Saturday Night Jams

I'm a child of rap's middle school and middle ground. Compared to some of the other contributors to this blog, I'm practically a teeny-bopper. I've owned about three crates of vinyl in my life (all purchased between '97 and '01) and 95% of my hip-hop listening consists of Native Tongue, Wu-Tang, Boot Camp Clik, Hit Squad, and DITC. This is bad because I always feel like an imposter claiming critical expertise when there is so much freakin' "underground" vinyl only stuff from the 90s that half the world (particularly Scandinavia) seems to be up on. But this is good because I frequently stumble upon things I didn't know existed.

Today, thanks to the good ol' T.R.O.Y. Forum, I discovered the following two songs which I feel entirely comfortable playing on repeat loop all goddamned night long if I so please:

Grand Puba "Hip Hop" (from Echo's Underground Airplay: Volume IV"

Okay, I KNOW that I had this tape but I only vaguely remember hearing the song. I must've liked it, right? Ah, thirty may be the new twenty but you can't revive brain cells, eh? In any event, this is classic Grand Puba comical punchline and smooth flow here, striking the perfect sonic and thematic balance between Guess n' Lo crisp flyness and goretex tough. Blast this in a jeep and if you don't have a jeep, just sip on E&J until you're too faded to remember what year it is.

Tung Twista ft. Dres "React With A Mic" (from Resurrection, 1994 - nope not that Resurrection from 1994 by a Chicago artist, but a different one)

OMG TWISTA BEFORE HE DROPPED THE TUNG RHYMING WITH BIG WORDS BLAH BLAH YADDA YADDA. Save it, Chi-town fanatics, this song is only worth a listen because Dres is on it in top form, ripping high speed flows that make young Twista sound like a souped up apprentice in comparison. Note to rappers: once you have flow, you need some fucking lyrics. This jam is super disgusting raw. Get with the program.

There's gems aplenty at the forum, so stop sleeping.

-- Thun

Classic Imaginary EP: Black Sheep's Non Fiction Abridged

I am adamant in my claim that Dres stood ably amongst the very best to do it circa '91. On the microphone he was just as smooth as Grand Puba, as witty as BDK, as distinctive as any of his Native Tongue Brethren and undeniably a virtuoso with the flow. He never appeared on a posse cut where he didn't steal the show and I dare any rap nerd to make a claim to the contrary. He murdered "Roll Wit Tha Flava," killed shit on "Let The Horns Blow," and beasted some cut from Fu-Schnickens' first album that nobody remembers, just to name a few. His rapping was trancendent even when backed by a tepid funk band like Brand New Heavies or shoehorned onto an insipid Vanessa Williams single. Mista Lawnge's deep crates production fit the raps so perfectly that the expectations for the duo's second album were probably unreasonably high.

Non-Fiction was either ignored by those who thought of Black Sheep as one hit wonders or panned by those who wanted them to recreate A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing. Both responses are extreme. "The Choice Is Yours" is catchy, but only because Black Sheep convinced you - it's as unlikely a hit as any and yet has somehow avoided wearing out its welcome. Their debut album was a strange flower in the late 80s/early 90s meadow of tolerated absurdity. It would have been laughed out of existence had they attempted to release it in 1994, by which time screwfaces and camo had supplanted goofy grins and day-glo. They had to bend with the wind to some extent, especially after such a long break between albums.

Admittedly, their attempts to ingratiate themselves into the whole D.I.T.C. uptown aesthetic felt a bit forced, and Mista Lawnge's increased mic time was a horrific error of judgement. Some of the songs on Non-Fiction are admittedly wack, almost to the point of being embarrassing. "North South East West" is the kind of pandering drivel that had to have been inspired by the pressure of trying to recoup some rent money from a shady contract. But amidst a little detritus there are genuine jewels. Dusty, hardcore, jazzy, dare I say sophisticated songs.

