Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present... First Serve

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present... First Serve

| type = studio

| artist = De La Soul's Plug 1 & Plug 2

| cover = De La Soul First Serve.jpg

| alt =

| released = April 3, 2012

| recorded = 2010–2012

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = East Coast hip hop, alternative hip hop

| length = 65:26

| label = Duck Down Music Inc.

PIAS

| producer = Chokolate & Khalid Filali a.k.a. 2&4

| prev_title = Are You In?

| prev_year = 2009

| next_title = And the Anonymous Nobody...

| next_year = 2016

}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 72/100{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/de-la-souls-plug-1-plug-2-presentfirst-serve/plug-1 |title=Reviews for DE LA SOUL'S PLUG 1 & PLUG 2 PRESENT...FIRST SERVE by Plug 1 |website=Metacritic |accessdate=13 February 2023}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web |last1=Jeffries |first1=David |title= First Serve – De La Soul's Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present...First Serve|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/de-la-souls-plug-1-plug-2-presentfirst-serve-mw0002313147 |website=AllMusic |accessdate=13 February 2023 |date=13 February 2023}}

| rev2 = The A.V. Club

| rev2score = B{{cite web |last1=Rabin |first1=Nathan |title= Plug 1 & Plug 2: First Serve |url=https://www.avclub.com/plug-1-plug-2-first-serve-1798172219 |website=The A.V. Club |accessdate=13 February 2023 |date=3 April 2012}}

| rev3 = Clash

| rev3score = 7/10{{cite web |last1=Oliver |first1=Matt |title= De La Soul's Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present – First Serve|url=http://www.clashmusic.com:80/reviews/de-la-soul-s-plug-1-plug-2-present-first-serve |website=Clash |accessdate=13 February 2023 |date=26 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728173523/http://www.clashmusic.com:80/reviews/de-la-soul-s-plug-1-plug-2-present-first-serve |archive-date=2012-07-28 }}

| rev4 = Consequence of Sound

| rev4score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web |last1=Staskel |first1=Ryan |title= Album Review: De La Soul's Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present – First Serve|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/04/album-review-de-la-souls-plug-1-plug-2-present-first-serve/ |website=Consequence of Sound |accessdate=13 February 2023 |date=2 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605235355/http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/04/album-review-de-la-souls-plug-1-plug-2-present-first-serve/ |archive-date=2012-06-05 }}

| rev5 = HipHopDX

| rev5score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web |last1=Cooper |first1=Roman |title=DE LA SOUL'S PLUG 1 & PLUG 2 PRESENT – FIRST SERVE|url=https://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.1867/title.de-la-souls-plug-1-plug-2-present-first-serve |website=HipHopDX |accessdate=13 February 2023 |date=2 April 2012}}

| rev6 = Mojo

| rev6score = {{rating|4|5}}Unstoppably ace. [May 2012, p.88]

| rev7 = PopMatters

| rev7score = 6/10{{cite web |last1=Amidon |first1=David |title= FIRST SERVE: DE LA SOUL'S PLUG 1 & PLUG 2 PRESENT... FIRST SERVE|url=https://www.popmatters.com/first-serve-de-la-souls-plug-1-plug-2-present-first-serve-2495861602.html |website=PopMatters |accessdate=13 February 2023 |date=6 June 2012}}

| rev8 = Q

| rev8score = {{rating|3|5}}Joyously propulsive... [Yet] there's little deviation from a straightforward palette of sticky basslines and boom-bap rhythms. [May 2012, p.95]

| rev9 = RapReviews

| rev9score = 8/10{{cite web |last1=Gutwillig |first1=Matthew 'Matt G' |title= De La Soul – Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present First Serve|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/abolition-of-the-royal-familia-mw0003344495 |website=RapReviews |accessdate=13 February 2023 |date=13 February 2023}}

| rev10 = Rolling Stone

| rev10score = {{rating|3.5|5}}{{cite magazine |last1=Tannenbaum |first1=Rob |title= De La Soul's Plug 1 and Plug 2|url=http://www.rollingstone.com:80/music/albumreviews/first-serve-20120419 |magazine=Rolling Stone |accessdate=13 February 2023 |date=19 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712034117/http://www.rollingstone.com:80/music/albumreviews/first-serve-20120419 |archive-date=2012-07-12 }}

}}

Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present... First Serve is the eighth album from hip-hop group De La Soul members Kelvin Mercer (a.k.a. Plug 1), and David Jolicoeur (a.k.a. Plug 2), in collaboration with French DJ duo Chokolate and Khalid,{{cite web|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/de-la-soul-stars-kelvin-776280|title=Serving up a new treat: De La Soul stars Kelvin and Pos return as First Serve|date=29 March 2012|accessdate=29 April 2012|publisher=The Mirror}} released on April 3, 2012.

In the album the duo adopt the persona of "First Serve" a hip-hop band making it in the music industry in the late 1990s. Mercer takes the persona of "Jacob 'Pop Life' Barrow", and Jolicoeur takes the persona of "Deen Witter". The album details the fictional band making it in the music industry, their success, breakup, and eventual reformation.{{cite web|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/album-reviews/id.1867/title.de-la-souls-plug-1-plug-2-present-first-serve|title=De La Soul's Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present First Serve|last=Kuperstein|first=Slava|date=2 April 2012|accessdate=29 April 2012| publisher=HipHopDX}}

Jolicoeur and Mercer have been interviewed in character as Barrow and Witter, often quoting De La Soul as an "influence", and describing De La Soul as "those guys".{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/interviews/a366971/first-serve-de-la-soul-interview-four-is-the-magic-number-now.html?rss|title=First Serve (De La Soul) interview: "Four is the magic number now"|publisher=digitalspy.com|date=February 21, 2012|accessdate=29 April 2012|last=Copsey|first=Robert}}