Customer Reviews

The Grind Date

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It would be all too easy to compare albums when a group has dropped over 7 in their career. Personally I only had Stakes Is High before this album, so for me I've taken this album as is, coming out strong in 2004.

The title of the album is so appropriate, because De La Soul was defiantly working hard on their trade to deliver a quality product. The liner notes even include a full calendar, each song representing a month of the year as you can follow De La's grind to put out this album.

De La Soul, who typically do not use a variety of producers through out the course of an album, do an excellent job by bringing in various talent for this effort. Jay Dee (J-Dilla) puts his signature sound early on the album. "Verbal Clap" is has a hard-edge feel to it as Dave matches the intensity ("We present these flares to put fire to your ears to lay smoke like rusty exhaust pipes"). Jay-Dee follows this with his other credit, "Much More" which may be familiar to Chappelle's Show fans, as it was their guest spot for Season 1. This is just an incredible track, smooth samples, hard hitting base... Dave & Pos just kill it. Even the DJ Premier intro speaks volumes ("Micro-wave pop-corn ass ******! We give you much more!!"). One of my favorites.

Super Dave West, is not my favorite producer. For me his beats are hit or miss. While "The Future" is ok, the title track and "No" are forgettable, yet "It's Like That" is great and of Course "He Comes" is incredible. I can see why people will like his tracks, and but regardless certainly all of his tracks on this album are worth a listening too when De La continues to drop gems left and right.

De La also as always taps into the underground scene, with its current greatest beat-makers. Madlib produces the single sounding yet anti-jiggy "Shopping Bags." I'll admit that it took a while to grow on me, but it did eventually. It's sure to convict a lot of heads. Madlib also handles "Come On Down" featuring the original hype man Flava Flav. 9th Wonder follows with Church, it's what you'd expect from this guy sounding similar to a track he produced for God's Stepson. De La's lyrics match the soul & gospel elements of the track making this a definite highlight of the album.

The second half of the album is highlighted by guest appearances and everyone of them only adds to the album. "It's Like That" features a reflective look for De La and Carl Thomas without sounding cheesy or R&B. "Days of Our Lives" features Common & "No" features new comer Butta Verses. "He Comes" is seriously straight out of the Pretty Tony album, not just in it's soul sample production but actually featuring the Ghost himself. He's verse is tremendous, yet like all the other guests he never outshines De La.

I'm sorry that's not true, cause MF Doom absolutely slaughters the mic on "Rock Co.Kane Flow" a dark track by Jake One sampling "Deliverance" (don't think the banjo either). This is an absolutely sick song, and while Posdonus rips it, he & Dave are just outmatched by Doom. Not that it's a bad thing, Doom's inclusion is more than welcome:
"Doom brung that bum, there goes that news van again/ Act like you knew like Toucan Sam and 'em/ He eat rappers like part of a complete breakfast/ Your rhymes ain't worth the weight of they cheap necklace"
Nuff said, Doom just rips it.

Despite reviewer claims that De La's rhymes have gotten weak or don't hold up in today's world, a listener who picks out more than just a blatant punch lines or cliché buzz words will be pleased. Check out Posdonus's final verse on the album:
"You go lights, camera, action with no makeup/ We De La to the death, or at least until we break up/ Here's a couple of nice guys who finished first/ So nice try, but the prize is ours dispersed/ They say the good die young, so I added some/ bad-ass to my flavor to prolong my life over the drum/ Everyone cools off from being hot/ It's about if you can handle being cold or not!!"
De La does their best on every track to drop as many quotables as they can, you can't front on their skills, De La has defiantly still got it.

To true De La fans, I'd also recommend getting a hold of their "Days Off" promotional CD to accompany this album. Featuring a Pete Rock track & an incredible, much better remix of "The Grind Date" are among some of these tracks left off the final version really should have been included.

This album is an outstanding effort, and even though it clocks in at about 50 min, its replay ability will make it seems twice as long. This would be a solid album for any group, and for De La Soul it only builds to their legendary status. Those in search of refreshing rap music in 2004, look no further.