"Autobiographical" has literally no equal. Almost all life writing in rap winds up melodramatic, self-indulgent, solipsistic or just corny, but this song is just ... on another level altogether. "Bubblin' Brown Sugar" is pure debonair Harlem Nights flamboyance. "Freak Freak Ya'll" has the kind of stream of consciousness that good rappers gave up on years ago, for reasons I'll never fathom. "Me & My Brother" and "Peace To The Niggas" extol brotherhood and unity over bassy beats without sacrificing cool. Throw in some great remixes to the anemic singles "Without A Doubt" and "North South East West" and you have yourself one hell of a seven track EP. Sit back, enjoy, and pulverize your prior misconceptions.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0B16G2CX

1. Autobiographical
2. B.B.S.
3. Freak Freak Ya'll
4. Me & My Brother
5. Peace To The Niggas
6. Without A Doubt (Lawnge's Mix)
7. North South East West (Buckwild Remix)

Let us know what you think!

-- Thun

dirt_dog Remix Pack 2

Welcome to another installment of the dirt_dog Remix Pack. This time around we have a couple original versions and 3 more of my favorite remixes pulled from my own personal collection of cd singles (retail, US, UK and promo only versions). And as a former Wu fanatic, I've always enjoyed the extra verse from Meth on the "Home Grown Version." If you missed Remix Pack 1, go HERE.

Remix Pack 2

01 Wu-Tang Clan-Method Man (Home Grown Version)

02 Stetsasonic-Talkin' All That Jazz (Dominoes Vocal)

03 Outkast-Elevators (Me & You) (Crazy "C" Trunk Rattlin' Edit)

04 Black Sheep-Strobelite Honey (Street Mix)

05 Mobb Deep-Shook Ones Part I (Original Version)

DOWNLOAD

enjoy,

--dirt_dog

Dres sez Da La iz Dead ... Retarded Uncles

Update: Dres of the Black Sheep responded via Twitter to my inquiry about a nearly unintelligible lyric from "The Choice Is Yours."

The line in question has been misinterpreted on the internet for years as "Deaf retarded uncles in the parties where they rest." Further investigation on some rap CSI shit showed that the lyric must be closer to "Dead retarded uncles, in pease porridge may they rest" and then Dres confirmed it once and for all.

His response begs a few questions:

1) Why "retarded"? Is this yet another Native Tongue in-joke? An "ill subliminal"?

2) Is Dres unaware of the numerous excellent Twitter apps for the iphone? Or is he *gasp* using a Windows Mobile or Symbian phone?

3) If we had Twitter back in the Golden Era, would BDK have been able to thwarts the AIDS rumor almost immediately?

The future is now, yo!

So, yeah hit us up over at twitter.com/troyblog and no, for the thousandth time, we're not dedicating a month to MC Brains.

-- Thun

DJ Skipmode & The Illvibe Collective “The Best Of The Native Tongues Mixtape v1”

If I had any DJing abilities, this is exactly the kind of mix I'd love to make. But since I don't, may I present to you... DJ Skipmode & The Illvibe Collective “The Best Of The Native Tongues Mixtape v1.” It's a perfect mix from beginning to end, covering all the bases from the Native Tongues posse. The mix was labeled as 2004, but I can't find any information about it. If you know anything about this one, please leave me a comment. And if you like to make a donation to DJ Skipmode (and get a free cd) hit him up HERE. Or if you're in the Philly area and want to connect with The Illvibe Collective, go HERE.

Here is a brief bio about The Illvibe Collective, taken from their blog:

“Since its founding in 2000, ILLVIBE COLLECTIVE has been solidifying its eminence as Philadelphias most prolific, well-respected DJ crew. An amalgam of partyrockers and turntablists extraordinaire whose combined experience totals over a half-century, this five-man family, comprised of Statik, Panek, Phillee Blunt, Lil Dave and Skipmode, has been making an indelible mark on the Illadelph music scene, both individually and as a team. Pick your poison: dance floors, mix tapes or radio airwaves, and its guaranteed that ILLVIBE COLLECTIVE will rock em well -- with their loyal, worldwide following as co-signers.”

