When it comes to those hip hop groups considered “influential”, it would be fair to say that few pack the punch they used to. For some, untimely deaths/murders are to blame. Differences and arguments broke others apart. But most simply no longer produce the product that made them so popular and influential in the first place.
But in De La Soul we find an exception; a group who continue to infiltrate our airwaves 20 years after their debut album “3 Feet High and Rising” made waves. And it’s this very milestone they celebrated in Sydney and around Australia this week, accompanied for the very first (and notably final) time with a 10 piece band, and a few special guests along the way.
But first up was seminal DJ Cut Chemist, best known for his works over the last decade with Jurassic 5 and as a member of Ozomatli. He opened with his recently released remix of Nat King Cole’s “Day In Day Out”, which in many ways surpasses the original, at least in the context of modern times.
Too often, such classic tracks are butchered by DJs and R&B Producers, leaving many to say “why can’t they just make their own crappy music WITHOUT ruining great songs along the way!” When Cut Chemist treats a song, however, he uses every ounce of his talent to give the tracks the respect they deserve. And he even had Nat join him on stage in the form of live footage, edited along with the music. With both this track, and the 75 minutes of music which followed, this was an often hilarious, and inarguably aesthetically pleasing, feature of the show. If only all DJ sets had as much effort put into them. Cut and his “video mixer” worked hand in hand, alongside rapper Hymnal, to provide an incredibly unique live DJ experience. I totally ate it up, and would love some seconds.
Easily one of the best DJ sets I’ve ever seen (even if it did lag a bit in the middle), Cut ended his set on a high note with J5 material (including personal favourite “Swing Set”), as well as live mixing/editing of footage he took of a couple of members of the crowd. As the floor space of the Metro shrunk into obscurity, the laughs and cheers Cut Chemist brought out of the crowd in these final moments helped set the vibe for the night of classic Hip Hop still to come.
Naturally taking a bit more time than they should have, with some just-as-classic hip hop playing in the interlude, De La Soul took to the stage to the warm applause of the sold out Metro crowd, still buzzing from Cut Chemist, and ready to see something which was had been touted a “once-in-a-lifetime treat”. Indeed, the experience was a unique one, with trumpets, saxophones, and (naturally) a mean bass line, vibrating off the walls of the Metro along with De La’s rhymes.
While I have to say it was quite clear it was a new experience for everyone on stage as well – they never quite got to a level of quality they probably could have, no doubt in part due to the sound engineer – it was nothing but a joy to hear classic tracks such as “Me Myself & I” and “Ring Ring Ring” (which ended the show, accompanied by an on-stage dance party) given the instrumental treatment. The overall set was a crowd-pleaser, performing a wide range of favourites across their long career. Although I must admit disappointment that “The Magic Number” was (surprisingly) omitted.
But the night wasn’t solely De La Souls, as they paid tribute to those who they rose to fame with, and those whose shadows influenced them. MC Dres, the voice of Black Sheep (fellow members of the Native Tongues Posse), joined De La Soul in his debut appearance on our shores. Most notably he helped get the party started with “The Choice is Yours,” getting the crowd onto the floor and up again as we all sang along “pick it up, pick it up, pick it up….” Easily a highlight of the evening. De La also paid tribute to Run DMC with a performance, accompanied by MC Dres, of “Rockbox”.
With all this brought along for the ride, it was clear they were here not just to celebrate their 20 years of success, but also the survival of hip hop in general. And with artists such as Gorillaz widely embracing hip hop, bringing those of the past back into mainstream consciousness (De La got “Feel Good Inc.” into the set which was fantastic), it would be easy to suggest they’re not going anywhere for a while yet.
