By Odeisel
De La Soul has been delivering their Buhloone Mindstate-flavored avante guarde Hip-Hop for over 20 years, but amazingly they’ve never actually done a concept album. Plugs 1 & 2 remedy that with their new record First Serve, which chronicles the lives of rappers Deen Witter (Dove) and Pop Life (Posdnous) through the highs and lows of their industry journey. This kind of ground was previously traveled by former De La collaborator Prince Paul on his critically acclaimed Prince Among Thieves, albeit with a different structure and story.There is a decidedly disco-powered undercurrent to the production, courtesy of French producers Chokolate and Kahlid. Don’t get it twisted, it isn’t Night at the Roxy, but various strings, rhythm tracks and grooves throughout the album are infused with that spirit. The tracks have a stunning array of speeds and paces that keep the story moving and score the narrative well. When the group is on the come up, the music is lively. When they are going through tension there is an added drama provided by the soundtrack. As the story expands and contracts (I don’t want to give it away here), the production duo (collectively known as 2 & 4) lays the perfect tracks to push it along.
Dove takes a larger role on this album. His natural gift for humor shines in the fantasy context set up by First Serve, His delivery and vocal timbre changes with the moods of the tracks on the album in a way that Pos, who is usually out in front as the more lyrical member of De La, can’t match vocally. He serves as the Madea-like “Moms” and label head “Goon Time” as well, getting his Eddie Murphy on, playing different characters. Not to say that Plug 1 doesn’t get busy. His low key authoritative presence on De La also enjoys the day off. In its place as emcee Pop Life stands a flashier, slicker persona that he effortlessly flaunts.
The duo flip verse back and forth like trapeze artists, always right on top of each other’s lines. There are no boring two rhyme schemes on the record nor predictable couplets but engaging, funny, precision bars that would slice moe and joe rapper to ribbons. It’s clear that being out from under the weight of the De La Soul brand has given new life to both Plugs 1 and 2. They both spread their wings, ironically on a tightly followed concept album, free of the expectations of their legendary history. The result is an extremely fun ride.
De La Soul’s Plug 1 and Plug 2 Presents First Serve is a funky, fast-moving, fun journey that marries retro production with classic emcee skills to create a surprisingly next wave album. While not as elaborate as Prince Among Thieves, First Serve plays smoother and more like an album than a “Hip-Hopera.” The approach suits not only the shorter attention spans of today’s listenersn but plays more to the sublime talents of Pos and Dove.
Out of 5
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