Throw on your Brightest ShirtandContinue To Rock as we take you back to the 80s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Song: Jeff Waz On The Beatbox Album: And In This Corner... (1989) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A Bonus Fun Fact: This song features a sample from the 1978 song "Sing Sing" by Gaz!
Now that I am a parent Christmas is mostly all about making the kids happy and helping Santa get them the toys that were on their list. There is nothing like seeing their little faces light up on that special December morning...even if it's at 4am. I guess that's karma, but every year I still look forward to unwrapping my own gifts from my kids & wife. They typically do a great job of getting me some sweet presents and this year they did not disappoint. I know it's a little late, but lets look behind the wrapping paper and see what goodies were under the tree for me this year!
Basketball Cards
I love collecting basketball cards and have been doing so since I was about 10 years old. I'm always down for opening a few packs whether they are new or old wax packs. This year I got a few of the top rookies and I was happy we were actually able to find a box on the shelves at Walmart.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
I was really excited to get this game. I have the original for the Wii, but this version blows that one out of the water! The graphics are fantastic, the story is fun and hearing the entire Ghostbusting crew back together is amazing!
He-Man Figures
I actually enjoyed watching the new Masters of The Universe cartoon on Netflix with my kids. Yes, it is more of a kid friendly and safe option and the creators changed quite a bit from the original, but the action, humor and adventure are still there. My wife also got me the sweet MOTU mini figures from the Dollar Tree. For $1, these are some pretty well done figures!
Silk Sonic CD
I've been a fan of Bruno Mars for a while and Anderson Paak just recently made it onto my radar add in some Bootsy Collins and I am sold! Some good funk & soul jams on here.
The Office Items
I love The Office, so my wife got me a Dwight Schrute bobblehead an official The Office "Talking Button" that spews out icon lines from the show when you push down on it. The fact that it is shaped like a stapler in a Jell-O mold only makes this impulse item cooler.
Will by Will Smith
I have been following Will Smith's career since I feel in love with his fresh rhymes on the 80's jam "Parents Just Don't Understand". I watched "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" religiously on Monday nights on NBC and have seen the majority of his movies. It should be cool to dig a little deeper into the life of one of my favorite MCs.
Movies
The fam picked me up the original King Kong vs. Godzilla from 1962, Wonder Woman 1984 and The Goldbergs Seasons 3 & 4. Got a little bit of watching to do! Well, that's it for this past Christmas. I hope yours was merry, bright and full of good tidings. Merry Christmas!
Throw on your knifed glove and head to Elm Street as we take you back to the 80's! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Song: A Nightmare On My Street Album: He's The DJ...I'm The Rapper Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 15 Bonus Fun Fact: This song led to a lawsuit by New Line Cinema against JJ & FP for copyright infringement. The lawsuit was settled out of court and the music video was to be destroyed and a disclaimer was to be placed on all future pressings of the album. The disclaimer noted that this song is in no way authorized, licensed or affiliated with the Nightmare on Elm Street films.
Throw on your Le Coq Sportif, and yell "Geronimo" and jump out the window as we take you back to the 80s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Song: Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble
Album: Rock The House (1986)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: #57
Bonus Fun Fact: This song was the debut single by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and contains a musical sample from the "I Dream of Jeannie" theme song! This music video was accidentally shown on MTV in 2016 during a Prince marathon to honor the artist after his passing.
80's Day was something I started a few years ago to show my kids how cool the decade was. I share some of my favorite 80's music, movies, video games and food with them and they seem to really enjoy it! Typically we head out and take part in some activities that I liked as a kid, but of course this year we had to make some changes and I think we were able to pull it off and everyone seemed to have a good time. Here's what we did!
We started the day as most kids in the 80s did, eating cereal in front of the TV while watching cartoons! My son chose The Legend of Zelda, my daughters chose Gummi Bears & Muppet Babies and my wife chose Jem! My choice for the morning led to some head scratching as the kids and even my wife had never heard of the BIONIC 6! After all was said and done, I don't think I created any new fans to the sci-fi super hero series. If you haven't seen this cartoon for yourself check out the episode below. You may not like the show, but I think we can all agree that Bionic 6 has one of the best intro songs of the decade!
