 | Tracklist:
1. Rise and Shine (ft. Raheem Devaughn)
2. Good Morning
3. Big Mouf
4. Attack of the Stet
5. Pick Up the Pace (RUN)
6. Poetic Greed (ft. Gina Loring)
7. Greedy Man (ft. Billy Ray)
8. We O.D.
9. Victory Laps
10. Forever
Release Date: 05/05/2009 | |
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On 1 Lists
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| Summary: Intelligent enough for the conscious, poppy enough for the club, and ideal for a 45-minute workout. |
It's really no secret: some of the most creative beats right now are coming out of Michigan's motor-city, influencing the entire midwest and hip-hop as a whole into the next decade.
Now that the generic introduction that could be said of 94.38% of all Detroit-style productions is out of the way, enter De La Soul. An icon of the Golden Age, conscious hip-hop revolutionaries, and a driving force of the genre for more than a decade, they take on a precarious mantle: Nike's latest mixtape masterminds. Does commercial sellout status really befit such legendary figures? Well, yes - Are You In? (yes Nike marketing team you can keep your jobs, we get it, R-U-N) is a fitting foray into the "workout rap" genre. The beats are energetic, the trio is as lyrically fresh as ever, and the compositions are perfectly tailored to working those intervals right. Surprisingly enough, the slightly faster average BPM of the tape suits De La's flow, especially coupling their typical jazz-influenced, horn-laden backdrop with prototypical midwestern production.
While repetition sets in with stationary listens (a few of these tracks are about three to four minutes too long), that's exactly the idea behind the tape; this is an organism that grows. "Rise and Shine" is a disjointed shot of espresso (produced by the D's Young RJ) that readies the prospective rapthlete for a "Good Morning", a fitting electronica transition and focus-builder. Dynamic, and largely concerned with gear-shifting, the workout builds from the boom-bap of "Big Mouf", through the tension-inducing "Attack of the Stet", and "Pick[s] Up The Pace" with a jazzy old- meets new-school vibe, where Pos Plug Won performs admirably as chief composer. This is all preparation for the apex interval one-two punch of Maseo- and Flosstradamus-produced "Greedy Man" and "We O.D.", respectively, kicking the mix to its highest point of energy. Some cool-down "Victory Laps", a chill "Forever" later, and the R-U-N is over.
What's really impressive: this is intelligent enough to satisfy the conscious-cats with enough inspiring socio-political discussion (see Gina Loring's "Poetic Greed"), poppy enough for the club with some hype-generating hooks, and ideal for a 45-minute workout. I honestly can't wait for tomorrow morning.
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| Recent reviews by this author | | | |
Album Rating: 4
This is really awesome.
Digging: Wale - Attention Deficit | | |
This does actually sound like something I'd really like, will get on it. Obviously review was great too, short and sweet.
Digging: Hammock - Raising Your Voice... Trying to Stop an Echo
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i'll probably listen to this.
detroit intro
Digging: Loma Prieta - Dark Mountain
| | | Album Rating: 4
i thought it was all produced by young rj, but realized that he only did 2 tracks. flosstradamus did a few, as did maseo (part of the group btw) and Pos Plug Won. anyways, fixed it... all the production is in a similar vein anyway.
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De La Soul are doing a show around here but I'm too poor to go 
Sweet review, do want album.
Digging: Church of Misery - Houses of the Unholy
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^^^ Yeah, I thought about going (to the Espy) too, but decided against it.
Great review Sobhi and I think I might look into this one as I enjoyed their laid-back style back in the day and wouldn't mind hearing how they sound with the faster beats.
Digging: Paloma Faith - Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful?
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Good review.
Sounds cool, i've been getting into these guys. The Clear Lake Audiotorium EP is the best i've heard from them yet, though I do like 3 Feet High and Rising.
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I feel almost ashamed to only have 3 Feet High and Rising from De La Soul, especially considering how influential this group is.
Digging: Drudkh - Microcosmos
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Same, hey (though that EP I mention is fucking great, definitely get in on that).
I remember A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays, I need the album that was on as it was a great tune.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
nice.
digging their old stuff at the moment, I will get this too soon.
Digging: The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - Here Be Dragons | | |
I want this.
I laughed at the title. It reminded me of that childhood joke about bending over and spelling "run".
Digging: Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca
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enjoying this, good stuff
| | | Album Rating: 3
its like 'lol an Incubus song title'
but seriously I want this.
Digging: A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Ashes Grammar | | |
I knew it, as soon as I clicked in here, I pressed Ctrl - F and typed Incubus to see who made an Incubus referance
Digging: Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
| | | Album Rating: 3
Album is cool 3/5
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