De La Soul might have taken an extended vacation from music — 12 years to be exact — but the Daisy Age crew is back on the block and doing it like they never left. At the top of last month, they dropped a surprise EP titled For Your Pain & Suffering, which featured single "Trainwreck" and a few songs that didn't make the cut for their upcoming Kickstarter-funded album, And The Anonymous Nobody.... Now the trio has dropped the album's next single, "Pain," and despite the title, it's one of the most enjoyable listens in hip hop this year.
Anchored by a jazzy bass, organ and rhythm guitar backbone, the track provides a West Coast feel for the East Coast rap vets, giving us something a bit different than what we've heard from the crew in the past. The choruses and verses contemplate how the growing pains of life actually help motivate us to move forward through the adversity. This is especially true of guest rapper Snoop Dogg's verse, on which the D-O-double G raps about once being an G but now focusing more on his life ahead. The message is supported by a soulful chorus that reminds us that "pain will make it better" even if it hurts right now.
You can check out the smooth "Pain" below, and head to De La's website to play an interactive video game featuring the song's lyrics. We've also included last month's surprise EP For Your Pain & Suffering below for your listening pleasure. And The Anonymous Nobody... is set arrive in stores on August 26th.
