Music: De La Soul

Bringing a much-needed chill to this scorching summer

East Coast hip-hop pioneers De La Soul headlined the Main Stage (much to the consternation of some jazzers) at Love Supreme just a few weeks back, and here they are again, with another headline show in Brighton.

The trio of Kelvin Mercer, David Jude Jolicoeur and Vincent Mason exploded rapidly into public consciousness with their classic debut 3 Feet High And Rising, which was voted Album Of The Year by NME. Part of the Native Tongues Posse which also featured A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, Queen Latifah and the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul focused on lyrics extolling peace and harmony, as well as introducing their concept of the D.A.I.S.Y Age (an acronym standing for ‘da inner sound, y’all’). In fact they outwardly criticised the violent tendencies of hip-hop at the time, as did much of their subsequent work. At the same time, De La Soul’s sense of
the absurd and their warm humour endeared them to new fans.

3 Feet High And Rising proved to be the zenith of De La Soul’s career, with subsequent albums selling progressively less with each release, although albums such as Buhloone Mindstate are considered hip-hop classics.

The band haven’t released a proper studio album since 2004, although a new one is apparently due soon. In the meantime, for those who missed their Love Supreme set with a full band, here’s your chance!
Concorde 2, Tuesday 5 August, 7.30pm, £27.50

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