Posdnuos and Trugoy flex lyrically, but the sound is wanting on this live disc standing on the verge of delivering their shaky career-crisis album, Stakes Is High, De La Soul were nonetheless in prime form on this May night in 1996. Posdnuos and Trugoy show off an assertive, telepathic mike interplay that was notoriously missing from the group's earlier shows. Unfortunately, this is mitigated by a wack live mix; choice jams such as "Breakadawn" arrive over distant drum tracks. In a typically contrary mood, De La (and guest Mos Def) preface a brief, energetic rendition of the runaway hit "Me Myself and I" by chanting, "We hate this song!" Common also guests, bringing the Ice Cube dis "The Bitch in Yoo," although his righteous posture is undermined by some homophobic lyrics on "The Bizness." Live serves as further proof of De La's doctorate-level microphone mathematics, but its musical magic is often muffled, making it an inessential curio.

“1999”

“I don’t consider myself a great poet,” Prince told Rolling Stone. “I just know I’m here to say what’s on my mind.” In the case of the apocalyptic party anthem “1999,” he was worried about then-president Ronald Reagan’s foreign policies. The song’s melody is based on a riff borrowed from the Mamas and Papas’ “Monday, Monday,” and Prince originally envisioned the first verse with three-part harmony but later split the vocals between himself and members of the Revolution. Because Warner Bros., with whom Prince was locked in a contractual battle, owned the original’s masters, Prince rerecorded the song and appropriately released that version in 1999.