3 Feet High and Rising

It's genuinely heartbreaking that this album isn't on any streaming services, because it means that De La Soul has fallen out of the conversation of greatest 80s and 90s hip hop groups. This album, their debut, is absolutely brilliant. Funny, corny, listenable. It influenced so many modern artists, and I didn't realize before hearing it how much my favorite albums (such as Wildflower, by the Avalanches) are based on it. I can't identify a favorite song or moment, because they're all so good. This is an instant 5/5 for me, and it's by far the best album on this list that I'd never listened to before.

Very fun and incredibly clever. Many reviews compare this record to Sgt. Pepper but for hip pop. The comparison is completely understandable. Very fun concept album with great lyricism and wonderful production. The album does not drag even with the track-listing being more than an hour long. The album just feels like a group of friends having fun on the mic and in the studio. Favorite Track: Magic Number Least Favorite Track: De La Orgee

One of the best hip hop albums on this list. The game show stuff was a really fun theme throughout. Great lyrics, samples, and beats. Plus Q-tip!

They are clearly having so much fun making this album. The friendly comedy sketches. The playful dissing (“everybody in the world, you got dandruff”, “you got doo doo in your pocket”). Wild to hear so many samples out of their context (Otis Reddings SOTDOTB whistle track in “Eye Know”). Crazy to think they made this before technology made it way easy. Just a damn fun album. The beats are hypnotizing. I could listen to the instrumental of “Plug Tunin’” for hours. As the album marches on they get bolder when it comes to the explicit content. Problematic for the suburbs in 1989 I’m sure. When “Me, Myself and I” drops toward the end, I got excited because I finally knew a song. That one has been there my whole life, hanging on the wall, sprucing things up. I’ll be coming back to this for sure.

How many times did the Batmobile catch a flat???

Wonderful, if it's not the Sgt Pepper's of hip-hop, it is the Dark Side of the Moon of hip-hop! Absolute genius, even if it's not on Spotify

A fantastic and influential debut album from a talented trio, bringing a new sound and image to hip hop (one somewhat rebuked on their follow up De La Soul is Dead) and recalling the earlier days of classic hip hop. There are so many classic tracks here and is a showcase for the art of sampling, creating something new from something old. Three Is The Magic Number and Me, Myself and I are wicked party tracks, Eye Know is a surprisingly touching hip hop love song and Buddy is an energetic posse cut with like minded acts Jungle Brothers and Q Tip (but seek out the superior 12 inch remix with Phife Dawg, Queen Latifah and Monie Love plus a Kazoo horn section!). The downsides are an obsession with body odour and bad breath and a slew of skits and in jokes which amuse the band but nobody else. For this, a star was almost docked but my love for the band and for some even greater albums that followed since (Buhloone Mindstate, De La Soul is Dead) five stars are coming De La’s way.

Top 10 all time. At Least

What a fun listen! This album is cited in this site for being of the called "Golden Age of Hip Hop" for a good reason. With a very original concept, a great sense of humour and the incorporation of many different genres from funk to rap rock, this album is a true masterpiece. My only issue is: why tf isn't this album on Spotify? It's so sad that this fun piece of hip hop history hadn't made it to the biggest music streaming service.

Eh if this was a tribe called quest I wouldn't have been able to tell difference, also link went to "the missing album by the noel reading band and I listened to most of that(which if you care was 3/5)

