De La Soul: The Definition of Reinvention

De La Soul is the definition of reinvention. Sporting a career that spans twenty plus years, Posdnous, Trugoy, and Maceo have consistently pushed the margins of what Hip Hop looks, feels, and sounds like. Hailing from Amityville, Long Island, the trio united in late 1980s. Their demo tape, Plug Tunin caught the ear Stetsasonic producer-slash-frontman, Prince Paul, who helped the group secure a record deal with Tommy Boy Records.  In 1989, De La Soul released its seminal classic album, Three Feet High And Rising, a critical and commercial success by every measure.  De La’s colorful presentation, leather Africa medallions, and “dawning of the D.A.I.S.Y. age” (Da Inner Sound Yall) proclamations stood out immediately amongst Hip Hop's gangsta rap laden landscape.   The trio’s rhymes were strikingly non-aggressive, choosing to speak about peace and love with their distinctive brand of wittiness and tongue in cheek humor over pistol brandishing bravado.  Not only was their content in stark contrast to their contemporaries, but their eclectic production pushed the boundaries for what was considered Hip Hop.  De La pulled from reggae, pop, funk, jazz, and soul music when crafting their sound scape -- a sonic shift at a time when rap music relied heavily on James Brown samples and old school break beats.  Their combination of common man sensibilities and audio ingenuity solidified their position in the rapidly growing culture, quickly reaching gold (eventually platinum) record sales, opening doors contextually and stylistically for acts such as Arrested Development, A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, and many others.     The D.A.I.S.Y. Age landed on Hip Hop. That is until De La killed itself. Battling the stresses that comes with crafting a classic debut album (label pressure to recapture lightning in a bottle, dissatisfaction with the “Hippies of Hip Hop” designation, creative pigeonholing due to their unique sound), the trio literally killed all previous misconceptions of themselves with the release of their sophomore album, De La Soul Is Dead (1991). This loosely based concept album was much darker than their debut. Not only did the record address societal issues such as drug addiction (“My Brother's A Basehead”) and child abuse (“Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa”), but the LP itself was littered with interludes of kids dissing the album while listening to it! De La Soul Is Dead challenged listeners sonically and conceptually while simultaneously shedding the light hearted Hippies of Hip Hop image misunderstood on Three Feet High And Rising. Although the album failed to meet the commercial benchmark set by its predecessor, it was critically praised (receiving the coveted 5 Mics in The Source), and most importantly, it would become the first time De La Soul successfully reinvented itself, a trend that would continue for the rest of the group's twenty plus year career. Where 1993’s Buloone Mindstate showcased an evolved sound complete with a Maceo Parker saxophone instrumental, introspective rhymes highlighting their maturity, a first time collaboration with Gang Starr Emcee, Guru -- 1996’s Stakes Is High and its commentary on Hip Hop’s artistic decline is not only considered one of De La's top works, but has proven prophetic over time. Where 2000’s Art Official Intelligence’s promise of three albums released within one year fell one installment short of fulfillment, collaborations with Redman, Chaka Kahn, Devin The Dude, B-Real and radio friendly production proved De La could successfully reemerge from the underground and swim in the mainstream. Where every previous De La project contained a plethora of skits, and interludes -- 2005‘s The Grind Date, the sleekest of its career, contains no skits or interludes at all. Enlisting Underground super producers Jake One, Madlib, J Dilla, and 9th Wonder, De La proved that it can still deliver without the added filler seen on previous works. De La Soul reinvents itself with every album release. The staggering range of creativity, willingness to take risks with every project, and ear for sonic dopeness delivered consistently over the past twenty years and eight albums is what separates the group from the rest of the Hip Hop universe. From its early entrance into the Native Tongues movement (along with the Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, Black Sheep, etc) to opening doors for everyone from Arrested Development to Digable Planets to Mos Def to The Black Eyed Peas, to rhyming next to Chaka Kahn and Redman -- De La Soul has consistently “put on” since it first stepped into the game. Most importantly, regardless of commercial success, De La Soul is one (if not THE) most reliable acts in Hip Hop. For twenty years, Posdnous, Trugoy, and Maseo have crafted completely unique projects that withstand the test of time. Every project received critical praise. Every project has legs. None sound similar to the previous. None sound similar to the next. De La understands what it means to be an artist, and it unabashedly pushes its artistry to the forefront, never compromising it to cash-in. Thats the reason they’ve managed a twenty year career in the world’s most fickle industry. Thats the reason they were honored at the 2008 VH1 Hip Hop Honors. Thats the reason they are constantly on tour, selling out venues world wide, kicking material that spans three decades. Thats the reason they were chosen to headline the 2010 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. De La Soul is the definition of reinvention. And they always rock the mic right. PURCHASE MUSIC BY DE LA SOUL HERE