01 Queen Latifah-Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children

02 Queen Latifah-Dance For ME

03 Monie Love-Monie In The Middle

04 Leaders Of The New School-International Zone Coaster

05 De La Soul-A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays

06 NERD-She Wants To Move (Native Tongues Remix)

07 Jungle Brothers-I'll House You

08 Queen Latifah-Come Into My House

09 Dee Lite-Groove Is In The Heart

10 A Tribe Called Quest-Sucka Nigga

11 Common-Stolen Moments 3

12 De La Soul-Stakes Is High

13 Da Bush Babees-We Run Things

14 A Tribe Called Quest-Electric Relaxation (Remix)

15 Jungle Brothers feat. Q-Tip-On The Road (Remix)

16 Black Sheep-Have You U N E Pull (Remix)

17 Leaders Of The New School-What's Next (Remix)

18 De La Soul-En Focus

19 A Tribe Called Quest-Steve Biko

20 Jungle Brothers-How You Want It We Got It

21 Black Sheep-Gimme Tha Finga

22 A Tribe Called Quest-Everything Is Fair

23 Common-Soul By The Pound

24 De La Soul feat. ATCQ, Queen Latifah & Monie Love-Buddy (Native Tongue Decision)

25 Leaders Of The New School-Case Of The PTA

26 Monie Love-It's A Shame

27 De La Soul-I Am I Be

28 A Tribe Called Quest-Push It Along

29 Queen Latifah-Wrath Of My Madness

30 De La Soul-Afro Connections At A Hi 5

31 A Tribe Called Quest-Buggin' Out

32 Busta Rhymes feat. Q-Tip-The Illvibe (Skipmode Remix)

33 De La Soul-Area

34 Jungle Brothers-Straight Out The Jungle

35 De La Soul feat. Jeff-Macdaddy On The Left

36 DJ Skipmode & The Illvibe Collective-Skit 5

download

enjoy,

--dirt_dog

Simple E - Colouz Uv Sound (CD 1994)

Simple E, a female emcee, is mainly known for the classic hit "Play My Funk" released on the Sugar Hill Soundtrack in 1993. She then followed with a full length release titled "Colouz Uv Sound" in 1994. The album had one guess appearance from Bay Area legend Spice 1. One thing that people might not be aware is that the album featured two productions from Mista Lawnge of Black Sheep and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of A Tribe Called Quest. Since it is Native Tongues Month, I was pretty sure that a lot of people would be interested in those obscure productions. The rest of the album features jazz influenced beats. Simple E's flow is reminiscent of Missy Elliot. I'm not really sure where Simple E is from but her fan club is located in New Jersey. She is definitely from the East Coast. Enjoy,

1. Kum Follow Me
2. Day Ain't Reade
3. De Abyss
4. East Coast/West Coast (Feat. Spice 1)
5. Rant & Rave (Producer - Mista Lawnge)
6. Soul Searchin'
7. Kinke Reggae
8. Neck Work (Producer - Ali Shaheed Muhammad)
9. Paradigmz
10. Blue Jeans
11. An Innocent Rage
12. Realite
13. Play My Funk

Download



-- Thomas V

Black Sheep: Wool Quality

Andres "Dres" Titus and William "Mista Lawnge" McLean, hailing out of Queens, are better known as Black Sheep. They debuted in 1991 with their nationwide hit single "Flavor Of The Month". That single was followed by their first album, "A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing". Six months after the release, album was certified Gold by RIAA the on April 3, 1992. Their second release, "Non-Fiction" from 1994, wasn't so much successfull according to some reviews and comments, but i can say i'm enjoying that album as much as the first one. Soon after their second album, Dres and Mista Lawnge got separated and eventually left the label.
We here at TROY, decided to cover all of Black Sheep's vinyl singles with couple of cd singles, since we've made an assumption that y'all already have their first two albums, but you might've missing singles.
Y'all will enjoy this, for sure.

Flavor Of The Month (1991)

A1 Flavor Of The Month
A2 Flavor Of The Month (Instrumental)
B1 Butt... In The Meantime
B2 Butt... In The Meantime (The Nostrand Ave Rastafarian Mix)

DOWNLOAD

Black Sheep - Flavor Of The Month

The Choice Is Yours (1991)

A1 The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)
A2 The Choice Is Yours
B1 Have U.N.E. Pull (Remix)
B2 Yes

DOWNLOAD

Black Sheep - The Choice Is Yours


Try Counting Sheep (UK, 1991)

01. Try Counting Sheep (Caveman Funky Organ 7")
02. Try Counting Sheep (Caveman Funky Organ Instrumental)
03. Try Counting Sheep (Original Sheep LP Mix)
04. The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)

DOWNLOAD


Similak Child (1992)

A1 Similak Child (Homogenized Mix)
A2 Similak Child (Extended Homogenized Mix)
B1 Still In The Ghetto
B2 Similak Child

