#the urge to. up and leave never to return to get lost and completely reinvent myself in the image of ideals I've idolised

[everythingthemoontouches]

In the words of KRS I am not a saint. Who am I really to give advice if I don't take my own counsel

The word "eclipse" comes from ancient Greek ekleipsis, "a forsaking, quitting, abandonment." The sun quits us, we are forsaken by light.

Anne Carson

[365days365movies]

February 18, 2021: The Danish Girl (Part 2)

We’re back, and hey, Tom Hopper?

While I have you, quick question...where’s the Butthole Cut of Cats? Asking for the GF, she was curious. Oh, here she is now!

Adorable. Anyway, yeah, back to The Danish Girl! Recap Part 1 is right here!

Recap (2/2)

Lily is clearly struggling, and Gerda knows it. So, while in Paris, she tracks down an old friend of Lili’s: Hans Axgil (Matthias Schoenaerts), currently an art dealer, and formerly the guy that Lili kissed when they were kids! I’m sure that that won’t make things awkward!

The next day, Gerda tells Lili that she’s planning on bringing in Hans as an art dealer. She also says that Hand remembers her with “great fondness.” I’M SURE THAT COMMENT WON’T BE RECIEVED IN A VERY SPECIFIC WAY GERDA WHAT THE FU-

Anyway, after Lili doesn’t show up to lunch, they go back to the Paris apartment to find her, and do indeed find Lili. Not Einar, LILI. Which, yeah, not exactly what either Hans or Gerda was expecting. Pretty sure Gerda wasn’t expecting Lili to be so flirty with Hans, DAMN! Seems like Lili’s got quite the unrequited crush on Hans.

However, that goes awry as the topic of conversation moves to marriage, and Lili demonstrates her very strong opinions on the subject. Then, obviously realizing that she’s talking about this IN FRONT OF HER WIFE, she breaks down from guilt, and leaves the room crying.

Hans, CLEARLY realizing that Lili is Einar, not Einar’s cousin (yeah, they tried that lie, it did NOT work), leaves, but offers his help with this situation. Gerda and Lili go to bed, and Lili asks to borrow a nightdress. When Gerda says that Lili’s never spent the night, Lili says the following:

It doesn’t matter what I wear. ‘Cause when I dream...they’re Lili’s dreams.

And I should acknowledge here: I’m a cissexual man, and I OBVIOUSLY have absolutely no knowledge of the transgender experience on a personal level, so I can’t comment on whether or not this is genuine. But, uh...goddamn, to a complete outsider, it feels genuine. Not trying to assume any one experience is the same as another one, but this certainly feels real to me. Hope that’s not in any way offensive; like I said, complete outsider here. An ally, yeah, but still an outsider.

Anyway, it would seem that Lili’s here to say, and Gerda grows more comfortable with that fact. Lili eventually poses for Gerda once again, and the new paintings make a splash on the Paris art scene. Which Hans has also noticed, and he invites Gerda to dinner, in a romantic fashion. She says that she’s “still married to Einar,” and refuses. And yet, Einar isn’t there, is he? With that realization, Gerda leaves, hurt.

Lili’s been at home making dinner, but Gerda is clearly too upset to even slightly interact with Lili, asking her to “get Einar.” But Lili refuses, as if to say that Einar doesn’t exist anymore. And, to be fair, it looks like she’s right about that. Gerda leaves, heartbroken, and goes right to...Hans, GODDAMNIT!

Yeah, she runs off right after they kiss, but this still isn’t OK, obviously. She realizes that, and returns home, where Lili has again assumed the Einar identity, but doesn’t believe that she can maintain that charade much longer. They two acknowledge that they can’t keep up their relationship like this, and both resolve to try and find a solution.

Ulla comes to visit, and suggests a doctor at a women’s institute. Meanwhile, Lili goes to the library to research others like her. However, on the way home, she’s accosted by two men in the park and beaten up. Injured, she heads to Hans’ place, and he patches her up. Hans also tries to understand this transition, and Lili explains that she’s felt this way since their childhood together. In any case, Hans agrees to help.

Lili sees several doctors, all of whom are, uh...yeah, bad. But, to be fair, it’s the 1930s, so there isn’t much to be expected at this point. At one point, a doctor diagnoses her as schizophrenic, and leaves to get a straitjacket, but she escapes through a window beforehand. JESUS.

That night, Gerda and Lili decide to try one more doctor, the one that Ulla’s suggested. That doctor is Dr. Kurt Warnerkros (Sebastian Koch), and he’s the only one who seems open to helping Lili, and suggests gender reassignment surgery. And as he talks about the details of the surgery, as well as the MYRIAD of complications involved. And Lili immediately accepts.

