De La Soul good-time trio

For De La Soul it's more than just the pay.

Kanye West hadn't even hit puberty when De La Soul hit the big-time. It was 1989 and the hip-hop trio had just dropped their watershed debut album, Three Feet High & Rising (with ex-member Prince Paul). Seventeen years and seven and a half albums later, they haven't lost any of the passion that made them stars.

"We're three guys who basically look at this thing as a love as opposed to a vehicle to getting paid," say Dave Jolicoeur (the DJ formerly known as Trugoy) on behalf of his bandmates, Posdnuos and Maseo.

"This is more than just an opportunity to get all the perks that come with stardom. We do this because we love it."

The attitude has paid off. Last year they proved their currency and featured on the Grammy-winning Feel Good Inc by the Gorillaz.

Tonight they play the St James in Auckland after relocating from the Studio due to demand.

Turn on the radio, though, and you're unlikely to hear a De La Soul track, unless it's one of their classics, Me, Myself and I, Potholes in My Lawn or Buddy. Jolicoeur doubts their upcoming eighth and ninth albums will produce a hit, either.

"We don't think we're going to have that pop record or that song or have a chorus where it's going to be big at the dance club. It's going to be a very creative record. We're really enjoying the freedom. We like not having to worry about owing someone an album or staying under budget or how the video is going to be and all that other nonsense."

Having ditched their record deal with Elektra after their original launchpad, Tommy Boy, was sold, De La became staunchly independent.

That meant the promised third album in the Art Official Intelligence series never came out - but if fans were disappointed, De La Soul don't care.

"Actually it's great," says Jolicoeur, "because we didn't want to put it out on any label. The independent route is the way we want to go."

In its place came the well-received The Grind Date, but their true comeback, he says, was 10 years ago when they did Ooh with Redman.

But if there's one constant that's kept them going, it's their shows. When they first emerged, hip-hop was all about having a good time. Their gigs still are.

"We pool our energy and keep it constantly alive by the reaction of the audience. Usually the audience gives it to us. So as long as they're alive, we're alive.

"People need to understand we what we do is not just rap and DJ, we actually just try to get people involved. And I think they get the fact that this isn't something you view, it's something you can become a part of. We reel in audiences and encourage them to let go."

LOWDOWN

Who: De La Soul, the good-time New York hip-hop trio who revolutionised sampling, forged a witty, conversational rap style and gave crucial exposure to artists such as Common, Mos Def and Q-tip. And they're still around after 17 years.

Albums: Three Feet High & Rising (1989), De La Soul is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000), AOI: Bionix (2001), The Grind Date (2004)

Playing: St James, Auckland, tonight