De La Soul - AOI: Bionix

On their sixth album, 2001’s AOI: Bionix—the second volume in a never-completed trilogy—De La Soul took on a gently robotic feel for their head-nodding-est project ever. There’s a little bit of hedonism in here, with a few breezy songs about what they used to call “buddy”: “Pawn Star” is like X-rated Curtis Mayfield, “What We Do (For Love)” features Slick Rick with an adult update of “Children’s Story”, mild hit “Baby Phat” is a celebration of thicker women. And there’s a little weed smoke in the air, too, on “Peer Pressure”—though, in true Delacratic fashion, Posdnuos abstains, even when going toe-to-toe with Cypress Hill’s B-Real. However, De La Soul had not turned into a mellow party crew, as the gospel-tinged “Held Down” and the child-chant-abetted “Trying People” attest—they are existential soul jams with raps about jealousy, growth and the changing rap world.

Tracklisting

Intro (0:29)
Bionix (2:43)
Baby Phat (3:50)
Simply (4:05)
Simply Havin (0:48)
Held Down (4:54)
Rev. Do Good #1 (1:05)
Watch Out (3:35)
Special (3:37)
Rev. Do Good #2 (1:14)
The Sauce (2:25)
Am I Worth You? (4:01)
Pawn Star (4:07)
What We Do (For Love) (5:05)
Rev. Do Good #3 (2:20)
Peer Pressure (5:09)
It’s American (1:10)
Trying People (4:31)

Apple Music

Videos

De La Soul - Bionix (Official Audio)

Release Images

Release Information

Key	Value
Wikipedia URL	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOI:_Bionix
Format	Vinyl 2× LP Album Reissue
Label	AOI Records
Catalog Number	RMM-056-1
Notes	Release date of August 11, 2023 in the U.S. and September 15, 2023 Worldwide “MADE IN CZECH REPUBLIC” sticker on back shrink
Discogs URL	De La Soul - AOI: Bionix