Translate

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Black House Parties Then & Now (Part I: The Dance Scene In The 1990 Movie "House Party")

Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part I of a two part series on Black house parties in the 1990s and the 2000s compared with Black house parties in the mid 2000s.

In Part I the comments about house parties particularly focus on teens and young adult African Americans. In Part II the comments about house parties particularly focus on teen and young adult Black Canadians, particularly those of Jamaican descent. Presumably, some of the comments in that post also refer to Jamaican house parties for tthose age groups. However, these comments may also refer to house parties during the early 2000s and later that were given given by people from other populations.

Part I showcases a video of the dance off scene from the 1990 African American comedy/drama House Party. Selected comments from that video's viewer comment thread are also featured in this post. These comments about house parties particularly focus on teens and young adult African Americans. However, they may apply to other house parties for that population within the United States or elsewhere.

Click html http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2015/02/black-house-parties-then-now-part-ii.html for Part II of this series.

Part II showcases the video of the Dancehall record "Get Busy" by Sean Paul. That song is also known as "Shake That Thing, Miss Annabella". That video was filmed in Canada and showcases a Jamaican style house party. Selected comments from that video's viewer comment thread are also featured in this post. Presumably, some of the comments in that post also refer to Jamaican house parties for those age groups and may also apply to African American house parties and/or house parties for other races/ethnic groups in Canada and in the United States and/or elsewhere.

The content of this post is presented for cultural, historical, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to the producers, directors, and stars of this movie. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post, and to the publisher of this video on YouTube.

****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: House Party - Dance off - long version - Ain't my type of hype



Wil Val Uploaded on Jul 10, 2007

Kid N Play - House Party - "Ain't my type of hype"
Music: Ain't my kind of Hype....Full Force.

****
SELECTED COMMENTS From that video's viewer comment thread https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1l5PFs2eTc.

There were 2,243 comments on that video thread at the time that I completed this post. The selected comments below are representative of two categories. The first category contains comments that compare early 2000s house parties given by Black Canadians, and African Americans (and presumably Jamaicans and other people in the Caribbean) with house parties given by those populations in the mid 2000s. The second category contains additional comments about the dancing in that video.

I've posted these selected comments within one of those categories and assigned them a number within that category for referencing purposes only. With the exception of replies, the oldest dated comments are given first. However, these comments aren't nessarily given in sequential order.

Category #1: Comments Comparing 1990s (or earlier) house parties to house parties in the 2000s

