Don't do it for the plays or to raise the bar, yeah it's raised anyway so amazing are the three LI brothers from the other way of thinking.

De La Soul - Rock Co. Kane Flow

What can I say about the De La. The greatest hip hop act ever. Easily. So good they should have a genre all to themselves. From the laid back teenage excitement and wisdom beyond their years of the massive cross over album "3 feet high and rising" to this year's triumphant mix of flavours "The Grind Date" they have consistently innovated, changed direction and challenged their audience's expectations. Each album sounds distinctive, packed with different sounds and textures and styles, but always with an intellegence bereft in most of popular music.

This track comes from the Grind Date. The critical acclaim that this album has been received with appears to be almost universal, as a quick search reveals. The only thing I would disagree with is the suggestion that this is somehow a return to form. Their previous album Bionix has one of my favourite hip hop tracks of all time on it (there you go, two de la soul tracks in one post...) and is packed with memorable tunes.

They've definately put out tracks I haven't been into, indeed there are a couple (well, one) on The Grind Date, but the scope and quality of their back catalogue makes them stand out as being genuine innovators - continually growing and changing and making incredible music.