However, this means the end of their relationship, and both of them are aware of this. As Lili goes on the train, dressed as Einar, she bids Hans and Gerda a tearful goodbye, as well as Einar Wegener.

At the clinic, Lili, officially identifying as Lili Elbe, goes through multiple procedures to become her true self. Back home, Hans tries to convince Gerda to visit Lili at the clinic, but it’s understandably hard for her to do so. When she inevitably does, Lili is fresh out of surgery, and is NOT OK, even a little, holy SHIT.

But soon, Lili recovers, and Gerda is there to help her all along the way. However, at this point, their relationship has turned into a friendship, rather than a marriage. Now working at a department store as a perfume saleswoman, Lili’s begun to reinvent herself.

Not only does this include a social life with the fellow saleswomen, but also a potential relationship with Henrik, whom, it appears, knew that Lili was in fact a man, and now seems to fully accept that Lili is a woman. Also turns out, for the record, that Henrik’s gay, so the two end up becoming friends!

Gerda’s not as happy with these changes, however, and is struggling to adjust, despite Lili’s urgings for her to do so. And as this change in Lili’s life cements itself, she decides to go for broke and go for the second operation. Gerda once again goes to support the operation, and to support Lili.

However, as Gerda leaves her for the night, Lili begins sobbing deeply. Now, is this because of her lost relationship with Gerda, or for another reason? Or perhaps she’s understandably scared for this second operation. In any case, the operation is happening. To support both Gerda and Lili, Hans soon arrives, and Hans and Gerda embrace. And then, the next day, Lili goes into surgery.

But during the surgery, she’s lost a lot of blood. And while Hans and Gerda are there to comfort her...she looks EXTREMELY not good. However, she’s briefly awake enough to say that she is “entirely herself.” Lili asks Gerda to talk her outside, to the garden, and she obliges.

And as Lili’s giving a very nice soliloquy about a dream she had the previous night, I feel the need to point something out. This film is pretty famous for having historical inaccuracies, and I’ll go into those in the Review. However, there is one thing that the film got right.

Lili doesn’t survive the surgery. In real life, she actually had a third surgery, but she did die as a result of complications. Which, yeah, is crushingly sad.

We end as Gerda and Hans are returning home, and on the trip there, Gerda sees five trees, the same ones that were in a painting of Einar’s (Lili wasn’t a painter). A scarf that Lili gave to Gerda flies away in the wind off the coast. And Gerda smiles.

And that was The Danish Girl. Well! That was interesting, interesting indeed. See you in the Review!

[two-faces-story]

Two Faces - Chapter 1

From the Journal of Doctor Jekyll

Wattpad link in FAQ

     September 11th

     Once again, I find myself lost in some sort of unsourced misery. It weighs on my soul like an anchor, muddies my thoughts and actions, time passes strangely and sleep eludes me like a forgotten dream. Each action and thought become a war or self control, for I know there are far easier ways to abandon this sorrow than to wait for it to pass.

     Despite the exhaustion and regret that comes with it, I long for the days recently past where energy and drive were not in question. Days without sleep, hell-bent on discovery and innovation, reinvention of modern medicine, and when nothing remained to do, I made my own fun.

     But no fun can lift my spirits now. I may smile, or even laugh, but my mind is burdened with a curse of the soul like few others. I have no doubt some fault in my own mind is the cause of this continually returning waves of grief and intensity that have plagued me since late childhood. Recent research has lead me to believe it is no fault of my actions or my mother before me, but of my mind in of itself.

     I have spent many years learning all I could of chemistry, selfishly hoping to find some archaic chemical that might alter my state of mind to rid myself of this melancholy. I have tried medicines and treatments of many kinds, finding that many of them do not help my sorrow or worse, drive my manic episodes to the brink of insanity. I recall returning to my senses after one such experiment to find my lab in shambles and my hands further cut by shattered glass.

     Miss Violet Poole was kinder to me than I deserved, bandaging my hands and cleaning my laboratory when I could hardly stand, despite how clearly shaken she was. I thanked her profusely and made an effort to give her some time off following the event that she might recover from whatever I had done to terrify her so badly. Upon waking from the influence of the lithium, I had found her in such a state of panic that I had never witnessed in all her time under my employ.

     Given her time here, she understands my moods like few others and has thus left me to my devices as this familiar shadow of the mind sets in.

     I wish this darkness did not exhaust me so greatly, for I'm days away from what I'm certain will be an incredible discovery. In my lifelong search for the cure to my ailment, I believe I have discovered a new mineral that could aid me greatly. A fellow chemist sent me a package from somewhere beyond India containing an absurd number of large jars filled with a bitter tasting salt.

     The letter explained that, according to the people who lived in the area from which this salt was mined, it was known to give energy and new life to individuals with conditions like mine. As fantastic as it sounded, I was enthused to test it in my experiments and, at the time, fueled by that insatiable energy that I am so familiar with. For days I have been examining it to determine chemical impurities and comparing it to lithium and other medicines to determine what effects it could have on the mind. I had planned to spend this day testing a solution made with the salt on rats caught off the street, yet I have not even the energy to leave my bed for more than the most basic hygiene needs.

     I find myself pondering dark and sinful things as I lay here, thoughts so often ignored , louder than ever. It is clear to me that I must never allow myself to succumb to these ideas and memories, the scars on my wrists are enough of a reminder that I have a life to live and these horrid dreams and ideations are nothing more than that.

     If I won't live for myself, then for others. I am a doctor after all I have a responsibility to uphold, despite how my heart and soul protest.

     September 12th

     With Poole's assistance and encouragement, I steeled myself and continued work on my experiments this morning after she arrived with news of where we could acquire mice. Skipping the tedium of bargaining for street rats, the solution seemed to make the rats first very confused and lethargic, then after some painful shrieking they seemed much more energetic and easily angered. This wore off after a few hours and a second dose seemed to produce the same results without much difference.

     I intend to make a serum that, with prolonged dosage, could make the change to the more energetic state of mind and body permanent, thus banishing the melancholy and exhaustion that plagues my mind so often.

     If I am successful, I will never lose time to this grief again, I will be unstoppable.

     September 14th

     Attempts to make the energy changes seen in the rats a permanent phenomenon has been met with an interesting turn of events. After continuous dosage for almost two days it is clear that the two energetic states are actually two different personalities it seems.

     The energetic half is more violent and desperate, biting at me and attempting numerous tries at escape, similar to their behavior pre-serum, but more aggressive. When the effects of the serum have finally worn off, it leaves behind a seemingly kinder and more domesticated personality that seems far more pet-like than a wild rat should be.

      Perhaps there is a way to isolate this kinder personality while also keeping the more energetic state of the more wild half?

     September 17th

     Work has been slow, I have become more and more exhausted as the days pass. Progress has been made and the mice are remaining both docile and energetic for longer and longer. Likewise, in another test group with but two rats, I have been able to isolate the more wild personality, the original rat mindset it would seem. But the effects are not permanent, something I intend to fix.

     I can only imagine that the effects I am seeing are due to their small bodies and even smaller brains causing the change to take place at an accelerated rate.

     I believe I have the serum nearly perfected, but a test on a larger animal is required before I even dare to consider testing on a human. If I can manage, I will travel to the nearest pound and find a dog or cat of moderate health to serve as a test subject. Indeed, in some minds this is immoral and cruel, but for the sake of science some boundaries must be crossed.

     During a particularly dismal period this afternoon, Ms. Poole sent for my good friends Jacob Lanyon and Gabriel Utterson in hopes of lifting my spirits. We convened in the parlor and talked for many hours over wine, and though I did enjoy myself while they were here, I found myself quite irritated with Lanyon after he began to laugh at my recent experiments.

     He warned me about becoming obsessed with another fairytale, saying my search for this cure to my mania would either kill me or someone else, and I certainly believe him. However, I choose to ignore such risks in favor of knowing that many lives, firstly mine, could be dramatically improved if I perfect this. He didn't listen when I began to describe the personality altering aspects of the serum and I became positively livid.

     Of course, I am too much a gentleman to  ever insult someone so valuable as Lanyon, so I held my tongue.

     Utterson was quite supportive of my idea, on the other hand. A lover of the interesting and curious, I knew he would be. I will need his assistance if I ever to seek to move forward with human testing, as he is part of the St. Luke's Hospital governing board. However, he was much concerned for my physical and mental health, urging me to take a break, join him for a weekend at his country home outside of the city and becoming slightly morose when I denied this request.

      I believe most of what he said was in his judicial nature to try and diffuse the tension between Lanyon and I by changing the subject. He knows how to handle an argument as well as understand both sides of an argument. And while it is commendable, he's rather irritating when he tries to play neutral at all times without taking sides. It would be far easier if he took a side and aided me in convincing Lanyon for his assistance in my experiment.

     Alas, it is unchangeable now. Lanyon is loyal, incredibly intelligent, but an idealistic optimist when it comes to health and morality, I don't blame him for thinking I am mad, it sounds like the mad ravings of a dreamer. And there is little room for dreams of this scale in Lanyon's world, he thinks so critically and scientifically of things.

