The Hip Hop concept album is something that’s been attempted to varying degrees of success: for every brilliant Prince of Thieves and Deltron 3030, there’s a T.I. vs. T.I.P. But, having authored one of Hip Hop’s great concept LPs, De La Soul is Dead, one expects De La Soul’s Plug 1 (Posdnous) and Plug 2 (Dave) to fall into the former category with First Serve.
First Serve takes place in late ’90s Queens, with Deen Witter (Plug 2) and Jacob “Pop Life” Barrow (Plug 1) serving as the protagonists. Deen and Jacob are childhood friends and opposite sides of the same coin. An introspective young man, Deen is guided by his moral compass, while Jacob has his eyes fixated firmly on the finer things in life. On “Pushin’ Aside, Pushin’ Along,” Jacob lays out his exigent circumstance for the listener, introducing his passion and determination to overcome the trials he and Deen face: “But my father says I need a real blue collar / Can’t support a family with a few dollars / But the damage is done, your son’s a fiend / For microphone and break beats and drum machines / With a large crowd yelling out ‘Pop’ and ‘Deen’ / This is Swerve from the First Serve makin’ em lean!”
From the outset of the adventure, Jacob and Deen share in their misgivings (“Small Disasters”), which turn to celebration once they hit the big time (“We Made It”). But where First Serve really shines is when things start to fall apart. No partnership is without its ordeals, and Jacob and Deen is no different. Both aspiring emcees, once unified in their goal, loses sight of what’s important. The fascinating thing is how this obfuscation plays out, with the individual characters struggling with demons of a different nature. First Serve goes from being a group to becoming a sum of its parts, as the two emcees go at each other’s throats a la “Meth vs. Chef” on “Clash Symphony.” From there, tale becomes ever-more intricate.
It’s clear that the storytelling element essential to any concept project is present on First Serve, but the music is damn good, too. Posdnous and Dave simply don’t falter, and French production team Chokolate and Khalid bring a distinct sound. Listeners will be treated to traditional Hip Hop a la soul samples, disco-inspired celebrations, and harmonica-laden blues when trouble comes ambling towards our protagonists. Chokolate and Khalid, who assume the alter ego 2&4 for the album, are storytellers just like their rapping counterparts, cultivating and molding the aural mood as the tale progresses.
Because this is a concept LP, listeners have to appreciate the non-musical touches that have been painstakingly added to First Serve. Humorous narration by “Deen” and “Jacob” will remind listeners of the days long past bullshitting in your friend’s basement, waxing about crushes, summer plans, and dreams of the finer things in life. The dialogue is of Broadwayesque: simultaneously theatrical and believable. And if the devil is truly in the details, Pos and Dave have nothing to worry about: just listen to the dialogue in “Opening Credits,” during which Deen’s mother, Eleanor, is made to sound as though she’s standing from behind a door (all while screaming obscenities).
While it doesn’t quite fall into the upper echelon where Prince Paul and Deltron 3030’s masterpieces reside, First Serve is an extraordinary listen. The album is replete with humor, drama, and a satisfying sense of duality and resolution. This project proves that, in 2012, the Rock Opera is alive and well.
WORD UP DE LA SOUL
Buying this first thing.
I give this a 4,5
This album rocks.
De la Soul doing what they do best.
Rhyming, telling a story and producing some damn fine music.
Respect Due!!
didn’t even know about this! have to check it out pronto
Thank God. that is all
the subliminal disses are hilarious.
they stay making good music
they were on themoneylesson.com
Yo love this ish. De la soul stay droppin gems in this shitty era for hip hop.
Shout to the marketing team that put the word out… didn’t hear shit about this ’til I read the review… meanwhile, HHDX will put out another 45 articles on DETOX [which won’t come out, of course] this year.
lol
Now, this is Hip Hop! Great stuff. De La!
i really enjoyed this album i bought it not expecting much and i have to say i was pleasantly surprised.upbeat,groovy,funky,party type hip hop but soulful at the same time. if you like beastie boys,ugly ducklin,p.u.t.s,dj format,jungle brothers you might like this.
