DE LA SOUL Vinilo y CD

Review: AOI: Bionic was De La Soul's six full length album and came back in December 2001. At that point they were already legends in the game who had pioneered their own positive lyrical style and upbeat rhythms and this one kept up their momentum. Lead single 'Baby Phat' paid tribute to larger women, then 'Held Down' had an introspective style that muse don religion and fatherhood. The album is littered with skits from a Reverend Do Good character who tells various tales that adds extra depth to the tunes.

Review: De La Soul have been ever present in the hip-hop scene for some 40-odd years. They redefined the genre early on with their positive messaging and flower power energy, and have always managed to stay fresh ever since without ever jumping on the sonic bandwagon of the day. They pulled that trick off once more with Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump which fuses r&b and pop with their usual hip-hop sounds, all finished with a nice and authentic raw edge. The guest are high-grade, too, with Redman, Xzibit, Busta Rhymes, Mike D and Ad Rock of the Beastie Boys, Freddie Foxxx and Chaka Khan amongst them.

Review: There is a wealth of De La Soul music swirling about right now - much of it has been added to digital streaming sites for the first time and just as much is being reissued and repressed on vinyl from their full-length albums to some of their standout single. And few tunes the American hip-hop group put out are as great as this one - 'The Magic Number' is their signature hit, a happy mix of flower-power verses, colourful rhythms and captivating hip hop grooves laden with funk. An essential jam to own on this tidy 7", backed with an instrumental.