STOP YOUR SOBBING
Jul 1, 2005 12:00 PM, The Remix Editors, Robert Hanson Erin Hutton Kylee Swenson
If you go to Amazon.com and check out the customer reviews of Ying Yang Twins' last album, Me & My Brother, you'll see an average of 3.5 stars. But when you check out the individual reviews, you'll find vastly divided opinions. Given the anonymous nature of the opinions expressed on Amazon, people can be, and often are, entirely brutal. Throughout the dozens of judgments posted online about Ying Yang Twins, you'll see lots of five-star reviews and lots of one-star reviews. And the latter are rip-roaringly vicious, throwing out words (sometimes in all caps) such as idiots and ignorant.
But no matter how you feel about the music, the Ying Yang Twins' Kaine and D-Roc are at the very least commendable for their drive to succeed. Despite some big setbacks in their lives, nothing and no one has deterred them enough to make them quit. Growing up on welfare and living in government housing, Kaine had to have his feet broken and set straight as a baby and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 18. His “twin,” D-Roc, has had his own disabilities and adversities, including a growth-stunted, premature hand.
Yes, the duo's lyrics can be nasty. In fact, a strong argument can be made that Kaine and D-Roc deliver the lowest common denominator of rap rhymes. (Keep your young children far, far away from their music, if you can.) But coming up on releasing their fourth album — and after a slew of eviscerating reviews — Kaine and D-Roc don't seem too bothered. After all, they're Platinum-selling artists, and there is an army of five-star reviewers who “get” them. More important, after scaling obstacle after obstacle to get where they are now, it's not likely that another person calling them illiterate and senseless would stop them in their tracks.
Now, this isn't all a big defense of Ying Yang Twins or an explanation of why Remix featured the duo this month (after all, it's Mr. Collipark's booty-shaking production that twisted our arms). The point is that if Kaine and D-Roc decided not to settle for a welfare check and a quiet life sitting anonymously on the couch, then why should you? You might have a disability such as cerebral palsy, or you could be debilitated by one biting comment someone made about you or your music last January. But if you let anything from minute to mountainous deter you, then you automatically fail.
This month's issue is indeed diverse. The other artists featured — Billy Corgan, Colette, DJ Rap, Goldie Lookin Chain, ?uestlove, the Crystal Method, Oscar G of Murk and Gang of Four — have had their own stumbling blocks and reasons for quitting. You can count on that. (Although it might seem trivial or vain, the rosacea on Corgan's left arm and hand could have stopped him from performing in front of thousands, but it didn't.)
So even though you may not be feeling too sorry for famous and sometimes wealthy musicians who have endured painful criticism throughout the years, it would be helpful for all of us to realize that there are probably bigger issues in their lives that are far more hindering. This isn't to say that celebrities deserve your sympathy; it's just good to know that despite whatever setbacks you have experienced, there is rarely — if ever — a good reason to abandon your artistic goals. The people who truly succeed in life don't make excuses for themselves, and neither should you.
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