It’s amazing to watch old heads come back into Hip Hop after having left their mark.
Earlier this year, Bay legends Blackalicious returned with a fresh LP after a 10 year hiatus. I don’t think anyone expected to hear anything but a guest feature from Gift of Gab. However, here we are in 2015 with Imani Vol. 1, a project with enough energy to indicate the possibility of another release within a much shorter time frame.
The same can be said for prolific the Hip Hop group De La Soul. Since their inception, the gang had a sound that at the time was incredibly popular, however over the years has grown to be more of a niche sampling. That’s not a diss to the group, it’s quite the opposite. While other emcees from the 90’s decided to board a different more popular soundscape, De La stuck to the jazz samples and flows that bought them their legendary status. Not only that, but De La has managed to modernize the boom bap sound. Their album The Grind Date made that sound more palatable for present day fans, without dropping the authenticity and quirkiness that era carried.
Now in late 2015, after a successful kickstarter project, De La Soul has announced their next album will be released on April 29, 2016.
Here’s an oldie in case you forgot what made De La, De La.
art by your homie Arthur Banach
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