»It’s funky, it’s hip hop, it’s disco and it’s classic.« With this very promising outline, the two De La Soul MCs Dave and Pos are starting their new project First Serve. The name derives from their motto for life: »First come, first serve, get what you deserve.« As Plug 1 & Plug 2, they tell us the stories of two boys from Queens, of their dramas, their problems, risings, falls and, finally, their reunion. From this perspective, it’s a little coming to terms with the last two decades, and it all comes in a package typical for De La Soul: cheerful and wrapped up in happy vibes. Soundwise, the album can be defined as a colorful mix of uptempo-tracks (»Must B The Music«), old school funk elements from the late 70s, like the classical call-and-response (»Move ‘Em In, Move ’Em Out«), some feeling from the mid-90s (»Pushin’ Aside, Pushin’ Along«) and a final modern touch that gives the album its coating. It’s due to the latter that the basic structure of the album doesn’t appear to be rusty, but rather represents a broad musicality far from boredom or monotony. It’s the aspiring producer-team Chokolate & Khalid from Paris, who are responsible for this kind of freshness by building a perfect symbioses with the two MCs, and who have now given this multi-colored-hyper-animated world its only suitable soundtrack. So if you’ve had enough of the mad hype around neomodern bands, and if you’re fed up with all the keep-it-real hoo-ha of old-established rappers from history books, you will find the perfect split between the two in this humorous and entertaining story.
Carmike
Comin’ At Yo Ass
Now-Again