DE LA SOUL FT. REDMAN, "OOOH"

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"ooh" isn't the adjective for this song. no, the appropriate descriptive for the new de la single can be found in another recent monosyllabic hip-hop title: "WHOA!"

a few weeks ago, de la came up as a topic on the okayplayer boards. i expressed my disappointment with stakes is high, and found that this was an opinion shared by the majority of respondents. it wasn't bad, it was just average with some flashes of old brilliance. when one surveys the career of de la soul, you realize that for this innovative group, being average is worse than being flat-out bad.

i'd read an advance review of the "ooh" at hiphopsite.com and my hopes for the upcoming, oft-delayed de la set grew. i read that redman would be on the single and, in my mind, i couldn't think of a more bizarre pairing as redman strikes me as the kind of rapper who would've dissed the group back during the daisy age, but i was eager to hear how he'd interact with the group. when i went to the roots concert in central park, there were guys handing out flyers celebrating the return of de la with "ooh" -- put simply, anticipation was building all around. i finally acquired a copy of the single and i'm happily here to report that "oooh" is quite easily the best thing they've done since "breakadawn."

the song starts off with redman quoting run dmc's "together forever" lending an easygoing yet assured feel to the proceedings. all three rappers (including redman) display their skills, but their skills were never in question: my problem with de la's recent records is that the production has been very dull and uninspired -- simply unacceptable for a group who, with prince paul's help, created some of the most groundbreaking music ever.

so the big surprise, then, is the beat. oddly enough, it's produced by rockwilder, who's better known for working with busta rhymes, big pun, and redman, but his street-styled production melds wonderfully with de la's rhymes. the funky guitar and bass is complimented perfectly by the background samples of "ooh"s and an interesting use of the "blow your head" sample (think p.e.'s "public enemy #1"). with the chant-along chorus, it's one of those tracks, in the classic de la sense, that can't help but put a smile on your face.

is it earth-shattering? no. is it classic de la? hmm, maybe, but right now i'm leaning towards no. is it very good de la? yes, it is. given my shattered faith in them as of late, my fear that without prince paul, they're nothing, having a de la soul song just put a smile on my face is all that i could ask for. with summer just around the corner, the timing for the release of this single couldn't be better. they've never really been accepted by the hot 97 crowd, but hopefully with redman's help, this one will be a part of the season's soundtrack.