DE LA SOUL

“De La Soul Is Dead” Turns 32: A Groundbreaking Album

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Marking its 32nd anniversary, De La Soul is Dead, the sophomore album by the legendary Hip Hop act De La Soul, remains as innovative as when it first dropped in 1991. Comprised of members Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo, De La Soul emerged from Amityville, Long Island, swiftly establishing themselves as a creative force in the burgeoning Hip Hop scene.

De La Soul is Dead diverged from the psychedelic optimism of their debut 3 Feet High and Rising. Instead, it presented a darker, more introspective view of the culture. Motivated by a desire to challenge their ‘Hip Hop hippie’ image, the group also aimed to showcase their depth. The album’s title further declared their determination to break free from expectations. The project is filled with skits, clever rhymes, and an eclectic mix of samples, proving De La Soul’s originality. Their experimentation with Jazz, Soul, and Rock, alongside their thought-provoking lyrics, set them apart in a genre increasingly dominated by Gangsta Rap.

Critical Reception

One standout track, “Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey),” humorously addresses the pressure from unknown artists seeking record deals. The song reached No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, testifying to the album’s international appeal. De La Soul is Dead didn’t match its predecessor’s chart-topping success, but it peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Gold certification. Moreover, it cemented De La Soul’s reputation as creative trailblazers unafraid to challenge norms and expectations.

Additionally, throughout their career, De La received numerous accolades. In 2006, they won a Grammy for collaborating with Gorillaz on “Feel Good Inc.” They were also nominated for a Grammy in 2016 for their crowd-funded album, And the Anonymous Nobody.

Impact On The Culture

Further, De La Soul’s impact on music culture extends beyond their unique sound. They were also instrumental in forming the Native Tongues Posse, a collective of like-minded Hip Hop artists including A Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love, Queen Latifah, and Jungle Brothers, who shared an interest in Afrocentric lyrics and eclectic sampling. Critics and the public have also often lauded De La Soul is Dead for its inventive approach to Hip Hop. The album’s dark humor, innovative sampling, and lyricism were seen as a welcome departure from mainstream Rap.

De La Soul Today

The loss of David Jude Jolicoeur, better known as Trugoy the Dove, was a profound blow. His untimely death in February 2023 left fans and fellow artists mourning the passing of a creative force and influential figure. He is remembered for his iconic contributions to Hip Hop, and tributes continue to pour in.

Overall, De La Soul is Dead is a testament to De La Soul’s impact on music and culture. Looking back, it’s clear that the album’s influence reaches far beyond its time, much like the group itself. Despite trials and tribulations, De La Soul remains vital to Hip Hop history. They embody a spirit of creativity and originality that continues to resonate.

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De La Soul Drop Vinyl, CD And Cassette Of ‘Buhloone Mindstate’ LP Today

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De La Soul announces the release of their critically acclaimed album, Buhloone Mindstate, today on vinyl, CD, and cassette formats. 

Originally released in 1993, Buhloone Mindstate features some of De La Soul’s most popular tracks, including “Breakadawn,” “Ego Trippin’ (Part Two),” and “I Am I Be.”  The fan-favorite album saw the band evolve into a new sound as they continued to grow stylistically and musically, while still staying true to their witty lyrics and innovative use of sampling.

The physical release of Buhloone Mindstate comes on the heels of De La Soul’s back catalog finally available on all streaming platforms and digital retailers on March 3. The group’s extensive catalog includes some of the most influential and groundbreaking albums in hip-hop history.

Following their appearance with The Gorillaz at Coachella, De La Soul will also be hitting the road on select dates for LL Cool J’s F.O.R.C.E. tour this summer, plus performing at the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa on July 28, Rock The Bells in New York on August 5, and select European festivals.  The group will also be joining the NY State of Mind Tour with Wu-Tang Clan and Nas throughout the fall. 

Fans of De La Soul can get their hands on the physical formats of Buhloone Mindstate at www.wearedelasoul.com, select record stores, and online retailers. 

For more information on De La Soul, click here. 

The post De La Soul Drop Vinyl, CD And Cassette Of ‘Buhloone Mindstate’ LP Today appeared first on The Source.

De La Soul Announces Release of ‘Buhloone Mindstate’ on Vinyl, CD and Cassette

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De La Soul Announces Release of 'Buhloone Mindstate' on Vinyl

Buhloone Mindstate, the critically praised album by De La Soul, will be available starting today on vinyl, CDs, and cassettes.

Buhloone Mindstate, which was first released in 1993, includes some of De La Soul’s most well-known songs, such as “Breakadawn,” “Ego Trippin’ (Part Two),” and “I Am I Be.” The band developed into a new sound on the fan-favorite album as they continued to mature stylistically and musically while adhering to their sharp lyrics and creative sampling techniques.