DOWNLOAD

Black Sheep - Similak Child


Strobelite Honey (1992)

A1 Strobelite Honey (No We Didn't Mix)
A2 Strobelite Honey (Maybe We Did Mix)
B1 Strobelite Honey (Yes We Did Mix)
B2 Gimme The Finga (Remix)

01. Strobelite Honey (Street Mix)
02. Strobelite Honey (Radio Mix)
03. Strobelite Honey (Hot Mix)

Vinyl Single Download
CD Single Download

*CD single is ripped exclusively by dirt_dog

Black Sheep - Strobelite Honey

Without A Doubt (1994)

A1 Without A Doubt (Salaam's Mix Edit)
A2 Without A Doubt
B1 Without A Doubt (Salaam's Instrumental)
B2 We Boys

DOWNLOAD

Without A Doubt (UK, 1994)

A1 Without A Doubt (Block Party Remix)
A2 Without A Doubt (Elm Street Remix)
A3 Without A Doubt (Block Party Instrumental)
B1 Without A Doubt (Salaam's Mix)
B2 Without A Doubt (Lawnge's Mix)
B3 Without A Doubt (Elm Street Instrumental)

DOWNLOAD

North South East West (1995)

A1 North South East West (Remix Clean Radio Edit)
A2 North South East West (Remix Instrumental)
A3 North South East West
B1 North South East West (Remix)
B2 H.A.A. (Here's Another Asshole)
B3 Only If You're Live (Clean Version)

DOWNLOAD

One interesting interview and few live acts at Yo! MTV Raps.

D-Nice Presents: True Hip-Hop Stories - Black Sheep

Black Sheep - Similak Child Live @Yo! MTV Raps 1992


Black Sheep - The Choice Is Yours Live @Yo! MTV Raps 1992


Black Sheep - State Of Yo Live @Yo! MTV Raps 1992

-- Markshot

The B-Side Wins Again

Here is a collection of my favorite b-sides from the early-to-mid 90s. I might put together a second volume at some point.

The B-Side Wins Again
1. EPMD - Brothers From Brentwood L.I.
2. Gangstarr - Credit Is Due
3. Masta Ace - Go Where I Send Thee
4. KMD - Gasface Refill
5. Black Sheep - Still In The Ghetto
6. Krs-One - Feel The Vibe, Feel The Beat
7. Krs-One - Hip Hop vs Rap
8. Diamond D, Sadat X & Lord Finesse - You Can't Front
9. Artifacts - Who I Am
10. De La Soul & Biz Markie - Lovely How I Let My Mind Float
11. Da King And I & Pudgee - The Kingpin
12. Gangstarr - The Question Remainz
13. Mad Skillz - Skillz In '95
14. Del, Souls Of Mischief & Casual - Burnt
15. Del, Pep Love & Q-Tip - Undisputed Champs
16. Souls Of Mischief - Good Feeling
17. Casual & A-Plus - That's How It Is Part II
18. Pharcyde - Pork
http://www.mediafire.com/?md4j2ytnmzx

Preview:

KMD - Gasface Refill


Black Sheep - Still In The Ghetto


Da King And I & Pudgee - The Kingpin


Mad Skillz - Skillz In '95


Souls Of Mischief - Good Feeling


--Roy Johnson

Black Sheep - Non-Album Tracks

Today, we are presenting you with a 2CD set of Black Sheep Non-Album Tracks. I remastered quite a few of these, so y'all are in for a real treat. I also converted some of their live video clips to mp3 format. Stay tuned for similar compilations from Common Sense and Nice & Smooth!

Black Sheep - Non-Album Tracks Volume 1
1. Still In The Ghetto
2. Bounce Ta This w/ Showbiz & AG
3. On The Wall
4. Strobelite Honey (No We Didn't Mix)
5. Have U.N.E. Pull (Remix)
6. Fanatic Of The B Word w/ De La Soul
7. Scenario Demo w/ ATCQ, LONS & De La Soul
8. Let The Horns Blow w/ Chi Ali, De La Soul, ATCQ & The Beatnuts
9. Butt In The Meantime (Nostrand Ave Rastafarian Mix)
10. Bounce Ta This Remix w/ Showbiz & AG
11. Gimme The Finga (Remix)
12. Try Counting Sheep (Funky Caveman Organ 7" Mix)
13. Similak Child (Homogenized Mix)
14. State Of Yo w/ Brand New Heavies
15. What Yo Life Can Truly Be w/ De La Soul
16. Strobelite Honey (Maybe We Did Mix)
17. Strobelite Honey (Yes We Did Mix)
http://www.mediafire.com/?n4yjmm5mwyu

