De La Soul – hip hop’s classics
« I got niggas in the streets that'll blast your ass for the shine / And get - oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh! / Yo, if you a fat chick gettin your fuck on tonight / Then go - oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh! / Yo, put your hands opposite to the ground if you're lovin our sound / Go - oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh! / Yo, and to my broke niggaz on the corner holdin me down / Go - oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh!…”

Ya heard? If you watch television sometimes and if you then watch some music television, then you already know the mentioned hook performed by Reggie Noble aka Redman. You know what a burner the track called “OOOH” is, and in the same style is the whole new De La Soul-record!

Back in the days of 1989, when this group called the attention to themselves with their first record “3 Feet High And Rising”, they obviously set a platform for one of the biggest hip hop dynasties ever seen. The Long Island trio then released 1991’s “De La Soul Is Dead”, 1993’s “Buhloone Mindstate”, then in 1996, they recorded their last LP “Stakes Is High”. Now, 2000, time for a next one: “Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump” Vol. 1, the first album of an album-trilogy, is again a step to the next level, and a definite satisfaction: The triumvirate of Maseo, Dave and Posdnuos has not only got a couple of dope tracks on their record, they only have got very, very few things that won’t make you bounce with them:

“We’re just working song by song”, maintains Dave, “to give you a collage of everything, every emoti on!” Kind of true, several types of beats (a Rockwilder-beat and a De La Soul-beat is not exactly the same thing…) and MCs who have always been good and still are. Comnbine these things with a couple of famous guest appearances such as Busta Rhymes, Redman, Freddie Foxxx, Xzibit and the Liks (Tash and J-Ro), the result can’t be something else than dope. “Art Official Intelligence” vol. 1 is a hip hop-record with several styles, with slower and faster tracks, with deeper tracks and also with party things. But, and that’s the really important thing, every track is well-done. I mean, we all know the first single of the album, “Oooh” feat. Redman, and we know that this track is a new definition of the term burner. But listen to “Set The Mood” feat. Indeed or to “All Good?” feat. Chaka Khan, and you have got two tracks with a totally different kind of beat, but they will satisfy you as well as the others. Together with Mike D and Ad Rock of the Beastie Boys, De La Soul’s sound becomes different again on “Squat!”, on “Words From The Chief Rocker” feat. Busy Bee, we go back to the old-school, but we’ll return soon (and dope, I guarantee you!).

No more words, get that record, nothing else, because “Art Official Intelligence” Volume two and three won’t be released before 2001, so if you need something recorded by hip hop veterans but definitely made for the future, just get this one, and start bouncing. Aiight! (Emm)