Last night, I had a dream. There's this woman - young, cool, big hair - driving down a packed New York street in a car with friends. Windows are down, sky is blue, there's an array of kitsch memorabilia in the back and on the dashboard. Hanging off the rear view mirror is a talking wireless speaker, probably voiced by Eddie Murphy. He yells that he wants to be played, and opts for De La Soul's "Me, Myself and I". There follows an extended dance sequence in which the woman driving the car, and then everybody around her, jumps out of their cars and dances on the roofs. Like that bit in "La La Land", but better, because… well, because it's soundtracked by De La Soul. And so I rest my case: after just a couple of days of listening, "3 Feet High and Rising" is an album with the power to send good vibes deep into the subconscious. Life is made surreal, technicolour, magical and fun with just an hour a day around these folks. That's something special. De La Soul's first full-length album is often credited as one of the progenitors of hip-hop's golden age. Besides the invader-of-my-dreams-smash-hit "Me Myself and I", there's "Eye Know", which draws together samples of Steely Dan and Otis Redding into a ecstatic, sunny jam. "The Magic Number" fuses Schoolhouse Rock with a drum sample originally from Led Zeppelin, while "Potholes in my Lawn", an allegory for other people stealing lines from the group, throws in a yodelling interlude for good measure. Two of the other hits, "Plug Tuning" and "Buddy" (with A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip), are more studied cool, but still get me nodding along every time. My other favourite tracks include "Tread Water", a spiritual journey disguised as an Alice in Wonderland-esque nursery rhyme, and "Change in Speak", with its irresistible horns and wriggling bassline sample. That's quite a hit ratio. While many of the rhymes may be sneered at by serious hip-hop heads (there's an awful lot of nursery-rhyme style trochaic meter, "De-la" prefixes and totally unserious tangents), the sense of fun cannot be surpassed and overrides everything. The humour is on point here: the quiz show framework baffled me at first but then won me over by the fourth or fifth listen. The schoolboy style chants like "Can U Keep A Secret", "Take It Off" and "Do as De-La Does" are ridiculous, but winningly high-spirited. And the interlude midway through "Jenifa Taught Me", in which little Darwin breaks into a rendition of "Chopsticks" while the rest of the group cheer him on, never fails to make me smile. This is my favourite hip-hop album on the list so far, and is going to be hard to top.

Can only listen to half on YouTube as album is not available on other streaming platforms

Smart, inventive, playful, positive, and unlike anything that had gone before. And the sort of album that couldn’t be made now in this age of strict sample clearance, as I am sure the almost-bankrupted De La would attest to. Which is a shame, as the samples are used creatively and with love, but there you go. One of the greatest albums ever made.

This sounded unlike anything else when I first bought it back in 1989. It's the loved up response to a West Coast rap scene that was heading down the gangster route. I knew which direction I wanted to turn to. Hip Hop concept albums should usually be avoided. But the dialogue and in-jokes aren't annoying, They keep the Daisy Age feel flowing thoughout. There's still room for politics with It's a Ghetto Thing. Plus there's also personal politics on Say No Go. This should be a SIX star album.

love

Obv 5 star

Wow, hard to find to stream but what a nice sound and vibe.

One’s personal high-water mark for hip-hop. The joy and warmth and humor, plus the communal feel of the whole thing. Listening today, one senses there’s perhaps too much filler (or forgettable inserts). This many full-on classics makes this 5. Shame about the lawsuit. And don’t sleep on De La Soul is Dead.

Despite never listening, I have heard good things about De La Soul. They were only recently put on Spotify due to sample-clearing issues, which may explain the blind spot for me and modern listeners. I like alternative hip hop and this album could be considered the genesis of that subgenre. It's a fun listen, and they were clearly having fun messing around making this. You can hear its influence on many modern projects. I really dug the "sampledelia" instrumentals, extra impressive since this was before easy sampling tech. I found some of the dialogue and in-jokes kind of corny and annoying, and this album holds the dubious distinction for inventing the dreaded "rap skit." The lyrics sometimes almost gave me the juvenile vibe of a "t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m" (soooo randommm). I'll blame my lack of lyrical connection on unfamiliarity, which will improve on subsequent listens now that it's on Spotify. The music is just too good and the album too influential on a genre I like to rate it a 3. *Saw a couple reviews that said this was "hip hop's Sgt. Pepper" and the timing is ironic because we got Sgt. Pepper the following day.*

I remembered I liked this, but I liked it better than I remembered. Sounds newer and fresher than it is. Favorite song: Eye know

Fantastic hip hop album. The Steely Dan sample song was my favorite

Pot holes on my lawn. Fun sing along 90s hip hop. I miss this era of rap music. Creative samples and scratching

I liked it a lot. I listened to it twice (had it on in the background). I'm a huge fan of old school hip hop and this was something I wasn't very aware of. I like Heiroglyphics a lot, so this was a nice treat.

