The Drip Within the Game: Hall of Fame Athlete Accessories

Sports is one of society’s last great equalizers. Whether it’s a team sport like soccer or solo competititon like golf, opponents are subject to the same rules of game play. An athlete’s performance wear is no exception. Team uniforms are identical. And individual attire is subject to strict guidelines with everything from color, cut, length, and logo being regulated.

We see this most rigorously applied to no one else more than Serena Williams. Her banned “cat suit” at the 2018 French Open caused controversy among the tournament heads who called it “disrespectful”.

This rigidity of leagues and associations is the result of tending to their primary concern, profitability. Administrative bodies maximize their bottom line by catering to the mainstream audience with as little stir as possible. What suffers in the process are athletes means of self-expression.

Thankfully, throughout the history of sports professionals have found creative ways to model their personal style within the tight margins of the rule books. Apart from gratification, why is this self-pronouncement so important? Exposure. With the increase of billion dollar TV deals, social media platforms that cross the globe, and corporate partnerships, all eyes are on these larger-than-life giants at all times. The financial possibilities are endless. The most watchable athletes get the endorsements, entertainment opportunities, brand cachet, even the celebrity partner.

There’s also the ego part. Since children, athletes have measured themselves against their peers by every conceivable benchmark. Appearance is no different. When trying to gain an advantage, every aspect matters. Sport pundits call this the “game within the game”. Referring to factors not quantified on a scoreboard, the game within the game could be trash talking an opponent to get into their head, visualization, picking imaginary fights with fans in the crowd like Michael Jordan did, anything that effects the psyche of a player. A player’s “drip”, which is defined as one’s personal swagger, counts as another.

Popular Atlanta rapper Gunna, whose first five projects were titled Drip Season, Drip Season 2, Drip Season 3, Drip Harder, and Drip or Drown 2, explained the meaning of rap’s most used word in 2018:

"Drip is your attire, the clothes you wear. My drip today man, I got on a Saint Laurent hoodie, some Balmain’s and some Chanel shoes because it’s Friday. I drip every day, all week, but weekends I’m really putting that sh*t on. I might wear a $10,000 outfit on a weekend, no cap.”

Rapper Gunna on the cover of his album Drip or Drown 2

The jewelry, accessories, the coordinating pieces, these symbols of originality are what truly cement an athlete into legendary status.

Here is the Drip Within the Game Hall of Fame list: the best overstatements worn by sporting greats who understand that you can’t always control how well you perform, but you can always control how good you look.

1) Florence Griffith Joyner AKA “Flo-Jo”

Flo-Jo is considered the fastest woman of all time. Running the 400 meters, 800 meters, as well as the 4x100 and 4x400 meter relays in the 1988 Olympics, Joyner took home five medals; three gold, two silver. Physically, Flo-Jo was a one of a kind marvel who set and broke her own world records numerous times.

Suffering a tonic-clonic seizure in 1999, Florence’s untimely death at the age of 38 rocked the world. At the time, my step-father worked as a mortician at the historically black Angeles Funeral Home, located in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles, where Florence’s funeral was held. I remember him telling me the stories of people’s reactions to losing one of their own and the impact she had on her entire community.

Outside of her running success, when people think of Flo-Jo, what comes to mind are the bold looks she pulled off on the track. Full body tracksuits exposing a single leg, hooded track suits, bright, bold, colorful patterns, nails so long they curled over. Florence commanded attention. This Black girl from South Central’s Jordan Downs housing project had no problem showing the world that a female athlete can be flashy, fashionable, and dominant.

You know someone is a style icon when Beyoncé dresses up as them for Halloween.

2) Deion “Prime Time” Sanders

Deion had Trinidad James “All Gold Everything” moments on and off the field and in two professional sports.

Deion’s flagrant style was on full display before he even signed a professional contract. Skipping the NFL draft, Deion received the call from the Atlanta Falcons that they were selecting him 5th overall on his agent’s sofa in Winnetka, Il. Instead of putting on a stuffy suit like he would have had to do if he chose to attend the Draft, Deion dressed in a black, white and yellow nylon tracksuit. You know, the kind that makes the audible “swishy” sound as you walk. Deion’s casual getup was accompanied by black and gold retro squared sunglasses, an indeterminate amount of gold chains, four gold bracelets, a money sign earring, and two-finger gold plated rings on each hand. This was Deion’s introduction to the world as the king of drip.

A month after being drafted by the National Football League, Deion made his Major League Baseball debut for the New York Yankees.

Although the percentage of Black baseball players in the MLB was much higher in 1989 at 16.5% versus today’s 7.7%, their audience was still the suburbs of America. So you can imagine how much Deion and his jheri curl stood out. He was young, fly, flashy, and fast. Between his athletic gifts and his closet, Deion was must watch TV giving him the name “Prime Time”.

3) Allen Iverson

No one influenced early 2000’s NBA culture more than Allen Iverson. His pre-game outfits led the late David Stern, the NBA’s commissioner at the time, to implement the racially-tinged “Dress Code”.

via Ballislife.com

On the court, Iverson sported a combination of the headband, wristband, calf band, finger sleeve, shooting sleeve, and leg sleeve all at once. Iverson essentially wore an entire Footlocker for each game.

When I think of Iverson’s career, five particular moments come to mind. The first is Iverson’s shimmy and shake on Michael Jordan his rookie year. The classic, “your idols become your rivals, you make friends with Mike, but gotta A.I. him for your survival” moment. Thank you Drake for that forever important line. Second, Iverson disrespectfully stomping over Tyronn Lue, yes, former championship winning coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James whisperer, Ty Lue, after knocking down a through-the-leg step back fade-away during overtime of game 1’s 2001 NBA Finals. Third, AI’s misunderstood practice rant which came days after the murder trial for the man accused of killing Iverson’s best friend, Rahsaan Langeford, just seven months earlier. This life-altering tragedy deeply affected Iverson throughout the season as he struggled to cope with the loss. Fourth, Iverson’s mother braiding his hair in the middle of a game. Five, A.I.’s 1999 Slam magazine cover.

4) Ken Griffey Jr.

Baseball and the MLB aren’t known for being avant-garde in much of anything. The game resisted instant replay or any type of technology to improve its accuracy until 2014. And the long storied New York Yankees franchise still requires that all of their players be clean shaven just as the original owner George Steinbrenner did back in 1973 when he implemented their facial hair policy. Baseball values tradition and doing things “a certain way”.

