De La Soul In Montreal

In recent years, the Montreal International Jazz Festival has supplemented conventional jazz by carefully branching out into modern dance, hip-hop and electronic styles. New York-based hip-hop group De La Soul, prepping for the 20th anniversary of the release of their classic 3 Feet High And Rising, were the perfect entry point for such a festival. With the recently reunited A Tribe Called Quest, they represent a more jazzy, literate offshoot of classic hip-hop.

Although De La Soul were the obvious headliners, the show was presented as a double bill and Montreal DJ Ghislain Poirier (with guest vocals from Nik Myo and dancehall reggae singers Face-T and Zulu) had equal time to bring his trademark bass to the large venue. Poirier's 2007 album No Ground Under was one of the year's best, and the inclusion of a live drummer, singers and two gyrating fly girls served as an excellent table-setter for De La Soul. Although he's schooled in hip-hop, Poirier's music is meant to conjure images of war and third world conflict. The massive bass thumped like individual megaton blasts, especially in the creepy, Myo-aided "Mangen L'Boule." Sporting a "Bounce Le Gros" T-shirt and Fidel cap, Poirier deconstructed some of his most recognizable beats and brought far more than just a mere DJ set.

When De La his the stage a couple of "say whats?" and "yes yes y'alls" was all the near capacity crowd (the venue holds 2,350 people) needed to get their collective arms in the air and embrace hip-hop at a jazz festival.

De La Soul's hit-laden set list was ideal for a city typically shunned by upper-echelon American hip-hop acts, but it also served as a reminder that Montreal's Eurocentric style of audience participation doesn't always mesh well with hyperactive rap groups. If MC Posdnuos wasn't yelling at the stationary upper deck to "stand the fuck up," both he and MC Trugoy The Dove were trying to hold back laughter as simple call and response sessions ended in with muffled, disjointed replies from a bilingual crowd unsure how to act. They eventually killed the beat on "Ego Trippin'" because the crowd wasn't screaming the intro loud enough to their liking. It took three tries and a short speech before they proceeded with the song.

The hip-hop veterans demonstrated their experience and eventually figured out that Montreal crowds show their appreciation by lengthy applause. The group ran though hits like "A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'" and "Me Myself And I" and the awkward, albeit-enthusiastic crowd was quickly fuelled the sweat-drenched group. When portly DJ Pasemaster Mase exploded with the same laugh that gave Gorillaz' "Feel Good Inc." its sinister undertones, the room was finally feeling the American rap show experience.

"When you go to a hip-hop show," said Posdnuos near the end of the nearly two-hour set, "don't accept a 15-20 minute set."

De La Soul promised to return to Montreal next year for their 20th anniversary tour. After giving more than 2,000 fans a necessary crash course in hip-hop etiquette, Montreal rap fans will be ready.