What a comeback! This album is wonderful. De La comes back after three years off and gives us mostly melodic production, some of the best and inspiring lyrics of their career, and a few noteworthy guests that seem to be in awe of the legends. This marks exactly 15 years since their groundbreaking debut "3 Ft. High & Rising" released. And here they sound revived and almost like they've never left.
After listening to "The Grind Date," I am throughly convinced that De La is best group to ever come from the hiphop culture. They have had a few low points, but overall they consistently make something different, and how they've stuck together all these years is remarkable. You never even see Posdnous guest by himself on somebody else's album, or whatnot. Yes, they've taken a few breaks between albums, but where one of the members go, the other two are always invited along. Exactly what we'd all like to see from every musical group/band.
Focusing on this album, it is very strong from beginning to end, and they keep it short and sweet with twelve tracks, one for each month of the year. The insert is even a small calendar, but almost useless with three months left in the year. Anyways, "Shopping bags" might sound a little commercial, but De La sends a message warning us to watch how our ladies spend our money. Then there is "The Future" and "Rock Co. Kane Flow" (w/ MF Doom) which sound so original and can only be pulled off by De La. "Church" is as good as it sounds, and "Verbal Clap" is straightforward beats and spectacular rhymes. The carefully selected guests contribute much, such as Ghostface on "He Comes," Common on "Days of Our Lives," Butta Verses on "No," and of course the crazy last track with MF Doom. Don't forget Flava Flav on "Come On Down." It's insanity to believe it, Flava Flav and De La! Flav fits right in, and sounds as if he's been with the group all along. A truly shining moment! Some common themes that De La touch upon throughout are the importance of longevity, working hard and staying upon your 'grind,' and of course many spirit references.
This is a great album for the state of hiphop that a few and hopefully many more will follow by example. I'd like to quote Rakim because this came to mind, "The rebirth of hiphop will be dropped now, because the crowd didn't hear the original in a while." With all the true hiphop albums that have dropped this year, or will drop soon, this is a great candidate as the pinnacle of them all. It may have the sticker, but really there isn't even too much cussing on this album, and it shouldn't turn many away with that. "The Grind Date" definitely sounds current, yet reflective on the past, hopeful for the future, and is De La's best album since "Stakes Is High," maybe even better than that one. It's envigorating that I got this one along with Talib Kweli's new album, and by this time next week, I will have Mos Def's and Kool Keith new Dr. Octagon album in my hands! I am white, and I truly enjoy this intelligent, creative artform when it is done right like this. As Flava puts it, "Good rap music is back on the map." And De La Soul truly offers "Much More"!

De La Soul came out in 1988 and dropped a fun little concept album with a hell of a lot of skits on it. They did not talk about thugging, and their subject matter was almost corny at times, and almost always lighthearted. But they could MC. Instead of being stubborn and continuing with the early Prince Paul style funkiness (no dis to prince paul tho, he is still doin thangs), they kept evolving their style. They were not reacting to the times, but they were growing, being honest to talk about what they thought was important in a fresh and energetic way that fit into the hip hop paradigm even while almost ignoring it. And they kept making albums. This one is number seven.

I thought they were dead after the singles collection came out and Bionix (the second volume in what was supposed to be a trilogy) went out of print, to mixed reviews. And then this comes out. HAS ANY RAP GROUP LASTED THIS LONG? I mean I know Kool Keith and MF DOOM are veterans, but Keith is just a dozen alibis, and DOOM took a long break in between careers, but this trio is still on fire. They do not revive one of their old sounds or continue one of their old concepts. They still sound like themselves, but still fresh.

Well rap is in trouble again; even though people are figuring out the underground is way better then what they have been fed (Talib , Mos Def, and The Roots are all getting air on MTV now), a lot of so called conscious rappers are spitting the same old self righteous messages. THIS RECORD IS NEITHER POP NOR UNDERGROUND. It is the kind of balance that only vererans can muster. The beats on here are all friggin awesome (congratulations to Madlib, who is becoming a legend), featuring underground favorites like 9th Wonder and reliable favorites like J Dilla and the returning champ Supa Dave. Most of the guests are VIPs too, including a strong showings from Ghostface, Common, the everlasting Flava Flav, and the masked villain/lyrical genius MF DOOM.

The songs are almost uniformly strong, cycling through a variety of themes and moods but still including an adequate amount of MC boasting. Pos and Dave are really flexible by taking advantage of each beat's unique rhythms instead of just spitting straight flows. Everything is pretty slick but very soulful, never sterile. No interludes, just 12 hard hitting tracks that are radio friendly without sacrificing originality or quality, and are intelligent without being stuck up and inscrutable. De La Soul is almost the perfect hip hop group (and i've heard a LOT of hip hop), and they prove it here as well as they ever have.

