The Grind Date
When I first heard De La Soul, I knew these guys had something special. They sounded totally different than anybody else on the planet, and they had a look that was all their own. They gave us something honest to listen to in a world full of posers. Fast forward 16 years later and they are still here, giving us something different to listen to in this world full of.....well, you get the picture.
"The Grind Date," the groups seventh album, finds them more focused than we found them on the two "Art Official Intelligence" entries into their discography. The main theme here is work, responsibility and perseverance, just what I would expect from a group that's been around longer than some of today's pop stars have been alive. Just one listen to the title track will let you know that as their audience has grown, so have they. "My dad's got five kids man" it says in the songs opener, "he hates driving a bus, but he loves five kids" it goes on to say. That summarizes the tone of the album. Whether it's about grinding(working) to support your family, or grinding to remind people of just who you are and what you've for hip-hop like they do on "Much More," the LTD-sample driven track. It tells the listener that even with more than 15 years behind them, they're not done yet. "It's Like That," has group rhyming about the influence of Carl Thomas' silky background vocals and a dreamy track produced by Supa Dave West. They also bring the fire with straight bangers, such as "Verbal Clap," "No" and the MF Doom assisted "Rock Co.Kane Flow." But the gem of the record had to be "Days of our Lives" feat. Common. This track shows you just why they were ahead of their time in 1988. They haven't lost one step, flow-wise, lyrically, thematically, you name it. They flow like they are still rhyming over Prince Paul production and wearing African medallions.
This record, with only "Shopping Bags," that sounds a little too much like Kayne Wests' "All Falls Down" being it's only misstep, finds the group displaying a maturity that only comes with learning the most valuable lesson of all: Life happens. Had it not been for the professional and personal issues that they've gone through, I don't think "The Grind Date" would be as solid or important as it is. I just hope 16 years from now, our kids will start off conversations with: "When-I-First-Heard The Grind Date..."