So in 1989, when a young, Black, talented twenty-year-old Ken Griffey Jr. AKA “The Kid”, came into the majors confidently wearing a backwards cap and stud earrings, some of the league’s old guard expressed their discontent. In Jay Caspian King’s phenomenal New York Times piece “The Unbearable Whiteness of Baseball”, he writes how Griffey was, “in a long line of coded racial arguments, minor battles between two types: the “standard” white player and his nonwhite foil”. Former Yankees manager Buck Showalter said Griffey’s backwards hat and untucked shirttail showed a “lack of respect for the game”. Meanwhile, the backwards cap made him one of the only MLB players I knew by name. I even bought Major League Baseball Featuring Ken Griffey Jr. for my Nintendo 64 because Ken Griffey’s very essence and identity was something I gravitated and related to.

As a young child, I didn’t realize that I was already conveying resentment over the constant politicizing and policing of the Black Athlete.

For me, the backwards cap was more than a style choice. It was a small act of freedom. I cheered louder every time a Buck Showalter felt the need to give their opinion on Griffey’s presentation. Today, my sentiment remains the same. As King eloquently puts it, “by instinct, honed reflex and general contrarianism, I root for all “flashy” “showboats” who are “disgraces to the game.”

5) Serena Williams

Brand ambassador for the luxury Swiss watch manufacturer, Audemars Piguet, Serena Williams’ exclusive timepiece collection has been well documented. And at 2019’s Wimbledon, the 23-time Grand Slam winner didn’t disappoint with her Audemars Royal Oak Offshore Selfwinding Chronograph.

Wearing more jewelry than Kate Middleton who was in attendance, Serena’s ensemble featured a V-shape jewel set diamond ring custom made to hold her massive engagement ring, a diamond heart-shaped pendant choker, diamond earrings, a bracelet, and 34 Swarovski crystals embedded in her top’s Nike swoosh. I can’t wash dishes if a hair tie is hanging from my wrist, yet Serena can serve a tennis ball at 135 mph with an arm full of bling. That is why she is the G.O.A.T.

“Got a broken clock
Rollies that don’t tick-tock
Audemars that’s losing time
Hidden behind all these big rocks”

— Jay Z, N****s in Paris

“Yeah, I got an Audemar, I ain’t set the time once and I know they say they shine, I ain’t seen ‘em shine once”

— Nicki Minaj, "Senile"

6) Michael Johnson

One of the greatest sprinters of all-time, Michael Johnson won 16 gold medals throughout his illustrious track career and still holds several of the top sprinting times in the 400, 200, and 100 meters. Johnson did all of this while looking like the fifth member of Boyz II Men. Apparently, Johnson was sprinting from the track straight to the club in his watch, necklace, and earring.

7) Barry Bonds

Once again, Black people and Baseball. Barry Bonds isn’t that well liked in the baseball world because of his involvement with steroids during the inflated home-run era of the 90’s and early 00s.

Bond’s body went from skinny ‘90s Busta Rhymes to beefed up ‘00s Busta Rhymes.

Considering the fact that steroid use in this era was closer to the norm rather an outlier with just Bonds, MLB owes Barry Bonds acknowledgement for being the best hitter baseball has ever seen and needs to give him his well-earned due.

Outside of his bulked physique, there’s another look Bonds is known for-his dangling cross earring that he wore throughout his 21 year career.

Odell Beckham and every hype beast today owe Barry a big thank you for making this look popular.

Barry may not be in baseball’s Hall of Fame, but he’s definitely in instagram’s lookbook hall of fame.

8) Tim Thomas’ Double Headband

I don’t know what’s more ridiculous, the fact that Tim Thomas wore double headbands in an NBA game or that I too copied this look in an AAU practice after seeing him and Nelly flaunt it.

To the relief of many, this did not become a trend.

Tim Thomas being the sole NBA player to wear the double headband solidifies it as a hall of fame accessory moment. Sometimes the world is simply not ready for your genius.

7) Michael Jordan’s Calf Sleeve

We all wanted to be like Mike. If that meant suffering from shin splints so severe that we needed to wear a calf band, then so be it. Some say Jordan started wearing the calf sleeve to alleviate his shin pain, others believe it was for fashion. Either way it looked incredible.

Ingenious enough, Jordan invented the modern day calf band. All Jordan did was take a knee sleeve, slide it down a few inches, and fold it at the top to hide the company logo. The red inside just happened to match his Bulls jersey.

Of course Kobe Bryant, MJ’s carbon copy, had to rock the calf sleeve just like his idol.

9) Marshawn Lynch’s Gold Fronts

Marshawn Lynch is Oakland culture personified.

10) The Most Expensive Drip: Odell Beckham’s Richard Millie

“I just... what?
I just put a Richard on the card
I ain’t grow up playin’ ball”

— Drake, "Going Bad"

“Richard Mille cost a Lambo (That’s a Lambo)
Known to keep the baddest [women] on commando (Salute)”

— Meek Mill, "Going Bad"

Do you know how rich you have to be to wear a house on your wrist while running through tackles, dirt and Gatorade showers? I have never felt as economically average as I did when I saw Odell wearing a $350,000 RM 11-03 McLaren Flyback Chronograph in the Cleveland Browns’ opening game against the Tennessee Titans. Considering the Browns haven’t made the playoffs in 18 years, Odell’s timepiece is the only reason I paid any attention to this game.

Unintentional Drip: The Baggy T-shirt Under the Jersey

I don’t know when this stopped being a thing. It wouldn’t surprise me if the NCAA legislated the baggy t-shirt out of the game the same way they legislate most fun out of these children’s lives. What made the baggy t-shirt under the jersey equally stylish and humorous was the fact that it was often worn by the slimmest player on the team.

Creative Drip: Terrell Owens’ Sharpie

In the prime of his career, Terrell Owens was the NFL’s loudest talker. He more than backed it up on the field accumulating 15,934 receiving yards over his 16-year career, making Jerry Rice the only person with more yards. The 6-time Pro-Bowler also caught 153 touchdowns, good for 3rd all-time, and is the only player to score a touchdown against every NFL team. If he didn’t piss so many people off with his mouth his resume would have guaranteed him a first ballot hall of fame entry.

