Reviews & Recommendations: De La Soul – The TRUE Leaders of the so-called “New School”
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Trugoy (Plug 2, “Dave the Dove”), Maseo (Plug 3, “Pacemaster M.A.S.E”), Jay Electronica, & Posdnuos (Plug 1,”Wonder Why”)
Ok. Believe it or not-i’m not one of those guys who thinks you should care about “the first” simply because it’s the first... i mean, ok- maybe in the case of remakes- but here it only adds to my admiration…
If you’re a dumb ass(lol)- you’ve probably said by now “but sah..i thought busta was in LOTNS” and well…yes- he was…but the title of this post is no less true and a closer examination of who it discusses reveals why…
I’m only half sure of when i first “got on” De La Soul, but it must have been fate cuz it was one of 3 ways… as for which came first? I have no idea, but i’m compelled to start with an elder church member…
When i was in highschool, and i’m guessing around junior year (before than i stuck with radio’s direction), an older acquaintance of mine gave me a mix CD he made of the Native Tongue collective- Tribe, Jungle Bros, Black Sheep, Latifah, Monie Luv, LOTNS and De La. i only remember responding to “Buddy” (you prob know of Musiq’s recent song- same name), but many songs from the CD would later become favorites. My second introduction to De La, was by way of my older brother who gave me his Stakes Is High CD (who’s 1996 cover* you might recognize if you’ve scanned my myspace/facebook pages ) and at this point it should’ve been clear that De La was the group for me (i’ll explain why later) but it wasn’t until a redman hook and a discount bootleg that i would really discover who De La Soul were…
Somewhere between 02 and 03, i was fingering through discount bootleg CD’s (no, seriously) and i came across a copy of De La Soul’s Bionix. i can’t remember exactly why i decided to take it home with me (prob the $2 “price tag”) but i did…and before i knew it- i found my way to a certain song at the end of the CD entitled: Trying people
…now “real talk” doesnt quite capture what that song sounded like to me. i mean, by this point i was highly versed in the writings of D. Smith, T. Trotter, R. Lynn, and T. Kweli (you got lucky on that last one *smirk*)- but whereas these men were still visibly chasing the lime light (or at least respect) in their prose…Dove and Pos spoke as if they’d had their fill of all this. As far as i could tell, they wanted nothing more but health and peace of mind….it was:
vulnerable,
strong,
honest,
inspiring,
and mature in a way i’d never heard before…
..and after that, the more and more i looked into these guys, i found it was nothing new about them… i mean sure, they were silly at moments (and you dont even have to be a semi-serious fan to note that), but even in their younger years there was a wisdom deep within De La’s words that was hard to find elsewhere (for me at least)..
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(This is a…Recording Era)
3 Feet High and Rising (1989) is a tad bit more than just “the Me, Myself & I album” ( and i’m sure many would seek to argue what i’m about to say, simply because of the name “dropped” but..) 3 Feet High is to Hip Hop, what Sgt. Pepper was to Rock.
let me tell you why…
There is only ONE other album that provided such an colorful backdrop before the commercial boom of post-80’s hip hop, and that album (Paul’s Boutique- Beastie Boys) was released one month later, but even the Beasties didn’t flex as hard vocally/lyrically as did Trugoy and Pos. You have to understand… when this album came out- De La Soul were hailed as the future of hip hop and they were. At the time, east coast hip hop was still concerned with dookie chains, jumpsuits, James Brown samples, and status. De La- in flow, image, sound, and subject matter were radically different than anything else at the time. Even when compared to the equally influential Straight Outta Compton(88), the lyrical, and stylistic versatility of De La’s delivery was years ahead of N.W.A. Although mainstream media took more of a liking to Compton’s visceral “reality-rap” (which unfortunately, fit more in line with white media’s portrayal of the black male- thus “gangster rap”), the “Othas from a Brotha Planet” redefined in a single album what both rappers and producer could expect to create. The wealth of samples used, and how they were used, by producer Prince Paul (an equal contribution to the De La universe) were extremely innovative for the time. One is left with the feeling that everyone must have stopped and rethought their process, because hip hop production since then began to reflect a much wider palette. The album is full of “alternative” and “world-ly” drum patterns, and the samples were plucked from anywhere between top 40 pop rock (“Say No Go”) and yodeling (“Plug Tuning”). As if that wasn’t enough, Posdnuos and Trugoy seemed to know no bounds, taking great risk in how they wrote and delivered their message of individualism (“D.A.I.S.Y Age”).
