DE LA SOUL Vinyl & CDs

Review: The wealth of De La Soul reissues coming out right now is only good news - as is the fact the iconic US hip-hop outfit's music is finally available on streaming services. Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump was the flower power band's fifth studio album and was packed with iconic guests from Redman to Busta Rhymes, Chaka Khan to Mike D and Ad Rock from Beastie Boys. One of the cuts, 'Oooh' got the group a Source Award nomination while the album itself was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Performance By A Duo or Group. It should have won, if you ask us.

Review: AOI: Bionic was De La Soul's six full length album and came back in December 2001. At that point they were already legends in the game who had pioneered their own positive lyrical style and upbeat rhythms and this one kept up their momentum. Lead single 'Baby Phat' paid tribute to larger women, then 'Held Down' had an introspective style that muse don religion and fatherhood. The album is littered with skits from a Reverend Do Good character who tells various tales that adds extra depth to the tunes.

Review: It's hard to think of any other act whose music being added to digital streaming sites would make as many headlines as De La Soul. It has been followed up with a big reissue project that's brought all their many great albums - they made more than just that one iconic one, you know - back to print. Stakes Is High brought the same high levels of wordplay, great beats and overall narrative as any of the band's albums, and all at a time when hip-hop's initial popularity began to wane. Fact fans, take note - Mos Def guested on one tune 'Big Brother Beat' and Common on 'The Bizness' way before anyone knew who either of them was.

Review: The debut album from De La Soul (Trugoy, Maseo and Posdunos) gets another reissue here, pretty much ensuring this longstanding Long Island hip-hop trio never stay out of the limelight. Renowned for its uniquely positive spin on hip-hop amid a harsher world of dark, hardball gangster rap, classics such as 'Me, Myself And I' are known the world over, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a soul who doesn't have so much as an inkling as to how it sounds. While they were labelled as 'hippies' at the time, they've since gone on to influence many hip-hop artists internationally.

Review: De LA Soul's debut album gets a reissue in multiple formats this year. Among them, the most likely curiosity is this limited edition magenta LP, celebrating the trio's colourful aesthetic - a courageous move to take back in the 1990s, in a surrounding world of hip-hop darkness. Featuring such hits as 'Me, Myself and I', 'The Magic Number' and 'Eye Know', these are playful songs from hip-hop's veritable straight-and-narrow trifecta.

Review: Chief among the multiple formats of De La Soul's debut album is this 2xLP edition - especially as the original one album pressing was famed as being one of the least DJ-friendly long players in existence. Often regarded as the inception of late 80s/early 90s 'alternative rap', the trio incited said era thanks to their declaration of the 'D.A.I.S.Y. Age' (da inner sound, y'all), consciously choosing a flowery, positive hip-hop sound, accessible to everyone. Trugoy, Maseo and Posdunos offer distinct personalities across the project, suggesting alternative ways in which to stay true to one's roots while keeping on the right path.