On October 14th 2002, in a nationally televised Monday Night Football game, Terrell Owens caught a 37-yard touchdown pass to put his 49ers up one and win the game. The best part of the play was the celebration. Instead of breaking out a generic dance move or slapping his chest, T.O. shocked viewers by pulling a Sharpie pen out of his sock. T.O. then proceeded to sign the football and walk the instant piece of memorabilia over to a fan, creating a classic NFL moment. Showmanship at its finest. I would have voted Owens into the football Hall of Fame for this theatrical act alone.

Step 1: Catch and run the football into the end zone

Step 2: Pull the Sharpie out of your sock and sign the football

Step 3: Be a nice guy and toss the football to a lucky fan

Honorable Mention: LaDainian Tomlinson’s Dark Visor

For someone whose skill set is predicated on vision, I don’t understand how LaDainian Tomlinson saw much of anything out of his visor; which makes the rushing numbers from the league’s former MVP that much more impressive. Back when the NFL actually valued running backs, Tomlinson ran for 13,684 yards and 145 touchdowns, placing him top 5 in both statistical categories.

LaDainian Tomlinson was rightly inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Most Economical: Caron Butler’s Straws

Caron Butler will forever be a part of the unlikely Dallas Mavericks team that spoiled the “not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4…” championship celebration for LeBron James’ Miami super team in 2011. Another unlikely fact is that throughout Caron’s 12 year career, he had what some would call a “strange” must-have accessory for every game. Straws. Caron would chew on straws during the course of a game as a means to relax. Every single game. And not just any straw, McDonald’s straws specifically.

In this three minute video, Caron not only explains why McDonald’s straws are superior, he shows off his impressive ability to distinguish a McDonald’s McStraw from 15 different competitors in a “blind chew test”.

With Caron having played in almost 1,000 career NBA games, McDonald’s definitely missed out on a prime partnership.

Which all-time great athlete accessory deserved to be on the list? Please comment below with some of your favorites.

The B2K MIllennium Tour Starter Kit

In December of 2018, B2K gave Black Millennials the ultimate Christmas present when the quartet announced that they were reuniting and embarking on a tour with fellow early 2000s acts Mario, Pretty Ricky, Lloyd, Bobby Valentino, Ying Yang Twins, and Chingy. The final billing of the 2019 Millennium Tour is what you would get if you took the 2000-2005 AJ and Free era of 106 and Park on the road. For those of you unfamiliar with 106 and Park, familiarize yourself with the BET music video show that launched the careers of many of your favorite artists.

As the pandemonium comes to a city near you, here is an official 2019 Millennium Tour Starter Kit to help you look your absolute best as you scream, “she’s fine or five two” over Instagram live. If that reference was lost upon you, please look up Lloyd’s 2007 single “You”. Enjoy:

Shoes

Nike Air Force 1s

Nike’s Air Force 1 sneakers are so important to the hip-hop community, St. Louis rapper Nelly made an entire song about them sans a brand endorsement. Available in “low”, “mid”, and “high” ankle lengths in various colors, the durable presidential sneakers are versatile and stylish enough for you to purchase two “purrs” to stomp in.

Nike SB DUNKS

A color for every single outfit.

Timberland Boots

“Manolo Blahnik Timbs, Aviator lens”

— Jay-Z, "'03 Bonnie & Clyde"

Mary J. Blige Dancery Boots

The Millennium Tour is essentially a family reunion, so walk in like the out-of-town bougie auntie you were born to be.

Those weird cork/sawdust platform wedges

Dada Supreme Spinner 1’s

DaDa’s signature sneaker for Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Latrell Sprewell was a groundbreaking combination of two “urban” indulgences; sneakers and rims.

In the early and mid-2000s, just about every music video featured cars with spinning rims. Rap group Three 6 Mafia dedicated their song, “Ridin’ Spinners” to the chrome wheel jewelry. If the Supreme Spinners’ came out today, DaDa would certainly be “cancelled” or at least heavily scrutinized given the stereotypical racial undertones of the shoe. Regardless of their “problematic” nature, the DaDa Supreme Spinners’ are symbolic of this period and forever cemented in Black culture history.

Denim

The rule for men’s jeans in the 2000s was to take whatever your actual waist size measured at and add an additional 6 inches.

Jean Shorts

The sizing rule for jeans also applied to jean shorts, or “jorts” as they are not so affectionately called. Another rule for jean shorts: only an inch of the ankle is allowed to show, nothing more.

Jerseys

The rule: Look like you’re on a team.

Jersey dresses

The rule: Look like you’re the girlfriend of somebody on the team.

Crop top/Low Riding Jeans/Super Short Denim Skirts

Baby Phat

Air Brushed Tops

Everything Destiny’s Child and Solange are wearing in this 106 & Park appearance

White/Tall Tee

Like the rules for jeans, a similar rule applied to white/tall tees; find a shirt size that fits then go up an additional three sizes.

Matching Track/Velour Sweatsuits

Rule 1: Look like you’re ready to workout.

Rule 2: Everything must match.

Rule 3: The thicker the velour, the better. Fashion knows no temperature.

Hair

Cornrows

Classic ‘fro

The Kelly Rowland/Mary J Blige/Eve short red hair

Jennifer Freeman’s crinkle curls and Meagan Good’s flat iron press in You Got Served

Lanisha Cole and Lauren London’s hair in Pharrell’s “Frontin’” video

The J Boog S-Curl

Yes, lots of chemicals and hair product.

Du Rags and Fitted Caps

Sweatbands for non-athletic use

Eyebrow slits

Decorate your eyebrows because why not?

Outrageously big chains

“Does your chain hang low?
Does it wobble to da flow?
Does it shine in the light?
Is it platinum, is it gold?
Could you throw it over ya shoulder?
If ya hot, it make ya cold
Does your chain hang low?”

— Jibbs, "Chain Hang Low"

Dance Moves

*Remember that your knees are not what they used to be. So please exercise these moves with caution.