There were various awkward pauses in their delivery, intentionally designed to create a world of their own no doubt, and they seemed to have no fear of creating their own terminology and philosophies about existence and one’s place in it. Another little known, and barely acknowledged, fact is that 3 Feet High and Rising is the first known hip hop album to include “the Skit“. Legend has it, before this album there was no such thing as an interlude in the world of Rap. Why did they do it? Actually, I don’t know- but my guess is the group had a certain amount of time they had to meet for the record. But honestly, it could very well just be a nod to their creativity. The album is full of light hearted posturing (obviously in rebellion to the status quo of the time) and you never get the idea they take themselves too seriously. Even as they tackled issues like: Drugs (Pos’ brother was addicted to crack), Teenage Sex and Pregnancy, and Poverty. De La held no qualms about being different and abstract, and most “Best Of” lists point to this album (as well as its follow-up) as some of the most progressive and interesting hip hop ever recorded.
Noteworthy Songs:
- Jenifa Taught Me – (an ode to the fast girl in the class)
- Tread Water – (a parable about optimism in which each member learns from and aids different talking animals)
- Say No Go – (possibly the coolest anti-drug sentiment sprung from the lamest anti-drug campaign)
- Potholes in My Lawn – (a coded attack at rhyme-biters)
- This is a Recording 4 Living in a Full-time Era – (de la shares an account of their, and others, lives as recording artists)
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(Pease Porridge)
I would call De La Soul is Dead (1991) a hangover from the dizzying success of 3 Feet High, but the clarity here (clarity, being an admittedly a tricky word to use with De La) is inspiring. By this point in De La’s career- everyone took to labeling De La as the hippies of hip hop for their notably peaceful approach (even though their biggest hit “Me Myself and I” renounced this claim, and the group went to great extents to explain: D.A.I.S.Y- or Da Inner Sound Yall- simply referred to their campaign for individualism in hip hop). Even Arsenio introduced them as such when they performed on his show*, and as if they saw it coming, De La were prepared with the the lyrics to their song “It Aint Hip to be Labeled Hippie” which they snuck in as the final verse of Me, Myself and I. The album cover shows a broken daisy pot, representing their disdain for how well the image and not the concept caught on, and equally- the group satirically mocks themselves from the point of veiw of the listening public throughout the album by way of skit and song. The album is introduced as a read along story book, where: a random kid (voiced by junior collective member Chi-Ali -who currently is serving a murder sentence) finds a De La Soul tape in the trash before being punked by several bullies who steal the tape, listen to it, talk of how corny it is (via skits), and eventually through it back in the trash. Also produced by Prince Paul, the album is a flurry of samples, breakbeats, and abstract lyricism. Had listeners not been swayed by the “hippie” notion, one would have found “De La is Dead” to be equally if not better than their blockbuster debut. Again, the self-critical and satirical stance points to a remarkable awareness by the De La members and even as they’re visibly upset at how the industry is receiving them- they remain upbeat and just as humorous as before. The album also takes several stabs of the idea that “gangster posturing” is now “pretty”- most notably, absurdly and effectively in the song/interlude-ish piece “Who do You Worship?” The album also features a brilliant prank on fast food sevice with the song “Bitties in the BK Lounge” and for the first time (unless you count the 3 Feet High b-sides/promo mix) , Maseo “Plug 3″ steps from behind the turntables and offers a few verses, and he’s not half bad either.
Posdnuos shares a bit more about his past with his drug addicted brother in the “My Brother’s a Basehead” and while its delivered as usual in an upbeat fashion, one can only admire how open and sincere Pos is with such a personal subject matter. One of My favorites from the album “Let, Let Me In” is a perfect example of how danceable De La Soul’s music was at the time, and over a grinding bass and horn melody- the guys wittily try to coerce several girls into the bedroom (every time I hear this song I wanna dance).
