The aging of hip-hop presents a serious structural dilemma, similar to the one rock and roll faced a few decades after its inception: if a genre's narrowly targeted at the kids, what happens when those kids grow up? Most of rock's pioneers hit middle age in the 1980s. Their responses to this dilemma sucked more than a modicum of ass, with none sucking more of it than Bowie and Jagger's near career-killing rendition of "Dancing in the Streets."

So far, golden-era hip-hop hasn't fared much better. Among the many who've fallen include Q-Tip, whose formerly enlightened self-awareness has regressed into a shocking lack of the same. LL Cool J's meaty ass bought a ticket on the suck train several years ago, accomplishing one of the most thorough sell-outs in recent memory. And I recently learned from VH1's "Behind the Music" that Busta Rhymes has heeded the advice of an oracle named P-Diddy, altering his rugged self-image to become hip-hop's estrogen-friendly answer to Barry White. (Though you certainly wouldn't know it from his current single, "Break Ya Neck.")

It appears from their latest release, AOI:Bionix, the second in their AOI trilogy, that De La Soul has managed to steer clear of similar ignominy. The trio, now in their third decade of existence, are well beyond the expiration date of some of their golden-era peers. But just when you thought De La, too, might go sour (see the trilogy's first installment), they hit you with the unexpected. And in doing so, they provide an obvious answer to the dilemma: target a new demographic.

The new audience clearly likes things smooth. They appreciate family, love and maturity. They're the same group who've accounted for the explainable success of D'Angelo, the unexplainable success of Bilal, and possibly, the never-ending barrage of Morris Chestnut-laced, black, middle-class motion pictures (including such blockbusters as Waiting to Exhale, The Wood, and The Best Man-- where's my man Taye Diggs?). Straight up, AOI:Bionix takes a belt sander to hip-hop's rougher edges, resulting in refinement, sophistication and undeniable accessibility.

The first single off Bionix, "Baby Phat," draws from that eternal font of hip-hop inspiration: the shapely beauty of the black female physique. Its beat is oddly reminiscent of Toni Braxton, but that said, it's tight, and matches the breaks in the rhymes. "Simply," a superior party anthem, takes familiarity to the next level, sampling Wings' "Wonderful Christmas Time" in the most glorious manner. The groove is smooth, and will undoubtedly be the soundtrack to some of the finest "Soul Train" lines to come. "Held Down" features Cee-Lo and a gospel choir with a soulful vocal chorus, delivered over a classic walking bassline a la Al Green. "Watch Out" is more emblematic of the De La of old; although the beat is built around a vibraphone, it hits pretty hard, and the rhymes are direct and incisive.

But before we get too excited about Bionix, we must address its shortcomings, which are belated but apparent. On "What We Do for Love," washed-up gay pimp Slick Rick once again manages to annoy and disturb. As if to provoke riots, De La Soul match Rick with an electronic harpsichord. (Should have matched him with a muzzle.) The situation doesn't improve much in the last few tracks, as B-Real displays a masterwork of character development on "Peer Pressure," playing the challenging role of a conniving drug pusher. You go, B.

In short, AOI:Bionix is to hip-hop what Grover Washington, Jr. was to jazz. It's smooth, well-produced, well-executed, and palatable. And, like Grover, it's probably a lot better than you think.

-Brad Haywood, February 25th, 2002