660. De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)

















Track Listing

1. Intro
2. Magic number
3. Change in speak
4. Cool breeze on the rocks
5. Can U keep a secret
6. Jenifa (taught me)
7. Ghetto thang
8. Transmitting live from Mars
9. Eye know
10. Take it off
11. Little bit of soap
12. Tread water
13. Potholes in my lawn
14. Say no go
15. Do as De La does
16. Plug tunin' (Last chance to comprehend)
17. De La orgee
18. Buddy
19. Description
20. Me myself and I
21. This is a recording 4 living in a fulltime era (LIFE)
22. I can do anything (Delacratic)
23. DAISY age
24. Plug tunin' (are you ready for this version)

Review

Happy Rap! And great happy rap, if we wonder what would have happened to the world if De La Soul style Rap had prevailed against Gangsta Rap we might have another summer of love going on, a perpetual one as well.

And then the music is great, catchy, and with an amazing use of all kinds of samples. The sampling is phenomenal, not only in the way it is used, but in the incredible variety of sources. De La Soul are truly an eclectic bunch.

So a fun filled, warm, humorous and actually quite deep album, presenting the world with an alternative to the gloom presented by Public Enemy for example. And even if this album does not reach the pinnacle of quality that is It Takes A Nation of Millions... it comes close.

Track Highlights

1. Magic Number
2. Eye Know
3. Me Myself and I
4. Potholes In My Lawn

Final Grade

9/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:


* Though the idea was quickly abandoned, the original concept behind the group was that Mase was PA and Posdnuos and Dove were the microphone plugs, transmitting messages from Mars. This is the origin of the nicknames for Posdnuos and Dove, Plug One and Plug Two, respectively.

* The Turtles won a lawsuit against De La Soul over the unauthorized sampling of "You Showed Me" on "Transmitting Live from Mars".

* The title 3 Feet High and Rising comes from a Johnny Cash song called "Five Feet High and Rising" ("How high's the water, Mama?/It's three feet high and rising"). This song is sampled on the album. Some have interpreted the title as a reference to drug abuse; De La Soul has not commented on this interpretation.

* The members of the group have said that the only thing they would change about 3 Feet High and Rising is the cover, because the light-hearted colors do not mesh well with their somber faces.

* De La Soul in collaboration with Nike Skateboarding created two SB Dunks (one low, one high) based on the 3 Feet High and Rising album cover.


Eye Know: