Bleep

A cornerstone of US hip hop, De La Soul’s debut 3 Feet High and Rising. Already known around the fertile New York movement for a more off-beat style and classicist taste, this Long Island MC trio wowed producer and scene lynchpin Prince Paul with some early demos that merely hinted at their burgeoning prowess as artists. As progenitors of “jazz-rap”, De La Soul cut a singular figure in the music world, but until recently their influence on today’s brand of hip hop had mostly been word of mouth. Due to various samples, records were left long out of print and mystifyingly absent.

But that’s all over now, as the long overdue De La Soul renaissance that rightfully stakes their crucial position in the genesis of hip hop culture is upon us. All of the vital New York group’s classic material has finally been reissued, and it all starts with their 1989 debut LP 3 Feet High and Rising. Spawning massive singles like ‘Me, Myself, and I’, ‘The Magic Number’, and ‘Eye Know’, as well as beloved deep cuts like ‘Jenifa Taught Me’ and the Tribe Called Quest collab ‘Buddy’, De La Soul’s radical positivity put them somewhat at odds with the growing nihilism of the era’s contemporary rap. However, their adventurous sampling, lush production style, and dexterous rapping on 3 Feet slated them to be a crucial influence on the coming explosion of hip hop. That guidance is still felt today.