     But he'll see.

     September 19th

     The mice have become completely docile, to my endless delight, but it was clearly not without consequence for all of them seem exhausted and noticeably melancholic. This, does not bode well for me. Similar effects were present in the other rats despite my efforts to keep them in the energetic state. However, they are swiftly recovering and have become very sweet and docile.

      I'm considering keeping them as pets at this point.

     Regardless, all of this has lead me to wonder if I am coming at this experiment from the wrong direction. Originally I sought to rid myself of my melancholy but instead found a way to rid oneself of cruelty and anger, turning wild street rats into sweet pets. I am curious what the effects would be on a person, would it erase cruelty and vileness from a person's personality? And what of melancholy? Would that be erased too?

     We shall see, I suppose, after we see the effects of the serum on a dog. A mutt, healthy enough, with a strong bite that has resulted in my left hand being thoroughly bandaged, hopefully he will be as sweet as the mice within a few days.

     September 23rd

     This is going to be far more difficult than I had anticipated. In order to test the dog, he must be first sedated and then restrained by Poole and myself to prevent either of us from getting bit.

      Again.

     Beyond that, it's impossible to tell if the serum is having an effect while the dog is so sedated, and by the time he wakes up it is impossible to tell!

     Despite this, the results are following the same changes as seen in the mice. However, the dog seems noticeably more melancholic in his original state as opposed to being energetic, while his second state is almost puppy-like.

      I have been feeling slightly better myself, though the shadow of melancholy has not left me yet. I am curious to see how much I can complete should I return to my more manic state before the experiments have been completed.

     Hope of finally being free from my melancholic mindsets has kept me afloat these past days, accompanied by the growing hope of creating a kinder world with myself at the head. All so perfect seeming, yet I know it is not possible until I perfect my serum, and even then it is unlikely it would have an affect on the scale I dream of.

     But I must not give up on such dreams, nor should I indulge them too deeply. I have limited salt, already having consumed a whole jar in the beginning phases of the experiments and now halfway through another. My friend in India has likely moved on and I highly doubt I should be able to get in contact with him should I run out.

     I can only hope it, the supply, won't run out before then.

     September 25th

     Given my good progress with the dog, it now is able to roam the house freely as it does not attack Poole or myself, I am finally ready to present my findings to the board at St. Luke's. Last night over dinner I discussed the meeting with Gabriel and he insisted I need not worry about setting up a meeting with the board.

      It's not that that concerns me.

      I am concerned the Board will not believe me and deny my request for a human test subject, even someone from the psychiatric ward. I am fully aware of the immorality of my request, to test such dangerous and mind-altering chemicals on someone who might not be able to deny it is horrid, I am fully aware. But it is necessary to determine if I should further alter the serum for human consumption.

      Additionally, even a mentally deranged individual could provide useful data concerning the transformation itself.

      Is it painful? Does the second personality recognize itself as someone else or is it more like the effects of some sort of intoxicant where you merely act different because you forget things? So many questions that simply cannot be answered without human testing.

     I will go tomorrow with Gabriel and discuss this with the board. I have a plan, an opportunity to do good and not even the deepest of melancholy will stop me now.

[drippeddaily]

A discussion of hip hop's forgotten hits

A discussion of hip hop's forgotten hits

There are a lot of great artists out there who have amazing catalogues of work, yet the rest of their music gets overlooked because their smash single overshadows everything else. I have managed to find some tracks that prominent hip hop acts released to a muted reception, despite their undeniable excellence. Join me in a journey through the history of hip hop's forgotten hits.

Let's start off with Craig Mack. Known best for Flava In Ya Ear (and its legendary posse-cut remix), Craig has another song out there that is arguably even better. At least lyrically, anyway. Frustrated with the state of the hip hop industry, the Bad Boy rapper put out When God Comes, a scathing attack on the community that he felt had lost touch with its largely positive and Afrocentric roots. The opening bars set the scene for a four-minute assault on his colleagues, unleashing a critical sentiment that he maintains for the full length of the song.

"What da fuck's going on inside the biz?/Shit ain't raw no more/Fake is how it is/I hear brothers talking 'bout shooting and killing/Then going home and chilling/Frontin' like a villain"

This fragment of When God Comes' authoritative lyrics feels like it could have been the inspiration behind Andre 3000's verse on Return Of The "G"¹, released four years later.

Although evidence of their mutual animosity has largely been lost to the sands of time, there is some basis for the rumour that Craig Mack and Biggie really didn't get along.² Diddy managed to make a lot happen within the Bad Boy empire, but getting the two to stop publicly sending shots at each other was beyond even Brother Love's precocious influence.