Buhloone Mindstate‘s physical release follows the March 3 release of De La Soul’s back catalog on all streaming services and digital outlets. Some of the most important and ground-breaking records in hip-hop history can be found in the group’s long discography.

De La Soul will perform at the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Napa on July 28, Rock The Bells in New York on August 5, and a few festivals in Europe after their Coachella performance with The Gorillaz. They will also embark on a portion of LL Cool J’s F.O.R.C.E. tour this summer. Throughout the fall, the trio will also take part in the NY State of Mind Tour alongside Wu-Tang Clan and Nas.

Fans of De La Soul can get their hands on the physical formats of Buhloone Mindstate at www.wearedelasoul.com, select record stores, and online retailers. 

The post De La Soul Announces Release of ‘Buhloone Mindstate’ on Vinyl, CD and Cassette appeared first on The Source.

Gorillaz Bring Out De La Soul At Coachella, Honor Trugoy The Dove

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This year’s Coachella isn’t even at its second weekend, and the festival already graced fans to many awesome moments. One of them certainly occurred during Gorillaz’s set, during which mastermind Damon Albarn brought out a slew of musical guests. Moreover, he brought out the iconic rap group De La Soul during the set, which was graced with incredible visuals from fellow Gorillaz mastermind Jamie Hewlett. During the concert, Maseo and Posdnuos (or rather, Plug Three and Plug One) came out to perform their legendary collaboration, “Feel Good Inc.” With Maseo’s monstrous laugh leading the way, everyone on stage and in the crowd had a fantastic time.

In addition, they took some time to honor the loss of Dave “Trugoy The Dove,” Jolicoeur also known as Plug Two, who tragically passed away earlier this year. Specifically, the three men locked arms and shoulders as a graphic honoring Trugoy displayed on stage. In a seeming moment of tribute, Albarn asked the crowd to be completely silent before entering their next number. Whether it was fans of Gorillaz or die-hard De La Soul listeners, everyone in the crowd seemed to communally mourn but also celebrate Plug Two’s life and legacy.

De La Soul Performing “Feel Good Inc.” With Gorillaz

Despite that, the tragedy also coincided with a lot of due respect and amazing opportunities for De La Soul. For example, they recently joined the lineup of the “N.Y. State Of Mind” tour, spearheaded by Nas and Wu-Tang Clan. With that addition, fans can now see three absolute titans of the hip-hop genre on the same night, which is exciting as it is historically special. Said news is especially great considering a whole new generation of fans can now listen to De La’s entire catalog on streaming services. Whether you like alternative hip-hop, classic boom-bap, or hardcore rap, there’s something for everyone on this nationwide trek.

Meanwhile, De La Soul, much like Gorillaz, is a classic group that will keep on giving. Moreover, DJ Drama recently announced a Gangsta Grillz mixtape with the hip-hop legends. As they remember and celebrate Trugoy’s life, the future is bright for a much-overlooked part of rap history. For the latest news and updates on Gorillaz and De La Soul, check back in with HNHH. Also, you can find more performance highlights below.

Coachella Showed The Gang A Lot Of Love

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Gorillaz Got De La Soul, Thundercat, And More Guests For Their Electric Coachella Performance

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Given their range of collaborations with artists, it was not surprise that Gorillaz had a lot of special guests for their Coachella set Friday. The band kicked things off by bringing out Thundercat, who played “Cracker Island,” the title track off their most recent album.

Shortly after, Damon Albarn brought out Peven Everett for “Strobelite” and Jamie Principle for “Hollywood.” After a brief interlude in which the band played “Andromeda,” Albarn brought out Bootie Brown to perform “New Gold.”

For one of Gorillaz’s best-known songs, “On Melancholy Hill,” Albarn dedicated it to his daughter, Missy.

Brown returned later in the show to play “Dirty Harry.” Next up was Slowthai, who dropped by to perform “Momentary Bliss,” one of Gorillaz’s songs from their record Song Machine.

The band closed out with some classics, with Del The Funky Homosapien playing “Rock The House” before returning for the closer, “Clint Eastwood.”

In between, De La Soul did “Feel Good Inc.,” giving the crowd a chance to hear all their favorite Gorillaz standards.

“Dave would’ve loved being out there,” one fan who uploaded the performance noted, referencing the late Trugoy.

Check out some clips from Gorillaz’s Coachella set above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

De La Soul Joins Nas & Wu-Tang Clan For “N.Y. State Of Mind” Tour

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De La Soul Tour

Legendary rap group De La Soul is set to join rap legends Nas and Wu-Tang Clan for another leg of their N.Y. State Of Mind Tour. De La Soul will have two members touring due to the death of Trugoy the Dove. Rap legends Nas and Wu-Tang Clan have added iconic rap group De La […]

The post De La Soul Joins Nas & Wu-Tang Clan For “N.Y. State Of Mind” Tour appeared first on SOHH.com.

