Culture: the customs, arts, social institutions, and achievements of a particular nation, people, or other social groups.
Where does culture begin? And what is the pivotal moment that happens that inevitably sparks an entire movement?
After really thinking about it, here are lots of things today (trends, products, mindsets, etc.) that can be traced back to a single defining moment that shifted our way of thinking forever.
On its face, that seems simple, right? An event or “thing” happened that led to customs/fashion/art, and more that we love. However, after looking at this deeper, you begin to notice there are a ton of moments that get overlooked.
I call these overlooked moments “Big Bangs”
I’ve witnessed lots of these moments, and I’m sure you have too; especially, If you’ve grown up around black culture or have lived in Atlanta for the past 10ish years.
“Big Bangs” happen all of the time, and many young black creators since America’s inception, and likely before that, have seen their influence get attributed to other parties or not fairly compensated.
Jalaiah Harmon, for example, created the “Renegade” dance that took over TikTok during the pandemic. Luckily, she was able to receive her just due.
Kayla Newman gave the world a new word when she said “On Fleek” but someone else trademarked it. I think Future said it best:
Issa evil world we live in *Future Voice*
Examples like the one above are the actual moments — often overlooked but incredibly crucial to how we move in society today. The Renegade dance effectively showed Tiktok’s impact not only on Gen Z but culture in general.
New slang like Kayla’s spurred a ton of new songs and even had brands jump on board to capture (read: steal) some of the spotlight.
I could elaborate more, but I think Dwight Schrute from The Office said it best:
“I know how to build a business. You gotta’ get the black people to do it in order to to get the white people to do it. Then you gotta’ get the black people to stop doing it.”
— Dwight Schrute, The Office
— TyreeBP (@TyreeBP) July 24, 2018
When you pair this with the tendency we have to fall victim to the “Cult of the Charismatic leader,” an idea loosely describing cultural shifts largely being the a bi-product of charismatic leaders (often white males) influencing their will upon the world, it’s easy to see why we never talk about the “real moments” that jumpstart a culture.
For the next few posts, I’m gonna break down a few of my favorite “Big Bangs” & how they shifted the world.
If that sounds interesting, keep reading on and I’ll break down the science.
DEFINING BIG BANGS
The creation of Black Hollywood
A few years ago, some friends & I were discussing the shifts in Atlanta culture and began wondering…
When did it stop becoming “cool” to drive old school chevy’s? (see below, for example)
And, At what point did we go from being in shadow of New York to Black Hollywood?
After mulling it over for a bit, we realized that the change happened during a 2-3 year period, around 2005 when the nightlife scene shifted in Atlanta; And one thing remains true: when you change the nightlife of the city, you change everything about from fashion to food.
See, in 2005, popular nightclubs like 112 were closing, and after years of Crunk music being the soundtrack for tearing the club up, trap music was taking the reins. On an underground level, new organizations began to shift the culture on nightlife and brought their fashion influences with them. And, with Shirley Franklin as the mayor, change was becoming evident.
This is all goes without mentioning that Hartsfield Jackson officially became the busiest airport in the world at this time – which one can infer means that more people were moving into the city/out of the city and leaving bits of their culture here as well.
The point I’m making is that 2005 was the Big Bang of Black Hollywood. Notice the style in this video below. After the “Big Bang” these clothes were no longer in style.
And before you ask:
Yes, all the clothes were too big. Yes, we are ashamed.
After ‘05, suddenly it wasn’t a flex to drive a box chevy’s. If you REALLY had money you drove a foreign car.
After ‘07, real style wasn’t oversized t-shirts and xxl jeans anymore. It was Italian designers like Gucci & Louis Vuitton with a tailored fit.
These shifts happened because of a single movement in a very short window of time where when the right ingredients are present they change the world. These are big bangs that happen in culture. And they start with something called a singularity.
BIG BANGS START WITH A SINGULARITY
A singularity is defined as a moment that causes everything to happen. the Big Bang which created life as we know it started with a singularity — an excitable moment that turned into a universe teaming with life and endless possibilities.
The spread of Culture works much in that same way as our universe’s Big Bang. Small powerful moments create a singularity which then explodes into a giant shift in the way we live life.
Seems obvious right? The iPhone. The invention of Facebook. I could go on.
And granted, the iPhone itself was a thing. But what made it a phenomenon? Some would say it’s Steve Jobs iconic unveiling during Apple Day.
EYE say that it’s Soulja Boy championing the brand new iPhone an iPhone, which Steve Jobs personally delivered to him, because even he knew, especially as someone with roots in advertising, that the product is only as good as the story you build around it.
Soulja Boy effectively humanized the iPhone by showing potential users that he was ahead of the curve by owning one and creating apps with it. His co-sign was the singularity which effectively caused the iPhone’s Big Bang.
WHAT CONDITIONS ARE NECESSARY FOR A BIG BANG?
MAGNETIC LEADER(s): When trends are in place for a while, and an overhaul is due, an Innovator, or crew of innovators, usually appears who has the vision for something different. When the world of computing got mundane. BOOM. Steve Jobs revolutionized computers.When New York rap became stagnant. BOOM. Atlanta creates snap music and dominates the culture for the next decade.
UNIQUE PROMISE: The product itself isn’t enough to create a singularity, it has to come with a promise — on that can be fulfilled by the magnetic leader. Going back to the iPhone example, the innovation of a touch screen phone is great but but when paired with the vision of the magnetic leader? Amazing things happen.
STAGNANT CULTURE: Stagnation in culture is just a fact of life — new trends will eventually become too trendy, the greatest tv shows will soon be old news, and the most exclusive restaurants eventually become less upscale etc. When the culture stagnates, it’s a sign that change is bound to happen soon.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A BIG BANG?
When a big bang happens it creates a dominant culture. Again, in the iPhone example, the big bang caused the iPhone to become a status symbol; everyone and they momma bought one.
And from the dominant culture new sub-cultures spring up. Entire industries get built around customization/innovation and communities form to keep the culture intact while its growth simultaneously causes it to become watered down (just in time for another cultural reset i.e. the next “Big Bang”
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
In the next few posts, I’m gonna start breaking down pivotal moments in culture, that sparked movements that changed pop culture today.
If you’d like to follow along, I’d love for you to subscribe!
