De La Soul
De La Soul |
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De La Soul is a massively influential hip hop group, hailing from Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling and quirky, surreal lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap subgenre. The members are Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos, Mercenary, Plug Wonder Why, Plug One), David Jude Jolicœur (Trugoy the Dove, Dave, Plug Two) and Vincent Mason (P.A. Pasemaster Mase, Maseo, Plug Three). The three formed the group in high school and caught the attention of producer Paul Huston (Prince Paul) with a demo tape of the song "Plug Tunin'". Prince Paul was also sometimes referred to as Plug Four. They are something of a phenomenon.
Biography
Their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), was a critical smash that saw the group labelled hippies due to the message of peace and love. They quickly became prominent members of the Zulu Nation, along with A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, Queen Latifah, The Jungle Brothers and others. They were also members of the famed Native Tongues Posse and mentioned the group often in their music (though they have since left the group for various reasons).
"Me, Myself and I" became a huge hit, further cementing the group's popularity. However, rock group the Turtles sued the group for sampling "You Showed Me" without permission on De La Soul's "Transmitting Live from Mars". From that point on, sampling required permission from the sources before it was released.
After 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul was pegged by audiences as hippies and were expected to continue creating the same type of music. This greatly agitated the group, as they always envisioned their career as a constantly changing style. This would influence their next recording sessions.
Second Album: No more hippies
De La Soul's second album, De La Soul Is Dead (1991) was a much darker album. It featured skits that criticized the direction that hip hop was heading in at the time, though it still managed to maintain a light sense of humor. The album cover featured a broken daisy flower pot, symbolizing their trying to shed the "hippie" label that the first album caused. While the album is a fan favorite today, it received mixed reviews and did not sell as well as 3 Feet High and Rising.
1993's Buhloone Mindstate saw the group evolve a new sound and cemented their position as mainstays of the alternative hip hop movement. The album was a critical success and is widely considered their strongest work by fans, but the commercial success was even less this time out than with their previous release. Pos' cousin and female MC Shortie No Mas was prominent on many tracks on the CD. There were several moments on the album which proved the band had matured and moved away from the silliness of their previous works, partially due to the deterioration of the Native Tongues movement around the same time. "I Be Blowin'" was a departure as the track was an instrumental featuring saxophone playing by the legendary Maceo Parker. "Long Island Wildin'" was a collaboration with Japanese hip-hop trio Scha Dara Parr (SDP). First single "Breakadawn" used a sample of Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help It" throughout. The album ended with a fun Biz Markie collaboration called "Stone Age."
In 1994, 500 copies of a promotional EP called Clearlake Audiotorium were released on clear vinyl and CD. The 6 track EP contained edited versions of tracks off of Buhloone Mindstate but also featured the tracks "Sh.Fe.MC's" (Shocking Female MC's) which was a collaboration with A Tribe Called Quest, and "Stix & Stonz" which featured old-school hip hop artists Grandmaster Caz, Tito of Fearless Four, Whipper Whip, La Sashae and Superstar. The EP was widely bootlegged afterwards.
1996's Stakes Is High was the first album produced solely by the trio, and again, was met with mixed results and poor sales. The title track, produced by Jay Dee, and first single did not leave a lasting impression, although the album did provide a launching pad for future star artist and actor Mos Def, who appeared on the track "Big Brother Beat." The album also featured collaborations with Common (Sense), Truth Enola, Zhane, and the Jazzyfatnastees.
Art Official Intelligence
Four years later, De La Soul announced that they would release a triple album series entitled "Art Official Intelligence" (or AOI). All three albums were intended to be released within a year, beginning with the release of Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump. This was followed by AOI: Bionix in late 2001. After this, however, the public saw no release of the third and final album in the AOI series. For the next two years, the only De La Soul releases were singles or remix compilations. Jolicœur (Dave) stated in an interview that it usually takes about four years for the group to record an album, promote it with advertisements, touring and so on. The group was having trouble finishing the last AOI installment for many reasons, one of which being an ongoing struggle with Tommy Boy Records, who had been releasing their albums ever since their debut.
In 2004, De La Soul ended up releasing a new full album: The Grind Date on Sanctuary Records. Although it was not the new AOI album their fans had been anticipating, it was released to some critical acclaim and was well received by most fans. The album also receives recognition for being the seventh studio album from the group. The album gueststars MF Doom, Ghostface Killah and Flava Flav, with production from Jake One, Madlib and more.
