LOS ANGELES (DUNKADELIC INC.) - The "Basketball and Hip-Hop" culture fusion of the past 22 years is being called The "Dunkadelic Era" In America, 1984-Present. Its the first 'Sport and Music' defined era in
Modern American History.
1984 was the birth-year for The "Dunkadelic Era." David Stern was announced as the 4th NBA Commissioner on February 1, 1984, the NBA introduced the Slam Dunk Contest to the All-Star Weekend gala, Spalding became the official basketball of the NBA (1983-84), Georgetown wins the 1984 NCAA Championship led by John Thompson (the first African American head-coach to win an NCAA Basketball Championship), Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin form Def Jam Records, RUN-DMC releases their debut album "RUN-DMC", Kurtis Blow releases the hit rap song "Basketball", the "Fresh Fests" was first major hip-hop concert tour in America, Michael Jordan is drafted by the Chicago Bulls and signs with Nike to produce the "Air Jordan" sneakers and, LeBron James (December 30) and Carmelo Anthony (May 29) were both born in 1984.
The 2006-07 basketball season has extra historical relevance. Adding the numbers 1-9-8-4 equals the number 22. In the year 2007, the 23rd year of the era, the 'Greatest' player ever, Michael Jordan, wore the No 23 and the NBA had 23 teams back in 1984 (no Charlotte, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota, N.O./Okla. City, Orlando, or Toronto).
Each of the 22 years have been given a headline title name that symbolize important events of that year. The "Top 5" years of the era were 1984, 88, 92, 96, and 2003. 1988-2003 will be remembered as the 'Golden Age' of The "Dunkadelic Era."
1984-2006 Year By Year, Time-line:
1984- "Air Jordan" and the Def Jam Remix
1985- The King of Rock and the "Hoya Paranoia"
1986- "My Adidas" and the MJ Playoff Record 63
1987- "Showtime" Gets Paid In Full, and the Doctor Makes His Last House-Call
1988- The Greatest Year of All-Time for the NBA and Hip-Hop
1989- "Gangsta Rap" & the Bad Boys of Motown
1990- The Runnin' Rebels of Hip-Hop College Basketball
1991- 2Pac and the "Fab 5" Come Alive
1992- The Jordan Repeat, Shaq Fu, and the Day of "Dr. Dre"
1993- I'm Not a Role Model for Basketball or Hip-Hop
1994- "The Year Hip-Hop was Reborn"
1995- Return of "Air Jordan" and the East Coast vs. West Coast Feud
1996- Here Comes "The Answer" and the Death of a Hip-Hop Icon
1997- "Life After Death" and MJ Becomes Lord of the Rings
1998- "The Shot" and the Hard Knock Life
1999- "Bling Bling" Becomes the New Thing
2000- Kobe & Shaq Bling Rings and Talk a Little "Country Grammar"
2001- The Answer Has "The Blue Print" to Win the NBA MVP
2002- Nelly Raps About His "Air Force Ones", Kobe & Shaq Three-Peat
2003- "Air Jordan" and Jay-Z Says Goodbye, "King James" and 50-Cent Says Hello
2004- Motor City Pistons "Brush Their Shoulder's Off"
2005- NBA Dress Code, LeBron, D-Wade, and Melo Make Some Noise
2006- D-Wade & Shaq Bring the Heat, "Witness" King James, and Kobes' 81
2007- To Be Continued...
2009 will be the 25th Anniversary year of The "Dunkadelic Era" In America.
The "25 All-Time Most Influencial Lists" of The "Dunkadelic Era" In America, 1984-Present
1. Allen Iverson (The Answer is No 1), 2. Nike (Freestyle and Just Do It), 3. Michael Jordan (Air Jordans from 1-21), 4. RUN-DMC (The Kings of Hip-Hop), 5. Dr. J (The Godfather of Basketball), 6. SLAM Magazine (1st magazine dedicated to basketball and hip-hop), 7. Shaquille O'Neal (Introduced hip-hop to the NBA), 8. Adidas (Shell-toes are a hip-hop classic), 9. Jay-Z (The 'Greatest' rapper alive) , 10. "Fab 5" of Michigan (Bald heads and black socks), 11. Georgetown Hoyas 1983-85 (Hoya Nikes), 12. Reebok (Signed AI and Jay-Z), 13. Russell Simmons (The Godfather of Hip-Hop), 14. UNLV Runnin' Rebels 1989-91("Gansta Rap" College Basketball), 15. Kurtis Blow (Were Playin' Bas-ket-ball), 16. Kevin Garnett (Made the jump from H.S. to the Pros), 17. Nelly (Talkin' bout my "Air Force Ones"), 18. And One (Streetball and the Mix Tape Tour), 19. LeBron, Carmelo, and D-Wade (The future of "Basketball and Hip-Hop"), 20. Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. (In death they give us life) , 21. The Source Magazine (Hip-hop culture bible), 22. Rasheed Wallace (The Chuck D of the NBA), 23. Dime Magazine (Now we got 2 b-ball hip-hop mags), 24. Kobe Bryant (Hate or love him), 25. David Stern (Still the man in charge).
The complete time-line booklet that details each year of The "Dunkadelic Era" In America, 1984-present will be available to teachers, counselors, and professors for classroom discussions and educational purposes on urban culture. See contact information below.
For more information, interview requests, time-line booklets, or for student presentations on The "Dunkadelic Era" In America, please contact "Basketball and Hip-Hop" Guru, Derrick E. Vaughan at 443-851-5244.
