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De La Soul, an influential old-school hip-hop group, will perform at Royce Hall on Friday. The tr

De La Soul is coming to Royce Hall. No, really.

At first, it seems a hip-hop act would hardly consider a concert hall where world-renowned cellists and speakers have entertained fans ushered to their seats by bow-tied employees an ideal venue. But Friday night at 8, the veteran hip-hop group will most certainly be performing, unfazed.

“Oh, we gonna get ’em standin’ up,” said Dave (born David Jude Jolicoeur), who formed De La Soul with fellow members Posdnuos and Maseo in 1987.

“Whatever the venue may be, that isn’t an issue. People are gonna get the vibe and dance and want to be a part of the show. We don’t really want to do a sit-down. When we get on that stage it’s gonna be like any other theater or club or hall.”

Considering they’re one of the last old-school hip-hop groups standing, it’s no surprise they’ve seen similar circumstances before.

“We were part of a Gorillaz show in Manchester at an opera house. The rules were that the audience couldn’t get up and dance and party. ... People were viewing it as a presentation of music. If that’s the case, it’s OK,” he said.

Not too many rap acts could pull off a show in such austere environments. But ever since the release of their landmark debut “3 Feet High and Rising,” De La Soul has remained one of hip-hop’s most universally loved acts, drawing in fans from just about every demographic.

Few artists in the last two decades, regardless of genre, have been as critically hailed, and the group is nothing short of revered in the hip-hop community for spearheading an alternative hip-hop movement.

“There’s something universal about our music,” Dave said.

“We talk about everyday, average things, whether it’s crime, whether it’s washing dishes, or going to college. Everyone can relate to it, regardless of venue or setting.”

Over the years, the group has rapped about everything from soap and potholes to more serious topics such as drug addiction and child molestation, and sampled artists from Johnny Cash to Michael Jackson.

The group’s ceaseless self-reinvention has contributed to its longevity. Last year, De La Soul released its seventh album, “The Grind Date.”

“It’s a challenge to adapt to the listening audience, to the ear of the listening audience,” Dave said. “Not to compromise and give in and do what 50 Cent is doing, but to hold some integrity and do it in a clever way, to be a part of the now of hip-hop as well.”

For “The Grind Date,” the group savvily enlisted the efforts of some of hip-hop’s most promising underground producers, such as 9th Wonder and Madlib, and the result was one of the best rap albums of 2004.

“(The secret is in) being students of the game as people, and not thinking we’re legends, and keeping your ear out on the streets, listening to up-and-coming artists and applying your thing,” he said.

“Not trippin’ and taking these accolades and awards and stripes you’ve earned as who you are, but just constantly learning and being open to new things.”

Despite any previous accomplishments, “The Grind Date” – and the five tours, by Dave’s count, they’ve been on since its release – is proof the group is still hungry.

“What are we gonna do next, what do we attack next – that’s a great dilemma to me, if that’s a dilemma,” he said.

“Our motivation is achieving something we’ve never done before. There are so many topics, whether social, political or personal, so many things to talk about, and that’s what motivates or inspires a song, and from that point an album.”

This passion has not only kept them going, but has allowed them to keep their old fans and continually gain new ones.

“Part of why people love De La Soul is that people see it’s three guys who really love what they do,” Dave said.

“There are no head trips; we remain humble, and the love comes first. And when that dies – and it’ll never die – we’ll be out of the game.”