On this day in Hip Hop history, De La Soul released their second album De La Soul is Dead.
Being one of the first albums to earn the coveted ‘Five Mics’ from The Source magazine, De La Soul Is Dead marked a change in direction for De La Soul. Through this album, De La Soul began to separate themselves from their previous pseudo-1960 flower-child aesthetic set up by their popular debut. Although the title would suggest the end of the group as a whole, the meaning behind the album’s cryptic title is an allusion to the ‘death’ of this old style. The title also represents the group’s separation from mainstream Hip Hop.
Although the group stuck to their skit-heavy storytelling structure, critics and charts were all but kind to this album. Unlike their uber-successful debut, De La Soul is Dead did not appear on any charts and was not recognized as a good album until years after its release. In the late 90s, however, the album rose to critical acclaim when publications realized the impact the album had on the careers of De La Soul and Hip Hop as a whole. The album has been ranked by Rolling Stone, The Source, Pitchfork Media, and others as one of the greatest albums, regardless of genre, of the 1990s.
Tags:
Best guide to hip hop, soul, reggae concerts & events in San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles & New York City + music, videos, radio and more
Kev Choice
Friday, June 14 @ Yoshi's, Oakland
Hiatus Kaiyote
Saturday, July 20 @ Fox Theater, Oakland
PJ Morton
Wedneday, Oct 23 @ Fox Theater, Oakland
10 members
49 members
19 members
46 members
© 2024 Created by Ren the Vinyl Archaeologist. Powered by