...That such a great album is being overlooked by the general hip-hop community. This album didn't even crack the Top 100 Billboard in retail sales during it's debut week. Perhaps the rap game has passed them by, which is a shame, because their current offering is about as tight as it gets. The production is fantastic, and as usual, De La's lyrics are insightful. In my opinion, it doesn't get much better than this. Pure Hip-Hop. Period.

The true authors of hip hop De La released their long awaited new album "The Grind Date" this joint is so hot you need a roach. I expected the two songs I had already heard before this album dropped to be good (Much More, and Shopping Bags). But I didn't expect every song on the whole album to be this fresh. I love how De La lives outside of the trends just doing what they think is dope and not followin the leader like most of the stuff on the radio. The first track is off the chain "The Future", starts off slow but then it blows up, sick beat. Verbal Clap, Much More, Shopping Bags, The Grind Date and the rest of the album is off the hook, you will need a clean pair of shorts when you're done listening to this album. De La Soul, the true authors of hip hop, make DMX, Ludacris, and Jadakiss sound like elementary daycare MC's. Get this album, it better go triple platinum.

I always find the most helpful reviews to be the one's that are 1) honest, and 2) tell you which songs are worthwhile so you'll know how to judge the album and decide to pick it up.

De La Soul's best songs are the one's that blend great flow, poignant lyrics, and a musical vibe that just hits you inside. On the A.O.I Bionix album, songs like 'Held Down' and 'Trying People' nailed it. I thought Stakes is High was a poor album- the beats were too spare and none of the flows really did it for me. I see alot of reviews of fans who love that album. Fortunately Grind Date is not like that. To me, not only is Grind Date proving De La at the top of its game again, almost the WHOLE album is solid, plus it has some songs where the rhymes and music are so aweseome together that it just moves you like no other hip hop does.

I downloaded a few songs from this album, loved them, then I kept downloading one by one and found each one had something even better to other. It was such as rare and cool surprise. Finally had to just pick up the whole album so I didn't miss any gems.

'It's Like That' and 'Days of Our Lives' are amazing and worth buying this album all alone. The sounds are so rich and lush, the vibe is so positive, the lyrics are so creative, they are some of the best De La tracks ever. De La's lyrics are sharper than they've been in years. The guys are wiser and more experienced, and it shows. In these songs you can hear how they are looking out for hip hop like no one else, and kicking the knowledge like no one else.

'He Comes' and 'Much More' are 2 of the more great tracks with a mellow vibe. 'It's Like That' and 'Days of our lives' are just a notch better. De La Soul is in a new groove on this album. Great soundscapes, great vibe. Don't miss it.

For a more stripped down, raw De La, check out other great tracks like 'The Future', 'Verbal Clap', and 'Rock Ko Kane Flow'. Solid tracks but not as top notch as the others I mentioned.

This KUBRAK clown from Israel who gave De La a bad review must be smoking some serious crack 'cause he obviously is clueless. I had expected De La to have fallen off but was stunned when I reached track 10 and had yet to skip past any of the tracks. Very impressive; absolutely outstanding. Yo KUBRAK, lay off the drugs.

For the most part, there's no game-changing innovation on De La Soul's latest effort, The Grind Date, with the exception of "Rock Kokane Flow," which has Pos, Dave, and MF Doom rocking verses that mimic the pattern in which cocaine is chopped up (if you didn't get the pun, this song is supposed to be "dope"). I mention that because most hip-hop records that receive rave reviews nowadays ("College Dropout") are either near genius in their aura or push the genre forward in some way. However, I don't think thats what De La set out to do with "The Grind Date." Rather, the LP succeeds the old-fashioned way by presenting the listener with twelve consecutive dope songs, showcasing some of the underground's hottest producers (9th Wonder, Madlib, Supa Dave West, and Jake One) and sprinkling thought-provoking rhymes throughout. The Grind Date will satisfy any hip-hop head who appreciates intelligent rhymes and unorthodox, neck-snapping beats. 4 Stars.