In 2005, they were featured on the Gorillaz single, "Feel Good Inc" and on the LA Symphony single "Universal". "Feel Good Inc" also won a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration. Also in 2005, Posdnuos collaborated with the Portuguese rapper Boss AC on a track called "Yo (Não Brinques Com Esta Merda)" (Don't play with this shit).
In 2006, they released a mixtape entitled "The Impossible Mission", from their AOI Records label.
On June 4, 2006 Vincent Mason was sent to the hospital for liver problems that doctors are attributing to a form of Hepatitis, but are still unaware of which form it may take.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title | Label | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 3 Feet High and Rising | Tommy Boy Records | Platinum |
| 1991 | De La Soul Is Dead | Tommy Boy Records | Gold |
| 1993 | Buhloone Mindstate | Tommy Boy Records | |
| 1994 | Clearlake Audiotorium (EP) | Tommy Boy Records | |
| 1996 | Stakes Is High | Tommy Boy Records | |
| 2000 | Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump | Tommy Boy Records | |
| 2001 | AOI: Bionix | Tommy Boy Records | |
| 2004 | Live at Tramps, NYC, 1996 | Rhino | |
| 2004 | The Grind Date | Sanctuary Records | |
| 2006 | The Impossible Mission | AOI |
Compilations
- Timeless: The Singles Collection, 2001 (Rhino)
- De La Mix Tape: Remixes, Rarities and Classics, 2004 (Rhino)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Potholes in My Lawn" | - |
| 1988 | "Plug Tunin'" | - |
| 1989 | "Buddy" | - |
| 1989 | "Eye Know" | #14 UK |
| 1989 | "Me Myself And I" | #34 US, #22 UK, #1 US R&B, #1 (2weeks) NL |
| 1989 | "Say No Go" | #19 UK, #32 US R&B |
| 1989 | "The Magic Number"/"Buddy" | #7 UK, #18 US R&B |
| 1990 | "Mamma Gave Birth To The Soul Children" (with Queen Latifah) | #14 UK |
| 1991 | "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" | #10 UK, #22 US R&B |
| 1991 | "A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"" | #22 UK, #43 US R&B |
| 1991 | "Keepin' The Faith" | #50 UK |
| 1993 | "Breakadawn" | #76 US, #39 UK, #30 US R&B |
| 1994 | "Ego Trippin' (Part Two)" | #74 US R&B |
| 1994 | "Fallin'" with Teenage Fanclub | #59 UK |
| 1996 | "Stakes Is High" | #55 UK, #53 US R&B |
| 1996 | "Itzsoweezee (HOT)" | #60 US R&B |
| 1997 | "4 More" featuring Zhane | #52 UK |
| 2000 | "Oooh." featuring Redman | #29 UK, #44 US R&B |
| 2000 | "All Good?" featuring Chaka Khan | #96 US, #33 UK, #41 US R&B |
| 2002 | "Baby Phat" featuring E. Yummy Bingham | #55 UK, #81 US R&B |
| 2004 | "Shopping Bags" | - |
| 2005 | "Feel Good Inc." (Gorillaz featuring De La Soul) | #14 US, #2 UK |
Trivia
- In 1993, De La Soul performed together with Teenage Fanclub for the soundtrack of Judgment Night, "Fallin".
- In 2002, De La Soul was briefly featured in the video game PaRappa the Rapper 2 with the song Say 'I Gotta Believe!' (with Double). [1]
- In 2003, The song Oodles of O's was featured on Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4.
- Also in 2003, De La Soul and Yummy performed "Much More" on an episode of Chappelle's Show.
- In 2005, Me, Myself, and I was featured in the in-game soundtrack for the video game NBA Street V3.[2]
- In 2005, Me, Myself, and I was featured in, the EA Sports video game, NCAA Football 06 music soundtrack.
- De La Soul was nominated for 5 Grammys, along with Gorillaz, for their colaboration in the song Feel Good Inc.
- Cartoonist Aaron McGruder (creator of The Boondocks) is particularly fond of De La Soul and has paid homage to them many times within his comics and his books.
Samples
- Download sample "My Brother's a Basehead" from De La Soul Is Dead
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- Rock the Bells IV