De La Soul was formed in 1987, in Long Island, New York, at a time when hip-hop was looking for its voice but also its limits. The group has always pushed against the genre by adding their own sense of style, humour, colour and vulnerabilities into a space that’s always changing. Their name alone is a statement: music for the soul, not for the big mass or played by the rules, just genuine music the way they want to produce it.
Patta came years later, opening in Amsterdam in 2004, but the feeling was the same. Founded by friends Edson Sabajo and Guillaume “Gee” Schmidt, Patta was never made to chase hype. It started as a space for music, conversation, travel stories and vibes.
The Collection
It was only a matter of time before De La Soul and Patta joined forces, and at the heart of their collaboration are t-shirts. The Patta x De La Soul t-shirts are inspired by De La Soul’s most fundamental albums: De La Soul Is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate and Stakes Is High. The first t-shirt features a photo of the The Stake is High album cover The cover of De La Soul’s 1996 album Stakes Is High features a black-and-white photograph of the group with the members Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer, David “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur, and Vincent “Maseo” Mason
The other t-shirts features a graphic with the faces of the members of the hip-hop group De La Soul, with the text “BUHLOONE MIND STATE”, on the back, referring to the third studio album by the group. On the front this t-shirt has the logo of both De La Soul and the Patta logo. Last, but certainly not least is a keychain, featuring the artwork from the album De La Soul Is Dead. The keychain is made from metal with an enamel finish.