You would think that when you saw the name De La Soul and new album, you'd think that it was gonna be a wack ass attempt to make a comeback. The Grind Date is truly one of the best hip-hop albums in 2004. In an obvious down year for hip-hop that saw over hyped albums disappoint heavily (Eminem's "Encore"), rappers who were supposed to retire and then drop a pointless album (Jay-Z with Linkin Park {LINKIN PARK?!} "Collision Course"), and just purely wack albums being dropped (Cam'ron's "Purple Haze", thank God I didn't buy that album), The Grind Date drops to very little if no hoopla and totally blows me away for their perfect mix of superior production and great lyricism. From top to bottom (maybe not "It's Like That"), this CD maintains an unbelieveable consistency that was lacking terribly in 2004 albums. Starting with "Future" this made for a great intro. "Verbal Clap" was a great bass smothered track with smooth lyricism. "Much More" is an amazing track with a smooth sample. "Shopping Bags" is just a fun that isn't and shouldn't be taken seriously (an entire album doesn't have to have subsatance), but nonetheless, it's a fun track with a fun hook. The album title track, "The Grind Date", is probably the best display of De La Soul's lyricism on the album not to mention another great beat to add("though the meek shall inherit the earth, but don't forget, the poor are the ones that inherit the debt!"). WHAT?! A Spike Lee sighting?! He begins the "Church", which is worth listening to. "It's Like That" is the only track not worth listening to. "He Comes" features Pretty Tony himself Ghostface (whose album was probably in the top 5 of 2004). His unorthodox flow was a breath of fresh air because he rips it whenever he is on a track. Common makes his point as a great, yet heavily underrated MC on "Days of Our Lives". FLAVOR FLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAV!!!!, fresh off of his popular showing on "The Surreal Life", proves why he is truly the "Greatest Hype Man in Hip-Hop" on "Come on Down", which is a great retro track with the production that is reminiscent actually of what Public Enemy would spit over. "No" is a good track; nothing to write home about, but good. The best track on the CD flow-wise is the powerful "Rock Co.Kane Flow". The unusual method of the production where it will randomly slow down and speed up and vice versa really showcases the outstanding flow of the group. This album is probably a Top 3 of 2004 album, unfortunately that is not saying a lot for a weak year of hip-hop. But that should not take away from the sheer brilliance of a group that has been around since my childhood. New generation of hip-hop, open your eyes to a talented group that has withstood the test of time! The top 5 of 2004 in my eyes (agree with it or not, my opinion):
1. Nas-Street's Disciple (This double album came out just in time to take over the number 1 spot!)
2. Ghostface-The Pretty Toney Album (An amazing album that was a great mix of grime and bling!)
3. De La Soul-The Grind Date (You read the review)
4. Mobb Deep-America's Nightmare (The production alone plus one of the hardest tracks of the year {ft. Jadakiss "One of Ours"} makes for a solid album)
5. Talib Kweli-The Beautiful Struggle (It took me more than one listen to appreciate how good this album really was)
Let's all hope that 2005 rejuvenates a downyear of hip-hop!

It's been a long time coming as well as a struggle for hip hop old schoolers like De La Sol to diversify themselves and turn some heads in the mainstream without succumbing to the pressures of competition with artists like Lil Jon, Chingy, T.I., and Petey Pablo. So it was with much cynicism that I gave this a listen being that there weren't many releases that appealed to a solely urban hip hop fan, but those feelings of skepticism, which comes as no surprise since their last release was a dud, ultimately subside as this album delivers an amazing sound that is much needed in a world that fronts the face of hip hop through a beady eyed, cup holding, krunk drinking materialist that screams "YEAH" across every track of his compositions. It's not more of mature sound as it is a pleasant listen that caters to the head-bopping deficient crowd looking for both beats of ease and lyrics that define a generation lost through rap's fascination with gold teeth, big booties, and wheelchairs with spinners. You can almost imagine the inner city as it booms to life through this worthy soundtrack of the best of the streets. "So Much More" is bound to get some radio play as with each song, they succeed with what has always made them a welcome mainstay in the hip hop community. "No", another standout track, loops over a sample from "Never Can Say Goodbye" while simple, yet hypnotizing verbal contributions from the group guide us to good feelings and a feeling of nostalgia for the good days when rap was a feeling and attitude that served to have you pump your fist in the air as you shout "You can't knock the hustle!" in the midst of a crowd. And even though it's not the best to their potential, "The Grind Date" offers a glimmer of hope in that rap will not become a one way street.

Rating: 4/5

favorite tracks
1: So Much More
2: It's like that
3: Days of our Lives
4: No