I found this to be a fun vibe! Just 3 friends fucking around. Not necessarily something I'll come back to, but definitely in the upper percentile of things to come out of long island.

Nr. 136/1001 Intro NR The Magic Number 3/5 (3x) Change In Speak 3/5 (2x) Cool Breeze on the Rock NR Can You Keep a Secret 2/5 (2x) Jenifa Taught Me 3/5 (3x) Ghetto Thang 3/5 (3x) Transmitting Live From Mars 2/5 (1x) Eye Know 5/5 (3x) Take It Off 2/5 (2x) A Little Bit Of Soap 3/5 (1x) Tread Water 3/5 (3x) Potholes in My Lawn 3/5 (3x) Say No Go 3/5 (3x) Do As De La Does 2/5 (2x) Plug Tunin' 3/5 (3x) De La Orgee 1/5 (1x) Buddy 3/5 (3x) Description 3/5 (1x) Me Myself and I 4/5 (3x) This Is A Record 4 Living 3/5 (3x) I Can Do Anything 2/5 (1x) D.A.I.S.Y. Age 3/5 (3x) Average: 2,98 Really liked Eye Know. The Rest was a mixed bag.

Oh my god this was cool. So fun, what happened to hip hop like this?

Immense

This is easy. 7/5. Absolute Brilliance.

Such a fun album. You can tell they had fun making this one. I love the comparison of this album to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Best hip-hop album in this list so far.

One of the most fun albums I've ever listened to. There's a special energy to it you don't hear often, these guys are just having a great time and doing all kinds of crazy stuff. It was long and started to drag a little bit but then me myself and I came on and saved it. The energy is too fun to not give it a 5

THISBWAS SO GOOD

I really love the sound and the feel of this album, it sounded old yet somehow new Haven't thought about De La Soul in so long, thank you!

While I'm not sure if I'll come back to this album in the future, I can't in good conscience give this anything less than a perfect score.

70+ samples.. no clearances...because these kids were just having fun.

Wonderful album. Not all of their wacky hijinks pay off, but most of them do, and do it well. I also appreciate the overall less misogynistic and less violent lyrics, it fits the overall positive attitude of the album really well.

The only problem with this album is the problem with so many classic hip hop albums, there’s too many skits. In spite of that, this album hits so hard. The three song run of Tread Water, Potholes, and Say No Go rules. Plus Eye Know and Me Myself and I are absolute classics. Hell even De La Orgee, a song that always played on shuffle in my car anytime I had a first date in my car and I’d have to embarrassingly hurry to change the track before she noticed, makes me laugh. Just a great album

One of the seminal rap/hip hop albums. Yes it’s sketchy at times and the vocals are surprisingly badly recorded and mixed. But it’s a piece of worlk that stands out.

Really enjoyed listening to this. Never owned it on CD and glad that it’s now available to stream. It’s like it’s been made my the cool, clever, funny kids a couple of years above you at school that you aspire to be but never will.

This was a pretty fun album.

Day283 - glad to see this one on apple music now. it’s one of the best rap albums ever

Looong love fest with these guys, I've had this album (1st cassette, then cd now mp3) in some shape or form since it came out. These guys are also the sample kings and it took many many yrs to clear all the samples before they were allowed on spotify. Clever lyrics, catchy beats, fun shout outs (in 1 song Trugoy says 'why not, let's go to Laces', a roller skating rink on LI that I used to go to as a teen) that endear them ever more to me - plus they sample Steely Dan so they must be cool : )

Voices, rhythms, rhymes, wit, joy, and pain all bundled into a hilariously genuine and human package. Full of inside jokes and pop culture references in both lyrics and samples. A dynamic ride.

It's De La, easy 5 stars

It's De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising.