After cartoons it was time to throw on some of our best 80s licensed character t-shirts, so we could go out and hit the town!
My kids had on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars and Legend of Zelda. I chose to wear my Thundercats shirt and my wife had her My Little Pony shirt on. Looking good and ready for some adventure!
We hopped in the van and the soundtrack for the day would be some old school DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and the soundtrack from Ghostbusters II!
Our first stop was the local comic shop. I picked up a few Spider-Man, Batman and Ninja Turtles comics and let the kids each pick out a book. Their picks included Care Bears, My Little Pony and Duck Tales. It had been a while since I had taken them to the comic shop and they had fun perusing the shelves and looking for something new to read. Coincidentally, all of the books they picked were 80s related!
After the comic shop, we had to make a quick stop at Target which was within walking distance. Of course since we were there I checked the store for any NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures I could find and as usual I struck out! The main reason we went to Target was to pick up a classic movie for the night's main feature! Also checked for some My Little Pony CCG cards for my youngest daughter and bought a new soccer ball.
After all that shopping, the kids were hungry. What better place to stop than McDonalds. Growing up, they had some of the best Happy Meal toys like Fraggle Rock, Muppet Babies, Garfield and Berenstain Bears. This time around the Happy Meals featured plush toys from Disney/Pixar movies. Each kid got the main character from the new movie "Soul" and I got a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal. I just wish they still had that old school Orange Drink. It tasted so good, but for some reason always made my throat feel weird afterwards.
With all that delicious food in our bodies, it was decided that we needed to work some of it off. I pumped up the tires in our bikes and we rode to the kids' school for some RAD action! My son was riding like crazy and he rode around the school for a good hour.
The girls and I took a break from riding and shot some hoops in an epic game of H-O-R-S-E! Trick shots were aplenty, but somehow I edged out a win over my 8 & 11 year old kids. We drank some water, ate some fruit snacks and headed on our journey home.
It was almost 100 degrees out, so that bike ride really wore us out! What better way to cool off than with a Klondike bar? My kids loved them! I could have sworn we had these before, but they said they had never had them. As a kid, we never had the name brand Klondike bars, but it was always AWESOME when my Dad brought us home some knock-off "Polar Bars" from the A&P supermarket! Anyone else ever have these growing up?
We finally went inside and got away from the heat and the kids insisted we play some retro video games. Who was I to argue with them? We played many NES classics like Super Mario Bros. 2, Bubble Bobble, Contra and Adventure Island.
By the time we wrapped up our retro gaming session, it was time for dinner. The kids and I wanted pizza, but from where? The most 80s of all pizza establishments of course...PIZZA HUT! I loved our local pizza hut back in the 80s. It had a Rygar arcade cabinet and a juke box loaded with all the hits like "Burning Down The House" by The Talking Heads! Too bad this Pizza Hut didn't have any of that, but at least we got what we wanted.
Stuffed Crust Pizza loaded with pepperoni! We dished up and got ready to watch the night's main feature film. A film beloved by millions and never seen by my kids, a film called E.T.
This was the original cut, not the revised anniversary edition. I was surprised that Target had this for only $5. I swore that E.T. was on Netflix, but when I looked that morning it was no longer there which prompted our trip to Target to purchase the film. It had been decades since I had seen the movie and I was surprised at how little of it I remembered. It was almost like watching it for the first time. My kids enjoyed it and it was time for bed. Overall a pretty successful 80s day was enjoyed by all. Hopefully next year we can make it bigger and better!
Throw on your backwards cap, and work that booty as we take you back to the 90s! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK!
Artist: Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Song: Boom! Shake The Room
Album: Code Red (1993)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: #13
Bonus Fun Fact: This song reached #1 on the charts in Australia, Ireland, Spain and the UK and was certified Gold with sales over 600,000 by the RIAA!
Throw on your Party Suit and get ready to travel through time as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...
