{"id":1989,"date":"2023-03-03T10:42:14","date_gmt":"2023-03-03T10:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/?p=1989"},"modified":"2023-03-03T10:42:14","modified_gmt":"2023-03-03T10:42:14","slug":"de-la-soul-is-coming-to-streaming-services-a-brief-guide-to-their-best-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mpelembe.net\/index.php\/de-la-soul-is-coming-to-streaming-services-a-brief-guide-to-their-best-work\/","title":{"rendered":"De La Soul is coming to streaming services \u2013 a brief guide to their best\u00a0work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adam de Paor-Evans<\/a>, University of Plymouth<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

De La Soul is one of the most significant and iconic groups in the history of hip hop. Comprising three members, Trugoy The Dove, Posdnous and Maseo, De La Soul worked together for 35 years releasing innovative music, touring and collaborating with artists from a range of genres until Trugoy\u2019s death in February 2023.<\/p>\n

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Since their debut album Three Feet High And Rising<\/a> in 1989, De La Soul have been challenging and changing the sound of hip hop. While they tipped their hat at the genre\u2019s roots, they pushed hip hop\u2019s boundaries by using a range of unusual samples and production techniques. <\/p>\n

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This article is part of Quarter Life<\/a><\/strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.<\/em><\/p>\n

You may be interested in:<\/em><\/p>\n

Festivals must do more to address sexual violence<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Black Panther 2: why the death of someone young can be harder to handle<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Rihanna and radical pregnancy fashion \u2013 how the Victorians made maternity wear boring<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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They also had championed a \u201cnew form of speak\u201d \u2013 a conversational, persuasive lyrical delivery. The words that they rapped also presented a different type of rapper, a more emotional and softer version. Their songs addressed significant subject matter including Black history, personal identity, family and relationship struggles and social cohesion. These songs challenged the unhelpful stereotypes of rap artists that the industry and audiences had come to expect.<\/p>\n

Across eight studio albums and numerous collaborations De La Soul continued to champion musical and cultural innovation.<\/p>\n

After years of industry conflict<\/a>, De La Soul\u2019s complete back catalogue will be finally released on all streaming platforms from March 2023. If you are a fan of Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean or Childish Gambino, I encourage you to explore De La Soul\u2019s discography, it\u2019s all good. Here are five songs to introduce you to their back catalogue: <\/p>\n

1. Potholes In My Lawn<\/strong><\/p>\n

Originally released on the five-track EP Jenifa (Taught Me) in 1988, Potholes In My Lawn is significant for its original use of metaphors to deliver the established hip hop trope of biting \u2013 that is, stealing ideas. In the song, the lawn represents De La Soul\u2019s raps and the potholes are the chunks that biting MCs \u2013 those that steal their rhymes \u2013 have taken. The group sample Eric Burdon and War\u2019s Magic Mountain<\/a>, which can be heard in the trilling trumpets. <\/p>\n

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