De La Soul.  Would you know anything about that?  Hip-hop has known the bangin’ quality of its tracks since a 25-years-old’s elementary school days, on you! MTV Raps with Fib-Five Freddie late night.  That’s the word Classic, De La Soul is the Group, but I had to spell it out and try to paint the memory of 1989 when we heard “De La”- the beginning of the legacy and now it’s as new as well as old, and timeless as any other legacy in the game. A group, whose music, can take Hip-Hop to the Moon and still hold it down in the hood, because that’s what’s really good.  How else would you stay true to the art form? Graffiti artist pull the sky down to brick walls and breakers fly on the ground and De La Soul is real with the ups and downs of life and music.”Of the Soul” is how rap its done, and this here is the Sixshot.com Interview. Check it out…. 
  
Sixshot.com: What’s the name of your new album?
Posdnuos: The new album drops October 5th.  It’s entitled “The GrindDate”.

Sixshot.com: Is there a special reason for the name and how did you come up with the name?
Posdnuos: The name is based around this saying how we, as a group of strong, black people have always tried to be continually persistent and be on our grind.  To make great music and to always add new styles and developments, it’s like we played off the term “Blind Date.” How a person could be on a blind date and knowing he’s gonna meet someone, but doesn’t know how she looks until he opens the door and sees her.  We felt the same way about our destiny, which, on a Grind Date, that’s just tryin’ to keep grinding to meet our destiny and success. And we don’t really know what it’s going to be and so we just set-up the blind date and go with the Grind Date!

Sixshot.com: 2 years ago De La Soul dropped Bionics, what was your motivation for you to come together again and record another new album?
Posdnuos: We had no intentions after the venture with Tommy Boy.  They had lost a lot of acts because of whatever money they owed to the parent company and all the other record company stuff.  So basically we were able to get out of that situation to become free agents and then we went into having a partnership with Sanctuary, we have our own label: AOI records and that is now partnered with Matthew Knowles, Beyonce’s father with Sanctuary Urban Music Group and we now partnership in label deals. So even from then and trying to put all that stuff together until now we have always been recording-God blessed us to always be able to tour so we’ve toured throughout the states and throughout Europe and Australia and everywhere else we’ve been blessed to be able to go.  We knew we wanted to continue to make music and we just needed a new home to get it situated for us.
    
Sixshot.com: On the new album, what’s your favorite track?
Posdnuos: There’s a couple, but I’d have to say this one track we have entitled: “verbal claps” produced by J.D., formerly of Slum Village. That’s my favorite.  It’s called “verbal claps.”

Sixshot.com: You mean lyrically, your favorite?
Posdnuos: Lyrically it’s just very strong. The beat is very hip-hoppish, but yet, still it seems to transcend even just staying in that little perfect box and saying ok this is what Hip-Hop is and I just loved what me and Dave were saying.  It’s actually a very sort song- about two minutes and change.

Sixshot.com: What would you say about the current state of Hip-Hop?
Posdnuos: From what I see, you have a lot of great things.  You have situations where Rap has proven to be a mainstay.  It has also proven to be economically positive for those involved.  Some of the negatives are that through the business and through a lot of the younger artist getting aboard and having this great business sense, in now knowing that they have to take care of business, I think the creativity has lacked a little bit.  It’s almost like knowing as a marketing person, that “All I really have to do is put 2 really good things in this cereal box and all the rest could be whatever.”  That’s how it is with an album.  Albums aren’t really complete albums anymore.  Two great singles or one really great single, and then a whole bunch of ok, cereal songs.

Sixshot.com: Right!, Right! so how do you think De La’s music has evolved from the past-times to right now?
Posdnuos: It was something that wasn’t really hard, I feel.  We’ve always been able to have a lot of love for what we do musically and also be able to look and listen and pay attention to what else goes on in the music and the fans. Before we were even blessed to be put on as De La Soul we were fans of the music and even afterwards, we still continue to be fans and we still listen to music and different rap artist from all parts of the rap world: Outcast and Triple Six Mafia and of course the Commons and the Roots, so we have a very large intake on Music and it helps inspire us in keeping to stay fresh and competitive.

Sixshot.com: Are you going to vote?
Posdnuos: Definitely, it’s very important.

Sixshot.com: What do you think of the internet and its influence on Hip-Hop?
Posdnuos: It’s proven to be the greater vehicle in getting information from one place to the other so I believe Hip-Hop has benefited from that as well.  Very helpful but also challenging for a lot of artist in getting their music heard.  So it has its pro and cons, but I think its has more pros than cons.

Sixshot.com: Do you think the internet makes it easier for an upcoming M.C., than how it was before?
Posdnuos: The way of allowing your product to be heard is easier, but it still comes down to whether that person that you’ve just given music to, liking it and appreciating it. But it definitely opens up ways for artist… who want to try to be apart of the music to be able to have ways that facilitate that.  Just post your own site and send someone your e-mail asking them to look at your site and now just like that, you stay in your office press a click of a button and you listen to a couple of tracks and it’s either “Wow, I like it.!” Or “Wow I don’t.”

Sixshot.com: Where do you see Hip-Hop 10 years from now?
Posdnuos: Hopefully it will have moved constantly in a positive light.  And when I say positive, I just mean we’re still here doing the mainstay and still continuing to drive the minds of people to try different things and to try change.  Not necessary that it has to be non-negative because you can’t have positive without negative like you can’t have a happy song, without a sad one.  Just that Hip-hop continues to supply the people with what they want.        !!

Sixshot.com: So do personally use the internet yourself?
Posdnuos: We use it in terms of the group; we have our own website that tells you everything you want to know to about De La Soul and other artist like Common or even Dave Chappell.

Sixshot.com: So when does De La Soul go on tour?
Posdnuos: We’re definitely looking at going out on tour sometime in October.  Well be out from October to like, a week before thanksgiving and then start right back up, and then that would be stateside –and then we’ll go over to Australia right before Christmas.  You know, after Christmas and right into the New Year.  So, it’s just constantly getting out here and letting the people hear the Music and to all that appreciate it and to all the newer Peoples to catch on...
Typical…there they go again, De La’s already in new year!
Peace, and don’t sleep on “The Grind Date”

*Disclaimer: Exclusive De La Soul interview and text was conducted by SixShot.com.  No part of this interview may be duplicated without written permission from SixShot.com.  The interview content or text layout may not be altered in any shape or form.