Within the chaotic clutter that is my mother's house before Sunday dinner, you'll find her darting in and out of the kitchen. If you're lucky, you'll also catch a glimpse of her unashamedly singing along to the sounds of the 80s. One lazy Sunday, I heard her playing Try Love Again by The Natural Four, and couldn't believe my ears. That song, when sampled by Pete Rock in his inimitable style, and laced with CL Smooth's lyrical mastery, was reinvented to become It's A Love Thing.⁴ And, well, an excuse to listen to the hip hop version together.

I've always been inextricably linked to brass instruments; the first instrument I took formal lessons with was the trumpet. My younger brother followed my footsteps, and so did my little sister after that. It's rare that I agree with my parents about anything hip hop related, but They Reminisce Over You is one of the only exceptions - a saxophone-driven, commercially viable song that managed get the three of us moving on the dancefloor.³ Not only did TROY give me a track that I can enjoy with my family, it also gave us a bonding experience that I'll never forget.

"The question is can you top that homie/You can probably pull something close but stop that homie/Not even, could have that even if I stopped breathin'"

Even though he's likely talking about the John and Jane Does this verse is written for, it's hard to overlook how accurate those lines are when redressed to be a reference to CL Smooth's reign on the mic.

Did you know that Pete Rock is Heavy D's cousin?⁵ There must be something in the water.

If you've been to alive in the past twenty years, you've undoubtedly heard groups, from all backgrounds, singing along to Regulate by Nate Dogg & Warren G. This wasn't just a nice song, this was an era-defining record⁶ that found its way to every radio in the land, leaving a generation pining for a return to the golden years of g-funk. Not content with their success, the pairing kept pushing envelope with Nobody Does It Better - an overlooked triumph in their quest to build on the unique chemistry that made them famous.

"No one can do it better like this two man crew/They say we're one hitter quitters/Now what y'all gonna do?"

You're damned right, Warren.

You may have noticed how squeaky clean Regulate's lyrics are, especially when compared to the rest of the subgenre. That's not an accident; the version we know and love is actually not the original. Initially, it was conceived to be a lot more explicit. When it started creating a buzz, Chris Lighty asked them to go back and clean it up to ensure that it wouldn't spend half of the running time censored by radio DJs, stunting its projected commercial success. ⁷

This list wouldn't be complete without Smoothe Da Hustler. Since not everyone is familiar with the name, it's worth mentioning that his debut album stormed to the cusp of Billboard's coveted hip hop album top ten, peaking in the 11th place slot.⁸ The most successful track from his album Once Upon a Time in America, and his career in totality, was Broken Language with Trigga the Gambler. If you haven't listened to that yet, it's a great primer that will put his best work into context.

Make Or Take is my go-to song when someone asks for something good that they haven't heard before. Something fresh, yet old enough to not fit the status quo. While conceding that it's actually a Nine song with Smoothe Da Hustler rapping the hook, Make Or Take made the final cut by virtue of possibly being 1996's best underground song. Even the people getting ready to downvote this post after that last sentence are guaranteed to love this song. Before long, you'll have watched the video enough times in a row to able synchronise your blinking with the people on screen.

"There's six million ways to die but only one to live/I need enough money to spend enough money to give/Cause I love my peeps and my peeps love me/And I refuse to see them living in poverty"

What a beautiful expression of hood love.

Smoothe has rubbed shoulders with a lot of New York's hip hop royalty (Busta Rhymes, Onyx, and Public Enemy to name a few),⁹ but it's interesting to know that he got his start by opening for Biggie on the Ready To Die tour.¹⁰ This was before he'd even dropped his debut album and its hit single. Not a bad cosign.

As a child, there came a moment where I was overwhelmed by the urge to seek out black, British artists. I was yearning for proof that people from my background could fit into rap's burgeoning bourgeoisie. A colourful man by the name of Mark Morrison was enough to sate my young mind. Following in the path of Slick Rick the ruler, Mark is as flamboyant as he is talented. He rocked a fresh cut, flashy jewellery, and an unshakeably badass attitude to match. Return Of The Mack constantly finds itself near the very top of my perpetually shifting favourites list. One of those reliable songs that saves me whenever the aux cord falls into my lap.

While reflecting on his run-ins with law enforcement, the German-born singer recruited DMX to join him in speaking on the perceived injustices they were rising up against. Whether track title was accurate or not is a discussion for another time, but the trouble artists teamed up on Mark's sophomoric outing to make the case that they were each an Innocent Man persecuted by society. Although it's a Mark Morrison song, including a snippet of an embittered DMX's poignant performance should, hopefully, give more context to the duo's struggles.

