In the music
- Hackney's Shut Up & Dance were two hip hop fans who preferred rave's energy, making anthems like 5,6,7,8 and £10 To Get In. After putting clips of rock crooner Marc Cohn into Ravin I'm Ravin they not only drew attention to new issues on sampling, they scored a massive hit.
- End Of The Road by Boyz II Men had 13 consecutive weeks at the US No.1, ending a 36-year record previously held by Elvis Presley. However Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You capped this in 1993.
- On the dancehall scene, everyone's doing the bogle. Chaka Demus & Pliers join up with Sly & Robbie and release the international hit Murder She Wrote.
- In Jamaica Buju Banton, aged 19, breaks Bob Marley's record for the most No.1 singles in one year.
- Rap's Ice T and rock's Body Count collaborated on the track Cop Killer. It sparked huge debates on censorship and the glorification of violence. Ice T's record label removed it from later album pressings and he left to start his own label.
- Dr Dre left NWA to form Death Row Records with Suge Knight. It rapidly became a dominant force in hip hop releasing The Chronic, an album that defined the g-funk sound and launched Snoop Dogg.
- Prince won the Soul Train Lifetime Achievement award.
- Mary J. Blige released her debut album What's The 411? A pivotal release in the world of RnB, it brought a tougher street edge to the genre and made Mary a star.