De La Soul Brings Daisy Age Vibes While Raising The Stakes At Lincoln Center Show

Legendary Hip-Hop act De La Soul spun back the hands of time while taking the stage at New York City’s famed Lincoln Center, where they presented a night of euphoric, daisy-aged vibes. The performance, which took place Friday (Jan. 17), in David Geffen Hall, marked De La’s first show in the five boroughs in nearly two years, making the set a homecoming of sorts for the New York natives.

With one glance at the sold-out crowd, De La Soul’s loyal following was undeniably evident. A number of attendees who braved the bristling winter cold were clad in merchandise celebrating the group’s legacy. Others took a more vocal approach in conveying their fandom, chatting amongst one another while sharing particular hits or deep album cuts they anticipated would make their way onto the night’s setlist.

DJ Prince Paul, the chief sonic architect behind the De La masterpieces 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul Is Dead, opened the show with a warm-up set dominated by seminal rap singles spanning decades.

Soon after, the lights dimmed, leading to raucous applause and cheers at the sight of Posdnous and Maseo, who took the stage with clear intentions to prove they’ve yet to lose a step and remain true to the core tenets of the art form.

Marveling at the sheer size of the crowd, Posdnous expressed his awe, mixing his wry wit with a moment of vulnerability, sending a shoutout to his late mother. “If I wasn’t Hip-Hop, I’d prolly cry right now,” the emcee admitted. “I wish my Mom was alive to see this.”

Rocking a white long-sleeve and olive khakis, Pos dived right into the performance, prowling the stage while running through early fan favorites “Plug Tunin’” and “Say No Go,” with Pos deeming the latter as “one of his favorite songs” from their debut album.

Perched behind the wheels of steel, wearing a green polo shirt, the oft-stoic Maseo was in a jovial mood on this occasion, as he and Pos bounced jokes off one another.

“Doesn’t he look beautiful in green?” Pos asked the crowd, referencing Maseo’s Ralph Lauren wears, before challenging the men and women in their crowd to make their presence felt via the customary call-and-response routine.

Recalling the days when rap acts filmed music videos for songs other than their singles, Pos ran through the De La anthem “Oodles of O’s” and “Potholes in My Lawn” before welcoming a few special guests to join the stage.

First up were founding Native Tongues members, the Jungle Brothers, who appeared for the timeless posse-cut, “Buddy,” as well as a few solo joints. At one point, Maseo draped a coat over Mike G’s shoulders as if he were James Brown, as the pair appeared to revel in their injection of well-placed humor into the proceedings.

As the JBs exited the stage, Pos and Maseo didn’t skip a beat, delivering the staples “Grind Date” and “Oooh,” with Pos summoning the spirit of late groupmate David “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur prior to launching into “Much More.”

“My brother Dave,” Pos said as if he was speaking directly to The Dove above. “Thank you, Dave. He’s looking down…he wanna be a part of this sh*t, too,” he added in one of the many tributes made to Jolicoeur throughout the set.

Though absent in presence, Trugoy’s words rang through the mics by proxy of Talib Kweli, who stood in for the late lyricist on selections like “Pass the Plugs,” before putting forth a mini set of his own, highlighted by his signature hits “The Blast” and “Get By.”

Pete Rock also crashed the party with his and Common’s single, “When The Sun Shines Again,” from their GRAMMY-nominated album, The Auditorium Vol. 1. “And you better take home that GRAMMY, Pete!” Pos exclaimed as the Mt. Vernon, N.Y. native bid the crowd farewell.

Pos also took time to touch on various sociopolitical topics throughout the performance, including the Los Angeles wildfires and President Donald Trump’s reelection to office, commentary and sentiments that resonated with those in attendance.

Closing out the show with the definitive jams “Saturday,” “Me My Myself,” and “The Magic Number,” the last of which was preceded by a video montage of Trugoy The Dove. Being that De La Soul’s last concert in New York was in memory of Jolicoeur, the ending of the performance served as a new beginning and a full-circle moment.

While a plug may be missing from the unit, it hasn’t rendered its whole as defective and De La Soul continues to power through.