Over the years many artists have come along and transformed hip-hop into what it is today. While that’s an obvious statement, it's also true one, and arguably the group that made the biggest impact on the industry during their time is De La Soul.
The group formed in 1987 and was comprised of Kelvin Mercer, David Jude Jolicoeur and Vincent Mason who each went by a slew of nicknames over the years. Early on, De La Soul caught the attention of producer Prince Paul with a demo tape, which eventually led him to play a heavy part in producing the group’s debut album.
De La Soul's debut, "3 Feet High and Rising" came along at an interesting moment for hip-hop. At a time when West coast gangsta rap was dominating the mainstream, the East coast group came on with a jazzy, alternative sound that was completely unique to the industry.
Released in 1989, the album it pretty much transformed the concept of what a traditional record should be. At 27 tracks the album is epic in size, but its quality matches it quantity without a doubt.
Each of the three members of De La Soul showed here that rap could be more than just rhyming about violence and guns. The production on the track in unbelievable as well, with Prince Paul pulling out all types of samples including Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Michael Jackson and even the Beastie Boys.
The group raps about a wide array of subjects including love, drugs, expectations, culture, revolution, and even the rap industry itself. While the entire album holds up, some tracks stand apart from others. “Me Myself and I” is easily the most well-known track, but “Plug Tunin’”, “Buddy”, “Eye Know”, “Potholes in My Lawn” and “The Magic Number” are all excellent as well.
"Say No Go" was one of the singles off the album and the track is a cautionary tale about drugs, primarily crack cocaine or ‘base’, which at the time was a serious problem in America.
The vivid lyrics illustrate the story perfectly, and Mercer starts off the track strongly as he raps: “Now let's get right on down to the skit/A baby is brought into a world of pits/And if it could've talked that soon/In the delivery room/It would've asked the nurse for a hit/The reason for this?/The mother is a jerk/Excuse me Junkie.”
“Eye Know” is one of the most unique and easily the most lighthearted track on the album. Featuring some great samples from Steely Dan and Otis Redding, the track is about the wonders and mystery of love. The lyrics are poetic and also have a humorous tone to them, which is one thing the group does so well.
Dove has one of the best verses on the album and you can hear the playfulness as he raps: “May I cut this dance to introduce myself as/The chosen one to speak/Let me lay my hand across yours/And aim a kiss upon your cheek/They name's Plug Two/And from the soul I bring you/The Daisy of your choice/May it be filled with the pleasure principle.”
While “Me Myself and I” is the most popular track from the album, it’s also one of the best of all time, and one of my personal favorites. Combining social commentary with the dry and satirical tone that they are so skilled at, De La Soul crafts a supremely original track that has one of the simplest yet best openings in hip-hop: “Mirror mirror on the wall/Tell me mirror what is wrong?/Can it be my De La Clothes/Or is it just my De La Soul?”
The track has some complex and clever lines, with Dove spitting a great verse as he raps: “Proud, I'm proud of what I am/Poems I speak are Plug Two type/Please oh please let Plug Two be himself, not what you read or write/Write is wrong when hype is written.”
"3 Feet High and Rising" is an album that is worth listening to over and over again. While it’s an extremely pleasurable roster of tracks, it also has impacted hip-hop in ways that can still be felt today.
Prince Paul’s creative sampling is something that producer’s have mimicked ever since, and De La Soul’s creative and intelligent lyrics helped pave the way for more socially conscious rap. The album was an amazing way to debut, and it is most definitely a classic.
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