1. FBC951, 2007
"this is when house partys didnt get shot up over what hood u was from. . . what happened?"
**
2. ratesforless, 2008
...."I grew up in the '70s and '80s and we had house parties like this all the time. If you could dance, you were there and if not, you were at home. There was a better shot of Temple winning the BCS than you getting a phone number if you couldn't dance and found yourself standing on the wall. Then the '90s came, the 'boys in the hood' era began, and the rest, sad to say was history..."
**
3. montey1, 2008
"The sixties, the seventies and the early eighties where the best when it came to house parties. This one takes place in 1990 just when my people started getting stupid and ignorant sorry to say. I had some wonderful times visiting my cousin's parties in Maryland back in the day. Good times gone."
**
4.1lifestyle, 2008
"house partys were always violent,people dont understand this is a movie not real life"
**
5. nevawrong6, 2008
"um, well i dont how old u are, but dont let this HOUSE PARTY clip fool you, because im 37 years old, & this movie was made in 1990, i was 18 at the time, & i can tell u straight up that the house parties back then were VIOLENT, with fights, [form of the n word] startin drama, & gun shots. yeah, it was more great dancin at the old school parties, but the violence was there also 100%, im suprised im still alive, lol, true story."
**
6. wynetta84, 2008
"This movie symbolizes a change in time. When it was ok to dance and have a good time without disrspecting women in the songs! The girls in this movie were not as provocative as todays women, yet they were just as sexy with the same appeal. Just goes to show, do you really have to take off all youre clothes?Both the guys and girls represented well!Thats why I tip my hat off to ol' school. They kept it real back then and allowed the good times to roll!!"
**
7.luvindogadis411, 2009
"One of the all-time best comedy/dance movies. Robin Harris (RIP), John Witherspoon, Full Force, Kid 'n Play, Groove B Chill, Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, George Clinton and many more. So many memories from back then during my clubbing days. The teenagers today have no clue about real hip hop and house parties. What a shame."
**
8. DJ Rexboogie, 2009
"This was like the house parties Igrew up with. To much light though."
**
dgunsnfun, 2010
9. "I miss the days when hip-hop was fun!"
**
ERIC F, 2010
10. "I can't believe it's been 20 years! Where did my youth go?? I went to many fun parties back in the day just like this one. People weren't so concerned about being "hard" and shooting the place up. I feel sorry for the kids today that don't have that opportunity. Gangsta rap took over and people forgot how to have fun!!"
**
11. Dante95nyc, 2011
"I love how back in the day people would actually have fun at parties/dances. Nowadays people just stand around and look cute it's not even fun anymore=(."
**
12. SuperTurkish101, 2011
"This Film, brings back all those great memories,when parties were parties, and people were happy .. Not killing each other like these days when u look or even touch someone by mistake .. All need to chile and have fun .. Peace ! ; )"
-snip-
"Chile" = is a typo for "chill" ("chill out", meaning "relax")
**
13. Keishac78, 2011
"good times, good times,... i remember sneakin in the movie theater to see this movie.. we use to pratice the dance moves.. lol cant have house parties like this these days.. smh...."
**
14.brollicon, 2011
"parties or clubs nowadays are full of fools who just want to fight"
**
15. DjTIMEJD, 2012
in reply to brollicon
"Fools were fightin ALL the time back then!!"
**
16. kennieth32, 2011
Man if this dont make you wanna have fun at a REAL house party, I don't know what will! This is how house parties should be! Actual dancing goin' on...smh
**
17. D Cal, 2011
"This was how you handle something back in the days. A dance off!! Now it's all about handling something with guns. Too bad you can't have parties like this anymore. Please God bring back the late 80s and early 90s..."
**
18. Kodi Morgan, 2012
"Back when it was still actually COOL to dance!!!!!!"
**
19. Tube22productions, 2012
"Yes, fights, drinking and drama happened back then, but it depended on who you knew or where you had the party. My sister was in high school during this time and said all the parties she went to were very similar to House Party, before and after this movie"...
**
20. tom11zz884, 2012
"Back when men were not ashamed to actually dance...nowadays, everybody wants to act all tough and stuff...all the fun is gone."
**
21. Jay72288, 2012
"Dont know what yal talking bout, Party around my way is STILL like this"
**
22. Youngblood437, 2012
"dis was da times wen yo friends had parties an u was able to go ta have a good time witout gun shots an hella drama yo worst enemy was the police breakin up da party"
**
23. China Render, 2013
"This movie is a classic! The dancing isn't all about twerking booty popping its fun grooving and a little grinding but its all about having fun and hitting the dance floor with your friends and family! If our generation had parties like this Im sure they will have more fun this gen is all about tech w/o phones and internet they would loose there little minds!!"
**
24. Cutie Pie, 2013
"i really wish parties were like this again and not just twerking and ratchetness"
**
25. sarlndr, 2013
"I'm so glad I grew up with parties, music, & dancing like this. It was all about lookin' fresh for the girls and having a good time. Best part of the movie also, they were all gettin' down. SWITCH!!"
**
26. JDezi4, 2013
"Modern day house party
Everybody sit around the stereo and drinks and smokes until they all pass out or until a fight happens"
**
27. tom11zz884, 2013
in reply to JDezi4
"Or texting on their phones acting all anti-social."
**
28. MrGlanderson, 2013
"This is how a party was back in the days. all of the local rappers would get on the mic, the local dance crews would do their thing. And everyone danced. Today kids don't dance anymore. They spend more time on their smart phones. When we partied we would steam up the windows and leave dripping with sweat. even the thugs danced."
**
29. stephen hernandez, 2013
"these parties look fun, everyones happy! no one is texting on their phone... seems like a very social place."
**
30. DJ Rod B, 2013
in reply to stephen hernandez
"thats cause back then not everybody had cell phones, most people had pagers, but you bring up a great point on how technology has complicated social places now days.."
**
31. Deon Brown, 2014
"I don't know were these youngsters get the impression that the 80's and 90's were peaches and cream. Let me tell you, cats used to fight and shoot up house parties all the time. This is a movie, remember that."
-snip-
“were” = where