The most powerful piece, however (which is kinda a tough call), would be “Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa Clause” in which De La touches on a classmate of their being molested by her father, who was also their teacher. The storytelling here is delivered skillfully over a sample of Funkadelic’s “I’ll Stay” (from “Standing on the Verge of Gettin it On” <==GREAT ALBUM). The combination of De La and Funkadelic couldn’t fit better seeing as De La we’re direct descendants of the group (I mean, they’d covered similar ground earlier by way of Parliment’s “Not Just Knee Deep” for “Me Myself and I” but this was cooler)
(Millie Pulled..)
(Other) Noteworthy Songs:
- Oodles of O’s – (De La discusses their rise to so-called fame and life in general while ending almost every line with the sound “O”)
- A Rollerskating Jam Called “Saturdays” – (an ode to the weekend/call to just have fun. GREAT HOOK by Vinia Mojica)
- Shwingalokate – (another party jam where De La just does what they do)
- Pass the Plugs – (De La reintroduces themselves for those who continue to misunderstand them, and also address the arsenio show)
- Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) – (De La discusses the overflow of whack demotapes they receive while on tour)
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(I Am, I Be)
Buhloone Mindstate (1993) is in one word “unforgiving”. The groups last album with producer Prince Paul offers no listener a chance to catch up, and here we hear the naturally abstract mind of De La at full speed. The result comes off illogical at first, but after a few listens, one realizes just how forward thinking the group really really is. Over richly layered jazz textures (JB member Maceo Parker is even featured on the disc) the group once again challenges “hardness” with “puzzling abstractions” and if readers will remember this is the same year that brought us the west coast classic Doggystyle- one can imagine how complex Mindsate must have been in response. Lyrically the album addressed more personal matters in Posdnous life such as new found maturity with the birth of his new daughter, the fall out of De La Soul and collective members Jungle Bros, and his conversion to Islam (“I Am, I Be“), and throughout the album- the group continuously alludes to their refusal to change their art despite the request of their label. Also featured on the disc is Pos’ cousin “MC Shortie No Mas” and her voice can be heard all over, even lending a full 16 on the song “In the Woods” where De La compares their “hard to catch” lyricism to leaving other emcees lost “in the woods” (and thusly, being lost on them). Rolling Stone declared this album the 10th greatest rap album of all time and though it was a critical success like both preceding albums, it was also a commercial failure and served as a hint towards an unfortunate pattern for De La. The album also featured guest spots by: Guru, Biz Markee, and Japanese hip hop artists Kan Takagi and Scha Dara Parr. It’s kinda hard to describe this album and while the instrumental backdrop is euphoria inducing the lyical weight/challenge is light years beyond what most rap listeners can stomach. I’ve come to value the album as highly as Rollingstone has, but at first I could barely enjoy it. It’s literally just that fast.
Noteworthy Songs:
- En Focus – (De La recounts the tribulations of flying to and falling from the grace of fame)
- Patti Dooke – (a defiant declaration of who De La are, are not, and will never be)
- Area – (De La shouts out all the places they’ve travelled by way of area codes [think Luda with less talk of "hoes"])
- Ego Trippin – (a deft attack at the ego-maniacal nature of current day hip hop)
- Stone Age – (De La reps their allegiance to the original scene with Beatbox vet Biz Marke <==Pos’ verse on this is stylisticallyly like nothing I heard)
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*
(Wonce Again)
…I think two things happened with Stakes is High(1996): you get the impression De La realized their patented double-speak style of writing didn’t necessarily help their already “over your head” type skills (the lyrics on this album seem to be much more straight to the point than on previous albums), and the other thing was, this was De La’s first album without original producer Prince Paul. I’d imagine the combination of brand new beatsmiths (one of which being J Dilla) and being routinely overlooked, is what made this album sound the way it does. There is a sense of disillusionment on this album, but it’s different then then what we hear on De La Soul is Dead. By this point Pos and Dave seem less concerned without outright challenging mainstream rappers (though invitations to “step up” are given) than with simply “calling things as they seem em”- much like wise men amongst fools actually. In some ways this album kinda sets the tone for the following 3 De La albums, though it’s hard to actually describe how. This is also the album responsible for introducing Mos Def to a wide(r) audience (remember when i said “i shouldv’e known De La were for me”?) and also features Zhane, Common, and the Jazzyfatnastees. Lyrically the abum covers ground familar by this point to any De La fan, but also delves a bit deeper to the widening gap between Native Tongue members. Personally, I think this album is just as much a classic snapshot of mid 90’s east coast hip hop as was- Ready to Die, Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt etc. but chances are you’ll never hear anyone namedrop this one with the rest.
