Skip to main content

Noughties Appreciation: Year 2001

Click for all the episodes of Noughties Appreciation.

Well, this for me was the defining year of the decade. We all know why. Can't even really remember what else happened in 2001. I vow to go on a mission to find out though. Here goes:

From what I remember personally, I didn't enjoy year 2001 as much as the previous year - anywhere near it in fact. Maybe down to year 2000 being the year I/we looked forward to for so long, and it was billed as some sort of special year (Y2K, Millenium Bug etc.). It was also the first time I was old enough to remember entering a new decade which gave it some extra sentimental value.

Highlight musically would have to be So Solid reaching number 1 in the UK charts without compromising. I mean they were rapping about a variety of things including guns and both using and selling drugs on TOTP(can you believe it? lol). Note to producers: put a catchy melody in the instumental, catchy chorus, catchy delivery of lyrics and you can get away with saying anything or nothing (Bob Teh Builder, "Blue Da Ba Dee", Flo-Rida songs etc.).



Where was Mega them times? Asher's doing his verse.

21 Seconds is still one of the most creative and best inroduction song by a whole crew. It was good to hear how each member interpreted the song a different way, brought varied individuality through flows and personality enabling you to become a fan of one/few in 21 Seconds (12 bars). All of which ultimately displayed the diversity of the greatest UK crew, EVER! My top 3 =

#3. Asher D.
#2. Megaman
#1. "2 multiplied by 10 plus 1 Romeo dun" Romeo's entrance was hype as well. Walked in with "Turn up da bassline..." hand-in-hand with bass that wasn't there before.

And my golly what an epic video!!!



Who's going to lie and say they never attempted the dance the man does with his hand down his trousers?

For once, we had something to match the flashy US videos. I'm not gonna lie, I rebuked/was fully offended by the inital comparisons to Wu-Tang Clan as PR, however, now when I look back I can't disagree.

UK pop battle of the year was Kylie's Can't Get You Out Of My Head vs. Victoria Beckham featuring Dane Bowers 'Out Of Your Mind'



What a bagga rubbish! To think I actually thought this was better than Kylie's classic. Kylie won, and deservedly so. 2nd Victoria loss in consecutive years, first being to Spiller featuring Sophie Ellis-Bextor - Groovejet.

US side of things, we all remember the well-documented battle between Jay and Nas.

I was conversing with one of my good friends the other day about that battle. It was weird because Nas was my favourite rapper prior to the battle whereas his was always Jay-Z. I never got the fascination with Jay. He can spit, create songs etc. but his personality and subject matter wasn't endearing to me. Either way, at the time we were too young/didnt have the knowledge to know how well-respected both were in New York

Now we go to the battle. An excuse to hear two hip hop heavyweights at the time/greatest to ever do it trade bars toe-to-toe



vs



Truly epic moment in not only recent hip hop history, but the genre full stop. Both records lived up to the height of the great rappers they were. Neither was really noted for battle rapping to the wider public as far as I know. A whole bunch of quotables in both tracks.

I thought Nas won it back then. The fact that Jay-Z cried on radio shows Jay was hurt. Many were writing the obiturary's for Nas, that haymaker. If I'm honest, I believe Jay had the better track. Takeover was based on facts of Nas' career, Ether was childish playground disses. I feel it was more because Nas was written off and the underdog who came out hard why he won that.

Coincidentally, both produced a classic album each, Nas Stillmatic and Jay-Z's Blueprint. Another confession, I never felt Blueprint back then. "H to da Izzo" was and still is one of my favourite tracks. After the battle, I became anti-Jay. Appreciate it now so it's all good.

Two of the best R&B albums of the decade were released this year. Jagged Edge's J. E. Heartbreat and Usher's 8701 got spun like nobodies business. Missy Elliott's Miss E. Misdemeanour dropped this year, featured the infecutious Get Ur Freak On.

Commercial side, Ja Rule & Ashanti/Murder Inc ran tings.

My fave out of all was (still is in fact). Rate this track so highly



Ashanti followed that up with Foolish and self-titled debut. All the girls loved her. Jury was out on whether she was much of a looker though. Remember the sideburns comments?

Remember when everyone pitched Ashanti against Tweet? Where is Tweet now, I rated her. This song was BIG! Timbo with the ragga influence



Oh speaking of one-hit wonders (ok, Tweet wasn't really a one-hit wonder but still), Sunshine Anderson had one of the baddest tunes in Heard It All Before.



On topic of R&B singers, 2001 saw the passing of Aaliyah. Bank Holiday weekend (UK) in August on her way back from the Bahamas after completing Rock The Boat video. What a tune!



Jennifer Lopez was the hottest chick in the game. Scored her first UK #1 with Love Don't Cost a Thing. My fave J-Lo song was the controversial I'm Real with Ja Rule (and guest vocals by Ashanti). Still gets reloads on decks when I'm 'ere.

Mary J made her biggest track to date in Family Affair.

Biggest selling single in the UK was Shaggy's It Wasn't Me.

World News

As I said, 2001 set the precendence for the rest of the decade. We really entered a different time post 9/11. I'd go as far as saying the noughties started in '01. Fear and big brother state begun.

January 20 – George W. Bush succeeds Bill Clinton, becoming the 43rd President of the United States.

February 20 – The 2001 UK foot and mouth crisis begins.

May 13 – Silvio Berlusconi and the Italian House of the Liberties coalition win the general elections.

May 23 – Bayern München wins the UEFA Champions League.

June 7 – Tony Blair's Labour Party wins the United Kingdom general election.

June 20 – Pervez Musharraf becomes President of Pakistan after the resignation of Muhammad Rafiq Tarar.

July 19 – UK politician and novelist Jeffrey Archer is sentenced to 4 years in prison for perjury and perverting the course of justice.

