On a typical weekday night, I find myself sitting on the second floor of Julian dreading homework. I think of an adequate way to procrastinate, one that would take up a decent amount of time and would not make me feel so guilty for unsuccessfully getting ahead on the piling work to come.
I immediately think back to an earlier, easier time in all of our lives. A time in which the realities of the real world weren't knocking on the doors of our future, nor were we worrying about becoming the cheap "young-adults" that most of us are. "Final exams" had not yet breached our vocabulary.
This time was the late ‘90s to early 2000s, a period of care free living, learning and lounging. Most of us were experiencing our last years of being a pre-teen, and becoming the big deals that we thought we were as middle school students.
This was also a time of a very diverse and significant emergence of musical artists and bands. Some simply broke into the social scene of society for the first time, while others rose to fame and left their imprints on the music industry forever. Either way, it is hard not to look back at these bands with a smile, while recollecting the energetic and mellow moods that were once so easy to attain.
Speaking of energy, it is tough not to immediately think of what has become an all time favorite of mine (and I'm sure of many of you): the fun punk trio of Blink 182. The summer of 1999 featured one of the most popular albums of our youth, "Enema of the State." Songs such as "What's My Age Again," "All the Small Things" and "Adam's Song" were included on this disc and quickly made their way into the hearts of music lovers nationwide. Even today, there are probably few of their songs that most students can't recite by heart. Though each member is now in their late 30's, Blink 182 will always bring a unique energy to music that is hard to duplicate.
Whether you know him as Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers or Rabbit from "8 Mile," Eminem has become a worldwide sensation and a true legend in the rap industry. At age 39 (believe it or not, 39) he still performs today, having released his last album "Recovery" in 2010.
Slim Shady was the first taste of vulgar music for most fans our age, showing us a side of music that many had not heard before. Between singing about drunk driving and suicide in "Stan" to calling out Christina Alguilera and other celebrities for their sexual "experience," Eminem didn't shy away from much. Like it or not, "The Marshall Mathers LP" went on to sell almost 2 million copies in its first week in 2000, becoming the fastest-selling hip-hop album in American history.
Some may not be the biggest fan of him, but it is undeniable that Eminem made an impact on all of our musical tastes at that point. For some, it opened the door to an exploited world of expletives in music and shut the door on the rap genre forever for others.
It would be tough and unjust to go through a recollection of our youth without bringing up the one hit wonders that rocked our radios for years. Who could forget songs like "Who Let the Dogs Out?" by none other than the Baha Men, or "MMMBop" by Hanson. Then there are the songs you will hear at any type of dance, such as Lou Bega's "Mambo #5" or some that might not be so appropriate in public, such as J-Kwon's "Tipsy."
Between acts like The White Stripes, Ludacris, Britney Spears and Third-Eye Blind, it's tough not to look back on our musical youth with a laugh or smile. Take some much-needed time out of your finals preparation to enjoy a few tunes and remember the care free world we lived to the fullest.
—Easterhouse is a freshman from Evergreen Park, Ill., majoring in communications.
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