The Harlem Shake

The Wobble

The Chickenhead

Krump

The Heel-Toe

“Pop, Lock & Drop It"

Flap Your Wings

Lean wit’ it rock wit’ it

Every move in Ciara’s “Goodies” video

This move from Usher’s “Yeah” video

The J Boog from You Got Served

A Coordinated Dancehall routine with your friends

The duet dance choreography from Omarion’s “Touch” video

Slide into the concert the way Usher did in the “U Don’t Have to Call” video

Suggested Pre-Game Playlist

• B2K- “Gots ta Be”, “Bump, Bump, Bump”

• Omarion- “Touch”, “Entourage”

• Mario-”Just a Friend 2002”, “Let Me Love You”

• Pretty Ricky- “On the Hotline”, “Grind with Me”

• Lloyd- ”You”, “Get It Shawty”

• Bobby Valentino- “Tell Me”, “Slow Down”

• Ying Yang Twins- “Say I Yi Yi”, “Georgia Dome”

• Chingy-”Right Thurr”, “One Call Away”

20 Perfect Twitter Names

Black Twitter is perfect. Between the memes, one-off jokes, and hilarious commentary, Black Twitter single-handedly made Netflix’s original film, Bird Box, a cultural phenomenon in less than 48 hours. This free viral marketing is the reason companies spend thousands of dollars “borrowing” content from Black Twitter.

The laughs have extended beyond the tweets themselves. What’s now a subtle art of Black Twitter is users taking key moments to create clever names. While some are references to mainstream culture at large, most are specific references to Black culture past and present. Everyday while aimlessly scrolling through my timeline, I’ll notice a name that actually makes me laugh out loud. Here are twenty of my favorite Twitter names, enjoy:

1) Avengers’ Funeral Coordinator

With the average funeral in America costing a little over $7,000, the death industry is quite lucrative. And considering Marvel “killed off ” 12 characters in Infinity Wars, it makes perfect sense for someone to want to be the Avengers' exclusive funeral coordinator. Yes, this is a spoiler alert if you haven’t seen the movie. Yes, I know this isn’t how a spoiler alert works.

2) Resha (no, I’m not riding)

If you’ve been on the internet at any point since July 2018 then you’ve probably heard “In My Feelings” by Drake. The song exploded to the top of the charts after comedian and internet personality The Shiggy Show released an Instagram clip of him dancing to the track. According to Drake, “In My Feelings” wasn’t even going to be the album’s next single, but when he saw that anyone with phone access was doing “The Shiggy Challenge”, Drake and his team decided they had to shoot a music video for the song and include Shiggy himself.

The chorus is lover-boy Aubrey seeking affirmation by asking a different girl each time if she loves him, if she's riding, if she’ll never leave his side because he wants and needs her; all while claiming to be down for her always.

Via Rap Genius

The term “riding” comes from the phrase “Ride or Die". It’s every urban Bonnie and Clyde’s love creed. In it’s most flattering definition, a Ride or Die Chick is a woman who offers unwavering support to her man no matter the circumstance and will journey wherever their love takes them. It’s them against the world, and if she is forced to choose between dying on behalf of their love or turning against her man, she will choose death. What men have used the concept of a Ride or Die Chick to actually mean is for a woman to support them no matter how terrible their decisions are or how much pain a man has put her through so that he will always have a safety net to fall back on. So no, Resha is not riding; know better, do better.

3) That one light-skinned member of the Dora Milajae

The release of Marvel’s Black Panther was a generation defining event. Grossing over $1.347 billion dollars worldwide, it became the highest grossing solo superhero film of all-time, the third-highest grossing film of the MCU, the 9th highest-grossing film of all-time, and the highest-grossing film by a black director. Black Panther is the first mega-budget movie to have an all Black cast and director; and although Wakanda is a fictional country, Black Panther is one of the few films that highlights Africa positively and not through the usual despondent poverty stricken western gaze.

Among Black people, Black Panther broke boundaries. Dating back to slavery, skin color has been a tool used to divide Black people, placing those of a lighter tone, which is considered closer to whiteness, on a pedestal. Light-skinned slaves were able to work in the owners’ house rather than the plantation where the work was violent and arduous. Fair-skinned runaway slaves were able to “pass” in society and better avoid being captured and taken back to their owners. Post-slavery, light-skinned Blacks had better employment and housing opportunities as well as other privileges darker-skinned Blacks weren’t afforded.

Hollywood has had its own biases. Historically, Black female entertainers have overwhelmingly been lighter-skinned with more euro-centric features; longer hair, lighter skin and eyes, thinner lips, a narrower nose. Viola Davis is a great example of an actress who has had to work extremely hard not because of her talent, but because she simply has not fit the mold for what America deems as beautiful. 20 and 22 year-old actresses Amandla Stenberg and Zendaya, both who are biracial, have truthfully acknowledged the fact that their skin tone has made them more desirable in Hollywood. The young stars have courageously spoken out against Hollywood’s colorism problem and the lack of representation for darker-skinned women.

The minute Marvel teased us with images from Black Panther, dark-skinned Black women such as myself collectively gasped when we saw the special force team that is the Dora Milajae. Here we have King T’Challa/Black Panther and Wakanda, the strongest most advance nation in the universe, being guarded by an all-woman militia. Second, these beautifully strong melanated warrior women were free from what society has deemed the ultimate measure of a woman’s femininity, their hair. Incredible.

4) Shuri’s Lab Partner

While T’Challa and Killmonger were the stars of Black Panther, Shuri, T’challa’s baby sister played by Letitia Wright, stole the film. The literal definition of Black Girl Magic, Shuri is a sharp and witty STEM genius who is exponentially smarter than inventor Tony Stark. STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics has been a male dominated field with little representation or investment in Black communities. The presence of Shuri and the prominent role science and technology serve in Black Panther extends beyond the MCU. After the success of Black Panther and the excitement around Shuri, Disney donated $1 million dollars to 12 different Boys and Girls Clubs of America. One of those cities being Oakland, California, the hometown of director Ryan Coogler.

If science is as foreign of a language to you as it is for me, Shuri is the first person you run to when your chemistry teacher says to pair up with a partner.

5) Deadasspool

Deadass, another one of New York City’s gift to the English lexicon. It means “I’m serious”, “No joke”, or “For real”. And Deadpool, the film about an unconventional self-loathing mercenary who fell into the occupation after a science experiment on his disfigured body went awry. The combination of the words is just funny.