"Did my time in a county jail/Just when things started going well/And I paid the price for the crimes I did/Wanna change my life/Wanna raise my kids"

"You say I'm rehabilitated, but I still can't vote/You say I paid my debt but I still can't vote/Gotta pay taxes but I still can't vote/Come on dawg y'all stay trying to keep a nigga broke"

Eleven years on, their dissatisfaction with America's legal system, and the way felons are routinely stripped of their basic human rights, is still a contentious point of discussion.¹¹ ¹² ¹³

Although his other charges were endlessly debated in the court of public opinion, Mark Morrison was conclusively found guilty of employing a body double to complete his court-ordered community service.¹⁴ Full points for creativity...

TL;DR: these underappreciated songs are really good. You won't regret checking them out, and they are probably bigger hits in a parallel universe.

Artist Signature Track Underrated Track Craig Mack Flava In Ya Ear When God Comes Nate Dogg & Warren G Regulate Nobody Does It Better Smoothe Da Hustler Broken Language Make Or Take Mark Morrison Return Of The Mack Innocent Man Pete Rock & CL Smooth They Reminisce Over You It's A Love Thing

Genius. OutKast – Return of the "G" Lyrics. https://genius.com/Outkast-return-of-the-g-lyrics#note-134976.

YouTube. Did Biggie smalls and Craig mack had beef before he died? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJcR9M4lbEM.

Rolling Stone. The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-50-greatest-hip-hop-songs-of-all-time-20121205/pete-rock-and-c-l-smooth-they-reminisce-over-you-t-r-o-y-19691231.

WhoSampled. Pete Rock feat. C.L. Smooth and Denosh's 'It's a Love Thing' sample of The Natural Four's 'Try Love Again'. https://www.whosampled.com/sample/80330/Pete-Rock-C.L.-Smooth-Denosh-It%27s-a-Love-Thing-The-Natural-Four-Try-Love-Again/.

Biography.com. Pete Rock Biography. https://www.biography.com/people/pete-rock-5112017.

Billboard. 'Regulate' At 20: Warren G & Michael McDonald Discuss the G-Funk Jam. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6070114/regulate-at-20-warren-g-michael-mcdonald-discuss-the-g-funk-jam.

Rolling Stone. Warren G and Nate Dogg's 'Regulate': The Oral History of a Hip-Hop Classic. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/warren-g-and-nate-doggs-regulate-the-oral-history-of-a-hip-hop-classic-20141219

Billboard. Smoothe Da Hustler Once Upon A Time In America Chart History. https://www.billboard.com/music/smoothe-da-hustler/chart-history/r-b-hip-hop-albums/song/176271.

Ambrosia For Heads. Smoothe Da Hustler & Trigger Had An Unbreakable Lyrical Bond In Broken Language (Video). http://ambrosiaforheads.com/2016/04/smoothe-da-hustler-trigger-had-an-unbreakable-lyrical-bond-in-broken-language-video/.

Wazzup Tonight. Smoothe Da Hustler | Legend Who's Worked Alongside THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., ICE-T, KRS-ONE, PUBLIC ENEMY And More | Makes A Comeback. http://wazzuptonight.com/smoothe-da-hustler-comeback/

NAACP. Criminal Justice Fact Sheet. http://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/.

Washington Post. Give felons and prisoners the right to vote. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/let-felons-and-prisoners-vote/2016/07/26/f2da2d64-4947-11e6-acbc-4d4870a079da_story.html?utm_term=.d9ddf788ece6.

Human Rights Watch. Bail and Pretrial Detention of Low Income Nonfelony Defendants in New York City. https://www.hrw.org/report/2010/12/02/price-freedom/bail-and-pretrial-detention-low-income-nonfelony-defendants-new-york.

NME. GRIM MORRISON: THE MACK IN TROUBLE AGAIN. http://www.nme.com/news/music/mark-morrison-10-1392631.

