A Millennial’s Guide To VH1’s “The Breaks”

VH1’s The Breaks took viewers for a twirl in a time machine when it debuted Monday (Jan. 4), giving a glimpse into the ’90s state of the hip-hop music business.

The film touches on everything from shady label antics to rap breaking down the political walls of radio and the never-ending gender divide. But to the average millennial, The Breaks might be the equivalent to walking through a very hip museum.

The Tristan “Mack” Wilds-starring movie takes place in 1990—technology was still analog, fashion very colorful (shout out to Karl Kani). Sure, some bits have held up over time, and with Urban Outfitters’ sudden interest in cassettes and vinyl, audible relics are making their way back into our everyday hipster presence.

But other artifacts, excavated from throwback hip-hop music and culture, went the way of dinosaurs. Wondering what’s the deal with beepers? Genius bridges the gap with a glossary of terms from The Breaks, plus rap songs in which they’re mentioned.

High-top fade: The opening scene of The Breaks shows a guy nodding along to Audio Two’s “Top Billin”—he sports this era-defining haircut that stands tall and fades out toward the bottom. The most popular variation is called the Gumby, a slanted style that resembles the vintage claymation character for which it’s named.

My feet are firmly planted on the concrete
High-top fade, with no need for a blonde streak
—“Ace in the Hole,” 3rd Bass Feat. K.M.D.

Walkman: As Nikki heads up to Fouray Management, she carries this gigantic gadget in her hand. Before your phone contained your entire music library, Sony reinvented the wheel with the Walkman. The then-handy portable device played cassette tapes.

The simple sounds you hear in your Walkman when joggin
Or toboggan down the hill with a few minutes to kill
You flipped in the tape you just barely escaped
That tree in your way
—“The One,” Chubb Rock

Beeper: Long before Snapchat and Whatsapp, this device was the primary way to communicate with your people remotely. You’d dial a phone number and when prompted input a numerical message that was received by this accessory (also called a pager). That number would appear on the recipient’s beeper and “beep” when it arrived. The easiest way to spot a beeper carrier was via the clip clasped onto a pants pocket.

Well I’m peepin, and I’m creepin, and I’m creep-in
But I damn near got caught, cause my beeper kept beepin
—“Nuthin' But a ‘G’ Thang,” Dr. Dre Feat. Snoop Dogg

Cowrie shell: Once used as currency in Africa, cowrie shells originate from sea snails. During the ’90s, conscious hip-hop heads would rock cowrie shells as necklaces, on pendants, and even attached to the tips of braids and locks.

They say money’s the root of all evil but I can’t tell
You know what I mean, pesos, francs, yens, cowrie shells, dollar bills
Or is it the mindstate that’s ill?
—“Thieves in the Night,” Black Star

Flip-up shades: A very dapper gentleman wears these outside of the club scene—they appear to be two pairs of glasses on his face. Actually, it’s one pair with two sets of lenses attached: one clear, one for the sun. Later, they’d come to be known as “Dwayne Wayne” glasses, named for Kadeem Hardison’s character on A Different World.

Door-knocker earrings: These enormous clusters of gold—made to resemble the brass contraption hanging from front doors used for knocking—dangle from the ears of ladies dancing in the club. Unlike bamboo earrings—rounded gold jewelry with girls’ names in them—these are twice the size and three times as heavy.

Live chicks be asses bustin out of they clothes
Wearing lip gloss, big door knockers peeling they earlobes
—“Doo Rags,” Nas

“My Wiz”: This is the title D Rome uses to refer to Nikki. It’s short for wisdom, a term used to describe black women in the Nation of Gods And Earths (or Five Percent Nation). A Wiz is typically the girlfriend of the man (called the “Knowledge”). So D Rome is suggesting that Nikki is bae, basically.

I be your knower, you be my Wiz
I’m your Mister, you my Misses with hugs and kisses
—“You’re All I Need,” Method Man Feat. Mary J. Blige

Dashiki: During the lead battle scene, rapper Imam Ali (played by Phonte) dons this multi-colored cloth, which originates in West Africa. Much like the Africa pendant, dashikis were rocked by conscious heads as a nod to the motherland.

I get six hundred off yo' skinny ass weekly
You’ll get all them righteous hoes in that dashiki
—“A Film Called (Pimp),” Common Feat. MC Lyte and Bilal

Herringbone necklace: In that same battle scene (in which rapper Torae is getting his ass handed to him by Ahm), Torae rocks this flattish gold chain. While dookie rope chains personified the ’80s, the herringbone was the neckpiece of the early ’90s.

Then they took us to a man named Gus in a store
He put us down with a herringbone and shoes galore
— “Jus Lyke Compton,” DJ Quik

Floppy disk: Before jump drives and iCloud, data was saved and transported via these flat pieces of plastic; DeeVee (played by Mack Wilds) inserts one into his beat machine. Their storage is very limited, so floppies were yet another relatively bulky appliance to carry around for the love of music.

Boy you can’t see me, I’m thicker than fog, so
save that drama, here’s a floppy disk
—“Hittin' Switches,” Erick Sermon