6) Tekashi 69 years in prison

I don’t want to give Tekashi 69 more attention, but this Twitter name is appropriate. Tekashi 69 is a rowdy face-tattoo Soundcloud rapper from Brooklyn. He says the N-word way too much, is constantly screaming about his gun, and has a gross criminal record. Part of the 69’s attention garnering and ascent to fame was him going on Instagram professing his gang affiliation and bragging about his illegal exploits. Well as sure as the motto goes, “the feds were listening”. Tekashi was arrested in November of 2018 and is facing federal racketeering as well as firearm charges with with the possibility of serving a minimum of 32 years in prison. The prosecution team is using his Instagram as evidence. Prison is terrible and I am not celebrating his incarceration, but the irony is hard to miss.

7) Gordan Gartrell Lead Designer

Bill Cosby is rightfully in prison and my heart goes out to the brave survivors. The Cosby Show is also a landmark sitcom that launched the careers of countless actors and became the blueprint for many programs after it. These two facts are hard to reconcile and I’m not going to attempt to do such in this particular post.

One of my favorite episodes of The Cosby Show is “A Shirt Story”. In this episode, Theo Huxtable, the family of seven’s only son, purchases a very expensive “Gordan Gartrell” designer shirt for his date. And like any sensible Black parent, his well-off physician father Dr. Heithcliff Huxtable and attorney mother Claire Huxtable make Theo return the shirt because he is a teenager who doesn’t make Gordan Gartrell money. Disappointed he can’t wear his planned outfit, Theo’s fashionable sister Denise, played by the forever cool Lisa Bonet (Zoe Kravitz’ momma), offers to make him a shirt she insists will look just like the Gordan Gartrell.

Denise’s creation did not at all look like the original and 30 years later references to the famed shirt are still popular.

8) Sean John Velour Sweatsuit

Early 2000s fashion: chains, du-rags, fitted caps, throwback jerseys, and matching sweatsuits. There aren’t many things that symbolize the early 2000s more than Diddy’s line of Sean Jean velour tracksuits. I never understood how people wore them outside of the fall and winter seasons because each suit weighs about 20 pounds and is insulated with the thickest velour on earth. But fashion knows no temperature.

9) Ray J’s moving hat

Ray J, entertainer, Kim Kardahsian’s ex-boyfriend, Brandy’s little brother, singer of my favorite Pharrell track, “Wait a Minute”; a true American icon. The entrepreneur and businessman is also on the reality TV show Love & Hip Hop. And in August 2018, an episode premiered that threw Black twitter into a complete frenzy. Thanks to an amazingly poor editing job during a 30 second segment featuring Ray J and Nicki Minaj’s ex, Safaree, we see Ray J’s beanie move around his head 6 different times. It’s truly magic

This happened all within a 30 second clip.

10) Angela Basset’s Missing Oscar

Angela Basset is one of the greatest actors of our lifetime. She played the legendary Tina Turner better than Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It and committed to the role so hard that she still has the biceps to show for it 25 years later. Nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award, Black America will not ever get over the fact that she didn’t win the Oscar. As a consolation prize, the universe made sure Angela never ages and just gets more beautiful with time.

11) Don’t be mad, UPS is hiring

Bad Boy Records recording artist Craig Mack, may he rest in peace, made one of the most important hip-hop songs of all-time with 1994’s “Flava In Ya Ear”. He then followed it up with the remix of all remixes in which Biggie, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, and prime Puff Daddy ad-libing and dancing away, each give Michael Jordan game 6 performances.

The line, “Don’t be mad UPS is hiring” is a word of advice The Notorious B.I.G. offers to a rapper whose skills are so bad, Biggie thinks they should quit and apply to UPS instead.

Classic Diddy Bop.

12) I know i want my key back

If you don’t watch Issa Rae’s HBO show Insecure, you’re not going to understand this reference. To quickly give context, Issa’s best friend in the show, Molly, is a high-strung, tight-wound successful lawyer who can’t get out of her own way when it comes to dating. Molly doesn’t trust any man’s intentions as she refuses to let a man “distract” her from her career goals.

In season 2, Molly reconnects with her childhood friend, Dro. Dro and Molly start hanging out and soon start a romantic fling. The only problem is Dro’s married, but in an open relationship. Season 3 begins with Molly struggling with her and Dro’s situationship as they are getting emotionally involved which is not a part of the rules and is only complicating things. It’s TV’s version of SZA’s “The Weekend”. Molly begins to distance herself from Dro to avoid getting hurt. But one day in particular, frustrated by Dro’s lack of respect for the boundaries she sets, he demeaningly says to her that she doesn’t know what she wants. Taken aback by the remark, Molly quickly replies with, “I know I want my key back” in reference to the spare key to her place she gave him, effectively ending their fling.

13) Nice Gowns, Beautiful Gowns

Most people know Aretha Franklin, may rest in peace, as the Queen of Soul. But what’s just as important as her musical legacy was her propensity to throw the best shade. If you aren’t familiar with the word “shade”, it means to subtly “diss” someone. Using seemingly kind words and euphemisms, Arthea mastered the art of disrespecting someone without the person even knowing it. She was also quite proficient at giving underhanded comments

In this clip from a few years ago, Aretha is asked about the current wave of female vocalists, which in my opinion was a set up. That’s like asking Michael Jordan about middle school basketball players, he doesn’t care. With each name the interviewer lists, Aretha tries her absolute best to come up with something constructive. By the time she is asked about Taylor Swift, she had run out of words. This is verbatim what Aretha says about Ms. Swift’s singing career: “Okay, well, nice gowns, beautiful gowns”. Nothing at all to do with her artistry or singing abilities. Aretha was applying the rule, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”.

14) SMITHSONIAN FUBU MUSEUM

Another early 2000s fashion staple, FUBU, which radically means “For Us By Us” was ahead of its time. FUBU created the blueprint for not only young Black designers but Black business owners in general. FUBU helped instill the idea that young Black artists should take full control of their ingenuity and center their vision around Black people.

27 years after FUBU’s creation, its impact is as strong as ever. Solange uses the idiom as a rallying cry on her album A Seat at the Table. And in Season 3 of Atlanta, there is a gut-wrenching episode that shows just how valuable FUBU and fashion is for Black kids who feel the only way America sees their value is if they look a certain way. FUBU’s legacy justifies its placement in the Smithsonian museum.

15) IF YOU’RE NOT BLACK DON’T SAY IT

I’m not going to spend time offering an academic, socio-political linguistic analysis of the N-word. I’m not breaking down the word’s roots, educating those on its current reclamation by the people previously oppressed by it, nor am I going dissect power and race dynamics in America. The fact is it’s not about if you think anyone should be saying the N-word or not. If you are not Black, you should not say the word nor should you want to, period.