September 6 – United States v. Microsoft: The United States Justice Department announces that it no longer seeks to break up software maker Microsoft, and will instead seek a lesser antitrust penalty.

September 11 – Almost 3,000 are killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks at the World Trade Center in New York City; the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia; and in rural Shanksville, Pennsylvania after American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 crash into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, and United Airlines Flight 93 crashes into a grassland in Shanksville.

September 18 – The 2001 anthrax attacks commence as letters containing anthrax spores are mailed from Princeton, New Jersey to ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, the New York Post, and the National Enquirer. 22 in total are exposed; 5 of them die.

October 7 – War in Afghanistan (2001–present): The United States invades Afghanistan, with participation from other nations.

October 26 – U.S. President George W. Bush signs the USA PATRIOT Act into law.

December 2 – Enron files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection 5 days after Dynegy cancels a US$8.4 billion buyout bid (to that point, the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history).

December 12 – Roy Whiting is found guilty of murdering Sarah Payne at Lewes Crown Court. The trial judge recommends that Whiting should never be released.

December 22 – A Paris–Miami, Florida flight is diverted to Boston, Massachusetts after passenger Richard Reid attempts to set his shoe, filled with explosives, on fire.

TV in 2001

January 18 - Channel 4 launches E4, a digital entertainment channel, at 8.15pm.

January 22 - News at Ten returns to ITV, having been axed two years earlier. It is once again presented by Trevor McDonald.

March 26 - WCW Monday Nitro airs it's final show from Panama City Beach, Florida with a simulcast with the WWF's (Now WWE's) Monday Night RAW television show, officially ending a six year ratings battle in professional wrestling known as the Monday Night Wars.

March 28 - My Wife and Kids premieres on ABC (2001-2005). Care not, I loved this show

May 14 - Moesha (1996-2001) Once again, another big show on Ni ni-ni-ni ni-ni ni-nick (Nickelodeon).

August 11 - ITV in the UK changes its name to ITV1, due to the growing number of other ITV services, including ITV2, ITV Digital, and the ITV Sport Channel, which launches on the same day.

September 3 - One on One premieres on UPN (2001-2006) Kyla Pratt, nothing else

September 15 - Live & Kicking (1993-2001). This was the program when I was a kid. First presenters I remember were Emma Noble and Andy Peters. 081 811 8181 times!!! Cost me money (if I had it) on them foolish competitions for Super Nintendo that were never won by people in London (that's what I told myself). Was long since dead at this time

October 5 - Pop Idol premieres in the UK on ITV1; the talent contest becomes an international phenomenon as dozens of countries crown their own Idols (2001-2003). Won by Will Young. Deservedly so.

December 22 - The pilot for Harry Hill's TV Burp is aired on ITV1. The first full series is shown from November next year. Never knew this started back then.

December 25 - Only Fools and Horses returns for the first of three Christmas specials after previously ending in 1996. The special (If They Could See Us Now) gets 21.35 million viewers, the UK's highest rated show in both 2001 and the entire decade as of 2007.

Source: Wikipedia

I'm not a film guy, so I'm not able to do that aspect any justice.

For films check wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_in_film

Said I'll do it in installments but I was extra busy. I vow to do 1 day for each section (TV, music, world events) at least a few of these.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Marvin Sparks x Raekwon interview

Wu-Tang's in-house "Chef" better known as Raekwon proved he is still a force to be mentioned alongside the hottest rappers in the hip hop game with the release of Only Built For Cuban Linx... pt. II - sequel to his 1995 debut album. Marvin Sparks caught up with the hip hop legend to discuss rapping for drug dealers, people caring "more about stats than raps", his inclusion in MTV's Top 10 Hottest Rappers list, and converting to Islam. Marvin Sparks: It has been almost fifteen years since the first Only Built For Cuban Linx, an album that was a 5-mic classic when The Source magazine held weight. Why did you decide make a sequel?

Why Cheetah Woods, whhyyyy?!?!?!

We must all know about the predator nyamin woman (no bowcat reference intended - or am I lying? *shudders*). Anyone heard the voicemail he left for the girl he's been PARrin (there was a golf reference there) his wife with? Easy now my selekta as we rinse some tunes for di one name Tiger. Man like him doesn't know how to play. (By The Endz not Ruff Sqwad) How you gonna leave a voicemail for a girl with your real name at the beginning? Do you want to be held to ransom? Man from 'the ends' know (in the words of Kano) "That's slippin'!" And when isht hits the fan (like it has) he's buggered. Not something I deal in but surely the point of cheating is for an assortment of ladies. All his ones look the same; blonde, no breast nor batty. Rachel Uchitel bawlin at the scene of 9/11 where her man (fiancee/boyfriend/husband) died The chick whose sold his voicemail on and can be heard above The wifey (why cheat on her with the ones above I'll never kno

Remember When Riddims Were King

Before you read, thank you for your interest and hope you enjoy. I actually fleshed it out into a book. You can get your copy from www.nolongstories.com   Now for what you came here for... When Riddims Were King 23rd May 2020 will be remembered in history for one of the most epic events in one of our universe's darkest times. We will never forget the night dancehall kings and former extremely heated rivals, Beenie Man and Bounty Killer, battled on the Verzuz platform built by hall-of-fame producers, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. An unfiltered, 360-degree view on Jamaican dancehall events was showcased; DJ’s and dancing (Beenie Man’s daughter Desha Ravers) to deejay’s clashing on the same riddims. The latter elements provided the jewels in the night’s highlight reel, and undoubtedly the best thing to happen on the Verzuz series. Word spread like guava jelly within the dancehall community and Jamaican diaspora upon announcement. Not only was it a clash between the longest and fier