De La Soul / The year was 1989 and the gold chain era of hip-hop was in full effect. Rap was still a separate entity from the mainstream music and artists like LL Cool J, Run DMC, Eric B. and Rakim, EPMD and Big Daddy Kane ruled the scene.

Then three teens out of Long Island by the names of Kelvin Mercer, David Jolicoeur and Vincent Mason came along with a perspective and an against-the-grain style. Backed by the breakthrough single “Me, Myself and I,” De La Soul would make an impact in hip-hop from the get go.

Image-wise, members of the group were perceived early-on as the hippies of hip-hop for their dress, but their intricate lyrics and clever wordplay soon outshined their fashion sense, and the music world caught on quickly. The new kids of rap, fresh out of high school, declared themselves as being “from the soul, black medallions, no gold.”

“When we came out as De La Soul, we didn’t try to come out like Grandmaster Flash or the Treacherous Three but we had an understanding of it,” said Kelvin “Pos” Mercer in an interview this week. “We were going to be who we were.”

In celebration of the 20-year anniversary of their monumental album 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul is set to bless the outdoor stage at The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace Saturday night.

Time and time again, history has shown that money, ego and success can mark the downfall of a group, but one of De La Soul’s advantages entering the rap game was a connection rooted in friendship that had nothing to do with hip-hop at all.

“A lot of groups that I’ve seen came together as common cause just through hip-hop,” said Pos. “We developed a friendship for each other at a very early age, way before De La Soul was anywhere in sight. Me, Dave and Mase would be friends regardless. We don’t do this or stay together for hip-hop. We would bounce in a second. It has to do with our bond as friends, period. That’s what keeps us going. We just happen to share the same job together.”

While 3 Feet High and Rising is regarded as a certified classic, albums such as Stakes Is High, Buhloone Mindstate and Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump have provided timeless hits like “A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays”, “Ring, Ring, Ring,” “Breakadawn,” “Ego Trippin’’ and “All Good.”

A key to the group’s longevity and success was to never let business get in the way of their creativity, no matter how many zeros were on the checks record executives presented to them.

“Being creative is all that you really have, that’s really the basis of who you are as a person,” said Pos. “That’s how we feel. We would never compromise who we are. [It is] the politics of the business especially the record labels that stops [fans] of hip-hop from seeing and hearing an array of people. It’s all about the game the record labels play and the power and control they have.”

De La Soul arrives in Honolulu after playing a concert to help rapper-actor Common’s Common Ground Benefit Foundation last Saturday in Los Angeles. That show featured high profile artists like Kanye West, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, The Roots, performers who have followed De La’s creative path and vision.

While mainstream artists are known for setting industry trends, De La Soul has never had to conform to the gangster, materialistic, “bitches and hoes” formula and lifestyle in their music.

Even in today’s swag era, De La has remained an enduring influential force in music constantly on the road and in the studio. Representing the old school, for new school artists, class is and always will be in session.

Despite outlets like social networks and the Internet, Pos said when it comes to influences in hip-hop, a host of disadvantages still exist.

“It’s not an even playing field. There are not enough Commons or enough Kwelis to balance out everything else that’s out or being played on the radio,” he said. “That’s what’s missing for a lot of kids–they don’t have enough to choose from to add to their lives and that’s what is bad.”

Even with a 2006 Grammy award and 2008 VH1 Hip Hop honors, the living legends of rap have kept things moving without really basking in their achievements.

“Just the fact that we are still here and people truly appreciate what we do and still want to hear new music from us…that’s amazing and it’s a blessing,” said Pos.

A lot of time has passed since 1989, but Pos says the group is as inspired as ever, so expect the music to keep coming. The group is currently putting the finishing touches on a new album entitled You’re Welcome scheduled to drop early next year.

As brothers for life and partners in rhyme, you can count on De La Soul to continue to make music that is, well, from the soul.

“We definitely feel blessed to know that we will be in the history books in terms of rap,” said Pos. “But we always consider ourselves to be students of the music.”

De La Soul

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