16) 99% of Americans have immigrant ancestors

And this land was stolen from the Native Americans.

17) bird box really didn’t have any black women in it?!

It’s 2019. So yes we are still collectively shocked when a major film does not have a black woman in it.

18) The Black Maroon 5 Member

If you grew up in a predominately white neighborhood and attended predominately white schools, then your childhood photos probably look like these. When you listen to Maroon 5’s music, you wouldn’t think that anyone in that group is a person of color. But there you have it, PJ Morton himself. I hope he accompanies Adam Levine in the Super Bowl halftime show because Atlanta is very black and that stage is going to need as much color as possible.

19) Knuck If You Brunch

Negro spirituals, songs African Americans made that were all about escaping the racist horrors of this world like slavery, lynching, poverty and oppression. “Wade in the Water, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”, are all about God’s children believing they will reap the good they sewed here on when they finally get to heaven. A grim look at faith, but it got my ancestors through nonetheless.

Times are still tough for Black people; disproportionate rates of incarceration, murders at the hand of the police, disinvestment in our communities, negligible access to credit or capital, which are financial tools needed to shrink the 400-year wealth gap between White and Black Americans.

Millineal Black adults feel the pressures of this in additon to crippling student loan debt, stagnant wages, and increasing costs of living. So we too have had to compose our own Negro Spirituals. A bit different sonically, with 808 drums, heavy samples and hand claps. But the desire for freedom, expression of frustration, joy and excitement are still there in the music. Atlanta rap group Crime Mob blessed us with 2004’s Negro Spiritual, “Knuck If You Buck”. If you’ve never heard the song before and you find yourself at a party, club, or large social gathering with Black people when it comes on, please find the nearest exit and run to it immediatly, because the best kind of riot is about to breakout.

Similarly like our ancestors who took the scraps they were given to make what we now know today as soul food, us Black millenials have learned to take our low balance checking accounts and make the funds stretch enough to include luxurious feasts; weekend brunches. Bottomless mimosas and shrimp and grits will get our money sooner than Sallie Mae will.

20) The Pistons Took Darko in the 03draft

You know what they say? Can’t trust anyone with frosted tips. The 2003 NBA draft is widely considered one of the best drafts of all time. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and a high school kid by the name of LeBron James were the drafts first round picks. The Detroit Pistons had the number two pick after Cleveland selected the King himself. And out of all the elite names to choose from, guess who Detroit chose? Yup, Darko Miličić. The 7-foot Serbian standout spent 11 years in the NBA amassing a little under 3,000 career points, only playing more than 60 out of a possible 82 regular season games 4 times in his career. Successful in his own right, Darko went further as a professional athlete than 99% of us ever will by reaching the NBA. But as a Pistons fan, it’s hard not ask the question, “what if?”. Especially when lower picks in that draft included Kyle Korver, David West, and Kendeick Perkns; the last two being eventual NBA champions.

Best Bio: I know I look like the blue Avatar people. I KNOW.

“I know I look like the blue Avatar people. I KNOW”. I aspire to reach this level of self-awareness.

Most Important: Flint, MI hasn’t had clean water since 4-24-2014

Flint hasn’t had clean water since April of 2014. Seeing that no one in our government seems to care, citizens like Little Miss Flint have taken it upon themselves to hold bottled-water drives where hundred of people line for hours to simply get free clean water. Please click the link below to donate.

10 Really Black TV Theme Songs

1) Proud Family (2001-2005)

“They’ll push your buttons
They’ll make you wanna hug ‘em”

— Destiny's Child

2001, it’s hard to imagine a world where Beyoncé is just a 20 year-old burgeoning r&b/pop star recording theme music for a cartoon, and making guest appearances on WB sitcoms like Smart Guy.

Fast forward to today and Beyoncé has solidified herself as a musical genius, transcendent entertainer rivaled only by the late Michael Jackson, and a cultural icon so powerful that she tells Anna Wintour, Vogue, and Coachella how and when things will be done.

The star of the Proud Family’s intro is actually Beyonce’s younger sister Solange. Solange’s evolution has also been quite amazing. One of the most gifted and creative musicians we have today, Solange runs Saint records and gave us a masterpiece that was 2016’s A Seat at the Table.

Accompanying the Knowles sisters in this collaboration are Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, two thirds of Destiny’s Child. Michelle has ventured into gospel music and Kelly Rowland has had a successful r&b career, even collecting a 2000s classic hit, “Dilemma” with rapper Nelly. It is also important to note that Kelendria Rowland seems to never age and is best friends with Serena Williams and Ciara.

Solange is giving us an inspired solo running lines like “even when you start acting like a fool, you know I'm loving every single thing you do”. Beyonce, her thick Houston accent and the other two women are in the background harmonizing “they’ll make you scream, they’ll make you wanna sing!” just like an Aretha Franklin led church choir; Destiny’s Child AME. Beyoncé even gets to a falsetto.

Not pertaining to the song exactly, but a critical part of Black artistry is the work of Ms. Tina, Beyoncé and Solange’s momma. She was the girls’ stylists for many years and the outfits she has them in are peak 2001 swap meet fashion. Bedazzled denim jackets, air brushed cropped tanks, chunky belts, crinkled hair, a cowboy hat, lots of lipgloss, and Kelly Rowland’s Mary J. Blige “dancery” red hair. They were ready for any 106 and Park 2001 music video.

2) The Wayans Bros. (1995-1999)

“We’re brothers, we’re happy and we’re singing and we’re colored”

The opening sequence for The Wayans Bros is a satirical look at the way Hollywood caricatures Black actors. Two Black brothers in the “ghetto” dancing, high-fiving, patting their Afros while giving big slapstick smiles. Once the director screams, “cut, dynomite!", a ‘70s jive term from the Blaxploitation films of that decade, we transition to the rage and frustration Shawn and Marlon feel over this demeaning portrayal. Shaking their heads, deciding they’ve had enough, the two brothers slap the camera out of their purview and walk off set. Like other productions made by the Wayans such as Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, the whole segment is a “message”.

What makes this opening so brilliant is the juxtaposition of Blackness immediately after as rap group A Tribe Called Quest’s “Electric Relaxation” begins to play. For those unfamiliar with A Tribe Called Quest and their cultural significance, the Queens rap trio (sometimes quartet) are the innovators of jazz hip-hop. Jazz being the improvisational musical language of Black people in America post trans-Atlantic salve trade with roots extending back to Africa, the song samples the riff on Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew”. Seeing Tribe’s influence 20 years later, J.Cole sampled that same riff for his song “Forbidden Fruit’ featuring Kendrick Lamar.

3) Moesha (1996-2001)

“Mo to tha E to tha...”

— Brandy Norwood AKA Moesha

The ‘90s and ‘00s saw many popular artists test out their acting skills on the TV screen. At only 17 years of age Brandy Norwood was coming off of her two-time platinum selling self-titled debut with singles like “Best Friend”, “Baby”, and “I Wanna Be Down’. Using the same talents that gave us one of the best r&b albums of the ‘90s, Brandy sang one of catchiest theme songs in recent memory.

Growing up, I was inspired seeing a brown-skinned black girl with braids, “Individuals” as we call them, “Singles” if you’re from the Bay Area, or Kardashian Box Braids if you sadly have no reference to Black culture, with her own show about everyday life in South Los Angeles. Outside of her chanting “Mo to the E to the” over and over again, my favorite moment is when she sings, “I gotta do what I gotta do. I gotta moooove”. Black colloquialism at its finest, Moesha offers no specificity in her intent or meaning yet every Black person understands what she’s trying to convey.

Capturing true Black life in South Los Angeles, the intro is shot in the historic neighborhood of Leimert Park with Moesha dancing in front of the fountain that has been a fixture there since the 1920’s.

If you watch HBO’s Insecure, Leimert Park is where Issa’s former employer, “We Got Y’all” is located and where she gives Nathan a tour of Hot and Cool Cafe, Eso Won Books and World Stage.

4) The Parkers (1999-2004)

“Daaaang Momma! Oouuu let’s party.”

— Countess Vaughn AKA Kimberly Ann Parker

Important Black History fact, The Parkers was the first sitcom to implement auto-tune for a theme song. True trailblazers, The Parkers intro music walked in order for That’s So Raven’s to fly. Because a couple of years after The Parkers first aired, Disney Channel used the same auto-tune and had Raven Simone sounding like T-Pain as she sang, “it’s the future I can see. It’s so mysterious to me”.

A spin-off of Moesha, The Parkers stars pre-meme era Countess Vaughn as Kim Parker. She was Moesha’s best friend and got her own series when her character went off to college. In the show, Kim is joined by her young mother, played by legendary comedian and actress Mo’Nique, who also enrolls at the same time to complete her education. The show follows their lives as not only mother and daughter, but now roommates and college cohorts.

Listening to the ad libs alone, Countess Vaugn is yelling out urban dictionary terminology like “Heeeey”, “That is cayute!”, “Daaaang momma”, and my favorite, “ouuu let’s party!”. Today, City Girls would for sure be doing the remix, period.

5) Living Single (1993-1998)

“Keep your head up, what?
Keep your head up, that’s right
Whenever this life get tough, you gotta fight
With my homegirls standing to my left and my right
True blue, it’s tight like glue”

— Queen Latifah

Another example of a successful solo artist transitioning to television. Hip-hip pioneer, Queen Latifah was coming off of her most successful album yet, Black Reign, featuring hit singles “U.N.I.T.Y.” and “Just Another Day” when she was offered the starring role of Khadijah James, editor and publisher of Flavor Magazine, an independent magazine all about the interests of the urban community. An accomplished rapper, singer, and actress, the New Jersey native did it all.

Following the lives of six young Black professionals maneuvering life in pre-gentrified Brooklyn, Living Single ran for five seasons and became one of the most popular and important TV shows of the last 30 years. Centered around sisterhood, dating, managing your career, and friendship among six very different personalities, Living Single is widely known as the show Friends stole its concept from, adding white characters, making it one of the longest running shows on TV.

If Living Single’s theme song became available for streaming, it would immediately chart. To this day people finish “Ooo in a 90s kinda world…” with “I’m glad I got my girls!”. The empowering lyrics reflect the attitude of the shows female characters who are not ashamed to be living their best single life. Even the video exudes Black womanist power with a dance solo from choreographer Leslie "Big Lez" Segar. 25 years later, that kick is still remembered.

6) Cousin Skeeter (1998-2001)

“You know how he does, and you Skeeter flows
All I wanna do is hug ya ‘cause I like your steelo
And I dig the way you move, and the way you do your thing”

— 702

I can’t tell if this is a Nickelodeon pre-teen program or a Puff Daddy music video. Platinum bubble jackets, all white suits, stage lights, background dancers, and a young Megan Good. Performing a rendition of their hit song “Steelo”, r&b group 702 remixes the song adding Skeeter’s name to the lyrics. Lusting and dancing over a puppet, the ladies are serenading him with lines like “Skeeter is what I want, Skeeter is what I need.” His puppetry aside, Skeeter is charming so the ladies attraction towards him is understandable.

Side note, 702 has one of the best Pharrell beats of all time for their song “I Still Love You”

7) Smart Guy (1997-1999)

“If I make a wrong decision it’s not the end of the world
I will reach my destination
make mistakes from A to Z
with each mistake there’s a new lesson
I can be...
(Anything you want to be!)”

This video has a freestyle rap verse, high-end fashion apparel in the form of a jersey, and the go-to dance move of this time, “The Bankhead Bounce”; the 1998 formula for success. When the Montell Jordan sounding singer croons the words “every day is a new lesson”, I felt that. The beat, the lyrics, the song is legitimately good and saying something quite important.

Bankhead Bounce

Smart Guy deserves infinite praise for 3 reasons in particular. 1) The star who plays TJ Henderson, Tahj Mowry, is the younger brother of twin actresses Tia and Tamera Mowry aka Sister, Sister. 2) Jason Weaver, who plays TJ’s older brother, is one of the most underappreciated actors of the past 30 years. Not only did he sing the role of young Simba in The Lion King movie, he played young Michael Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream so well you really believed he was him. 3) Destiny’s Child makes a cameo for an episode in which Beyoncé experiences and enjoys everyday teenage life so much that she contemplates walking away from her blossoming career to be a normal high school student and date Jason Weaver. Thank God this did not happen.

