Credit: Matti Hillig

There’s often a fine line between art and reality, and that’s exactly the case for De La Soul’s track ‘The Art of Getting Jumped’.

The song was released in 2000, as part of the album Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump, and was based on a terrifying experience that member Maseo had whilst in Germany. During an interview on Audacy’s Hip-Hop Made podcast, Maseo said that the track’s violent lyrics and depictions of the streets were taken directly from his encounter with a gang while in the country.

The event unfolded amid the De La Soul international tour. Maseo had a night off and went to a popular hip hop club, known for hosting fellow rappers like Cypress Hill and Ice T. But when Maseo got there, he suffered a case of mistaken identity and was approached by a Turkish gang who believed he was from an African nation. At the time, racial tensions were high between the Turkish and Black community, and being in the wrong area at the wrong time could quickly escalate those tensions.

Maseo said that he was taken into the club and beaten. He was initially attacked in the main club area, but it moved to the entrance corridor and club security had to get involved to stop it. Maseo had notable injuries, including severe swelling around his eye. He said that his adrenaline was firing even after the attack stopped, and that he had a strong desire to fight back immediately. He wanted retaliation.

Even after the fight had been broken up, Maseo confronted the gang outside of the club. In response, the man pulled a gun, pointed it in Maseo’s face, and pulled the trigger. Luckily, the gun didn’t fire. Does that make it any less harrowing for the psyche?

“God spared me”, Maseo said on the podcast. “I got spared that day. The victory was in running!”. He remembered how after the weapon didn’t discharge, he abandoned his urge to get revenge and left the scene as soon as he could.

“The Art of Getting Jumped” encapsulates the trauma of that night, as well as gives listeners insight into the very real dangers of street violence.

The story of Maseo’s near-death experience came just as the band was celebrating the release of its musical catalogue on streaming platforms. Sample clearances and legal disputes over contracts with their former label, Tommy Boy, had caused big delays with the band’s albums becoming available on the likes of Spotify and Apple Music.

Sadly, the news of the launch came after De La Soul member, Trugoy the Dover, passed. Despite the loss, and revisiting Maseo’s turbulent past, the remaining group members promised to honour their musical legacy and future journey.

Later in a different podcast, Maseo announced that De La Soul would release the third installment of their album series ‘Art Official Intelligence’. Many of Trugoy’s vocals were recorded before he died, so fans were thrilled to know that they could hear new songs from the full original band lineup.

For Maseo, the release of the series represented a commitment to their artistry, fanbase, friends, and to themselves. Maseo’s story – from a brutal attack in Germany to navigating hip hop industry politics to processing a friend’s death – reinforces the power of music to encompass and cope with life’s harsh realities.