De La Soul
a celebration of hip-hop history
Kelvin Mercer (De La Soul) at SummerStage NYC. Photo by Pablo Herrera / TMN
SummerStage and City Parks Foundation brought one of hip-hop's most influential groups back to Queens with an evening that felt as much like a neighborhood gathering as a concert.
NEW YORK CITY | By Pablo Herrera
Presented at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, the lineup brought together several generations of New York rap, with De La Soul closing the night after performances from Pete Rock, Bumpy Knuckles, Kyah Baby, Rome Streetz, a.m.x.x.r, and Talib Kweli.
The event was introduced by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr., who welcomed the crowd before the music began.
There was a distinctly local atmosphere throughout the evening. Families arrived early carrying folding chairs, while many in the audience used De La Soul hand fans to cope with the heat of the summer afternoon.. It felt unmistakably like Queens: relaxed, diverse, and deeply connected to the borough's musical history.
Kyah Baby opened the evening, followed by Pete Rock, whose DJ set featured appearances from Bumpy Knuckles, Rome Streetz, a.m.x.x.r, and Talib Kweli. It was a rare opportunity to see one of hip-hop's most respected producers perform live while bringing together artists from different generations of New York rap. The energy steadily built throughout the set, with Bumpy Knuckles delivering one of the evening's most memorable moments before De La Soul took the stage.
As darkness settled over Flushing Meadows, De La Soul took over Kelvin Mercer and Vincent Masonguided the audience through a set spanning the group's decades-long career, mixing timeless classics with the warmth and humor that have always defined their live performances. Although the loss of founding member Trugoy the Dove continues to be deeply felt, the group's legacy remains remarkably alive whenever they step on stage.
One of the moments the audience will no doubt remember was Kelvin Mercer introducing "Eye Know" and explaining how the different layers of rhythms and sampled tracks came together to create one of De La Soul's most iconic songs. Meanwhile, artist Demont Pinder sketched the group live on stage, while Vincent Mason couldn't resist the temptation to grab the mic and sing a few lines before returning to his table. We captured that unique moment below.
For everyone at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, it was a rare opportunity to experience one of the defining groups in hip-hop history in the borough where the culture continues to evolve every day.
Watch more videos from SummerStage in our dedicated YouTube playlist.
