Why 2024 is Feeling Like a Throwback
2024: The year where everything old is new again.
Did you know you can reuse the calendars from 1996 and 2024 are identical? Both years began on a Monday and are leap years featuring 366 days.
Even if you’ve wanted to avoid the news and mass media, it’s been pretty hard to avoid what’s trending in current New York City news. 2024 is giving major ‘90s vibes and New York City is the main character. What’s going on right now with Sean “Diddy” Combs, the music industry, and the current political climate in New York City isn’t anything new. All of the disturbing truths that are being revealed have always been right under our nose in plain sight.
Let’s start with politics because nothing says the ‘90s like a corruption scandal.
David Dinkins was NYC’s first Black mayor and served from 1990-1994. He lost his race for re-election in 1993 to Rudy Giuliani who served as Mayor of New York City from 1994-2001. Giuliani demonized nightlife under the guise of “improving quality of life.” He enforced archaic cabaret laws that were put in place back in 1926 to regulate nightclubs.
Under the Cabaret Act, any place open to the public that sells food or drinks, alcoholic or not, including “pubs, taverns, and discos,” are required to obtain a license if they want to allow dancing in the establishment.
Today’s politics ain’t nothing new.
Giuliani also instructed the New York City Police Department to aggressively target businesses connected to organized crime, including the Fulton Fish Market and the Javits Center which were both tied to the Gambino crime family. By dismantling the mob's control of waste management, the city saved local businesses more than $600 million. Giuliani’s back in the headlines, but not exactly in the way he hoped (he’s been barred from practicing law in New York and Washington DC.
Mayor Eric Adams (Mayor Nightlife as I like to call him), now the second Black mayor to serve in NYC after Dinkins, is in a whole hot mess of scandals and bribery along with his staff and affiliates. This week ended with 57-page indictment. (Click that if you want to read all those pages of his 5-count indictment. I’m just here to give a brief overview so I can get back to the music). Adams became the first sitting mayor in the city's history to face criminal charges.
➡️ Thirty years later and we’re seeing similar themes. The controversy surrounding law enforcement, criminal justice reform, and how to best handle rising crime rates mirrors the discussions of 1994, as New York City tries to balance safety and civil liberties. The ‘90s were a breeding ground for political corruption, and here we are again, watching the same drama play out. This time with new names in the credits.
RICO charges were the go-to legal strategy for taking down the mob back in the 90s.
Today they’ve pivoted to the music industry with high-profile celebrities being tied to gang affiliations and criminal organizations. Music moguls and high-powered executives facing trials and courtroom drama feels eerily similar to what we experienced a few decades ago. Remember the RICO charges against Wu-Tang?
Now here’s someone who has something in common with Mayor Adams — Sean “Diddy” Combs, who’s also been indicted on federal charges in New York. Diddy can now call himself Inmate 37452-054 while he’s at Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, with no release date after being denied bail due to potential flight risk amongst other things. He was arrested on September 17th in a Manhattan hotel. Some of the charges he was arrested for include sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation for prostitution.
Diddy’s ex-bodyguard claimed Diddy’s arrest is tied to the corruption scandal plaguing New York City politics. Over the last couple weeks, New York City officials under the Adams Administration have resigned have in the midst of a federal investigation, including the NYPD Commissioner and the Chief Legal Counsel to the city.
Oh… and I called it! Keep reading and watching!
Gene Deal Reveals Politicians Are In Diddy's Freak Off Tapes & Feds Secret Investigation. (This was 4 days before Eric Adams got indicted).
Anyway… how about those Knicks?
On a lighter note, sports and entertainment are riding the wave of nostalgia. It feels like the early days of Patrick Ewing all over again with the Knicks in the Playoffs, and renewing hope for basketball in the city,
Kicking off the month on October 2 is Joker: Folie a Deux, a sequel to Joaquin Phoenix's award-winning Joker. October 11th is the release date for The Apprentice, a biographical drama featuring Stan as young Donald Trump during his early years as a real estate businessman in New York. Venom: The Last Dance is set for release on October 25.
The world was changing back in the 90s, but not as rapidly as today. The 90s was the start of the digital age—AOL chatrooms, the rise of the internet, and cable TV dominance. In 2024, we’re at a similar turning point with AI, virtual reality, and streaming platforms revolutionizing pop culture. The way the internet changed entertainment and communication in the ‘90s is how today's technological advancements are pushing us into a new age.
At the end of it all… New York City seems like it thrives in chaos. It’s like a toxic relationship between the city and all who live and visit there. Now, as we find ourselves navigating today’s challenges—politically, socially, and culturally—it’s no surprise that the ‘90s are coming back, bringing with them the good, the bad, and the baggy.