Being at a People Under the Stairs show is kinda like being back in 1999, or wait, is it more like 1989? The fact is, the group’s organic loop-based hip-hop style has gone in and out favor over the past two decades (think The Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest and Jurassic 5), but judging by the blissful grins and pumping fists of the mostly 18-24-year-old crowd on Friday afternoon at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio CA, right now it’s certainly enjoying another resurgence. PUTS played at 3pm to a full and verging-on-rabid tent of fans, their eyes transfixed and mouths rapping the lyrics right along with Thes One and Double K, the group’s two MCs. PUTS’ set consisted of a medley of old songs as well as new releases from their current album, Fun DMC.  The crowd’s enthusiasm never waned; in fact it might have even increased when the duo performed songs from The Next Step, released in 1998 and Question in the Form of an Answer, 2000.

Why the come back? Well, no one can know for sure, and seeing as how other 90s hits like, say, matching tracksuits or Monica Lewinski have yet to resurface, you can’t blame it entirely on the cyclical nature of style. But watching as Thes One peppers his segues between songs with comments like, “Hip hop is a dope live art,” and “For just a minute, I don’t wanna worry about the bail out, the fail out, how about we just enjoy the moment!” I’m guessing it just might have something to do with the group’s positive message. The crowd responds every time with a roar and it’s clear that this generation, especially considering the, how shall we say, less-than-ideal state of our economy, is searching for music that simply makes getting through life a little easier, a little more enjoyable. And it looks like they’ve found it (again) in People Under the Stairs.

Words by Christine Spehar, photos by Parts Department