Noteworthy Songs:
- 4 More – (just De La on some smooth shit with a velvet hook by Zhane)
- Itzsoweezee – (Trugoy doing his 1, 2 grown man thing)
- Betta Listen – (both Pos and Dave share stories about different women they met <==the storytelling here is SUPERB)
- Big Brother Beat – (Pos, Dave, and Mos Def trade bars)
- Stakes is High
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(Declaration)
(Watch Out)
In 2000, De La announced they were to release a three part series within the time span of a year- entitled Art Official Intelligence (AOI). The public only saw the release of the first two installments (Mosaic Thump & Bionix- respectively) due to ongoing complication with Tommy Boy. Both albums are pretty much usual De La over up-to-date beat selections, and actually mark the return of De La to the charts (the first installment received a Grammy nomination). Both albums are pretty decent and share sonic similarity, so I tend to look at them as one album. Many of the production and features are handled by members of the Spitkicker family (which is pretty much an updated version of the Native Tongues). There isn’t much I can tell you now about their music that hasn’t already been said, but many of the songs exemplify De La at their best. The AOI series also marks the return of De La’s skits, and introduces the humorous product: Ghost Weed – a jab at rappers of proudly use weed as a means to create decent lyrics (it is made clear through much of their material that Pos doesnt smoke, although Mase proudly endorses the green plant often. Trugoy, never really clarifies whether he indulges or not). The skits are perfectly executed as the listener is invited to eavesdrop of several ciphers where unkown rappers claim they can spit as good as their favorite emcees…after they’ve hit the blunt of course:
(the skits are so good, i had to post them all 
)
from Mosaic Thump:
from Bionix:
Noteworthy Songs:
Mosaic Thump
- My Writes – (De La claims superiority along side the Alkaholiks and Xhibit)
- View – (De La over a sick ass chopped up piano melody)
- Squat! – (De La and Beastie Boys sound off like the veterans they are)
- With Me – (De La spits that grown man game over a sample of Marvin Gaye’s “After the Dance”)
- Foolin – (De La cautions big headed rappers who question whether De La are the real thing)
Bionix
- Baby Phat – (i’ll admit, when i first heard this song- i didn’t think it was anything special, but being older i realize what a good campiagn it is for women to embrace their beauty despite what the media advertises. once again De La take the road less traveled by saying what needs to said- even if no one else is saying it [or rather only a few speak about it]. and aside from that- they’re pretty much scooping the majority of prospectiveve female fans the media doesnt highlight or seem to regard lol…i’m sayin tho- you gotta peep game)
- Held Down – (GREAT SONG- Pos examines the burden of those who walk to the beat of their own drum, and encourages them by way of sharing his own experiences. He also makes a great point about the role one’s on ego plays in their downfall. Cee-lo sings the chorus)
- The Sauce – (just straight De La and philly black on some emcee shit)
- Pawn Star – (…um…for real? its just trugoy and guest shell council discussing all the crazy things that would do if they worked in porn. The beat is crazy and the hook pays curtis mayfield so much homage you’d think pharrell wrote it. THIS SONG WOUL’DVE BEEN AN UNDENIABLE HIT IMO- that is, if radio stations could actually get away with a song like this lol.) ***be warned- there’s alot of porn sound fx in this song lol***
- Peer Pressure – (over a J Dilla beat- Pos, B-Real of Cypress Hill fame, and DJ Mase share bars as B-Real and Mase try to coax Pos into getting high with them. The song is hilarious and very realistic on both ends of the conversation, and believe it or not doesnt make anyone look like the bad guy. just an example of exactly what the song title presents)
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(Verbal Clap)
