I came to De La Soul a bit late.
I discovered them through their 1993 album–the group’s second: Buhloone Mindstate. Highlight, ‘Ego Trippin’ (Part Two)’. Their lyrics hardly made sense–detractors often referred to them as the ‘hippies of hp hop”–and they did not help with their outlandish outfits.
So I went back to a second-hand music store in Wynberg, Cape Town, close to where I lived and bought their first album: 1989′s 3 Feet High and Rising (which featured the singles ‘Buddy‘ and, the now classic, ‘Me, Myself and I‘). I was a fan. Anyway, I was getting tired of gangsta rap’s posturing, so the Natives Tongues posse presented a better alternative.
Their best album for me, though, came 3 years later: Stakes is High.
Classic. It would easily makes most top 100 lists of all time hip hop albums. ‘Itsoweehee.’ or “Long Island Degrees,” “Brother Beat” (featuring a young Mos Def), “Dog Eat Dog,” or “Sunshine.” The standout track for me, though, is the title track. The video, above, is funny (cameos from Maury Povich, Q Tip and Jerry Stackhouse, among others).
(BTW, though I bought their 2000 release, Art Official Intelligence, when it came out, I felt their best studio work was behind them by then.)
I’m with you on Stakes Is High, which may also be my fave De La jawn, even though it’s such a departure from their more whimsical releases that precede it. Speaking of which, you skipped over their actual second album, De La Soul Is Dead, which has some serious jams on it (“Saturday it’s a Saturday”!!).
I also gotta co-sign on the disappointment that the AOI series has been. I’d expect De La to put out some of the best “grown folks” hip-hop, but so far it’s been kinda meh (if with some gems in the mix).
Agreed about the AOI series. I like the first four, plus De La Remix. But you must check out De La Soul Is Dead. In addition to some good jams, there are some seriously funny satire on it – Check out Bitties in the BK Lounge for some jibes at Tracy Chapman, and Afro-connections at a High Five for their parody of gangsta posturing. Then there’s a more serious strand – My Brother’s a Basehead, and a song about child sexual abuse, Millie Pulled a pistol on Santa. I like also how they can move seamlessly between the whimsical, the melancholic, and hard political points.
But ja, Stakes is High is very good. Just listened to the track again…