madtheory's Full Review: Art Official Intelligence: Bionix - Better, Faster...
De La Soul is one of those great older groups that can do no wrong. Back in 1989 the group members Trugoy (Dave), Posdnuos, and Maseo became a counterpoint to rap industry norms with their use of unique samples, crazy skits, and new-school rhymes and tracks. Even though their creative, intelligent, and nonconformist style has attracted many detractors, over the years they’ve continued to make impressive original music. In 2000, the group introduced us to their Art Official Intelligence trilogy of albums, kicking things off with the well received Mosaic Thump.
2001 brought us the second installment in the AOI series from De La, called Bionix. Filled with more of the tight beats, flowing lyrics, and impressive guest appearances that made the first installment such a success, this album could easily achieve the status of it’s predecessor. Luckily for fans though, this terrific album is much more affordable than the six million dollar title implies.
Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Bionix
3. Baby Phat (feat. Devin the Dude and E. Yummy Bingham)
4. Simply
5. Simply Havin'
6. Held Down (feat. Cee-Lo)
7. Rev. Do Good #1
8. Watch Out
9. Special
10. Rev. Do Good #2
11. The Sauce (feat. Philly Black)
12. Am I Worth You? (feat. Glenn Lewis)
13. Pawn Star (feat. Shell Council)
14. What We Do (For Love) (feat. Slick Rick)
15. Rev. Do Good #3
16. Peer Pressure (feat. B-Real)
17. It’s American
18. Trying People
After a short musical and spoken introduction from Maseo, AOI: Bionix begins with Pos and Dave great making use of a bumping piano-laced track with the six-million dollar man tag line, “better, stronger, faster” repeating in the background. Then De La explores their love for women of all sizes with the light-hearted single “Baby Phat.”. The song is so much about loving “thicker” women as it is about loving and respecting a woman regardless of her shape. Pos sums it up perfectly in the first verse, “your shape's not what I date / It's you, my crew don't mind it thick / Every woman ain't a video chick / or runway model anorexic / I love what I can hold and grab on / so if you burn it off or keep the flab on / we gonna stay gettin’ our collab on…/”
“Simply” is one of De La Soul’s quintessential party tracks. Dave is behind the board for this, cleverly looping an interpolation of Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmas Time,” Pos and he vividly describe a party scene. This song seamlessly transitions into “Simply Havin’” where Pos spits another killer freestyle about the over a beat that changes from the sample used in Main Source’s “Looking at the Front Door” to the drum beat from “Public Enemy No.1” by P.E.
Dungeon Family member Cee-Lo guest stars on “Held Down”, lending his soulful voice for the background vocals. It’s all Plugwon on this one, rapping about the external and internal forces that keep people from bettering themselves. Pos gets very deep with his words here, articulating his thoughts with these lyrics: “and when I’m watching the news and my daughter walks in and chooses to ask, ‘why were all those people on the floor sleeping covered in red?’ I told her that they were looking for God but found religion instead.”
De La aren’t usually the ones to rap on the explicit sexcapade tip, but they do the subject justice on “Pawn Star” and What We Do (For Love). De La and talented guest star Shell Council use a 70’s theme on “Pawn Star” (pronounced Porn Star) complete with the “wakka wakka” funk guitars and Dave singing in Bee Gees-type disco falsetto for the hook. But of course, no one gets nastier than the ruler Slick Rick, and he joins the trio to spit erotic rhymes on the trippy What We Do (For Love).
The Bionix LP ends beautifully with “Trying People” easily one of the best tracks on the LP. It’s obvious that De La made a conscious effort to create something truly original and inspirational with this last song, and it shows. The track producer Def 2 U creates is very harmonious and ethereal, an effect created with strings, horn accompaniment, and bumping percussion, layered over a soaring distorted voice resonating in the background. For the lyrics, Tru and Pos rap honestly about their own struggles even amidst their success, and their desire to keep moving onward and upward. This is the best track on the LP.
Really the only weak spots on the albums are the numerous skits. Three of the skits, the Rev. Do Good ones, are the standard make-fun-of-the-Baptist-preacher skits that have been done about a thousand times on Rap albums. Granted, the second one is pretty funny, but even the funniest of interludes loses its bite after a while, and I’d much rather listen to continuous music anyway.
Also, the slower, more laid-back feel of the Bionix tracks does make the album a little too relaxing. Even though the only blatantly R&B tracks are the bass heavy “Special” and crooning “Am I Worth You”, the gentler nature of the majority of the other songs may put some heads to sleep. This album is in desperate need of more high-energy or uptempo tracks.
But all in all, Art Official Intelligence: Bionix is a great album from one of Hip-Hop’s most important Rap groups. The trio does an impressive job here, continuing to blend soulful music and conscious lyrics with precision delivery. De La Soul continues their legacy. Be on the lookout for the third installment.
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