There are a lot of great artists out there who have amazing catalogues of work, yet the rest of their music gets overlooked because their smash single overshadows everything else. I have managed to find some tracks that prominent hip hop acts released to a muted reception, despite their undeniable excellence. Join me in a journey through the history of hip hop's forgotten hits.Let's start off with Craig Mack. Known best for Flava In Ya Ear (and its legendary posse-cut remix), Craig has another song out there that is arguably even better. At least lyrically, anyway. Frustrated with the state of the hip hop industry, the Bad Boy rapper put out When God Comes, a scathing attack on the community that he felt had lost touch with its largely positive and Afrocentric roots. The opening bars set the scene for a four-minute assault on his colleagues, unleashing a critical sentiment that he maintains for the full length of the song."What da fuck's going on inside the biz?/Shit ain't raw no more/Fake is how it is/I hear brothers talking 'bout shooting and killing/Then going home and chilling/Frontin' like a villain"This fragment of When God Comes' authoritative lyrics feels like it could have been the inspiration behind Andre 3000's verse on Return Of The "G"1, released four years later.Although evidence of their mutual animosity has largely been lost to the sands of time, there is some basis for the rumour that Craig Mack and Biggie really didn't get along.2 Diddy managed to make a lot happen within the Bad Boy empire, but getting the two to stop publicly sending shots at each other was beyond even Brother Love's precocious influence.Within the chaotic clutter that is my mother's house before Sunday dinner, you'll find her darting in and out of the kitchen. If you're lucky, you'll also catch a glimpse of her unashamedly singing along to the sounds of the 80s. One lazy Sunday, I heard her playing Try Love Again by The Natural Four, and couldn't believe my ears. That song, when sampled by Pete Rock in his inimitable style, and laced with CL Smooth's lyrical mastery, was reinvented to become It's A Love Thing.4 And, well, an excuse to listen to the hip hop version together.I've always been inextricably linked to brass instruments; the first instrument I took formal lessons with was the trumpet. My younger brother followed my footsteps, and so did my little sister after that. It's rare that I agree with my parents about anything hip hop related, but They Reminisce Over You is one of the only exceptions - a saxophone-driven, commercially viable song that managed get the three of us moving on the dancefloor.3 Not only did TROY give me a track that I can enjoy with my family, it also gave us a bonding experience that I'll never forget."The question is can you top that homie/You can probably pull something close but stop that homie/Not even, could have that even if I stopped breathin'"Even though he's likely talking about the John and Jane Does this verse is written for, it's hard to overlook how accurate those lines are when redressed to be a reference to CL Smooth's reign on the mic.Did you know that Pete Rock is Heavy D's cousin?5 There must be something in the water.If you've been to alive in the past twenty years, you've undoubtedly heard groups, from all backgrounds, singing along to Regulate by Nate Dogg & Warren G. This wasn't just a nice song, this was an era-defining record6 that found its way to every radio in the land, leaving a generation pining for a return to the golden years of g-funk. Not content with their success, the pairing kept pushing envelope with Nobody Does It Better - an overlooked triumph in their quest to build on the unique chemistry that made them famous."No one can do it better like this two man crew/They say we're one hitter quitters/Now what y'all gonna do?"You're damned right, Warren.You may have noticed how squeaky clean Regulate's lyrics are, especially when compared to the rest of the subgenre. That's not an accident; the version we know and love is actually not the original. Initially, it was conceived to be a lot more explicit. When it started creating a buzz, Chris Lighty asked them to go back and clean it up to ensure that it wouldn't spend half of the running time censored by radio DJs, stunting its projected commercial success. 7This list wouldn't be complete without Smoothe Da Hustler. Since not everyone is familiar with the name, it's worth mentioning that his debut album stormed to the cusp of Billboard's coveted hip hop album top ten, peaking in the 11th place slot.8 The most successful track from his album Once Upon a Time in America, and his career in totality, was Broken Language with Trigga the Gambler. If you haven't listened to that yet, it's a great primer that will put his best work into context.Make Or Take is my go-to song when someone asks for something good that they haven't heard before. Something fresh, yet old enough to not fit the status quo. While conceding that it's actually a Nine song with Smoothe Da Hustler rapping the hook, Make Or Take made the final cut by virtue of possibly being 1996's best underground song. Even the people getting ready to downvote this post after that last sentence are guaranteed to love this song. Before long, you'll have watched the video enough times in a row to able synchronise your blinking with the