{"id":526003,"date":"2026-07-05T07:12:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T07:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/526003\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T07:12:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T07:12:25","slug":"de-la-soul-cabin-in-the-sky-rapreviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/526003\/","title":{"rendered":"De La Soul :: Cabin in the Sky \u2013 RapReviews"},"content":{"rendered":"

When MCA<\/a> died, the Beastie Boys disbanded. There was no question about it from the remainder of the crew or their fans. The group always was and always had been Ad Rock, MCA and Mike D. Had they wanted to there\u2019s no question the remaining members could have formed a new group, but it wouldn\u2019t have been called the same thing. They didn\u2019t want to though. They were content with their musical legacy and wanted to honor their friend by leaving things as they were. There have been compilations and re-releases in the years since, but no new albums of original work. Without MCA, there is no group, and that respect for him has in turn increased my respect for them.<\/p>\n

This is why talking about \u201cCabin in the Sky<\/a>\u201d is complicated for me. I\u2019ve avoided it for a long time. I even voiced my concerns to other members of the staff and tried to pass the buck. Perhaps it shouldn\u2019t have surprised me they felt the same way about it I did and thus declined to cover it. For me it goes beyond the issue I already broached in the opening paragraph \u2014 it\u2019s personal. De La Soul is the only artist I ever saw in concert three times. There won\u2019t be a fourth time. It\u2019s not that I can\u2019t envision Maseo and Posdnuos doing it respectfully somehow, playing David Jolicoeur\u2019s<\/a> verses while looking at a banner of their missing comrade, but for me \u201cThe Magic Number<\/a>\u201d has always been three, not two.<\/p>\n

Make no mistake about it \u2014 I\u2019m not saying Kelvin Mercer or Vincent Mason are being disrespectful. Just because I\u2019m in my feelings about a De La Soul album being released posthumously without one-third of the group here to appreciate it, perform it or be interviewed about it doesn\u2019t mean \u201cCabin in the Sky<\/a>\u201d was recorded and released cynically. The album\u2019s intro (expertly narrated by Giancarlo Esposito) gets the obvious truth of the situation out of the way immediately. There\u2019s no sleight of hand or deception here. And to be fair to the remaining members of the group, Dave had recorded vocals and produced tracks for a forthcoming De La Soul album before he passed. Viewed in that light one could argue it\u2019s only fair to press and release this album. He may have even wanted it that way. The sad thing is that he\u2019s not here to be asked if it\u2019s what he wanted \u2014 you\u2019ll just have to make your best educated guess.<\/p>\n

The other thing the intro makes clear is that there are an abundance of guests supporting this posthumous album. DJ Premier produces \u201cSunny Storms\u201d and gives Pos a changing backdrop to pay respect to the missing Plug while spitting his typically sharp bars. The underrated Nottz proves his equal on \u201cA Quick 16 for Mama,\u201d which thankfully isn\u2019t that quick and also features a guest appearance from Killer Mike. It only feels right to hear their fellow Native Tongues member Q-Tip on \u201cDay in the Sun (Gettin\u2019 wit U)\u201d along with Yummy Bingham \u2014 and this one is also the second single off the album.<\/p>\n

Typing the words \u201csecond single\u201d brought back the knot in my stomach again. Perhaps the next sentence after this one will be my pink bismuth. I don\u2019t know about the rest of y\u2019all, but I\u2019m feeling like \u201cCabin in the Sky<\/a>\u201d needs to be the final statement of De La Soul\u2019s career, for whatever it\u2019s worth. I don\u2019t mind if Pos continues as a soloist or if he and Maseo continue as a duo. I don\u2019t expect them to up and quit making music because their friend died. If they have the need to create and art worth being heard, make it for your sake and ours. Let\u2019s not call it De La after this though. In the meantime I can hear what I love about the group on \u201cRun It Back,\u201d produced by DJ Premier and featuring Nas.<\/p>\n

Pos: \u201cIt\u2019s the birth of a team here to clean up the turf
and the worth of the dream is to change the regime
and the lean that we lay with the words that we spray
with the way that we teach y\u2019all to act (run it back)\u201d<\/p>\n

De La Soul spent their entire career straddling the line between commercial appeal and nerdy backpackery without really having to compromise their sound or goals. The only compromise they made and regretted was signing with Tommy Boy Records just to get their music out to the world, and once they soured of that relationship they spent years trying to get their catalogue back and own their own masters. The fact Dave passed on February 12th, 2023<\/a> right before the entire De La Soul archive finally hit streaming platforms legally on March 3rd has always been the bitterest pill for me to swallow.<\/p>\n

Slick Rick is someone whose career dates as far back as De La Soul\u2019s, so it only feels natural for him to interpolate \u201cHey Young World\u201d on the Pete Rock produced \u201cYours.\u201d Speaking of artists I feel personally about having bought their albums since day one AND having seen them in concert to enjoy them rap it live, Common is here too and (like Pos) seems to have not lost a step in the last two decades+. Mr. Esposito recurs throughout the album to add segues between songs and a little levity at times (in stark contrast to his Gustavo Fring character) and has one last stop on the album before \u201cDon\u2019t Push Me.\u201d It\u2019s fitting that we also here Dove\/Dave\/Plug 2\u2019s final lyrical performance on the last song.<\/p>\n

Dove: \u201cSo let her \u2019round the outside
Buffalo girl, you got \u2019round the Outback
And I ain\u2019t talking steak, so there ain\u2019t no beef
See, you could kiss on the boy, but I\u2019ll repeat, no teeth
No, thief, get your hands out my pocket
Every penny I got so she can share thoughts\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Esposito closes the presentation with three words: \u201cThank you Dave.\u201d Yes. From the music that gave me hope in my childhood, to the songs that propelled me through my career writing about the music I loved, to the albums that rode with me in the car on every long trip, I thank you Dave. We all thank you for the service you provided, a worth beyond any financial measure, the place you hold in our hearts now and until it\u2019s our turn to go. With that I give you my closing thoughts \u2014 it\u2019s a good De La Soul album. I got over my overwrought emotions and was able to accept this for what it is. \u201cCabin in the Sky<\/a>\u201d is well produced, the guests are well chosen, the lyrics are well thought out. It might be a bit long and at times it feels a bit haunted by David Jolicoeur\u2019s ghost, but I can\u2019t say you won\u2019t enjoy it. Even if this is your FIRST De La Soul album (bless you child) you\u2019ll like what\u2019s on offer here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When MCA died, the Beastie Boys disbanded. There was no question about it from the remainder of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526004,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":["post-526003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=526003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/526003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/526004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=526003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=526003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=526003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}