De La Soul Is Dead - De La Soul

Released in 1991, De La Soul presented their second album, "De La Soul Is Dead" to follow on from the success of their debut album, in which they came with notable singles, "Buddy", "The Magic Number" and "Me, Myself and I". It has them continue the Jazz-influenced Hip Hop which blew up in the late eighties to early nineties with themself, The Roots and A Tribe Called Quest.

1. "Intro"
...Porridge"

De La choose to use James Brown, "Make It Funky" break, and the classic percussion is just what is needed to get them doing even more funky fresh stuff for the listeners. The delivery of the lines is complementary to the production , which has lots of Old School elements to it.

**Five Stars**

5. "Skit 1"

6. "Johnny's Dead, AKA Vincent Mason" (Lude)
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Released in 1991, De La Soul presented their second album, "De La Soul Is Dead" to follow on from the success of their debut album, in which they came with notable singles, "Buddy", "The Magic Number" and "Me, Myself and I". It has them continue the Jazz-influenced Hip Hop which blew up in the late eighties to early nineties with themself, The Roots and A Tribe Called Quest.

1. "Intro"

2. "Oodles of Os"

This one just kicks the album off to a fantastic start as they jump on top of some of their past material and Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew. I saw it as a perfect way to begin the record as it acts as an ideal way to represent the album as it seems to bring together all the essential elements of the thing with sample-heavy, jazzy production with original flows.

**Five Stars**

3. "Talkin' Bout Hey Love"

Taking on some Stevie Wonder, this one has them calming things down with a very soothing, short recording from the group to show that they have lots to them. It is a mellow one that has them floating around in a daze as they describe what they do whilst in love.

**Four Stars**

4. "Pease Porridge"

De La choose to use James Brown, "Make It Funky" break, and the classic percussion is just what is needed to get them doing even more funky fresh stuff for the listeners. The delivery of the lines is complementary to the production , which has lots of Old School elements to it.

**Five Stars**

5. "Skit 1"

6. "Johnny's Dead, AKA Vincent Mason" (Lude)

7. "A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays""

This came as the first single off the things, and it is just a killer tune from them as they base it all around a skating rink setting, and so they are able to easily use Funk samples without being questioned for it. With this, you get the trio joined by Q-Tip, who gives it an added boost.

**Five Stars**

8. "WRMS's Dedication to the Bitty" (Lude)

9. "Bitties in the BK Lounge"

On this particular one you have them chaning things up quite a bit with them doing some clearly themed work as they diss the girls in Brooklyn. The female response is the great thing about it all, and some of the best lines come from her as she fights the disrespect that she is being dished.

**Four Stars**

10. "Skit 2"

11. "My Brother's a Basehead"

As you would expepct, this one revolves aroudn a killer bassline, and this is achieved with "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders, and you also get some fly use of classic words from MC Ricky D and Buffy (the human beatbox). This one balances the hard bass with a light melody and engaging lyrics.

**Four Stars**

12. "Let, Let Me In"

This one has them fully into Jazz mode with lots a wide variety of differing instruments used in order to present this original style. It just has so many things going on in it, and the way they come together on their own unique beats show that they are truely into their own fresh music out of Amityville, New York.

**Five Stars**

13. "Afro Connections at a Hi-5"

You have the trio doing a straight attack it is done on faux-Gangsta Rap beats in an attempt to mock this then-emerging sub-genre to Hip Hop as they describe the life of a person who would typically perform in this way. It is very well done, and challenges the movement by humerously parodying it all.

**Four Stars**

14. "Rap de Rap Show" (Lude)

15. "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa"

Here is a very cold tune on the album, and it showes a side of the group that I really wasn't aware of as they get cnscious an tale a disturbing tale of a young girl who is abused by her father, and ignored whenever she cries for help from others around her.

**Four Stars**

16. "Who Do U Worship?" (Lude)

17. "Skit 3"

18. "Kicked out the House" (Lude)

19. "Pass the Plugs"

The introduction to this one hypes you right up before you are pushed into Enda Right's "Oops, Here I Go Again", which was also famously used by Eric B. & Rakim on their debut album, "Paid In Full". The way it is used is equally as effective, and takes it is a completely different direction, but is mellowed by the gentle hook to keep it on the same lines as the 1987 cut.

**Five Stars**

20. "Not Over Till the Fat Lady Plays the Demo" (Lude)

21. "Ring Ring Ring"

You have the utilisation of even more classic Funk from The J.B.'s, and it gets them coming up with a tune which has been sampled itself on many occasions. This one is just as laid-back as all their other tunes hear, and so it fits right in, and the quality is at the top end of it all.

**Five Stars**

22. "WRMS: Cat's in Control" (Lude)

23. "Skit 4"

24. "Shwingalokate"

This one sounds quite diffenret as you get them on some really hard beats, and they heavy percussion (courtesy of the first Hip Hop band, Stetsasonic). I couldn't really keep up with the randomness of this track, but I felt as though the head-bop-inducing beats makes you connect with them on a level past the lyrics.

**Five Stars**

25. "Fanatic of the B-Word"

I was surprised that the melodic riff of this one wasn't a sample, and the only sample that you find in this tune is a bit of Grandmaster Flash's "Freedom", and with that possessing one of the best breaks of all-time, it's mad that they only took a couple of Melle Mel adlibs as they rap about baseball with some early eighties-stlyed hookwork.

**Five Stars**

26. "Keepin' the Faith"

Even as we get to the final musical track on the album, the high-quality of the thing is maintaied with banging production, which has extensive us of samples (just as we've had throughout the album). The funkiness of it gets them able to come with a killer cut to end it off on.

**Five Stars**

27. "Skit 5"

"De La Soul Is Dead" is a classic album from the group, and one to look out for as they come with lots of new and origianl things, which have been used in the Hip Hop world eversince. The amount of short interludes and skits may put some off (as it did myself) but the remainder of the album is full of bangers. 

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