De La Soul

Editor's Review:

As consistently as De La Soul releases great albums, it’s no surprise that the first installment of the Art Official Intelligence trilogy, Mosaic Thump, is yet another great album — 17 tracks of pure gold, actually. AOI:MT represents the next logical progression in the development of this Long Island trio, and their second recording without the talents of producer Prince Paul; it’s path leads back to the trio’s last album, Stakes Is High, though it is strictly a rear-view path.

The Music on AOI:MT at times further pursues the darker side of De La’s Music, utilizing minimal piano loops and a background buzzing laying the foundation for the hard flows of "My Writes," which also features Tash and J-Ro from Tha Alkaholiks, as well as Xhibit; and blazes through the heavy funked beats of "Oooh" (with Redman), rolling with just enough melodic accompaniment to create a serious ass-moving stew, over which signature De La rhymes in inventive lyrical patterns are spit, relating lessons of life and hard realities.

On tracks like "I.C. Y’All" (featuring Busta Rhymes), the De La crew experiments a little with their sound, throwing down some more upbeat, hard-rolling vibes courtesy of a fat bass distortion loop; "The Art of Getting Jumped" features a slightly Eastern European or honkey-influenced Middle Eastern jiggy-type beat for a rap about ass kicking; and the electrified summer jam harpsichord rhythms of "Thru Ya City" (with DV Alias Khrist) are replete with a funky-ass soul-ed-out choruses.

Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump is a polished representation of the development of De La Soul’s inventive and enduring style, and if it’s any indication of things to come, the AOI series promises to be a hip-hop opus of epic proportions.

Bookmark:

Record Label Tommy Boy Records Released August 2000

Tracks 1. Intro/Say R. 2. U Can Do (Life) 3. My Writes - featuring Tash & J-Ro 4. Oooh - featuring Redman 5. Thru Ya City - featuring D.V. Alias Khrist 6. I.C. Y'All - featuring Busta Rhymes 7. View 8. Set The Mood - featuring Indeed 9. All Good? - featuring Chaka Khan 10. Declaration 11. Squat! - featuring Mike D and Ad Rock 12. Words From The Chief Rocker - featuring Busy Bee 13. With Me 14. Copa (Cabanga) 15. Foolin' 16. The Art Of Getting Jumped 17. U Don't Wanna B.D.S. - featuring Freddie Foxx