"cats" = guys
**
32. jussmittin, 2014
"depending on where you live, they may shoot up your house over stupid stuff now. besides why have house parties when youngsters are too busy on their phones #smh"
**
33. Javas Sylvester, 2014
Lol best movie ever when you had no worries of going to a party dancing is still in style you don't have to act hard all the time
**
34. Auto Young, 2014
Before everybody was glued to their phones the whole party and you actually had to meet people and didn't just know em from instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

****
Category #2: Other comments about the dancing in this movie scene
1. mnstr4jc, 2008
"I remember catching Kid 'n' Play back in the day at a concert before they got hot. They were the warmup act for Salt 'n' Pepa. Man, those boys were bad back then. That was when they started the "Kick Step" for their stage show. Believe it or not, Kid's hair was even taller then!!! Man, I miss those times..."
**
2. Nakiya G, 2008
"Kid N Play, of course, won the dance battle."...
**
3. Zack Rimando, 2009
"whats was the dance move called at 1:50
ITS AWSOME!!!!!"
**
4. diamond15605, 2009
in reply to Zack Rimando
"the Funky Charleston or the Kid N Play"
**
5. ZeroMen, 2010
"what kind of dance style is this ?"
**
6. Daintytwinkletoes, 2010
in reply to ZeroMen
"@ZeroMen It's hip hop battle dance. There are many forms of it, not just "one" type. Think of MC Hammer, B Boy Style, Pop & Locking, Freestyle. The list goes on, but this is what it is."
**
7. Gen'te livingston, 2010
"yea its it ironic dat ppl came to parties baq n da day wit organized dance rountines lmao"
-snip-
"baq n da day" = "back in the day" [back then in time]
**
pogistarr, 2010
8. in reply to Gen'te livingston
"You had to be prepared-kind of like a battle rapper! I don't know about where you're from but where I'm from, we took dancin' SERIOUSLY! Of course there wasn't routines with random folks like that, but I can definitely relate."
**
9. polo_on_me, 2011
"whats the move where they lock legs"
**
10. JLL H, 2012
in reply to polo_on_me
"...oldskool hip hop shuffle dance XD"
**
11. harlemhoney3170, 2011
"The funny thing about this scene is that it actually wasn't part of the movie. This was when they were on break playing around and the director shot it and put it the movie."
**
120. prettyd31, 2012
"I bet they had no idea at how epic this dance scene would become! When I was a kid, we tried to find ANY opportunity to do this dance."
**
13. supremeakuma, 2012
"FUN FACT: ALL THE DANCE SCENES in this MOVIE were DONE with NOOOOOOO MUSIC.. they added the music AFTERWARDS.. TRUE HIP HOP"
**
14. emaresea, 2013
LOL. Love how they can spontaneously dance in unison.
**
15. Jessica E., 2013
in reply to emaresea
"Not spontaneous at all. This was one of the things you did with your friends to have fun back in the day...practice ya dance moves so you could bust it out at the next party. My mom used to let us (me and my 5 siblings) have house parties in the basement all the time. Kept us out of the streets...our friends too."
**
16. rez ones, 2013
"i remember these parties like it was yesterday :) the running man, and all it's variants,the whop,the kid n play step,the cabbage patch,roger rabbit,the smurf and the steve martin. straight up classic material."
**
17. GeneralG1810, 2013
"Sorry ladies but the boys won that round, great film good laugh"
**
18. MissOldSchool32, 2013
"me and my cousin still do the kid & play dance til this day...lmao!!!...SWITCH!!!!"
-snip-
“Switch”!= Command to change dance partners
**
19.almighty Don, 2014
"Actually Aj Johnson said on her unsung I think it was that the dance scene wasn't in the script they were actually really partying & battling. The director had went with their flow & had filmed it."
-snip-
A. J. Johnson was the dark skinned girl who was part of the dance off (dance battle).
**
20. priest3332, 2014
"Good to know. Makes the scene even better.
**
21. Nikki Delgado, 2014
..."We did this at a 90's party a few years back and topped it off with a soul train line.

