos were so beautiful and immersive.
They’re still so dope
The "Scream" video used a fair bit of anime footage on the screens. As everyone knows, anime was becoming popular around that time so it only adds to the "cool factor" of that video.
EDIT: Oh, and before I forget, these videos are just soooo coool. I'm neither black, nor American, but damn they still look awesome.
First of all: This video was awesome. I always loved black Y2K music videos.
They certainly helped me hype up the future AND imagining myself in there.
Even now I'm pretty future-optimistic and have just started physical engineering in order to help build it 😁
I'm sorry to ask, but what do you mean with black joy? Feeling free without any opressive measures to hold you down? Knowing how to use these to your advantage and turning it into a positive? Or maybe something I haven't considered?
I'm an afrogerman who doesn't even know too much of any black culture yet and I'm wondering if it's an afroamerican thing only or applicable to every black/afrodiasporic person.
Floored that this video is under 1k views. The quality deserves 5 digits at LEAST. Easily 6.
Maybe some day…🥺
This should really been seen by millions and shown in classrooms! Along with confronting the struggles we faces today, we also need just as many optimistic looks into the future.
FINALLY SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT Y2K IS IM TRIED OF THIS WHITE WASHED VERSION OF MCBLING ONG
Glad you left a comment on that Colormind video, that's how I got here and this is a fucking awesome video!!!
COLORMIND is the homie 😁 thanks for watching!
Ayo hold up you making videos? Man I'm late af and deffo subbed.
Thank you thank you. I’m terrible at self promotion lol
This was the exact video I was looking for , thank you !
Just waiting for literally anything else from you big dawg.
I know it’s been a stupid long time but next one is in the last stage of editing…
Japanese Futuristic Tech + Afrofuturism = 🤝 And shoutouts to Hype Williams too.
Duuuude this is it. This is what I was looking for. : ) Thanks
Thank you for speaking on it. Yes, Saturday mornings were made special by those Disney marathons etc, but I remember how my cousins would play this music during the big weekend spring clean and be transported to that free af future in the videos... Really, where did it all go when we woke up?
Loved this video 😘🤌🏾
Even now they really transport me to a time and place. I’m glad I grew up with this music and these images. I definitely want to revisit this and look into where it went. But I’m pretty sure we can guess based on the timing…thanks for watching ✌🏾💛
I love music videos back then.
Phenomenal video! Awesome production, use of visuals and analysis! Afrofuturism and Black joy!!! 💯💯💖💖🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿 Commenting this in June, happy Black Music Month! 😄
Thanks for watching! And thanks for reminding me, Happy Black Music Month! ✌🏾💛
@@goldfro 🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿😄💖
Brother do not stop creating, this is amazing.
This video, I loved every second. The editing and the commentary. BRUH, I grew up on this era and I always wanted another opinion on it. EXCELLENT work. You just became one of my favorite channel. We gotta get you to 1mill 🤩🤩🤩
You are the only video that i watched about the Y2K era that mentioned Missy Elliot.
I was 20 when that era came around, So being a teen in the 90s, Y2K style seemed like a natural transition.
Channel is HELLA underrated. Don't stop this deserves more views
Just watched ur ‘beasts of the southern wilds’ vid and now this...you’re fantastic! Cant wait to watch your other vids and see more from you in the future. Keep doing what you’re doing cause it’s great!
Thank you! ✌🏾💛
Fascinating video topic and execution. It’s fascinating that there was this trend to begin with. Like ok, setting aside all the convincing argumentation of this video, there is certainly a pattern here and it’s worth exploring. Like I have to believe that during the new millennium when hope was high, the economy was doing good, and black culture was proving dominance over pop culture mainly in the form of hip hop that we suddenly had a bunch of black media exploring the futuristic. Almost like collectively they were saying “ok but look at what we’ve accomplished. We are the future and this is what it looks like.” I think you’re correct that the afrofuturism of this period is more of a vibe. Less concerned with the hows that science fiction often concerns itself with or the what even. But the feeling of being in the future. Of being the future.
This one was so good and nostalgic, really glad I found this channel ♥️
I wish comments were enabled on your beasts of the southern wild video. Man I am so excited to see your channel grow. You are so articulate and amazing at wrapping everything up into a congruent theme.
Keep it up man, you so deserve the recognition you are starting to receive
Yeah I have no idea why CZcams removed comments from that video, I didn’t even notice whenever they did that. Kinda sucks but feels like not much I can do about it 🤷🏾♂️
Appreciate the kind words ✌🏾💛
@@goldfro “Childrens content” on CZcams doesn’t allow comments . Unfortunately any video featuring children for more than a couple seconds gets it’s comments removed . Its partially to prevent bullying/sexual comments against the child in question.
It’s strange when it’s clips from a movie though, because it’s a piece of media made to be viewed and critiqued by millions.
There used to be communities on CZcams where they would post questionable content involving children - like partially nude videos (things that would be completely non sexual to most of us) and predators would flock to the comment section , to meet and trade their “media”
But I can’t wait for your next video! Thanks for the great content
Commenting to pump the algorithm amazing work
great analysis & laid-back presentation. wish i'd watched it sooner tbh
I really really really enjoyed this video so much. I want you to make a part 2 so bad I didn't see it on your page. This was so informative and gave many different perspectives.
thank you for collecting the footage
I love your videos. Just the perfect vibe and editing combined. I'm really enjoying watching these. I need more dude! Keep up the good work!
Excellent video, excited for the continuation!
