Cra-zeee for De La

What has De La Soul been up to? Get the scoop right here! I am cra-zeee for the 3 Feet Hi and Risin style deck that they have behind their heads, I might kill for one. And Girrl, I want a pair of those sneaks! I love De La. They're the blog's namesakes, if you didn't know.


"De La Soul"

Here's a funky introduction

I have always had a habit of titling cds and mixtapes with lyrics from songs, especially when they have some sort of significance to the person I am making the gift for. I guess that may be a life long theme of mine. As a follow-up to my De La post, naturally must come A Tribe Called Quest. I'm having fun watching these old videos. I'm dedicating these to my friend Miguel, who is a ATCQ freak. Miguel rules, he's a photographer (Miguel Farias Photography) and he did all of my wedding portraits. Many years ago we both happened to be at the same Tribe/ De La Soul/ Alkaholiks show at the Warfield. All was going swell, De La had performed and Tribe was beginning to headline (I think). But trouble was brewing. Some fools started to try to climb on stage and some of the entourage commenced to beat down on these people. It spread to the audience and within two or three minutes the entire auditorium cleared out, save for a few stragglers. I never got to see Tribe perform, something I regret to this day.

"Check The Rhime"



"Scenario" has some excellent guest spots including a break-out showing from Busta-Rhymes that helped to solidify his solo career. At the time of this song he was a member of the Leaders of the New School. One of the guest spots (the third, I believe) was done by a homeless man who had been hanging around the studio while tribe was making the album. He kept hassling them , saying he could rap, and they finally relented, listened, and he appears in the song. He amazed them all. Sadly he died very shortly after the song was finished. My favorite part of this is Phife-Dog wearing the different wigs. He is the Funky Diabetic, after all.



Final vid, "Award Tour", with De La. Phife kills on this.

Quelle heure

My brother introduced me to De La Soul. He had their first tape, in all of its day-glo glory laying around in his little room. He listened to it, and then I was all OVER it, because it was great then, just as it is now. I remember my brother commenting on the skit where the people are speaking in French. He told me that the conversation was about asking the time. It felt more like it was some sort of enlightenment though, my older brother cluing me in on the finer points language, I felt like I was learning something tres sophistique. Whenever that skit pops up on my iPod, I think of him.


I think I may have inherited the tape, and I'm sure I wore it out. I've bought every one of their albums since. My brother's taste runs more to things like the Boards of Canada now, but I'm all over the place.

This is one of my favorite De La songs of all time, it never fails to perk me up, and therefore, is the inspiration for my blog title. it is from their second album, De La Soul Is Dead and features Q-Tip and Vinia Mojica on vocals.