I was driving my car listening to the 90s station on XM radio and Do me by BBD came on. I immediately reverted back to my 14 year old self and sang at the top of my lungs despite the protest from my 7 year old. All of the memories came flooding right back as if it were yesterday.
One memory in particular stood out. I remember how my friends and I stayed in my backyard practicing our dance routine to this song for weeks. We wanted to have it perfected so that when song finally came on at the school dance we could kill it! We practiced daily until we were sweaty, tired, and hungry. After practice we had to talk about how we were going to get matching outfits so that we could really be dope. I was the artistic one so I took the overalls and did the Clorox/puff paint/razor blading so we could look like we just stepped off the video set.
Thinking about that made me realize none of my friends were overweight. Why? Maybe it’s because we had great music that commanded us to dance! I think the whole dance routine phase lasted up until Snoop dropped the Chronic. After that we just wanted to be fake gangsta. The whole new jack swing era was about dance routines. If you didn’t have a crew with names and possibly jackets you were wack! We probably stayed out of trouble because we were to busy trying to re-create every scene from House Party or trying to be the Fly Girls from In Living Color.
Kids these days don’t dance. I mean every now and then they will get a song that has a dance attached to it but they don’t have that discipline. Like sitting down and actually choreographing and counting out a routine. I think IF they did, maybe we wouldn’t have to fight them to be active and healthy. When you sweat you naturally want water. Boom, problem solved. You are not begging your kids to drink water. You don’t have to worry about where they are and what they are doing because they are in your back yard or recreation room, or friend’s house practicing their routine.
I long for the days of Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation, Guy, Bobby Brown, New Edition, and I could really go on. Good music really makes the difference in kids lives. So what TLC made us wear condoms on their clothes, at least we were just wearing them and not doing activities that warranted their use. We were to busy dancing.
What is a whip and nae nae anyway???
Phnewfula 
Church, temple and tabernacle. I still remember our routine to Rhythm Nation. 5,4,3,2..1. The only dance I see these days where people actually have to move a lil’ something is the Kwan. The Quan? I’m old. Google it.
I think I’m to scared to google that lol Man, I think our dance routine to Good Vibrations might have been the best one ever! lolol
So true! I remember practicing Janet’s Rhythm Nation routine til lwe had it down! Even in high school, we were coming up with dances for Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody” for halftime at the football games. Kids don’t dance these days. The music is slow and doesn’t say anything of substance.