Dana Lucci's "I'll Be There" Remix

It sucks that when you grow up you have to leave people behind. In your arrogant youth, you think you’ve moved past those people. But once you’re older and a bit wiser, you realize it’s just that though your paths used to be parallel, now they diverge.

You’re not “better” than the guy who stayed in your hometown and works at the gas station (even if he picked on you). You’re just different.

The older you get, the further you move from those people you used to know. Sometimes, it’s nice to see what those people are up to. More often than not, you’ll be surprised. Financial and career success doesn’t equal an interesting or meaningful life. Though someone who is rich and successful can be interesting.

That’s sort of the story with the Bizzie Boyz. The core of the ’80s era Greensboro, NC hip-hop group was Mixmasta D, Willski, Rhythm Fanatic (and the two dancers, Move and Groove). The group put out a song, Droppin’ It, that had some success on East coast radio. The track even found a place on Ego Trip’s “The Big Playback” compilation.

The group cut an album and there was some buzz. But Willksi moved up North (for a minute), changed his name to Ski Beatz and ended up producing a good chunk of Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt. The Rhythm Fanatic had a similar career trajectory (changed his name to Fanatic and did production work for Michael Jackson and Beyonce).

So where does that leave Mixmaster D? Stuck in Greesnboro, NC, following his own path. Dude changed his name to Dana Lucci and has been percolating in Greensboro for 10 years (“Droppin’ It” came out in 1989).

By the sounds of this bizarre remix, dude is just as interesting (or more so) than the bandmates who got away. On the surface level, this is possibly the worst Jackson 5 remix I’ve ever heard. The tempo matches but nothing else does.

But I’m compelled to listen to the whole thing. There’s something there. I want to hear more from Dana Lucci. Mixmaster D? Holler.

Going Dumb

Ever spent any time with the mentally handicapped? I don’t mean like, have you talked to someone with down’s syndrome once or like own the Life Goes On DVD set (which does exist).

I more mean like, do you have a brother who is mentally handicapped? Or have you volunteered at any length with the Special Olympics or a similar organization?

I ask because I have. I worked with my mom for a rehabilitation group that was dedicated to mentally AND physically handicapped kids between the ages of (I believe) 6 and 13. It was fun and sad and rewarding and a drag all at the same time, blah blah yadda yadda.

I only bring this up (and ask the question I did at the top) because I wanted to share a bit of insight I learned back then (and am wondering if I’m alone in gaining this insight). One thing I learned (the hard way) is that the vast majority of mentally handicapped people believe, for one reason or another, that they aren’t of lesser intelligence than everyone else.

Now sure, we can squabble about what exactly “smart” is and whether functioning autistics are actually smarter than the rest of us and all that. But a wheelchair-bound kid with down’s syndrome who, at the age of 12 can’t spell his own name is, sadly enough, less smart than other kids his age. By all metrics available, he is less smart.

So it’s a remarkable thing about the human spirit that a kid who is objectively less intelligent than other people believes he is of normal intelligence (and, in some cases, that he is in fact special, the term of favor by many an infantilizing parent).

I was reminded of this (pretty sad) phenomenon when I saw excepts of Sarah Palin’s new book hit the Internet (or “web”). Palin is a person who is, by all outsider and insider accounts, objectively dumber than the average person. It’s not just that she doesn’t read newspapers but that she can’t name any. It’s not just that she has the wrong opinion on foreign policy but that she can’t figure out which wrong opinion to have.

She is an objectively dumb person.

And we’ve paid her to write a book. That’s mean.

It’s mean in the same way that it would’ve been mean if I asked one of the mentally handicapped kids I worked with to start their own blog or star in a short film.

Because they don’t know they don’t know any better. Maybe it’s time we told them?