Artist: Will Smith feat. K-Ci
Song: Will2K
Album: Willenium (1999)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 25
Bonus Fun Fact: The music video for this song features cameos by DJ Jazzy Jeff, Eve, Tisha Campbell & Duane Martin. This song features samples from The Clash's "Rock The Casbah" and "Superrappin" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.
Throw on your black suit, black shades & black shoes and hit the alien infested streets of New York as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...
Artist: Will Smith
Song: Men In Black
Album: Men In Black: The Album (1997)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 1 Bonus Fun Fact: Coko from the group SWV provides the background singing vocals on this track. This song samples heavily from Patrice Rushen's 1982 song "Forget Me Nots". Won the 1998 Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance. This song was covered by The Chipmunks for their 1998 album "The A-Files: Alien Songs".
Halloween has always been a fun time in my family and this year was no different. I loved going around town with my friends as a kid and causing mischief while collecting free goodies from our neighbors. Those memories are so vivid in my mind. I hope my kids have the same nostalgia for this night of ghosts and goblins as I do as an adult and they can pass it down to their kids.
The season started off with our traditional trip to the pumpkin patch so we could find the perfect specimens for our jack-o-lanterns. This trip would not be complete without a trip through the corn maze! This is my favorite part of the trip. Unfortunately this year I missed out on the maze due to a prior engagement to work with the Alzheimer's Association. At least I missed it for a good cause. I was still able to meet up with the fam in the pumpkin patch.
We each picked our pumpkins and carved them the weekend before Halloween. My kids carved a crying/laughing emoji face, a cat face and a ghost! I carved James Kochalka's comic character Johnny Boo! My kids love the Johnny Boo comics and if you have kids I highly suggest checking them out.
Of course Halloween is a fantastic time for tricks and treats and Burger King outdid them self by treating us all to the ultra tasty Nightmare King! It's a Whopper patty, with a fried chicken patty and bacon on top on a green bun! I had to hit up BK a few times this October, because the thing is so damn good! They need to keep this on the menu all year round. I would buy it every time!
We hit up Halloween Comicfest at our local comic shop and the owner had no limit on the comics my kids could take and he gave them candy! I was able to grab the comics I wanted which were Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hellboy, Spider-Man and Jughead: The Hunger!
On Halloween my wife and I took the kids trick or treating. Not many kids in our town go door to door anymore. It's mostly trunk or treats, parties or the one street in town they block off for the event. We have done the blocked off street before and the decor is fantastic, but since so many people go there, you have to wait in line to get your candy and since the home owners see so many kids that night they only give 1 piece per person. That really doesn't bother me, but when you have 3 kids under 10 it's a big deal to them! A few years ago we discovered a neighborhood that does not have a lot of kids stop by and they are very generous with the candy. Some even give full size bars! This is our treasure trove! So that's where we went again this year!
After a crazy night of trick or treating we made it home. The kids went to bed late all on a sugar high. Eventhough it was late I was still able to watch a Halloween episode of The Goldbergs and my movie pick for the night was A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors. It was a great way to end a fun night with the family. Hope everyone had a great Halloween also! Now enjoy the recently uncovered video to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince's "Nightmare on my Street" as we look forward to Halloween 2019!
It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop and rap from the 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they can get you on your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your Hockey Mask, cut your hair in the fresh Psycho style and slip on your knife fingered glove as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the Halloween Edition of the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...
Artist: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Song: Then She Bit Me
Album: And In This Corner(Released 1989) Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: N/A
Bonus Fun Fact: This song contains references to Nintendo, Shaft, Twilight Zone and Chucky from Child's Play!
It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop and rap from the 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they can get you on your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your Cross Colours, cut your hair in the fresh Cornrow style and slip on your Adidas as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 THROWBACK JAM OF THE WEEK...
Artist: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Song: Summertime
Album: Homebase (Released 1991)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: 4
Bonus Fun Fact: Summertime won the 1992 Grammy Award for "Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group"!