The Grind Date (2004) is honestly just about as good as a rap album gets and is imo the best thing De La has done to date (which is interesting considering few reviews i’ve read give the album that much praise). the cover explains it all, and De La are treating the album as just what it is: another day at work. for other artists, this might sound like a letdown, but these guys take their job seriously…and it shows. unfortunately, the album also marked the height of their tension with “major” assistance, as they were between a split from tommy boy and figuring out whether they wanted to negotiate a new deal with another label. Due to this (and a single that didn’t generate much of a response – Shopping Bags) the album kinda snuck quietly under the ears of the public that probably would’ve heralded this as “the return of de la” (as if they’d ever left). the album features production by Madlib and 9th Wonder among others, and also features: Ghostface, Buttah Verses, Spike Lee, FLava Flav, Common, and MF Doom. throughout the album, both Pos and Dave call out rappers of the time and challenge them to throw all gimmicks aside and “just spit”…but it doesnt sound like a bunch of bitter elders who cant keep up. De La spits as if they’re the ones miles ahead of the game. They just want other rappers to catch up and meet the potential they (De La) helped expose. all of the beats here “knock” and the lyrics are just as skillful as any quote worthy modern rhyme you can think of (only, you havent heard them because no ones listens enough to quote them… i personally think Pos is a bit too quick for most listeners -and Trugoy as well for that matter, but i think he meets listeners halfway). If I wanted to introduce anyone to De La, I’d hand them this CD. YOU HAVE MY WORD if you listen to this album you’ll be saying “wow. i’ve been sleeping on De La hard.”
Noteworthy Songs
- Much More – (De La passionately acknowledges that they are pound for pound better than a good portion of the listening audience will ever know, yet they do this with remarkable pride and you get the sense that the doubt of the mainstream never swayed De La one inch. there is a strength and awareness in this song that is awe-inspiring)
- Shopping Bags- (De La mocks men who let gold digging women play them for fools and max out their credit. The music here has a stutter step to it, and De La match suit vocally. It’s actually quite impressive if you know how difficult/challenging hip hop actually is for those who take their craft seriously)
- Church – (De La assumes their role as clergy men in the rap game and attempt to “lay hands” on the world around them. Another passionately inspiring song delivered over a 9th Wonder beat that sounds like the onset of an epiphany during one of those fast moving cloud sequences you see in movies)
- He Comes – (De La and Ghostface claim superior skills over a beat that sounds like a hero to the rescue. Ghostface sounds absolutely giddy to be on a track with De La lol)
- Rock Co. Kane Flow – (De La and MF Doom do the regular “you cant see me” thing over a beat that stutters to a hault everytime a verse is ended. The result is ridiculous.
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Now, you may or may not be wondering why i’d go to the trouble of typing all this up, but there is more than one reason i find it appropriate to discuss De La right now. My take on the current state of hip hop (and by current state, I refer not to the radio or TV but to the internet and blogsphere which has become the newer source for the true spirit of hip hop) is that we are right back to 1989 lyrically and emotionally. Today’s “leaders of the new class” (names like: Kid Cudi, Charles Hamilton, Asher Roth, Cool Kids, Mickey Facts, Lupe Fiasco ect.) are exactly what the Native tongues were in the late 80’s/early 90’s. They stand for individualism and rebellion against the “supposed authority” of gangster posturing, and they are also advocates (whether they consciously choose this or not- though i suspect they do) of completely free speech in hip hop. The right to be different, challenging, unapologetically free of lyrical restraint, and to even daydream to the point of absurdity on the mic is something they vividly stand for. Much like the cyclic nature of all periods in music, hip hop is experiencing the return of “un-cool as the new cool” and De La are an exact reflection of what todays teenage-college rap listeners identify with. The resistance the afore-mentioned artists are partially receiving, is undoubtedly the same opposition De La faced early (and throughout) their career. Also, having “rapped” for almost 10 years now- I’ve recognized that if I were to reach any level of mainstream success, this would also be my lot…but who better to follow then De La? They never once caved in or betrayed their artistic integrity and the result is a prolific career of progressively profound work. Sure, most people will admit they never really stopped to hear De La out, but it doesnt change who De La are at all. and who they are are sages among students. I couldn’t think of a more enviable position.
