When I started out as a music journalist, at the end of the 1980s, it was generally assumed that we were living through the lamest music era the world would ever see. But those were also the years when hip-hop exploded, beatbox disco soared, indie rock took off, and new wave invented a language of teen angst.

Summary

This quote highlights the paradoxical nature of the music scene in the late 1980s. While many people believed it to be a lackluster era for music, it was also a time of incredible artistic growth and genre-defining movements. The quote emphasizes the emergence of hip-hop, beatbox disco, indie rock, and new wave as influential genres that challenged expectations and brought fresh perspectives to the musical landscape. It serves as a reminder that a period that may be dismissed by some as unremarkable can, in fact, be a breeding ground for groundbreaking creativity and innovation.