Very good album and I can’t believe HipHopDX just used the word “exigent”– you read the dictionary in jail or what, Slava?
Also, there’s more depth to 2/3rd De La than all Laughterhouse projects combined, not to mention the endless stream of whale shit Action Bronstein keeps throwing out.
I’m going 3.5 stars for now with the idea of the album really growing on me in a few months. It’s kinda dope but I still need a few more spins.
Freakin’ awesome! Warms my 80’s hip hop heart:)
if this sells more than any other de la album then they proved their point
hey just wondering if someone could help is it sold in stores or it is a digtial album only?
cd and digital i think, try amazon my friend
This album as smooth. Just flowed from song to song, and the vibe was just so calming and enjoyable. For those of you who haven’t bought the album, I highly recommend it.
I think this is the worst De La Soul effort to date, and still pretty much better than anything y’all cats are dropping. I supported.
This is a breath of fresh air.
i cant fuckin find it
finally. awesome stuff.
easy breezy.
how is storytelling essential to concept albums?
Go De La! My blog http://www.gamerecognize.com features nothing but dope Hip Hop music from people like Kendrick Lamar, Big K.R.I.T., Roc Marciano, Madlib, Dill, etc. Peep!
Fair review, to me.
bringing back the old school feel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K73jAd8aQVc&feature=relmfu
I know this isn’t a real De La Soul album, but I’m telling you, when people don’t stick with the original producers, shit never comes out as good. I mean, these beats are pretty good, but not of the quality of all their previous work. You can tell the original producer is absent from this. Still good album though.
Where’s the Prince Paul DLS album? Shame on these guys for doing a side project.
Nah…the first single is cheesy…these guys are washed up…
Its straight, I agree with the 4 star rating, its a good record but the catalouge they have behind them is alot to live up to
So damn smooth! Best album in April imo…
I am big fan of De La Soul, but honestly I thought this was bullshit. A couple tracks musically are good, but as soon as I finish writing this I’m putting it on Amazon for re-sale.
Great Concept, Legends At work………
I finally got a chance to check it out on Spotify. It goes in the repeat queue.
Ever since Buhloone I’ve been praying and asking for something like a concept album from De la – and this probably is as close as we get.
Beyond everything I have always loved about De la’s individual tracks (and that’s A LOT!) I am still impressed with all the skits/interludes and (often satirical) nonsense between the tracks on ‘3 Feet’ and ‘De La is Dead’.
And ‘First Serve’ makes a fair attempt to renew the concept. Doesn’t really come off as a masterpiece but I am enjoying it a lot. And I nearly shed a tear during ‘Pop Life’ connecting back to ‘3 Feet’ with the silly-de-la-sexiness of the French language – on top of a beautiful track. Add the outstanding lyrics AND the plot-twist. I was amazed right there.
On the whole this album deserves 4.5 (and ‘3 Feet’ would then score about 57 on this scale)
Fair review, BTW
This Album can take you back to the 90’s depth, storytelling…the album to me is one big song don’t skip any songs just start from the beginning and let run!
Best hip hop ALBUM (I stress that word) I have heard in a while. Good to see the hippies of hip hop are still better than 95% of the trash being made out there these days.
Bardzo Mi Si Podoba.Hit:)
Rap-gods do it again! Tasty.
simply one of the Best!
Maannn i used to like them niggaz, i grew up with them
I love this shit. I’m a young die hard DeLaFan and this new consept album has got it all. Nice, classic beats and the know plugs are putting together a tight album with the skits that I always love! Shout out to Deen(‘s Mom) Hah! Her part is epic.
You got party songs (Must B the Music) mixed with some serious and real personal songs (Clash Symphony). It’s the package – an yo pelase, keep um comin! Love from Norway