(From Cabin In The Sky album; 2025)
Fave song on this new De La Soul album is the unreleased Dove solo jam produced by Dove. Tell tale signs this song is at least 15 years old include our boi Plug Two mentioning Obama becoming president, and the beat sounding like a Dancehall-inspired song Estelle would have dropped in the late 2000s. No Posdnous, no problems in this instance because Dove going for dolo is way more fun than yer standard late-career De La song. Dave Jolicoeur by name, more jocular by nature. Dove had a problem... seriously: so much later De La music is full of Posdnous' lyrical finger-wagging which is the audio equivalent of taking cod liver oil. F**k being humourless, Plug Two was complicated.
Late-career De La invariably seem to end their albums on a highlight: Don't Push Me here, Rock Co.Kane Flow on The Grind Date and U Don't Wanna B.D.S on the first Art Official Intelligence. The latter always has me wishing Maseo would do another solo track for a Change In Speak. Alas, he's too shy like Kajagoogoo.
(From Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump album; 2000)
Looking back at my 2025 Rap album purchases, those that haven't been posthumous releases ("Infinite"/"Cabin in the sky") have been from rappers fast approaching pensioner status (Ghostface, Raekwon Buck65 etc) . Don't think I copped a single debut release this year either. I bought two Chuck D fronted (Enemy Radio/PE) albums this year and him and Flav are actual pensioners. Boomer Bap.....
ReplyDeleteStupid arse Mass Appeal not releasing the Slick Rick album on CD 🤬
DeleteNot heard the new De La Soul album yet, but Estelle's transition to the UK's very own Lauryn Hill always bugged me. Much preferred her as a rapper than an R&B singer.
ReplyDeleteShe was great on that Domestic Science all female posse cut.
MTV Base staple that song.
DeleteMost definitely agree re no Slick Rick CD. And I'm struggling to get excited about the Nas/Premo album too.
ReplyDeleteNaszzzzzzzzz.
DeleteGave that new De La album a spin yesterday and I guess it was fine elevator music but it just lacks that humour / lightness that was present in their music up until '93 I guess.
ReplyDeleteI did kinda like that Hey Young World remake though, but those might be rose tinted goggles.
And I quite liked Round Trip (For Dave) from last year too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZdG1BhF6Mg
Also new Nine and Dex out. #hive
I've listened to the new Nine & Dex song a couple of times. I'm still stuck on Power Ranger which might be my favourite song by them so far.
Delete"The latter always has me wishing Maseo would do another solo track" - no doubt..."Words & Verbs" is one of the greatest De La songs of all time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHgxR1eG7-o
ReplyDeleteA true deep cut gem.
DeleteHave yet to spin De La but this Mass Appeal legends series is like a remake of a classic movie but super low budget. Slick Rick & The Mobb one we’re cool. Rae wasn’t really bad but I’ll never listen again. Ghosts was an abomination and one of the worst things I’ve heard in a long time. Big L’s was pointless he barely had anymore music to work with.
ReplyDeleteSlick Rick and De La are the only ones I've listened to in full.
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