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Ever since their 1989 debut with 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul have puzzled fans by continually resisting the laid-back grooves and intelligent message tracks of hip-hop's best first album ever. From their sophomore rebuke, De La Soul Is Dead, to the harder-than-thou Mosaic Thump, the trio has often sacrificed happiness for hardcore, even when it's clear they do positivity better than any other rap group. Bionix, the second volume in De La Soul's comeback trilogy, Art Official Intelligence, presents the trio in astronaut gear on the cover, while inside a female-vocal intro proclaims the new De La Soul: "Better, stronger, faster." Listeners a bit doubtful after the rapid disappearance of first installment Mosaic Thump can rest easy; the trio sounds positively refreshed here, finally content to concentrate on its specialties: wrapping groovy, sparkling productions around smart, sympathetic themes with rapping that doesn't scrimp just because they're not gangsta. "Baby Phat" is first, a wickedly wonderful tribute to the beautiful black woman in all of her various shapes and figures. Producer Dave West spins a beautiful sample (from Wings' "Wonderful Christmas Time") for the highlight, a mid-tempo hand-waver named "Simply." Though this is by no means a hardcore album, the trio also spits a few bars, criticizing the easy answers of organized religion on "Held Down" (as well as on the three "Rev. Do Good" interludes scattered during the rest of the LP). De La Soul handed virtually all of the production duties over to the talented West, and it pays off doubly, not only giving Bionix a great sense of album flow, but freeing up the trio to concentrate on its excellent rapping (probably the best since their debut). It hardly seemed possible that De La Soul were capable of such incredible work after being lapped by most of the hip-hop world, but Bionix ranks right up there with 3 Feet High and Rising.
© John Bush /TiVo
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Laura Nyro, Composer - David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Vincent Mason, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
Frederick Perren, Composer - David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Dave West, Producer - David West, Composer - Keni St. Lewis, Composer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Vincent Mason, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
Ronald Miller, Composer - Kurtis Walker, Composer - William Waring, Composer - David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Mark Morales, Composer - Dave West, Producer - David West, Composer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Devin The Dude, FeaturedArtist - Glenn Mosley, AssociatedPerformer - Vincent Mason, Composer - Elizabeth "Yummy" Bingham, FeaturedArtist - Kyle Williams, AssociatedPerformer - Damon Yul Wimbley, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Dave West, Producer - David West, Composer - Paul Mccartney, Composer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Vincent Mason, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Larry Mizell, Composer - Ali Shaheed Jones-Muhammad, Composer - Stevie Wonder, Composer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, Composer - Bradley Ridgell, Composer - Sigidi Bashir Abdullah, Composer - Vincent Mason, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Cee-Lo, FeaturedArtist - Serge Gainsbourg, Composer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Leroy Hodges, AssociatedPerformer - Vincent Mason, Composer - Jean Claude Michel Vannier, Composer - Thomas Bigham, AssociatedPerformer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Kevin Lewis, Producer - Troy Hightower, Producer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Vincent Mason, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Dave West, Producer - David West, Composer - De La Soul, MainArtist - Cal Tjader, Composer - Jose "Perico" Hernandez, FeaturedArtist
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - De La Soul, MainArtist - Kev Brown, Producer - Vincent Mason, Composer - Elizabeth "Yummy" Bingham, FeaturedArtist
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Kevin Lewis, Producer - Troy Hightower, Producer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Vincent Mason, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Dave West, Producer - David West, Composer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Philly Black, FeaturedArtist
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
August Darnell, Composer - David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Dave West, Producer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Glenn Lewis, Composer, FeaturedArtist - Vincent Mason, Composer - Stoney Browder Jr., Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Vincent Mason, Composer - Shell Council, FeaturedArtist
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Megahertz, Producer - Dorsey Wesley, Composer - Slick Rick, FeaturedArtist - De La Soul, MainArtist - Vincent Mason, Composer - Ricky M L Walters, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Kevin Lewis, Producer - Troy Hightower, Producer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Vincent Mason, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
Louis Freese, Composer - David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - De La Soul, MainArtist - B-Real, FeaturedArtist - Jay Dee, Producer - Vincent Mason, Composer - James Dewitt Yancey, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - Kevin Lewis, Producer - Troy Hightower, Producer - De La Soul, Producer, MainArtist - Vincent Mason, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
Laura Nyro, Composer - David Jolicoeur, Composer - Kelvin Mercer, Composer - De La Soul, MainArtist - Al Carty, AssociatedPerformer - Vincent Mason, Composer - Def 2 U Inc., Producer - Lucious Mercer, Composer - Neal forrester, Composer
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
Album review
Ever since their 1989 debut with 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul have puzzled fans by continually resisting the laid-back grooves and intelligent message tracks of hip-hop's best first album ever. From their sophomore rebuke, De La Soul Is Dead, to the harder-than-thou Mosaic Thump, the trio has often sacrificed happiness for hardcore, even when it's clear they do positivity better than any other rap group. Bionix, the second volume in De La Soul's comeback trilogy, Art Official Intelligence, presents the trio in astronaut gear on the cover, while inside a female-vocal intro proclaims the new De La Soul: "Better, stronger, faster." Listeners a bit doubtful after the rapid disappearance of first installment Mosaic Thump can rest easy; the trio sounds positively refreshed here, finally content to concentrate on its specialties: wrapping groovy, sparkling productions around smart, sympathetic themes with rapping that doesn't scrimp just because they're not gangsta. "Baby Phat" is first, a wickedly wonderful tribute to the beautiful black woman in all of her various shapes and figures. Producer Dave West spins a beautiful sample (from Wings' "Wonderful Christmas Time") for the highlight, a mid-tempo hand-waver named "Simply." Though this is by no means a hardcore album, the trio also spits a few bars, criticizing the easy answers of organized religion on "Held Down" (as well as on the three "Rev. Do Good" interludes scattered during the rest of the LP). De La Soul handed virtually all of the production duties over to the talented West, and it pays off doubly, not only giving Bionix a great sense of album flow, but freeing up the trio to concentrate on its excellent rapping (probably the best since their debut). It hardly seemed possible that De La Soul were capable of such incredible work after being lapped by most of the hip-hop world, but Bionix ranks right up there with 3 Feet High and Rising.
© John Bush /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 18 track(s)
- Total length: 00:55:09
- Main artists: De La Soul
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: AOI Records
- Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited 2023 A.O.I., LLC under exclusive license to Chrysalis Records Limited
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