8) Kenan & Kel (1996-2000)

“Everybody out there go run and tell
Your homeboys and home girls it’s time for Kenan and Kel”

— Coolio

As you can tell, Nickelodeon was fully invested in the “urban” demographic. So much so they heard Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” and thought that he would be perfect to record the theme music for their latest young adult program. Fun fact, “Gangsta’s Paradise” is one of the best-selling singles of all time having sold over 6 million copies worldwide.

The lyrics: “Aww here it goes!”, “you gotta watch Kenan ‘cause Kenan be schemin’”, “this ain’t the Hardy Boys or a Nancy Drew mystery”. Those are great hip-hop bars that just happen to be for a teen show. The west coast G-funk instrumental is the perfect beat for Compton, California native Coolio to rhyme to. With the synthesizers, bass and strings, Snoop Dogg would have also been great on this.

Before Kenan & Kel, the trio had previously worked together on All That when Coolio appeared as a musical guest. Again, Nickelodeon was all about the urban vibe. So the trio is having the time of their life dancing around, interacting with fans at Universal Studios.

Another piece of Black History, Kel invents the popular dance “The Milly Rock” 20 years before it comes to Brooklyn, New York. It’s now so mainstream that characters can do it in the addictive video game Fortnite.

9) In the House (1995-1999)

“No diggity, no doubt baby
No diggity, no doubt
No diggity, no doubt baby
No diggity, no doubt
We in the house”

— LL Cool J

“No Diggity”, the phrase meaning “most definitely, for sure, absolutely” was popularized by the r&b group Blackstreet on their Dr. Dre produced hit of the same name and became a staple for ‘90s slang lexicon. The In The House theme song doesn’t have a verse and is only LL Cool J repeating the affirmation in his sultry deep voice. But the video, a behind the scenes photo shoot of the cast just looks really cool. Starring the one and only Ladies Love Cool James who was a superstar rapper and sex symbol before he was on NCIS, everyone is stylish and suave in all their black ensembles. Even Alphonso Ribeiro is oozing sex appeal shedding his familiar nerdy look as Carlton on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

10) The Jeffersons (1975-1985)

“Fish don’t fry in the kitchen;
Beans don’t burn on the grill.
Took a whole lotta tryin’ just to get up that hill
”

— Ja'net Dubois

A Negro spiritual, complete with a choir and church organ, “Movin on Up” is all about this Black family in the ‘70s who beat the odds and reached “The American Dream”. George Jefferson’s dry-cleaning chain had become so successful that he was able to move his wife "Weezy” (Louise) and their son from Queens to a penthouse in Manhattan. And as the song tells us, they took all of their blackness with them; fried fish, beans, and their piece of the pie thanks to a “whole lotta tuh-rying”. All of this not even a decade post-Jim Crow. Racial tension was so high in the show that the White and Black characters were still calling each other Negroes and Honkys.

Honorable Mention:

May have went too far: Cita’s World (1999-2003)

“‘Cause I’m a strong black woman!”

— Cita

Did Cita’s World play into harmful stereotypical tropes about Black women? Absolutely, she is yelling “Cause I’m a strong black woman!” while thrusting her hips and smacking her lips. But, to the shows credit, the BET video music show was the first program to feature a virtual reality Black host. So in that way it broke boundaries and should be included in the litany of Black history facts we tell kids for 28 days out of a year.

The Most Non-Black Black TV Theme Song: Family Matters (1989-1999)

“Well then there must be some magic clue inside these gentle walls
”

— "As Days Go By", Jesse Frederick

Family Matters is the Black Full House. The same way the music of Creed, Nickleback and 3 Doors Down are indistinguishable from one another, if I close my eyes and listen to “As Days Go By” and “Everywhere You Look” I could not tell you which one is for Michelle Turner and which one if for Steve Urkel. Turns out, Jesse Frederick wrote and preformed the theme music for both TV shows.

Nothing about “As Days Go By” makes you think of a Black middle-class family in Chicago. The second that old-time saloon piano plays, and Frederick’s rough cigarette tinged ‘80s soft-rock ballad voice belts out “cause all I see is a tower of dreams, real love burstin' out of every seam”, I mentally check-out.

Also, we see the grandmother sitting outside on a rocking bench reading a copy of Rolling Stone with U2 on the cover, and I have a hard time believing this. Grandma “Mother” Winslow would have definitely been reading a copy of Ebony with Luther Vandross or Anita Baker gracing the cover while smiling looking at a Colt 45 Billy Dee Williams advertisement.

Bonus: All That ft. TLC (Tek.Lun Remix)

“Now this is just an introduction before we blow your mind
The show is All of That and yes we do it all the time”

— Left Eye

Nickelodeon was so popular in the ‘90s, the network got TLC to sing the theme music for teen variety show All That. I found this remix by Baltimore producer Tek.Lun a few years ago and it has become one of my favorite songs ever since. The saxophone filled jazz instrumental and heavy 808 drums gives the already great song a creative rework. Enjoy

Discovery Zone Was Better Than Chuck E. Cheese

Founded in Kansas City, Misourri in 1998, Discovery Zone was a children's entertainment place like Chuck E. Cheese, but much better. DZ had bigger, more elaborate play structures, massive ball pits, a zipline, and zero presence of a creepy adult sized mouse mascot walking around terrorizing children.

Seriously though, Chuck-E = Chucky. You know Chucky, the serial killer doll. Stay woke y'all, stay woke.

Growing up an only child, I was on the fence about attending most of my classmates birthday parties. I liked my space. My room had all my toys, snacks, video games and I didn't have to share or put up with screams and cries. I also hated germs and most birthday parties were snot infested petri dishes. However, when I received a birthday invitation to Discovery Zone, I was all in. You could get lost in this place. I felt completely free to swing and climb and jump as much as my little heart desired. Discovery Zone's short lived slogan was, "Never The Same Fun Twice!". And this was true. Each trip to DZ, you discovered something new. Something new about the play structure, something new about your friends, and most importantly something new about yourself. Deep for a seven year old, I know. That is what this place did to you. It opened your mind to new play possibilities. That should have been the slogan actually. Anyway, this children's play utopia died abruptly in 1998. No really, it died so quick that Chuck E. Cheese (the enemy) had to take last minute party reservations from DZ customers. Live fast, die young. RIP Discovery Zone (1989-1999). Thank you for the memories.