3 Feet High and Rising

It remains a peak of all hip hop, not just the alternative brand. It’s murky and creative and affirmative b/c it is engineered by thinking and is immensely enjoyable to listen to.

De La Soul would not be my first pick from the Native Tongues collective (which also included A Tribe Called Quest and Jungle Brothers), but this debut is the trio in all their "Daisy Age" regalia, and it was a little revolution in hip hop, kiddies. Not that you would necessarily perceive it that clearly decades after the fact. What's a little strange about De La Soul is that most of their subsequent albums during the nineties were probably as good as this one, and maybe even aged a little better. In all objectivity, *3 Feet High And Rising* shows the rappers' sound not exactly fully formed, contrary to *Stakes Is High*, for instance. Follow-up LP *De La Soul Is Dead*, from whom the exciting single version of "Ring Ring Ring" was extracted, also harbors a more interesting album concept at its heart (essentially killing the Daisy Age trend though a more sardonic view of the band's artistry). Besides, and like a lot of great hip hop albums, even the most legendary one, this debut is a little too long (even though this could be argued against *De La Soul Is Dead* as well). And sometimes, it even becomes difficult to separate the (native) tongue-in-cheek skits from the earnest cuts. Taken together, all those aspects *could* work against the idea of including the album in the list... BUT, and as said earlier, this record -- even if not as good as JB's *Down By The Forces Of Nature* or ATCQ's *The Low End Theory* -- was a small revolution in and by itself. Here were three young man breaking new ground in hip hop by refusing all the clichés associated with the genre, whether hardcore rap or commercial ditties. And of course, it's got some absolutely essential tracks: catchy "Me Myself and I", atmospheric real opener "The Magic Number", "Potholes In My Lawn", the smoooooth and jaw-dropping "Buddy" (featuring the Jungle Bros and Q-Tip from ATCQ), or "Eye Know", nicely sampling Otis Redding's whistling from "(Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay". As for the lyrics, they are sometimes so oblique and obfuscated they (unwittingly?) become high art. Like, it looks like said lyrics are firing on all cylinders, and yet the three boys had such idiosyncratic code words and imagery, it may become a whole surreal adventure to try to make sense of it all. I hesitated to give a 4/5 grade to this one. And then I listened to the goofy skit "Transmitting Live From Mars", shrewdly sampling language lessons recorded for cassette tapes (you got to be as old as I am to understand what I'm talking about here) : "Écoutez, "à midi" Quelle heure est-il? Il est midi C'est l'heure de déjeuner Qu'est-ce qu'il y a à manger? Des saucisses, sans doute Écoutez et répétez, "à midi" à midi à midi Quelle heure est-il? Quelle heure? Quelle heure Est-il? Est-il? Quelle heure est-il? Il est midi, midi, midi Il est midi Il est midi C'est l'heure de déjeuner C'est l'heure C'est l'heure de déjeuner De déjeuner C'est l'heure de déjeuner Qu'est-ce qu'il y a à manger? Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?" Only now do I remember how that skit made me roll on the floor with laughter at the time, so absurd it is. "What is there to eat?" "Probably sausages..." (inexplicably said with a very despondent tone of voice by the French woman on the tape). Yeah, as you've probably guessed, I'm French myself. And this fond memory gives me the extra half-point I needed to include this LP in my gallery. 😀 4.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 5 9.5/10 for more general purposes (5 + 4.5) Number of albums left to review: around a hundred, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 434 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 257 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 319

Amazing

Fav song: Buddy CLASSIC and ICONIC east coast hip hop for the soul (De La of course). One of my favourite genres of music of all time, and one of the all time greats, this De La Soul album has all the strengths that made hip hop in NYC so great in the late 80’s that would persist throughout the whole 90’s. Not taking itself too seriously at all, keeping its samples classy and having some bomb ass features from rappers lik le Q-Tip.. this album was never going to be anything but a 5 star from me. Added to my daily rotation of hip hop albums.

A classic that helps to define the sound and themes of a genre for years to come. Like a lot of hip hop records from the late ‘80s and ‘90s, it can feel a little bloated in places with 23 tracks and plenty of skits, but when it’s good it’s up there with the very best

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

Honestly banger album

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

One of my favorite albums

amazing

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.

Overall, a very good album. (Came back to this and upped it to a 5/5)

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

This is probably one of the easiest 5s for me. I loved this album when I heard it. The creative sampling on top of the fun energy and lyrics blend so well. And I'm a skit lover as well so I thought the game show was so great. I have the original album on vinyl and CD, and they had the proof of purchases in the albums that you could mail in to Tommy Boy too. This album being locked from streaming for years sucked but I'm so glad it's widely available and got represses.

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

A nice palate cleanser from all the gangsta rap. It's funny, silly and totally awesome. The production is incredible.

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 is great. Good beats and funny!

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.

I like Twizzlers and the alligator Bob, and my favorite drama movie is Bloodsucking Freaks, just like your mama

Such good fun.