****
ADDENDUM
Here are additional comments from another video of this dance scene from the 1990 movie House Party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC_4l7bFKJk. These selected quotes are posted in the same categories as above:

Category I: Comparison of house parties then and now
1.danielbooneify, 2013
"There was so much more style and performance back then Hip hop really was an art And alot of fun to...."
**
2. Pope Platinum, 2014
"its 2014... House Parties get shot up now routinely ... thats what happened to them now... those good old days are over"
**
3. tswagg504, 2014
"+Pope Platinum I think it's just perception, of getting older. Im 30 and may not be as old as you, but at times I think things are worse now than they were maybe 10-15 years ago....but when I really compare, it was crazy back then too....it's always gonna be like that....the 70s folks were saying the same thing about the 90s kids."
**
4. DJ Rod B, 2014
"+tswagg504 you both are right, I'm 40 lol (cnt believe that) but I graduated high school in 92 out here in LA it depends on where you have a house party at out here, if you have one in the hood most of the time it was all good cause nothing but your homies are there. But when you try to have a party in someone else hood better keep it on the low cause it can bring trouble."
**
5. tswagg504, 2014
"+DJ Rod B exactly, you're 40, so you were a youth in the 90s and I can remember how much of a war zone my city was in the 90s, I'm glad I was too young to hit the streets......It's actually calmed down a little, because back then; you couldn't even step foot in a neighborhood you weren't from."
**
6. ****, 2014
"Who had it better than us? Loud colors, high top fades, ma dukes on vaca, your boy that could dj, and the fine girls from school at the crib. Switch!!"

****
Category II: Dancing
1. cloudkicker06, 2012
"Long live the Kick Step!"
-snip-
"The Kick Step" is often also called "the Kid N Play" because of this movie scene.
**
3. Brooklyn Williams, 2013
"so how many ppl actually tried to learn these dances?? lol I know I did.. even Kid and Play's part hahahaha!"
**
4. AoiGP, 2013
in reply to Brooklyn Williams
"my buddy and I would rehearse before the day of a party or better yet a wedding and the DJ has never heard of Full Force - Aint my type of hype so I had the cd ready. Its not as easy as you would think but it was fun!"
**
5. MajestyProds, 2012
in reply to Brooklyn Williams
"HAHAHAHA. You too? Me and my sis still know the routine down pat. :)"
-snip-
"to know something down pat" = to really know it from the beginning to the end
**
6. ggsnaps, 2014
"OMG the dancing was sick! The girls for sure did their thing but no one can compete with kid and play. The drunk dude did good but when play took his jacket off and stepped in it was ova ! I just don't understand why Kid had such a problem with that one girl he was dancing with when he wanted to switch. I didn't think she was bad looking."
-snip-
"sick"= very good
**
7. Lauren Nicole, 2014
Reply
"Lol , its because he really wanted to dance with sharane."
****
Also, here's some trivia about this movie:
kofib29, 2013
"Oh and did anyone else know the bullies in the movie sung this song they are dancing to. The group was called full force.
-snip-
The Hip Hop Group Full Force (who portrayed the bullies in House Party released their record "Ain’t My Type Of Hype” in 1989. If something or someone "ain't my type of hype", I'm not interested or excited about it or him or her.
**
Taylor Lotsa, 2014
"Fun fact: All of the dance sequences in this scene were done with no music. A.J. Johnson choreographed her and Tisha Campbell's routine for the battle. The music was added after the dancing had been shot."

****
This is the end of Part I of this series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

No comments:

Post a Comment