It's that time of the week again here at 20 Years Before 2000...It's time for the Throwback Jam of the Week! These are the jams currently on my trusty Creative ZEN MP3 player and they encompass everything from Motown R&B classics to hip-hop & rap from the 80s & 90s! I would like to share them with you in the hopes that they get you off your feet and bring back some sweet nostalgic memories! So throw on your Starter Cap, get your hair cut in the fresh Crimped style and slip on your Adidas kicks as we take you back! Without further ado, here is the 20 Years Before 2000 Throwback Jam of the week...
Artist: DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
Song: Brand New Funk
Album: He's The DJ...I'm The Rapper (Released 1988)
Peak Billboard Hot 100 Position: NA
Bonus Fun Fact: This song was updated in 2007 by DJ Jazzy Jeff featuring rapper Peedi Peedi
A few years ago I won an ebay bid for a 2009 Upper Deck Hollywood History Prominent Cuts "Material" card. I'm pretty sure I got this for under $10. The reason I wanted it so bad was that it contained a piece of Will Smith's jacket from the Movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" and a piece of the Eagles jersey Mark Wahlberg wore in the movie "Invincible".
I am a huge fan of The Fresh Prince and have been a fan of his since he and Jazzy Jeff dropped the "Rock The House" album in 1987. It's pretty cool to own a piece of memorabilia from a movie he was Oscar nominated for. I also have been a fan of Mark Wahlberg since he and the Funky Bunch dropped their debut album "Music For The People" in 1991. I owned both albums on cassette tape. So, it's no wonder I wanted to own this "Hollywood Old School Rap" Dual Materials card.
Back in the early 90s who would have thought that these 2 rappers would become some of the most sought after, highest grossing Hollywood stars of today? Let's take a trip back and listen to the sweet sounds of The Fresh Prince & Marky Mark!
Happy 2017 everybody! I hope it's full of fun, cheer and other great things! Now let's jam out with the Fresh Prince & Jazzy Jeff as they ring in 1991!
This past Christmas was AMAZING! I got some time off from work spent the day with my kids and wife and tore into a heaping helping of holiday goodness! My kids got what they asked for, a Hatchimal, Lego Mixels and an American Girl Doll. Let's see what I got, shall we?
Video Games
Got Madden from my sister, NES Remix from the in-laws, Ducktales from my kids & wife and Skylanders was a family present. I have wanted that Ducktales game for so long and it didn't disappoint! It was a blast of nostalgia wrapped up in a modern graphics package! So fun! We got a bunch of Skylanders figures at Toys R Us and stashed them away when they were "Buy 1 Get 3 Free". We were able to get all the kids' favorite characters (Spyro, Stealth Elf & Eruptor) and then some! Still have some in reserve for future holiday gift giving.
Movies & TV Shows on DVD
Scored the 5th season of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air", 1st season of "What's Happening", Volume 6 of the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" cartoon and "Deadpool". I am a huge fan of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and only need season 6 to complete my collection! I remember watching What's Happening as a kid in syndication and loving it for some reason? It still is a fun watch today and my kids walk around the house humming the catchy theme song! Still haven't seen Deadpool yet. I hope to rectify that this weekend!
Dorbz Vinyl Figures
Dorbz may be taking my attention away from Pop Vinyls. I mean look at these ultra cute versions of Peter, Winston and Donatello and tell me they wouldn't look sweet on your collectors shelf and they are super affordable!
Books!
Got these cool books from my family. I can't wait to read the kids the Ghostbusters Little Golden Book. It makes me so happy that they made this!
Ninja Turtles Action Vinyls
These Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were originaly priced at $50 and are a store exclusive. A few months ago the store was going out of business and I was able to grab these Loyal Subjects Action Vinyls on clearance for about $8! THEY GLOW IN THE DARK!!! I always had my eye on them, but the price was way too high. Merry Christmas to me!
