De La Soul
Lakecia Benjamin

The emotion: we will surely feel it during this much anticipated concert of De La Soul. Its members have an unquestionable status of hip-hop legends, dating back to 1989 with their first masterpieces, 3 Feet High and Rising. But, beyond that, this band from Long Island, created at the golden era of a fast-changing musical genre, has always been evolving. Coming back without David Jude Jolicœur, aka Trugoy The Dove, who disappeared in February 2023, De La Soul releases a new album as creative as the previous ones, Cabin In The Sky. It reminds us, if necessary, to what extent those masters of alternative hip-hop are always at the forefront of innovation, blending mischief and commitment. The people who recently saw them on stage know that the two artists Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer and Vincent “Maseo” Mason continue to spread the good word of a conscious hip-hop which is still grounded in the present. With a live band giving a new energy to their timeless music, De La Soul comes back to the Théâtre Antique with its lifelong classics, old and new: "Will Be”, “Cruel Summers Bring FIRE LIFE!!”, “A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturdays”” or “Me Myself and I”.

Line-up :

• Pos aka Plug 1 (vocals)
• DJ Maseo aka Plug 3 (vocals, turntables)
• Fabrice “Cub1” Colombani (musical direction, percussion)
• Cédric Ricard (saxophones, flute)
• Brice Moscardini (trumpet)
• Olivier Miqueu (trombone)
• Jérôme “Tchiki” Perez (guitar)
• Stéphane Le Navelan (keyboards)
• Pierre Gibbe (bass)
• Edmundo Carneiro (percussion)
• Tilo Bertholo (drums)

If you already saw the American saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin playing live, you know she is an amazing performer, using an apparently limitless energy in a music combining the great acoustic jazz tradition and a new age of modernity: she can compete with the most impressive current jazzmen, but also pay a warm tribute to John and Alice Coltrane. It is no surprise that she is the support act of the legendary band De La Soul: this standout instrumentalist and songwriter with huge resources is also comfortable when she sings, with all the skills of good hip-hop MCs, an enlightened awareness, a real gift for writing and an explosive flow. Armed with this unique union of styles and her power of reigning supreme in her own genre, she will be a real joker, unique and unpredictable, and she will play as the opening act of this hip-hop evening which promises to be one of the most memorable ones in the history of the festival.