It’s hard to see De La Soul perform without one of their members. The group’s camaraderie, their joyous “three is the magic number” dynamic, was always key to their appeal. If it’s hard to watch, imagine how hard it is for the people giving the performance. But they’re doing it.
In 2023, De La member Dave, aka Trugoy The Dove, passed away at the age of 54, just before the group’s catalog finally arrived on streaming services. Surviving members Posdnous and Maceo have continued to play live without him, including a bit-heavy Colbert performance last year. Last week, De La released Cabin In The Sky, their first album in nine years. And on Tuesday night, they performed a couple of those new songs on Kimmel.
Thanks to decades of heavy touring, De La Soul know how to translate their thoughtful, often-insular music to an energetic live performance. Posdnous sounded a little hoarse on last night’s Kimmel, but that honestly didn’t hurt the performance. They did the Cabin In The Sky album track “Run It Back!!” without guest-rapper Nas, and then the transitioned straight into the Pete Rock-produced single “The Package,” with a horn section joining them onstage. During Dave’s verse, the screens onstage projected his lyrics. Watch it below.
Cabin In The Sky is out now on Mass Appeal.