Pharrell’s Phriends For His 2023 Something In The Water Festival Have Been Revealed

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Something In The Water Festival, the Pharrell-led shindig returning to Virginia Beach on April 28, has revealed the “final” lineup of the Pharrell’s Phriends headlining set. This year, the multitalented, nigh-ageless producer will be joined on stage by a cadre of blog-era faves and Golden Era influences. ASAP Rocky and M.I.A. will represent the former, while Native Tongues mainstays Busta Rhymes and De La Soul make up the latter. Meanwhile, the updated flyer promises even more surprise guests that “we can’t announce” yet, so it seems fans will want to stick around to find out who else shows up.

In the past, Pharrell’s Phriends have included frequent collaborators like Clipse, Justin Timberlake, NORE, and Q-Tip, as well as SZA. This year’s additions include artists who share Pharrell’s adventurous, experimental approach to music, as well as the artists who inspired him as a young, aspiring rapper. Pharrell recently gave fans his advice on which of De La Soul’s recently re-released albums to stream and was once in a rap trio that was very De La Soul/A Tribe Called Quest-inspired with Timbaland and Magoo called Surrounded By Idiots. They recorded a demo that you can find on YouTube, but never released an album.

In addition to the Pharrell’s Phriends performers above, the festival also added Arcade Fire, Jonas Brothers, and Third Eye Blind to the lineup.

Something In The Water Festival is April 28-30 in Virginia Beach. You can find more info here.

Gorillaz’s Iconic ‘Feel Good Inc.’ Collaboration With De La Soul Was Originally Intended For Another Song

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Gorillaz’s 2005 album Demon Days is a classic. It’s full of highlights, including De La Soul’s collaboration on the track “Feel Good Inc.” But during an interview on the Kyle Meredith With… podcast, De La Soul co-founder Maseo divulged that Damon Albarn initially wanted De La Soul on “Kids With Guns” instead.

“When we went to do ‘Feel Good Inc.,’ the initial song was ‘Kids With Guns,’” Maseo said. “When we were having a conversation about ‘Kids With Guns,’ I honestly came out and said, ‘Hey man, I think we forcing it.’ […] I think we’re not really collaborating, we’re just featuring on the record. It’s like Gorillaz featuring De La. We really need to do like a collaboration, where we both artistically show our flavor.’”

“He’s truly out there for artistic value, and I got a lot of love for that,” he said about Albarn. “No idea is a bad idea until we try it — all egos are checked at the door. Everybody is doing their best to make a great song. He hears people on songs like instruments. Everybody’s vocal technically is an instrument, and that’s how he hears the track.”

Gorillaz recently shared “Crocadillaz,” which features De La Soul, following the death of Trugoy The Dove (real name David Jolicoeur) in February.

Listen to the podcast episode here.

Gorillaz is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Nas, Mary J. Blige, More Announced For Blue Note Jazz Festival

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Nas, Mary J. Blige, and De La Soul have all been announced as performers at the Blue Note Jazz Festival. The bi-coastal festival announced the lineup by way of instagram. The hip-hop heavy hitters are just a few of the exciting performers that have been confirmed to perform. There will also be performances from Chance The Rapper, Cordae, and NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge). Additionally, Dave Chappelle will return to host. This announcement comes just three weeks after the festival announced its east coast lineup, which included artists like the iconic Grace Jones and Robert Glasper.

The Blue Note Jazz Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in both New York City and Napa. It features a wide range of jazz, soul, funk, and blues artists. The festival is named after the legendary New York jazz club, the Blue Note. The club has been a staple of the Greenwich Village music scene since 1981. Likewise, the festival has been become a staple of the jazz scene. The festival usually spans several weeks and showcases both established and up-and-coming artists. It often includes special collaborations and one-of-a-kind performances. The festival has become a must-see event for jazz lovers from all around the world and continues to be a vital platform for the evolution of jazz music.

Blue Note Celebrates Jazz and Hip Hop

The Blue Note Festival is no stranger to icons taking the stage. The 2022 festival featured performances from Rakim, Snoop Dogg, Chaka Khan, and George Clinton. “The intimate festival boasts a lineup of cultural icons, all in tune to celebrate the influence of jazz on hip-hop for the past 50 years,” the festival’s official Instagram wrote. Certainly, the festival has become the best place for music fans to appreciate legendary artists of both genres. As the festival itself says, it’s a “who’s who of music culture.”

The 2023 Blue Note Jazz Festival will take place in both New York City and Napa, California. The first round of performances will take place throughout June in New York at the titular club and other popular venues. Subsequently, the second lineup of performers will take the stage in Napa July 28, 29, and 30 at the Silverado Resort. Tickets can be purchased for the event this Friday on the festival’s official website. Will you be attending the Blue Note Jazz Festival? Additionally, who are you most excited to see take the stage? Sound off in the comments below!