The Year’s Ending, So Here’s a Quick Recap of Pop Culture in 2018

By  - 5 years ago

2018 may have gone by pretty fast but a LOT happened this year. Can you believe that the Olympics, Royal Wedding, Yanny vs Laurel all happened this year?

 

It will be 2019 soon so before we move on to the next page, here’s a quick review of 2018 in pop culture.

 

MOVIES

There was so much hype around Marvel flicks this year. First, the Black Panther mania happened in January, which spawned a cultural phenomena that catapulted Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman to superstardom.

 

Avengers Infinity War followed next, which became the central topic of conversations everywhere. Spiderman’s line “I don’t feel so good” became a catchphrase that turned into memes used in different contexts and situations.

 

It was a good year for horror movies as well—the first title that comes to mind is of course Hereditary, which was the talk of the town for days. It was called “the new Exorcist” at one point, while John Krasinski’s directorial debut A Quiet Place was also praised and made headlines.

 

Crazy Rich Asians was like the Black Panther of the Asian community because finally there’s a blockbuster movie that represented the Asian community with an all-Asian cast and everyone was here for it. Our very own Kris Aquino was in it and there was buzz around the film even weeks after its release.

 

EVENTS

When it comes to events that almost everyone witnessed, the Royal Wedding is the first that pops into mind. Prince Harry, who was once a notorious party boy, finally straightened up and locked it down with actress-turned-Duchess Meghan Markle.

 

The whole world anxiously watched for days when the trapped Thai soccer team was rescued from a cave, an event phenomenal worthy enough to be adapted into a movie. The #MeToo movement gained traction this year as more women spoke up and exposed problematic behavior of men.

 

More happy events this year include babies—Kylie Jenner surprised everyone with a video announcement of her daughter’s birth. Another iconic baby announcement was Cardi B during her live performance on SNL where she donned a tight-fitting dress to show her baby bump for the first time.

 

In local events, this year’s UAAP season 81 had so much hype as UP finally made it into the finals for the first time in 3 decades and even faced off with defending champion, ADMU. It was a big deal.

 

DEATHS

The fashion world mourned over Kate Spade’s untimely death in early June and many big names in fashion paid tribute to the late designer. Anthony Bourdains passing was also a heartbreaking loss to both the media and food industry and we’re still coming to terms with it, tbh.

 

Mac Miller’s tragic death last September hit the hiphop community in the gut as he was only 26 years old and an artist bursting with talent. Ariana Grande even had to take a break from the media to cope with the loss of her ex-beau, who she was with for 2 years.

 

Just last November, Stan Lee, the beloved creator of Marvel, also left us but rest assured he will remain immortal through his monumental creations.

 

MEMES AND CRAZES

 

2018 did not let down with the memes. The Laurel vs Yanny debacle, Johny Johny Yes Papa song, Baby Shark, In My Feelings Challenge all took the online sphere and entire world by storm this year.

 

Karma’s a B*tch videos circulated all over social media and the hilarious Twitter thread exposing a cheater because of a Spotify playlist called Iris, A Chill Mix was retweeted over 11,000 times and even reached Facebook.

 

One of our favorites this year is the Is this _______? meme that features a still from a 90s anime series called The Brave Fighter of Sun Fighbird. We also cannot leave out Liza Soberano’s Sinigang tweet that instantly became a punchline in every joke. There are a dozen more memes that were birthed this 2018, but they deserve a separate article.

 

MUSIC

 

It was only back in April when Beyonce became the first black woman to headline Coachella which she rightfully turned into Beychella. Her 1-hour performance did not let down and made viewers forget that there were other artists performing at the music festival too.

 

Meanwhile, Childish Gambino caught everyone’s attention with his controversial and socially relevant music video for This Is America, which became a sleeper hit. The video instantly garnered millions of views and sparked meaningful conversations among American citizens.

 

Let’s not forget about the Cardi B and Nicki Minaj beef which physically took place at a Harper’s Bazaar event wherein Cardi threw a shoe and left the event with only one heel plus a visible bump on her forehead.

 

2018 is also the year when it was found out that Drake actually has a secret baby, all thanks to Pusha T’s savage diss track against Drake called The Story of Adidon, where he exposed Drake’s hidden son. Drake didn’t respond with counter attack but instead, confirmed that he indeed has a son.

 

Ariana Grande had quite a year—a breakup, an engagement, a death of an ex, and another public breakup all in a span of 6 months. That’s why she came out with thank u, next and topped several charts. It instantly became a positive and inspirational anthem for our exes, and the video for it became the most viewed music video on Youtube in under 24 hours. Thank u, Ari.

 

What other pop culture phenomenons are in store for 2019?

 

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