Stocking Stuffers
When I was a kid, our parents always let us rip into our stockings before the adults woke up. This was probably their way of gaining a few more minutes of sleep before we woke them up. It was always stuffed with small toys and snacks. I love the snacks! This year I got Swedish Fish, War Heads Chews, Cry Baby Drops and Slim Jims. In addition to that my wife got me a Hickory Farms sausage & cheese gift set. I ate it before taking pics. Also in the stocking were Ninja Turtles Mini-Comics, Garbage Pail Kids Mini-Figs, a 3DS case, sports cards and a few blind bag/box items.
I hope everyone out there had as great a holiday as I had, so once again MERRY CHRISTMAS and I will see you next year!
I am huge fan of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. I've been listening to their music since "Rock The House" came out in 1986. So asking me to pick my favorite album out of the bunch is like asking me to pick my favorite kidney! I can't rank from Best to Worst, because there are no bad albums. In my opinion, just some that are better than the rest! Let's give it a shot!
#1: Code Red (1993)
Fave Cut: "Ain't No Place Like Home"
I know most people would make "Homebase" their #1 pick because it has "Summertime" on it, but if I had to listen to one of JJ & FP's albums over and over, it would be Code Red. This album is a little more grown up, the rhymes and beats are tighter and the selection of songs is great! Some of the top tracks are "Somethin' Like Dis" & "Just Kickin It", but my favorite is "Ain't No Place Like Home". It reminds me of my family. Being so far away from them, I can appreciate the thought that went into creating this song.
#2: Homebase (1991)
Fave Cut: Summertime
This album is not only a JJ & FP classic, but it is a milestone in Hip-Hop and won the group their second Grammy. Obviously "Summertime" is one of the all-time great rap songs, but cuts like "I'm All That" and "Trapped On The Dance Floor" get overlooked because Summertime is so damn good! My only complaint on Homebase is the inclusion of the song "You Saw My Blinker". I understand this is another funny story rap, but the inclusion of the word "Bitch" so many times causes me to skip the song while listening with the kids. It's such a steep departure from what we expect from these guys. Still, with this minor complaint, I highly recommend you pick this album up!
#3: He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper (1998)
Fave Cut: Brand New Funk
This is the album that put JJ & FP on the map! It includes the hit jams "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Nightmare On My Street". The "Parents" video hit huge rotation on MTV in 1988 and brought the dynamic duo into so many houses. Without this album we may not have had any more JJ & FP albums, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air or Will Smith in Independence Day! This album was a multi platinum smash, won a Grammy Award and also was the first ever rap double-record release. Historic, fun and old school hip-hop at it's finest!
#4: Rock The House
Fave Cut: Just Rockin'
The CD that I own is the re-mastered version of "Rock The House". The original had a few lyrics in it that may have been seen as a little to naughty for the intended audience. An example is from the song "Just One Of Those Days". The original lyric was "I couldn't resist so I grabbed her butt!" The word "Butt" was covered over by a scratch sound and sounds like it was changed to say "Belt" in the re-release? They also added an exchange between JJ & FP at the end of "Girls Ain't Nothin' But Trouble" to include references to "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Nightmare On My Street". Not huge problems, but I wish they would release the original version in all it's glory on CD or iTunes. I still have the original on Cassette tape somewhere at my Mom's house.
#5: And In This Corner
Fave Cut: Numero Uno
Once again, I have to say that this is not a terrible album, it's just my least favorite out of the 5. It contains the hit "I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson" and other solid songs. It just feels to me that this one was rushed a little bit and does not contain the same creativity as past releases. Fun Fact: Did you know James Avery and Alfonso Ribeiro have cameos in the "Tyson" video?
This is the movie I have been waiting all summer for! The Suicide Squad is finally here! Yes, I am a huge fan of the Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters, but Suicide Squad is something new, something that hasn't been done before. The villains are the heroes, Harley Quinn is hot and it stars Will Smith aka The Fresh Prince, one of my all time favorite artists! I've been down with the Prince since "Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble" came out on the Rock The House album when I was 7 years old.
In honor of the movie being released today, I thought I would share some of my favorite comic covers starring the Squad consisting of Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, El Diablo, Katana and The Joker. Without Further ado, here they are:
