St Kilda turned it on for Droppin Science, providing a hot and humid evening at the Palace Foreshore that was reminiscent of the St Kilda Festival.  As the sun set over the bay, Miss Kaninna and Oddisee & Good Comp’ny set the stage. Miss Kaninna opened to a small but enthusiastic crowd, commanding the stage and bringing the audience along by asking them to shout out songs of hers to play. The set culminated in the song Black Britney, a raw, hard-hitting rap that established Ms Kaninna as a voice in Australian Hip Hop that must be heard.

Oddisee and Good Comp’ny realigned the vibe, blending their soulful production with socially conscious lyrics. Oddisee, while much younger than De La Soul, demonstrated a craft and stage presence that culminated in That’s Love, working the crowd to sing along with the chorus. However, the atmosphere was mostly defined by the anticipation for De La Soul’s first Melbourne appearance in ten years.

The venue, the weather, and relaxed outdoor setting suited De La Soul’s community-focused style of hip hop and offered enough breathing room for a crowd that was there to honour one of Hip Hop’s most enduring and important acts. The proximity to the water and the open sky mirrored the organic, daisy soul that the group pioneered, making the Foreshore feel more like a backyard gathering than a rigid concert space.

The audience was largely made up of middle-aged fans who had clearly grown up with the music. It felt less like a standard concert and more like a massive hip hop reunion. Old friends were bumping into each other and catching up on old times, drawn together by Melbourne’s reputation as the hip hop capital of Australia. People were dancing and singing along to tracks that have been part of the cultural landscape for over thirty years, creating a sense of shared history that did not need much spectacle to work.

The performance was grounded in the kind of experienced crowd work that comes from decades on the road. Posdnuos and Maseo kept the audience engaged, which was necessary because the sound system was lacking. The mix was thin and missed the heavy low end required to fully anchor their catalogue, but the duo managed to carry the set through sheer presence and experience and the crowd had no complaints. They moved through a setlist that touched their 1989 debut while incorporating tracks from their late 2025 release, Cabin in the Sky.

The momentum built toward Ring Ring Ring (ha ha hey) and A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday, which pulled the crowd together for a finale of sorts. These songs became a bridge back to the late eighties and early nineties, with the familiar grooves of those iconic singles triggering an immediate shift in the crowd’s energy. Even in 2026, the utility of Me Myself and I and The Magic Number was obvious, proving the catalogue has not lost its relevance. The crowd didn’t just listen to these songs, they inhabited them, rapping the verses with a precision that only comes from decades of plays.

Other staples like Eye Know served as a reminder of how the group originally shifted the genre away from aggression and toward something more philosophical and playful. Hearing these tracks played live against the Melbourne bay underscored how their inventive use of sampling and jazz-inflected rhythms has managed to stay vibrant. They saved the best until last, and those that were not there for their latest albums were sucked back into the crowd for the classics. The transition between their newer material and the foundational hits felt fluid, demonstrating a living catalogue that continues to evolve while respecting where it came from and why they’re universally loved.

The finale belonged to the memory of Dave. After the last track, Maseo gave a heartfelt and emotional dedication to his late partner and called on everyone to show each other love while we still had the chance. The tribute was handled with a sincerity that hit just right, focusing instead on the strength of the bond between the members and their fans. Given what is happening around the world and what we were about to wake up to on Saturday morning, it was a reminder that the positive energy of groups like De La Soul is more important now than it ever was.

27 February 2026 Setlist

Run It Back!!

The Package

Stakes Is High

Say No Go

Peg (Steely Dan Song)

Eye Know

The Bizness

Dinninit

Oooh

YUHDONTSTOP

Day In The Sun (Gettin’ Wit U)

Potholes In My Lawn

Much More

Change In Speak

Yours

A Quick 16 For Mama

Cabin In The Sky

Just How It Is (Sometimes)

Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)

A Roller Skating Jam Named “Saturday”

Different World

Me Myself And I

The Magic Number

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