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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Good rap music is now back on the map!!", October 21, 2004
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.
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17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The rebirth of hiphop will be dropped now, October 7, 2004
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"!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
stakes is high once again, October 14, 2004
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.
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