The album was the band's biggest commercial success to date, with subsequent ones selling progressively less, despite receiving high praise from critics. They were influential in the early stages of rapper/actor Mos Def's career, and are a core part of the Spitkicker collective. They are the second longest standing Native Tongues group, after the Jungle Brothers. In 2006, the group won a Grammy for their collaboration with Gorillaz on the single "Feel Good Inc."
In early 2015, they announced plans to release a Kickstarter funded upcoming 9th studio album and the Anonymous Nobody... in September 2015; it was released on August 26, 2016. The album tracks are said to be the result of multiple improvised jam sessions. The album also features guest appearances from artists such as Damon Albarn, Little Dragon, David Byrne, 2 Chainz and Snoop Dogg.
Studio albums
3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
De La Soul Is Dead (1991)
Buhloone Mindstate (1993)
Stakes Is High (1996)
Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000)
AOI: Bionix (2001)
The Grind Date (2004)
Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present... First Serve (2012)
and the Anonymous Nobody... (2016)
Rock Co.Kane Flow
De La Soul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Be them average MC's of the times
Unlike them, we craft gems
So systematically inclined to pen lines
Without sayin a producer's name, all over the track
Yeah I said it! What you need to do is get back
To reading credits, we them medics
Alphabetically stuck on that English
That sure shot more rock co.kane flow
From the top of the key, the 3 Villain
Been on in the game as long as you can wheelie your Schwinn
Turn the corner spinnin', bust that ass and get up
Dust off the mask, whoever laugh give him a head up
He got jumped, it pumped his adrenaline
He said it made him tougher than a bump of raw medicine
To write all night long, the hourglass is still slow
Flow from Hellborn to Free Power like Wilco
And still owe bills, pay dues forever
Slay huge when it comes to who's more cleverer
Use to wore a leather goose ski with a fur collar
Hand charged a fee for loose leaf words for dollar
Ya heard? Holla, broad or dude, we leave food
Eat your team for sure, the streets sure seem rude
For fam like the Partridges, pardon me for the mix-up
Battle for your Atari cartridges or put your kicks up
It's a stick up
Now put your blix up, these Riddick Bowe cuts
Is swole like penile flicks, give 'em 20
The danger in his eyes'll let you know he's a brawler
Bring your tallest champs like that much taller
Ten pounds heavier, one step ahead of it
Vocab, stamina, style's all irrelevant
Camps and cliques, units, squad crews and clans
Even your tongues'll fuck around and leave your mouth
Doom brung that bum, there goes that news van again
Act like you knew like Toucan Sam and 'em
He eat rappers like part of a complete breakfast
Your rhymes ain't worth the weight of they cheap necklace
String 'em up, bring 'em up under whack junk snack
And get that out your hand, punk, jump and get your dunk smacked
Foul, we all know the rules bro
You slow, you blow the soup on your fools, his Impulse like Yugo
You go lights, camera, action with no makeup
We De La to the death, or at least until we break up
Here's a couple of nice guys who finished first
So nice try, but the prize is ours dispersed
They say the good die young, so I added some
Bad-ass to my flavor to prolong my life over the drum
Everyone cools off from bein' hot
It's about if you can handle bein cold or not!
And we was told to hop for no one, it's what I dig bout Prince Paul
We stayed original ever since y'all
First to do a lot of things in the game, but the last to say it
No need to place it on a scale to weigh it
And don't do it for the plays or to raise the bar
Yet it's raised anyway, it's so amazing, are
The three L.I. brothers from a other way of thinkin'
Hey your lady's winkin', I think you need to control that aura
Or I can hold her
The elements are airborne, I smell the success
(Yo let's cookie cut the shit and get the gingerbread, man)
Sacrifice mics and push drugs to these rappers
Puff ponies 'til I turn blue in the lips
Sippin broads like 7-Up (ah) so refreshing
I think I'll pop these verse like first dates to birthdates
September 2-1, 1-9, 6-8
Too old, should I? Too bad, too late
The lyrics to De La Soul's "Rock Co.Kane Flow" explore the creative process of the hip-hop group, their disregard for industry standards, and their unique approach to making music. In the first verse, they contrast their exceptional skill with the "average MC's of the times" who lack the ability to write and rap with the same level of innovation and nuance. They emphasize that they don't need to call out their producer's names because their individual creative talents are all over the track, and they challenge their audience to pay more attention to the credits of their music. They also playfully mix metaphors, describing their lyrical flow as a "gem" and a "sure shot more rock co.kane flow."
The second verse features guest rapper MF DOOM, who adds his own creative touches to the song. His verse leans more toward bravado and tough talk, but he also criticizes the hip-hop scene for its obsession with cliques and crews, suggesting that individual talent is far more important than group affiliations. He boasts about his own abilities, and takes a few jabs at lesser rappers who lack the skill and the work ethic to truly succeed in hip-hop. He also touches on the idea that hip-hop is a dangerous game, yet remains undeterred by any potential risks. Overall, these lyrics paint an interesting picture of the ways in which individual talent, hard work, and creative collaboration all come together to make great hip-hop music.