people on screen."There's six million ways to die but only one to live/I need enough money to spend enough money to give/Cause I love my peeps and my peeps love me/And I refuse to see them living in poverty"What a beautiful expression of hood love.Smoothe has rubbed shoulders with a lot of New York's hip hop royalty (Busta Rhymes, Onyx, and Public Enemy to name a few),9 but it's interesting to know that he got his start by opening for Biggie on the Ready To Die tour.10 This was before he'd even dropped his debut album and its hit single. Not a bad cosign.As a child, there came a moment where I was overwhelmed by the urge to seek out black, British artists. I was yearning for proof that people from my background could fit into rap's burgeoning bourgeoisie. A colourful man by the name of Mark Morrison was enough to sate my young mind. Following in the path of Slick Rick the ruler, Mark is as flamboyant as he is talented. He rocked a fresh cut, flashy jewellery, and an unshakeably badass attitude to match. Return Of The Mack constantly finds itself near the very top of my perpetually shifting favourites list. One of those reliable songs that saves me whenever the aux cord falls into my lap.While reflecting on his run-ins with law enforcement, the German-born singer recruited DMX to join him in speaking on the perceived injustices they were rising up against. Whether track title was accurate or not is a discussion for another time, but the trouble artists teamed up on Mark's sophomoric outing to make the case that they were each an Innocent Man persecuted by society. Although it's a Mark Morrison song, including a snippet of an embittered DMX's poignant performance should, hopefully, give more context to the duo's struggles."Did my time in a county jail/Just when things started going well/And I paid the price for the crimes I did/Wanna change my life/Wanna raise my kids""You say I'm rehabilitated, but I still can't vote/You say I paid my debt but I still can't vote/Gotta pay taxes but I still can't vote/Come on dawg y'all stay trying to keep a nigga broke"Eleven years on, their dissatisfaction with America's legal system, and the way felons are routinely stripped of their basic human rights, is still a contentious point of discussion.11 12 13Although his other charges were endlessly debated in the court of public opinion, Mark Morrison was conclusively found guilty of employing a body double to complete his court-ordered community service.14 Full points for creativity...TL;DR: these underappreciated songs are really good. You won't regret checking them out, and they are probably bigger hits in a parallel universe.ArtistSignature TrackUnderrated TrackCraig MackFlava In Ya EarWhen God ComesNate Dogg & Warren GRegulateNobody Does It BetterSmoothe Da HustlerBroken LanguageMake Or TakeMark MorrisonReturn Of The MackInnocent ManPete Rock & CL SmoothThey Reminisce Over YouIt's A Love ThingGenius. OutKast – Return of the "G" Lyrics. https://genius.com/Outkast-return-of-the-g-lyrics#note-134976.YouTube. Did Biggie smalls and Craig mack had beef before he died? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJcR9M4lbEM.Rolling Stone. The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-50-greatest-hip-hop-songs-of-all-time-20121205/pete-rock-and-c-l-smooth-they-reminisce-over-you-t-r-o-y-19691231.WhoSampled. Pete Rock feat. C.L. Smooth and Denosh's 'It's a Love Thing' sample of The Natural Four's 'Try Love Again'. https://www.whosampled.com/sample/80330/Pete-Rock-C.L.-Smooth-Denosh-It%27s-a-Love-Thing-The-Natural-Four-Try-Love-Again/.Biography.com. Pete Rock Biography. https://www.biography.com/people/pete-rock-5112017.Billboard. 'Regulate' At 20: Warren G & Michael McDonald Discuss the G-Funk Jam. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6070114/regulate-at-20-warren-g-michael-mcdonald-discuss-the-g-funk-jam.Rolling Stone. Warren G and Nate Dogg's 'Regulate': The Oral History of a Hip-Hop Classic. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/warren-g-and-nate-doggs-regulate-the-oral-history-of-a-hip-hop-classic-20141219Billboard. Smoothe Da Hustler Once Upon A Time In America Chart History. https://www.billboard.com/music/smoothe-da-hustler/chart-history/r-b-hip-hop-albums/song/176271.Ambrosia For Heads. Smoothe Da Hustler & Trigger Had An Unbreakable Lyrical Bond In Broken Language (Video). http://ambrosiaforheads.com/2016/04/smoothe-da-hustler-trigger-had-an-unbreakable-lyrical-bond-in-broken-language-video/.Wazzup Tonight. Smoothe Da Hustler | Legend Who's Worked Alongside THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., ICE-T, KRS-ONE, PUBLIC ENEMY And More | Makes A Comeback. http://wazzuptonight.com/smoothe-da-hustler-comeback/NAACP. Criminal Justice Fact Sheet. http://www.naacp.org/criminal-justice-fact-sheet/.Washington Post. Give felons and prisoners the right to vote. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/let-felons-and-prisoners-vote/2016/07/26/f2da2d64-4947-11e6-acbc-4d4870a079da_story.html?utm_term=.d9ddf788ece6.Human Rights Watch. Bail and Pretrial Detention of Low Income Nonfelony Defendants in New York City. https://www.hrw.org/report/2010/12/02/price-freedom/bail-and-pretrial-detention-low-income-nonfelony-defendants-new-york.NME. GRIM MORRISON: THE MACK IN TROUBLE AGAIN. http://www.nme.com/news/music/mark-morrison-10-1392631.