Another classic of my formative years--via Graeme. Introduced me to different aspects of hip hop.

First warm day, windows down kinda vibe

A classic which in the 80’s was a total game changer to how hip hop was perceived opening up a whole new audience. Some of the best samples ever utilised and almost made Hall & Oates cool.

Amazing record, well ahead of its time. I've heard so much about it, but I'm so happy to finally get the chance to fully listen to it. It does not disappoint, very familiar sounds and it's been sampled a lot by other artists. Seminal album. Full whack from me! Also, how is this released in 1989?!

Should everyone hate 'The Turtles'? Or were they well within their rights to get mad at De La Soul for sampling 'You Showed Me' (without permission) on an interlude here? Well, I've always gravitated towards the former opinion. The sheer amount of sampling in this record, alongside other '80s hip-hop records, forever makes me yearn for the days when clearing samples was simply seen as an act of appreciation. It also really sucks that the infamous lawsuit greatly limited De La Soul's music's availability on streaming - 'cause this album is gorgeous, not in the traditional sense but in a way that is not unlike ATCQ's debut for example. Samples make colors and worlds and Prince Paul's production on this album has both of those things in spades. But it's not endlessly overwhelming you with samples like say Public Enemy's 'Fear of a Black Planet' - I mean you have a song like 'Take It Off' which is nothing but a repeating drum machine pattern driving its short runtime. The opener, and one of my favorite songs 'The Magic Number' has the chunkiest drum beat on the album that's undercut by this timid yet undeniably playful bass loop. The verses are great on this but it's Trugoy's (RIP) verse that takes the cake ultimately. 'Tread Water' follows a similar instrumental formula and is paired with surrealist imagery in the verses, where talking animals offer reassuring life advice to the passerby. My favorite song without a doubt though is 'Eye Know' with the Steely Dan and Otis Redding "whistling" 'Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay' samples making this one of the most wholesome hip-hop songs we'd end up getting out of the '80s. Lyrically speaking, it could bring a tear to my eyes just 'cause of how meditatively positive it paints these ideas of love and lust. Some other great production moments are those subtle piano keys on 'Potholes in My Lawn', the brief vocal (I think?) sample transitioning the verses on 'Say No Go', the distorted and overblown drum sample on 'D.A.I.S.Y Age', and the entirety of 'Me Myself and I', a real landmark song off this album. The production here is superb, but the rapping is admittedly rudimentary even for this group - I mean just listen to the complex rhyme schemes and flows on their song 'Stakes Is High' which would be released years later, and compare it to a song like 'Potholes in My Lawn' off this album. I like it though, it's of the time and if anything, it fits the charming production here. The album's also wittingly hilarious with the slew of interludes timelining a satirical game show night. Songs like 'Jenifa Taught Me' and 'Buddy' with Q-tip and the Jungle Brothers are forever fun to listen to. It's not all fun and games though, 'Say No Go' is an undoubtedly sobering moment in the track listing here about the dangers of drug abuse, with Posdnuos' opening verse being my favorite. This song also showcases the trio's best rapping on the album from a sheer flow perspective. If you hate fun you'll hate this album. If you associate hip-hop with grit, speed, and competition you'll hate this album. But if you broaden your horizons a bit it's not difficult to understand what the appeal of an album like this. The group was determined to stick to their DAISY (Da Inner' Sound Y'all) motif - constantly reinforcing these ideas of positivity, soul, and strong character from start to finish. Hip Hop hasn't sounded this fun since '3 Feet High and Rising' - and for that, I wouldn't hesitate to call it one of the greatest of the '80s.

Pre-listening thoughts: LETS GO I am very excited for this album. Legendary pull with some songs I already know and apparently a Jungle Brothers feature as well?! Hype ‼️‼️‼️ Post/during listening thoughts: I love 80s/90s rap and hip hop and De La Soul delivers. Their use of samples are so clever and fun (Steely Dan Peg sample is my personal fav on Eye Know). The interludes are a bit bizarre but honestly add character to the album. Can U Keep a Secret is so weird help 😭 why are we discussing dandruff?? I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me laugh which seems to be the goal. It’s just such a wildly fun album that makes you feel like you’re sitting in the studio with these guys goofing off. But there’s also such innovation here that would be criminal if overlooked, I mean the samples alone are one thing, but the production is so clean and the lyrics really solidify this new age of hip hop. 9.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: yes!! Fav tracks: man I was listing them out and it turned out to be every song (except for De La Orgee. What) Least fav tracks: De La Orgee

A classic and one of my first cool (not gangsta) rap albums.

As soon as this album popped up it brought out a big smile. Masterpiece 5/5

Really loved the vibes of this album. Felt both chill and upbeat to me. I don't usually jive as much with more of the old school flow but this I liked, just went with the music particularly well to me. Truthfully probably a 4.5 BUT it is a 5 for this time period in the genre to me so I will round up.

Liked it but want to do a deeper listening sessions again

Classic hip hop album that I somehow never listened to in full. It's really good. Maybe leaning a little to hard into the skits, but it's alright, because the main material is worth it. Ecutez et repetez.

Haven't listened to this through for maybe 25 years, and it still sounds fantastically fresh and cool.

#OtisReddingWhistle

own

This album was genuinely just a lot of fun. A lot of bangers on it

It's hard to rate this without considering that I've been working on this project with someone who's waiting three years for De La Soul to appear. Seriously, we're on our last week and now we're finally here! Yay! Aside from that I loved loved loved "The Magic Number" and "Transmitting Live from Mars" since back in the day. There are lots of great samples and good raps on this album. It was fun then and fun now. it's a good memory of when hip hop was kind of fun and a little nostalgic for the sounds they sampled.

Oh, the joy!! I mean the skits could have been improved/reduced, but I have always very much enjoyed this album of upbeat hip-hop with uncountable samples.

Well I haven't heard this one in forever. Wildly fun and nostalgic.

De La Soul hit my radar with The Magic Number - after all I was raised on Schoolhouse Rock. So of course I was all in. I’m sure I listened to this album many times, but I never owned it. It is an infectiously joyous work that keeps me interested. You just never know what, or who, might appear… LIBERACE! I’m not entirely a fan of interludes, but on this album they work better than most - like when my siblings and I used to make cassette music shows back in the day. A lot of musical shenanigans isn’t always fun for the listener. But the shenanigans here I enjoyed from beginning to end!

A must have album.

i relistened to this album in full yesterday while sitting on my balcony in the Texas summer heat, and honestly it was a perfect way to listen. funny that it’s my album of the day today. De La Soul is Dead in my number one De La album, but 3 Feet High is classic. great vibes and so influential! glad i got into the group last year. i love their music so much 🥹

love this album <33333

Just an incredible album and absolutely mind-blowing when it came out. Such creative lyrics and sampling - I don't think there's a better example out there of sampling - and the interludes were actually entertaining. It's been a while since the first time I listened to this, so there weren't as many surprises, but it was fun when you figured out some little easter egg, like which song was being sampled (they did such a good job with that) and like when I realized "Trugoy" is "Yogurt" spelled backwards.

Best yet

Classic

Great album that still holds up! I was 21 when this came out, but in my memory it seems like this was around high school that it came out. I think it’s because it reminds me of a simpler time in hip-hop, when it wasn’t all about “bitches & hoes”, and inner city violence. I had cousins who were living that thug life, but we weren’t. De La was for the music nerds, with the sampling and genre mixing they revolutionized. I mean, no one was mixing in country yodeling into rap at the time, and they made it work. A classic for a reason, no doubt.

Foundational hip hop record.

Volvemos a éste hermoso reto después de unas vacaciones que combinaron descanso de la oficina y estudio con éste debutazo de De La Soul. Imposible detenerse a analizar canción por canción. Lo mejor es dejarse llevar por el disco como una unidad irreductible. Excelente trabajo.

TIL that 3 Feet High and Rising pioneered the trend of short skits between album tracks. Could I love this album more? It seems that there’s an argument for that but I doubt it. It’s the first hip hop album that I owned. I dunno if I’ve ever owned a better one. RIP Trugoy the Dove.

Classic hip hop at its finest. Really good album some classics on here.

Look, this is obviously an unimpeachable classic and five stars, but I started to skip the skits after learning that we only have a limited amount of time on earth and you don’t strictly have to use it listening to what teens in the gifted and talented program thought was funny 35 years ago.

Just the feel good album of all time! Guaranteed to lift your mood.

Great summer listening!

Someone let these guys loose in the studio and it sounds like they had a great time. A landmark album in hip-hop. Clever, playful rhymes backed by clever, playful sampling. 10/10 Probably the most fun I've ever had with a hip-hop album.

Hip hop classic full of joy.

just as good as I knew it'd be lol. shit bangs. especially when they just throw crazy samples at you like the cool breeze song, steely dan samples. funny sexual euphemism throughout

After getting past that opening skit, this album bursts energy in the opening song. Then the unique style of De LA Soul unveils itself throughout the album. This is a 5 star album for me, despite those skits.

Loved this. Had no idea what to expect, but these guys were fun. Definitely coming back to it.

Perfect album!

Amazing! Very fun, I’m feeling good listening to it.

Fun, funny, bangin', psychedelic, all around great. Absolutely essential listening.

One of the best hip-hop albums of all time, incredibly impressive debut (especially for the time period) production on this albums goes so hard.

This album was fun and goofy and was an enjoyable listen.

hard slay. loved every second of it. my bf also loves it so.... :)

Actually something that I haven't gotten around to listening to. Definitely a classic

Classic record that has not lost it’s uniqueness or quality with time. Not my favourite De La Soul record overall, but still very deserving of the praise.

De La Soul introduce a new perspective in hip-hop and rap - this is positive, encouraging, and uplifting hip-hop. The band makes a funky, pop-song version of rap, with catchy rhymes that wander towards goofy. 3 Feet High and Rising is an amazing collection of songs that made international stars of the band, and expanded the world of rap and hip-hop.

Very fun and incredibly clever. Many reviews compare this record to Sgt. Pepper but for hip pop.

A masterpiece. One of the greatest early era hip hop albums. So many amazing tracks, with “Eye Know” being one of my favorite songs ever. The skits kind of hurt the overall flow of the album, but they’re not that bad. 5/5 Listen frequently

A hip-hop classic. Fun, funny, and danceable with just a hint of psychedelia. It’s impossible to put this on without smiling.

My introduction to hip hop. The only group that has come close to this vibe is Tribe and Q-tip is in this album. Could be nostalgia but I think this album just slaps from front to back 10/10

Røvgodt, grineren og indflydelserige

What a key album in hip hop that layed the groundwork for the genre to really blow up and diversify in the 90s. There is so much great stuff going on here, great flows from 3 amazing rappers, and the tongue and cheek interludes and skits really feel like a part of the album, and don't at all interrupt the flow.

The first truly top tier album of this list I think! If you could tell me how it could be better at what it does then please tell me! Awesome influences, sampling, and bass-lines, with consistently great vocals on top. Game show skit to string it all together gives a reason to listen to it all in order! Favourite track: Tread Water

A true classic from one of hip hop's most legendary trios. Sunny energy, a good sense of humor, and just overall good vibes all around.

This could come out tomorrow and it would still feel ahead of the curve. The skits and “joke” songs aren’t even a real distraction here, because they’re actually funny and actually sound like a group having fun together making music. Easily one of the most important hip-hop albums ever, but who gives a shit about influence, because as music, it’s flawless and so relistenable, and has basically everything you could ever want from a hip-hop album. It’s just one of those records that instantly inspires me to play it all again as soon as it’s over. And this is debatably not even their best album!! De La got played in the history books by not having an easily available back catalog for most of their career, but god do they deserve the praise. Stone cold classic.