Line by Line Meaning
Up in them five-star tellies and two mic rhymes
We're in luxurious hotels and have excellent rhymes
Be them average MC's of the times
Other rappers are not as talented as us
Unlike them, we craft gems
We create valuable and high-quality songs
So systematically inclined to pen lines
We are skilled in writing lyrics and do so methodically
Without sayin a producer's name, all over the track
We don't need to mention producers because we make good music regardless
Yeah I said it! What you need to do is get back
We're confident in our skills and others should step up their game
To reading credits, we them medics
We pay attention to song credits and are knowledgeable in the industry
Alphabetically stuck on that English
We're fluent in the language and express ourselves well
And knock it out before we pour
We put effort into our work and finish it before moving on
That sure shot more rock co.kane flow
We make hit songs that are innovative and unique
From the top of the key, the 3 Villain
We're the top hip-hop group and everyone knows it
Been on in the game as long as you can wheelie your Schwinn
We've been around for a long time and continue to make good music
Turn the corner spinnin', bust that ass and get up
We persevere and move forward despite obstacles
Dust off the mask, whoever laugh give him a head up
We don't let anyone bring us down or laugh at us
He got jumped, it pumped his adrenaline
He faced a challenge and used it as motivation
He said it made him tougher than a bump of raw medicine
It made him stronger and better as an artist
To write all night long, the hourglass is still slow
We work hard and put in long hours to perfect our songs
Flow from Hellborn to Free Power like Wilco
Our music is diverse and covers a wide range of topics
And still owe bills, pay dues forever
We work hard and still have financial struggles
Slay huge when it comes to who's more cleverer
We're the most talented and intelligent in the industry
Use to wore a leather goose ski with a fur collar
We used to wear expensive clothing as a symbol of success
Hand charged a fee for loose leaf words for dollar
We make money from our lyrics alone
Ya heard? Holla, broad or dude, we leave food
We're confident and successful and can help others with their careers
Eat your team for sure, the streets sure seem rude
We dominate the industry and won't be stopped by others
For fam like the Partridges, pardon me for the mix-up
We're famous and sometimes people get confused
Battle for your Atari cartridges or put your kicks up
We're willing to fight for what we believe in or compete for limited resources
It's a stick up
We demand respect and won't be belittled
Now put your blix up, these Riddick Bowe cuts
We're tough and have powerful lyrics
Is swole like penile flicks, give 'em 20
Our rhymes are impressive and powerful
The danger in his eyes'll let you know he's a brawler
We're not afraid to stand up for ourselves and our music
Bring your tallest champs like that much taller
We're already the best and don't need more competition
Ten pounds heavier, one step ahead of it
We're always pushing forward and improving
Vocab, stamina, style's all irrelevant
We're so talented that we don't need to focus on one area
Camps and cliques, units, squad crews and clans
We don't care about groups or labels, we're successful on our own
Even your tongues'll fuck around and leave your mouth
We're so confident and successful that others can't even speak around us
Doom brung that bum, there goes that news van again
We're so successful that the media is following us around
Act like you knew like Toucan Sam and 'em
We're so famous that people should already know who we are
He eat rappers like part of a complete breakfast
We're so talented that we can outperform anyone in the industry
Your rhymes ain't worth the weight of they cheap necklace
Other rappers aren't as talented as us
String 'em up, bring 'em up under whack junk snack
We're so successful that we can bring up new artists and help them become successful
And get that out your hand, punk, jump and get your dunk smacked
We demand respect and won't let anyone take advantage of us
Foul, we all know the rules bro
We're fair and expect others to be fair with us
You slow, you blow the soup on your fools, his Impulse like Yugo
We're so talented that we can make other rappers look bad
You go lights, camera, action with no makeup
We're so talented that we don't need to rely on gimmicks or looks
We De La to the death, or at least until we break up
We're committed and dedicated to our music
Here's a couple of nice guys who finished first
We're kind and humble but still managed to become successful
So nice try, but the prize is ours dispersed
Others may have tried but we're still the most successful
They say the good die young, so I added some
We're so talented that we'll live on through our music
Bad-ass to my flavor to prolong my life over the drum
We're tough and have staying power in the industry
Everyone cools off from bein' hot
Success isn't forever and we're aware of that
It's about if you can handle bein cold or not!
We're determined and capable of overcoming any obstacles
And we was told to hop for no one, it's what I dig bout Prince Paul
We're not followers and don't let anyone tell us what to do
We stayed original ever since y'all
We're unique and haven't changed in the industry
First to do a lot of things in the game, but the last to say it
We're pioneers in the industry but don't need to brag about it
No need to place it on a scale to weigh it
Our success isn't quantifiable, it speaks for itself
And don't do it for the plays or to raise the bar
We're not in it for the money or to show off
Yet it's raised anyway, it's so amazing, are
Our success is still remarkable and impressive regardless of our motivations
The three L.I. brothers from a other way of thinkin'
We have unique perspectives and approaches to our music
Hey your lady's winkin', I think you need to control that aura
We're so talented and attractive that others may be attracted to us
Or I can hold her
We have the ability to attract anyone we want
The elements are airborne, I smell the success
We have what it takes and are on the path to success
(Yo let's cookie cut the shit and get the gingerbread, man)
Let's cut the nonsense and get straight to the point
Sacrifice mics and push drugs to these rappers
We're so talented that other rappers are addicted to our music
Puff ponies 'til I turn blue in the lips
We're so successful that we can indulge in drugs without consequences
Sippin broads like 7-Up (ah) so refreshing
We surround ourselves with beautiful and refreshing people
I think I'll pop these verse like first dates to birthdates
We're so talented that writing songs is easy for us
September 2-1, 1-9, 6-8
This is the release date of the album that this song is on
Too old, should I? Too bad, too late
We're not too old and it's never too late to continue making good music
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CTM Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Daniel Thompson, David Jolicoeur, Didier Marouani, Kelvin Mercer, Paul Greedus, Roland Romanelli, Vincent Mason
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind