Royal Blue’s Year-End Review of 2016
Well Royal Blue Family, another year has come and gone. All of us are one year older, one year wiser, and a few hairs grayer. What’s special about these gray hairs? It would have to be the sheer volume of them the world has collectively created, because 2016 was kinda sorta definitely a hellish year in a lot of ways. We saw many L’s in pop culture, memes misinterpreted, icons depart, and a presidential election cycle that will go down in history as the craziest ever. With nothing more certain than the passing of time, we think it’s safe to say that all of us will be counting down with a bit more eagerness on Saturday night. Regardless if you loved it or hated it, 2016 was one for the books, and here is Royal Blue’s most memorable moments.
We Saw the Loss of Many Greats
In terms of celebrity deaths, every year has a handful that can really get to the hearts of fans and remind us all the reasons we may have loved legendary icons, but 2016 had a record number of those heartbreaking losses. Unfortunately, we lost many household names from all fronts of pop culture this year. On the music front, we loss two extremely unique talents, David Bowie and Prince. When it came to names that dominated the silver screen, there were several names carried home this year. You had the original Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder; the beloved Professor Snape, Alan Rickman; and most recently Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher, along with her mother, Debbie Reynolds, following tragically the next day. The world of sports lost backyard brawler and internet sensation Kimbo Slice, the lovable and eccentric basketball journalist, Craig Sager, and the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali. But with the passing of all of these people who left huge marks in their industry, we remember them even more fondly for their great works.
Politics Was the Craziest It’s Ever Been
Everyone in the world knows just how crazy this past election cycle was. The guy no one thought would win, real estate mogul and “The Apprentice” reality TV star, Donald Trump, became President-elect of the United States after one of the messiest and ugliest presidential races ever. Very few people thought the guy with the orange tan and who joked about grabbing girls by the pussy would be the new leader of the free world, but here we are. The more time goes on, the more it seems really hard to find all the people who actually thought voting for Trump was a good idea. No matter what side of the crazy political fence you stand on, we think it’s safe to say everyone has interpreted at least a few things incorrectly this election year.
But the Music Was Lit
Despite some lame things happening, and all of us collectively wanting to forget this year happened, we did see some amazing pieces of music drop this year. Chance The Rapper solidified his position in the top tier of lyricists with his LP, “Coloring Book.” The Knowles sisters, Beyoncé and Solange, both dropped really heavy hitting studio albums in the girl-tacular “Lemonade” and the extremely woke “A Seat at the Table.” Childish Gambino proved he’s not only great at making a show, but he can also pump out one hell of a musical project with the neo-retro, “Awaken My Love!,” while Drake dropped a crazy long project with the 19-track “Views” album. And if you’re into party rap vibes, we got a slew of new autotuned young stunners hitting the scene like Lil Yachty, Lil Uzi Vert, Ugly God, and of course, the lovable Desiigner.
And It Was a Coming Out Year for Meme Culture
Now, this point can be good or bad, since everyone and their out of the loop aunt is trying to make a funny meme these days…. but you have to admit, memes being at the forefront of pop culture has created some pretty funny cultural trends that are changing snippet comedy in ways never seen before. Mr. Krabs’s confused look, Kermit the Frog’s dark side, and every politician under the sun was turned into some kind of joke with just a picture and a little internet imagination. But above all, there’s no doubt we all can thank and will forever miss Harambe the Gorilla for all that he’s done.
Yeah, 2016 was pretty crazy, in good, bad, and just straight up bizarre ways, but it’s these roller coaster events that go down on the world stage and in our personal stories that bring all the color and spice into the gift of life. So let’s face it, with all the bullshit that went down this year, there’s no doubt that 2017 is bound to be great. What was your favorite and least favorite moment of this past year? And what big plans do you have set to accomplish in 2017?