De La Soul celebrates the 20th anniversary of “The Grind Date” with a fully animated “Rock Co. Kane Flow” video.
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De La Soul resurrected the hip-hop classic and two degenerate legends on Thursday (July 3), with its animation release of “Rock Co. Kane Flow” as their 2004 collaboration with MF Doom as part of the 20th anniversary of Grind Date.
Dropped along with the reissued video, reimagining the group (including the late Trugoy The Dove) and doomed superhero-style wrestlers in a fully animated world. Director Elliot Hutchings said the team avoided artificial intelligence and deep technology and chose handmade animations to commemorate the original era.
“With this project, we know we want to create something special,” Hutchins said. “Posdnuos has a clear view of the vibe and comedy tone of the video, hoping to recreate the look of the group (with wrestling superhero twist) during the 2004 Grind Date release.
“We knew we didn’t want to go down the road of AI and Deepfaking, instead opting to create fully animated versions of all the characters, no small undertaking. We took influence from various superhero films and media, and drew upon hours of classic wrestling footage for reference. After months of animating, rendering and complex Visual effects work, we were finally able to bring De La Soul and MF DOOM to the big screen just as They were in 2004.”
The original Grind Date album stood out in 2004 and featured a lineup of heavyweights including Ghostface Killah, Common, Carl Thomas and of course MF Doom. The 20th Anniversary Edition includes two new tracks, with the “Biger” track with choklate leadership promotion.
The tribute is especially incredible after the two main sounds of the track die. MF Doom, born Daniel Dumile, passed away on October 31, 2020, although his death was not publicly announced until New Year’s Eve. Doom is known for his masked characters and mysterious rhymes, and he is widely respected for his influence on underground hip-hop and his collaborations with artists like Madlib and Madlib and Danger Mouse.
Trugoy The Dove, born in David Jolicoeur and De La Soul, died on February 12, 2023 at the age of 54. His death came just after the organization’s catalog finally arrived on the streaming platform after years of legal battles. Trugoy’s voice and vision helped shape the organization’s legacy and felt deeply at the anniversary celebration.
The 20th anniversary edition of Grind Date is now available.