Black Sheep - Non-Album Tracks Volume 2
1. Everyway Always
2. North South East West (Buckwild Remix)
3. Without A Doubt (Lawnge's Mix)
4. H.A.A. (Here's Another Asshole)
5. Jingle Jangle w/ The Legion
6. Jingle Jangle Remix w/ The Legion
7. Who's It On Pt. II w/ Chi Ali & The Legion
8. Only If You're Live w/ Chi Ali & IBP
9. North South East West (Remix)
10. Without A Doubt (Elm Street Mix)
11. Without A Doubt (Block Party Mix)
12. Roll With Tha Flava Remix w/ Various Artists
13. Check It Out w/ Fu-Schnickens
14. Shaky Grounds w/ Resident Alien
15. The Choice Is Yours (Arsenio Hall '92)
16. Strobelite Honey Remix (Arsenio Hall '92)
17. The Choice Is Yours (In Living Color '92)
18. Bounce Ta This w/ Showbiz & AG (In Living Color '93)
19. The Choice Is Yours (Xtendamix '94)
http://www.mediafire.com/?yjztjowmrmj

Preview:

Still In The Ghetto


On The Wall


Have U.N.E. Pull (Remix)


Butt In The Meantime (Remix)


Without A Doubt (Lawnge's Mix)


--Roy Johnson

Double Down Vol. 3

This installment contains 11 tracks I've been playing on a lot lately. Rest in peace to the homie MC Breed.

Download, burn or throw them in your iPOD but most importantly enjoy them!

Double Down Vol. 3

01. Gauge - Cranium (Remix) feat. Cella Dwellas
02. Grand Daddy I.U. - Represent (Remix)
03. Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo - Trilogy of Terror
04. Tuff Crew - Northside Posse feat. MC Mechanism
05. Freestyle Professors - Hardcore Villain
06. Black Sheep - Still In The Ghetto
07. Funkdoobiest - Dedication (DJ Eclipse Remix)
08. Adagio - Listening Pleasure (Remix)
09. Black Starr - Make It Happen feat. Q-Tip
10. M.C. Breed - To Da Beat Ch'all feat. Erick Sermon
11. Professor Griff - Verbal Intercourse feat. Brand Nubian

DOWNLOAD DOUBLE DOWN VOL. 3

ALTERNATIVE LINK

And just encase you forgot...
Click to read Double Down Vol. 1
Click to Download

Click to read Double Down Vol. 2
Click to Download

--Philaflava

De La Soul - What Yo Life Can Truly Be

De La Soul have released many compilations with remixes & rare tracks. But one track I never see is "What Yo Life Can Truly Be", a posse cut featuring A Tribe Called Quest and Dres of Black Sheep. It was featured on the single release of "A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday." This is when the Native Tongues were "Doin' THEIR Own Dang".

Here's the track off the CD Single

Divshare is down, Download in the meantime

--Thomas V

Black Sheep "Still In The Ghetto"

There are dozens if not hundreds (maybe thousands) of rap songs that claim some version of "the ghetto" as a theme or conceit. The word has come to signify a set of communities, socio-economic statuses, and world views that have far less in common than their frequent conflation under a single term suggests. Rappers have had a field day redefining "ghetto" and its related terms only rivaled by their obsession with "nigga." Physically proximate but markedly different places like Rakim's Wyandanche, C.L. Smooth's Mt. Vernon, Q-Tip's Jamaica, and Nas' Queensbridge are all "the ghetto", so the "ghetto" cannot be interpreted as uniformly signifying one narrow set of circumstances. 

Even when we take into account the transmission of cultural notions of identity and place that occurred when the adolescents of the early '80s (new school rap's first generation) visited their grandmothers for the weekend, we are faced with an inescapable truth. The "ghetto" of rap lyrics represents a subset of the larger African diaspora. The "ghetto" has been cast as everything from a socially constructed hell to a modern plantation to the locus classicus of modern black empowerment to the fondly remembered childhood haunt, and every gradation in between. This liminal space contains today's topic - the ghetto as a shifting, ambivalent psychological state that defies the borders of the inner city along with its upwardly mobile residents. 