Also, my next scheduled release is a tribute to De La and all that they stand for as I aline myself with them as their decendant. The project (a free retrospective of my work in hip hop: b-sides/outtakes/new songs/verses of mine ranging from when I started at 15 to now) is entitled The ‘Back Where the Pain Is’ Mixtape: Vol 2- De La Minded [download here] and was sequentially inspired by De La’s last mixtape 2007’s The Mission Impossible Series (also worth checking out).
I figured if i hoped for anyone to catch the reference (lol) i might as well educate a few on why I would even place their name on my own release in the first place. The mixtape is for the most part done, but is still waiting on a few things- so I have no exact release date. But i thought i’d throw this article out there as a means of pre-promotion and also to big up my L.I. brothers in rhyme and mindstate.
Before I go, I leave you with one of the most recent De La interviews I could find - as well as the original 1989 press release for their groundbreaking first album.
hope you’ve enjoyed this walk around the block.
-yours truly
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De La on Arsenio
*
“In america today
People think they know the way
Of the soul
De la is on the road
To blank and clear the hay
Behind the line of inner, find
We ‘ve explained this time and time
Daisies don’t mean everything
Daisies don’t mean anything
But the word itself when broken up
Was just a larger pound
D.a. stands for “t-h-e”
I is “inner”
S is “sound”
Y is “y’all”
this you should heed
the inner sound
Will help you breathe
But still I sport a hefty sigh
When I have to explain
It’s just me, myself and i”
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…
okay, i can’t resist- one more…
Go Out and Get it – (2007)
[Pos:]
All hail to the check one-two
You can catch one-two at a theatre near
Where you’ll find me supportin rap, like a brassiere
Not sayin if the game is tits, but you gotta admit
that the soul be the, holder of the mic device
Rhymes filled with blood and guts, the game filled with
bolts and nuts, but them shits rusty
And the trusty MC got the W-4
You can find me up in the W. Moore
I’m back on the juice with them heavy old Chevy rhymes
Missin like crime on the deuce
We don’t sit in boats and fish, we sit in studios
and quote words to serve on a dish
And the nerve that you wish you had I got bags of
And drags of drugs will only make it worse when you’re high
Listenin to the Why on the first verse named Wonder
So don’t underestimate, what we create
And you’ll never find us pullin up to clubs
in them long stretch whales
Or pushin inside girls with Donkey Kong stretch tails
And when all else fails, we hit ‘em with the charm
that reflects like muscles on the arm
And even if crowded like food courts
We own home court advantage so we never feel alarmed
[Dave:]
It’s eighty-six y’all, put your rap on pause
More milk on the mic than them pregnant broads
Nine times out the dime it’s a penny on the floor
Same penny you walk around and you ignore
See I’m the penny that’ll have the deal closed
Turn that point nine nine into one point oh’s
A millisecond you’ll be needin in the race
That photo finish I ain’t even see your face
I’m that one degree that made the Pisa lean
The one goal, one God, one aim and one team
That one good push that gave birth to your dream
That one good year, that one good beer
See you can hit the lotto with hope and a buck
But with 99 cents yo’ ass is outta luck
Once upon a time, it’s not once it ain’t happen
One pop in the air does not mean you clappin
One rap hit does not mean you be rappin
Although you bust rhymes, you ain’t kill it ONE TIME~!
Never was to be in the first, just the second one
If you don’t find me with mic, I’m mic checkin one
One good pinch, and one good hunch
That’s just one bad apple out the New York bunch
Got ones, but I want 2’s 3’s and 4’s
I’m that one when you got one more
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