To mark the 20th anniversary of the album's release, De La Soul will perform the album in its entirety on tour, though other work will be celebrated as well, Vincent "Maseo" Mason explained by telephone from a Sydney hotel last week before the group headed to New Zealand.
Mason speaks with little pause.
That's hardly surprising, given he comprises one-third of a hip-hop outfit lauded not only for its inventiveness but also for its relaxed flow of words.
That vocal interplay has been a hallmark of De La Soul's work ever since it made the hip-hop industry sit up and take notice with its 1989 debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, an album that, with its positivity and peaceful outlook, ran counter to the more aggressive stance of other '80s rap artists such as LL Cool J, NWA and Public Enemy.
In the music business, such cadence can lead to cash or kudos.
Sometimes the result is both, though Mason contends he is not motivated by either.
As he reflects on a career that started in 1987 and has involved touring six to eight months of every year since, he says he remains, primarily, a music fan.
Formed in Long Island, New York, by Mason and friends Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer and Dave Jolicoeur (note: the trio have adopted various other aliases through the years), De La Soul has released seven full studio albums (eight if you count 2009's Are You In?, part of a Nike series of albums available only through iTunes).
Like many in the hip-hop business, the group is also notable for its collaborations.
More recently, these have included working with former Blur frontman Damon Albarn's Gorillaz outfit, with whom De La Soul shared a 2006 Grammy (Best Pop Vocal Collaboration) for the single Feel Good Inc. The track, off Gorillaz's 2005 album Demon Days, peaked at No 2 on the United Kingdom singles chart and No 14 in the United States.
In 2010, De La Soul also made a cameo on the third Gorillaz album, Plastic Beach, its rapping a highlight of track Superfast Jellyfish.
Mason agrees the connection with Gorillaz, and in particular driving force Albarn, has been a great opportunity. It has also been a natural connection.
"We have become really good friends in the last seven or eight years. If he calls, I'm there. And vice-versa."
• De La Soul and guests perform at Revolver, Queenstown, tomorrow night.
