When Genuine’s “Pony” Changed Everything: A 1996 Love Story

When Ginuwine’s “Pony” Changed Everything: A 1996 Love Story

1996 was a very special year for hip hop and R&B—so many amazing songs came out. We’ll never forget “One in a Million” by Aaliyah or “Twisted” by Keith Sweat. Don’t forget “Ascension” by Maxwell. Nas came out with his second album. It was truly just a special year.

But I’ll never forget one particular song.

I was in high school. It was the summer of 1996. I was sitting by a swimming pool during a friend’s barbecue, and at the time, Hot 97 had a complete lock on hip hop and R&B. Usually, you would listen to Hot 97 to hear the latest and greatest hip hop and R&B songs. And I’ll never forget—while eating a hamburger—they dropped the single from Ginuwine's first song called “Pony.”

I remember we were all listening, my friends and I, and we all went crazy. It was the craziest, sickest beat, and the lyrics were just classic Ginuwine. And what I mean by that is the lyrics captured essentially who he was in terms of playing with words romantically—so explicit that you understood what he felt and what he was saying. Especially at the time when the ’90s was dropping so many amazing R&B songs, the lyrics sometimes could seem funny, but at the same time, the play on words was very romantic.

I can tell you that before Justin Timberlake came out, Ginuwine and Timbaland really put the area of Virginia on the map. It was really the beginning where Timbaland would just drop hit after hit, and Virginia became a center of hip hop and R&B. Mind you, during that time, that’s when Allen Iverson, one of the greatest and most electrifying basketball players, was representing Virginia before going to Philadelphia.

Ginuwine, in the same raw form, in his iconic R&B style, released “Pony”. It was raw, real and electrifying because not only was the beat amazing, Ginuwine’s voice was something special, something to behold. He could carry a high pitch like the greatest, whether it’s R. Kelly or Whitney Houston, a strong, deep voice with an electrifying range. He could also dance like the greatest of all time. Every beat, every motion, everything represented something that every girl in America and around the world fell romantically in love with.

I’ll never forget that summer. The song was a hit. Number one on Hot 97. Number one on the Billboard charts week after week. Number one decades later when “Magic Mike” came out and the culture rediscovered “Pony.” This song laid the groundwork for Virginia artists, including Justin Timberlake, and put Timbaland on, where everyone appreciated the power of his beats.

Even years later in college, when you’d go on a date, go to a club, when hip hop and R&B was still at its peak, that song was always played. When those first beats of “Pony” came on we would run to find the finest girl in the club to dance with when that song came on. It was a sight to behold.

Ginuwine toured in 2024 and 2025, and he received an award for 30 years of amazing music. And on December 5th, we want to celebrate “Pony” in Miami during Art Basel. As many of you know, we have commemorated other cultural moments from the 90s. In 2023, we produced a commemoration of “The Sopranos,” one of the greatest series of all time. The ‘90s was just so special—the music, the film. Of all the commemorations we’ve put on this one is really going to be special for us.

On December 5th, we are going to commemorate THAT song. We are going to commemorate Ginuwine. We are going to be hosting a fashion show with Janet Mandell, an emerging, amazing designer who has some really fresh clothes. This is the perfect collaboration because the song is sexy, and Janet Mandell’s clothing is extremely sexy. We want sexy music and sexy fashion and design to collide. And we really want people to have a good time, to remember the moment, to see fashion that’s going to revolutionize everything.

For the dress code, we love to embrace creativity and dress for the theme! First, if you could dress for a sexy cowboy theme, great. But most importantly, please dress in creative fashion or very sexy fashion. Come with your best fashion. Bring your best design, your best ideas. Come to this event to explore, to show what you want to maybe launch next year, and use this party to be electrifying.

That’s what we want. We want you to Jump On It, seize it, and be electrifying, because that’s what December 5th at Art Basel with Creativo is going to be all about.

Let’s go!

A special thank you to Janet Mandell for a special collaboration. We could not put this on without our sponsors: Ligo Partners, Neaū water, Sufrat Mediterranean Grill, Casafinca, Lalo tequila, Pink Sand Spirits, Helix 7 vodka, Askur gin, Voga wine, Barcelo rum and Strega.

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Sasha Bernier

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When Ginuwine’s “Pony” Changed Everything: A 1996 Love Story

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