De La Soul, DJ Premier

Nearly 30 years deep and still hip hop royalty, the Long Island legends De La Soul play out this year’s Summer Series with an exclusive gig.

It’s hard to overstate the impact of De La Soul’s landmark 1989 debut 3 Feet High and Rising, but its potency and influence remains undiminished after three decades. Hip hop is one of the most unforgiving places when it comes to growing old, but these three friends were never content to sit back after making a record that changed the possibilities of what rap could do.

Their most recent albums are bursting at the seams with high profile fans (Snoop Dogg, Damon Albarn, 2 Chainz, Usher to name but a few) and the trio may be older and wiser, but they’re clearly just as prone to maverick tendencies.

That remarkable kaleidoscopic blend of old school samples from the early days and issues over copyright clearance looks set to keep their first few masterpieces locked just out of reach in a digital limbo, so all the more reason to celebrate the final night of Summer Series and experience Da Inner Sound Y’all.