This is the best video essay I’ve ever seen. Bar none. Never change sir. Never change
AMAZING video, never considered so many of these insightful observations. thank you!
thank YOU for watching 💛 I love finding new angles to appreciate art from so I’m really glad I can provide that for others in some way ✌🏾
i usually put on essays for background noise but your videos always make me interested!!! thanks for putting in amazing effort in everything bro,, keep it up !!
Please make that part 2, I love your content!!!
I think the Computer Blue section could also be a result of visually attempting to optimistically predict the future, while mentally being trapped in the depressing atmosphere of the 90's. Ultimately unintentionally predicting the future and speaking very acutely to the core of human nature. In spite of what we intellectually desire, our nature is going to pull us away from our fullest potential as a species. Leaving us to dream of and strive for a brighter tomorrow.... While endlessly failing to genuinely achieve it.
Also, fun fact: TLC's sci-fi aesthetic in those videos were Left Eye's idea. Something that T and Chilly initially rejected for a while.
We’lol definitely be getting into Lisa in the follow up, don’t worry
Someone finally talking about more the y2k movement of afrofuturism!!! Thank you for this, I hope you keep going!
I wasn't a teen but a kid and I will forever adore 2000s rnb
Fantastic video!! Keep up the great work :)
Thanks for watching!
2nd video and I already LOVE this channel !
NIce essay! is the theme music your own composition?
Thanks you ☺️ no all the music is either from the CZcams Audio Library or I have a royalty free license for
Haven't felt more left cliff-hanging by a "to be continued" in about 2 decades
I promise this isn’t a Woodys Roundup situation lol
Can u make a list of all the visuals you used in this video? I saw you listed some music videos but some of the commercials were really cool too and I wanna go and watch them.
There’s a Y2K aesthetic montage linked in the description that has a lot of good examples. The major commercial I had in there was for Pepsi featuring Sisqo. Is there something in particular you were looking for?
loved this! please do a video essay on afrosurrealism
Your videos are underratedddd! I love this so much!
such a cool concept!
“they dont care about us” video i think started the movement tbh
second you said "I ain't gon' hold u--" I knew i subscribed correctly
YES!!! This was my childhood!!!
Its awesome to just have fun with vids some of my fav essay vids are just for fun.
Also i like talking about the creator of the Cyberpunk game series Mike Pondsmith. All of it may not be afrofuturism, but the Voodoo Boys in Cyberpunk 2077 are amazing
I don’t think I got far enough into 2077 before I got fed up to run into the voodoo boys lol
How does this not have 100K views this was great and hysterical! I too had all the sections 😂😂😂 blame the Olsen twins and Y2K MTV
Listen the sections were a vibe for the time! Lol but really, thank you for watching 💛
this video was too🔥🔥🔥
Fantastic video! Thank you for the Black nostalgia 🖤
🔥🔥 OFF GP
Algorithm bump
Thank you kindly
TLC the legends!
Now we just gotta rapper NAMED Future 😂😂😂😂😂
Bahaha
“what I ordered vs what I got”
I've been watching your videos to be more informed (I'm white lol) in the the things I watch that are about black culture and I gotta say, this is some of the best video essay content I've seen on CZcams. Loving this channel and the knowledge you give.
This is a good video. I liked it.
This was an incredibly beautiful and inspiring video, your sense of humor is on point, too!
🙏🏾 thank you so much for watching
I never saw it as afrofuturism to me it was just y2k era and everyone had a wholesome outlook of what their interpreted version of what the future would be here we are today very far removed from it all
Did we feature Outkast: Way You Move in this video?
What’s the song called at 12:06 ?
this is amazing wtf
🙏🏾 thanks for watching
The Uranus and Neptune in Aquarius era.
24:13 have you looked into SunRa?!? He was out there doing the most in terms of AfroFuturism in the 70's! Interesting stuff would love to hear what you think of his influence.
Unpretty is very solarpunk. No Scrubs gives chromepunk
Apparently, in the future, black hair will be super easy to handle.
This is what im actually looking forward to
Like Tommy’s crib in belly
i think this is what people mistake with mcbling
Yeah there’s some good research and blogs that analyze the progression fro. Y2K to McBling as a dominant aesthetic. May touch on that in the follow up video
HIt my recommended. I see boondocks I click on it. I never can go wrong with supporting my brother creators.
Im sorry but I gasped every time Aaliyah came on the screen. My goodness.
Everything is chrome and curvy.
I loved the video. This was a great analysis and fun to watch. Why did you have to force an anti-capitalist message in there all the time. I get in futurism and cyberpunk there is a strong cautionary message of corporate giantism and soulless consumerism. But when TLC is saying "I don't want no scrubs" you didn't have to throw in that hackey black marxist talking point about men "failing to participate in capitalism". Capitalism didn't invent wealth in equality and it isn't responsible for women wanting a competent, competitive man with money and status.These things are natural and they are expressing woman's natural attraction to them. And when Guy is singing about futuristic consumer goods and "computerized flossing" why do you have to put a disclaimer that it doesn't fall into your view of an anti-capitalist afro-futurism. Are these things not significant expressions of contemporary black culture and therefore an accurate representation of what afro-futurism would be? No hate I am just wondering why must afro-futurism have a layer of marxism when there is nothing marxist or anti-capitalist about Y2K futurism?
I never seen it as Afro Futurism,
It was just Techno Y2K spirit with black persons.
Eurodance did almost the same with white people and no one know who did it first.
It doesn’t have to be literal African tribal clothing to be African inspired
Yes you are alright@@B_addie.
But White DDR soundtrack and Black DDR soundtrack sound almost the same.
Bruh it's your channel do what you want lol
So... New Age 🙄
ᵖʳᵒᵐᵒˢᵐ 😞