Black Sheep's "Still In The Ghetto" describes such a state, avoiding the temptation to indulge in standard ghettocentrist romanticism. He also avoids equating a ghetto mentality with diagnosable psychopathology (see Pete Rock and CL Smooth's "Ghettoes Of The Mind.") Dres' narrator is uneasy, perhaps a tad neurotic, but he is not stuck in a dramatized past, choosing instead to express anxiety while indulging in slick bragadocio. Why the boasts? Clever bragging is his bread and butter - the one instance in which he dropped this mode entirely to speak on social issues, "Black With N.V." feels just a bit too preachy for a Black Sheep song. On "Still In The Ghetto"  Dres goes the fuck off from the beginning, giving rival emcees and assorted dickriders "headaches over headbangin' beat breaks" and smacking fools with Street Fighter techniques. The first verse is wonderfully belligerent and flashy, virtuosic to the point of unfairness.

That is, until the last few bars where the overconfident voice who "gives less than a fuck" confesses to a day to day existence "beat in the city of scum." Now, in this case, the narrator is not your typical suffering ghetto dweller. In another smart move, Dres employs a persona much closer to his adult self than some lamentable street urchin caricature. He speaks of an uneasy tension between freedom and constraint, but in terms of his lyrics, which he gleefully amplifies "across the border" -- to ghettoes he has never visited that are likely experiencing the same social ills that run amok in his old neighborhood. As a rapper, he is inextricably tied to the ghetto. After all, the ghetto gave him his technique, his comportment, his rhythm. And more importantly, the ghetto will judge his worthiness as a representative. His bragging is slick and inventive because it has to be. 

In the second verse, Dres' confidence and neurosis increases simultaneously. He rhymes extra hard and extra clever, claiming to have seen Fritz The Cat when it was still playing in theaters (interpreted literally, this means he was the world's toughest toddler). He wears his ghetto background as an indisputable badge of authenticity ("I go back like pitching pennies on a project step") but is somewhat hesitant to glorify this association and laments the similarity of his cocky swagger to the divisive attitudes that destroy communities. He finds respite in the positive aspects of his upbringing, namely improvisational resourcefulness ("pull it off the cuff while we're wearing short sleeves")  and a knack for versatile code-switching ("I'm sliding through the door / to  kick it to the shorty with his eye on a Tec / kick it to the chick with a W.I.C. on her check"). 

In the third verse, the narrator is still conflicted and even more defensive, yet somehow more resolute in his sense that he is in fact, "Still In The Ghetto," at least figuratively. The sense of kinship, or at least obligation that he explores in the second verse is still present but he is noticeably wary about his kindness being mistaken for weakness. The wordplay gets more vicious ("now if it's checkers, chess or soul survivor, I'm going to catch wreck like I was a drunk driver") and the ambivalence loses some ground to urgent paranoia ("they hug you with your left and stab you with your right ... loved by Astoria and blammed by Corona). The implausibility of pleasing everyone back in the 'hood while being upwardly mobile is very real. The narrator is forced to master a balancing act - he must claim that his ghetto-bred swagger has allowed him to tour around the globe while insisting that globe-trotting in style hasn't softened him one bit or made him inaccessible ("I'm still the same, I still got game in Barcelona"). 

"Still In The Ghetto" does not end on an uplifting or poignant note. There is no particular moral to the narrative. Upward mobility is presented as an odd journey, and the identity politics associated with class and race are placed under the microscope. But all we know for certain is that our narrator is fixated on achieving a difficult balance and marrying outward appearance to good intentions as closely as possible. In the third verse he relentlessly insists that he is utterly incapable of falling off either as a seller of records or a genuinely concerned social commentator. He knows better. The two roles are mutually exclusive - we're only temporarily convinced otherwise because he raps so damned good. If these contradictions are what makes him "ghetto"-minded or at least accessible to the ghetto by proxy in his own mind, so be it. We all gain from hearing a reluctantly honest, sort of self-serving take on the genre's most explored topic.

Because we don't help the situation by simplifying it.  -- Thun