This is a legendary album in a lot of ways, spoken of with such reverence by everyone who encountered it when it came out in 1989 and a bit of a holy grail album over all the years that it was widely unavailable. There was nothing else like it at the time it came out, and really nothing quite like it since. Whimsical, groovy and endlessly creative, with an artful use of sampling. It really cracked open the possibilities of what you can do with hip hop. Endlessly engaging and a true joy to listen to. Fave Songs: Me Myself and I, Eye Know, Say No Go, D.A.I.S.Y. Age, This Is a Recording 4 Living in a Fulltime Era (L.I.F.E.), Plug Tunin' (Last Chance to Comprehend), Buddy

Such a fun album. So entertaining. Really enjoyable.

Excellent. Joyful.

Impossibly cool.

One of the most original albums ever. Strickly dan stuckie.

One of hip-hop’s all time great debuts, joining the likes of Illmatic and Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City with vibrant production, tongue-twisting lyrics and an infectious sense of fun. And the best part is it’s FINALLY streaming!

Hip-Hop was the first truly Post-Modern Popular Music; it deconstructed what we understood, since Elvis (and before, really) what music WAS: Beats and Words. This upset people, particularly "Rock" People. What's more, it took existing recordings, and created sound collages. Sure, musicians had been quoting other artists forever. Modernism had established the rationale for quoting, elevating it to veneration of tradition. And Rock, the arty, self-conscious, child of Rock N Roll, is thoroughly Modernist, as was (and kinda still is) the critical apparatus that sought to describe it. There are rules, you know, and Hip-Hop didn't play that. While Modernists love ahistorical, transcendent meaning to their art, the Rock Modernists love the tradition and firm contexts with their hermetically sealed rock songs, and hip-hop ignored tradition, firm contexts, in their collages, grabbing from James Brown, Queen, Blondie, even each other, with gusto. Melody, schmelody, we got something to say. The tool of these collages, samples, we essentially free in the early days. You could borrow from anyone, without fear. And while there is certainly a conversation that could be had about the ethics of things, the money-go-round already decided that the owners of the master recordings, if they can't stop it, wanted a piece of it. Before Moloch boomed his heavy judgment on the industry, what emerged from HipHop was nothing short of astonishing, particularly with two master-classes in sampling as art: The Beastie Boy's Paul's Boutique, and Tribe Called Quest's Three Feet High and Rising. Neither of these albums could be made today, or would have a Marvel Blockbuster Budget if they were made. Gleefully sampling Classic Rock Gods, throwing these venerated musical utterances into a gumbo with film dialogue, news snippets, recorded skits, and the then ubiquitous James Brown samples, and you had something brand new. In Tribe's case, the ubiquitous samples were not James Brown so much as the kaleidescopic various releases of George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, providing a certain grooviness to the tracks, and really becoming not only the defining sound of the Native Tongue commune, but the next five years of Hip-Hop. Digital Underground came on the heels with Sex Packets, thick with Clinton-P-Funk Aquaboogie, and after, Dr. Dre built The Chronic on that rock. The influence of this album on popular music is incalculable, contrasting powerfully with the auto-tuned tales of bitches and money, "Dear God" hack confessionals, and minimalist, DJ free " beats", or the big money, legend in their own minds of Drake and the self-serious, self-parodic, Ye, with its freedom and abundant joy. These gents did not have time to beef; they were simply making some of the most vital music of this, or any era. They did not bite, they did not hack, they simply, for a while, were incapable of doing wrong. It is, perhaps, the judgment of Moloch, and his licensing demons, that kept this from streaming platforms and perhaps, allowed this gem to get overshadowed by the bullshit that passes for hip hop now. I loathe nostalgia, but I will gladly time machine my ass back to the Daisy Age.

A truly creative and unserious serious work of art, 3 Feet High and Rising is a diverse, absurdly funny mainstay in my daily rotation. “I could hold two pieces of doo-doo in my hand,” it’s “Delacratic.”

I was waiting for this one. One of my favorite albums. They play with the form in a way that delights and surprises on every listen. Unreserved, completely deserved 5 stars.

So freaking good.

I dont have long history with Rap and Hip Hop but was told this was a great album and so finally listening to it I can see why it is considered a classic. Has some great lyrics, mixed well, all around great album.

A piece of history from the glory days of sampling. Not a day goes by where I don’t quote this album. Usually it’s because I need a haircut.

THREE 🗣️🗣️🗣️THATS THE MAGIC NUMBER 🗣️🗣️🗣️ a genuinely amazing album all throughout its got some heater tracks, good humour, insane sample work what more could you want FAT 5/5

Usually Hip Hop is not my cup of tea but this record is great. Absolutely fun listening to and I really enjoyed it! What happened to that kind of music?!

Hip Hop is definitely not my thing. But this was really good. I loved the beats, the vintage feeling with vinyl crackling and I loved the flow of the lyrics. I had a really good time listening to this

The heart I was searching for on my last album was found here, a joyous and unique experience through late-80s hip hop. This was super a super fun time.

This took a few listens for me to vibe with. The first time I listened to it I just wasn't in the right head space and wasn't able to appreciate the lyrical complexity of De La Soul, nor how the humor contributes rather than detracts from the depth of the songs. I was so shocked by the positive reviews for this album that I had to give it a second listen on a later date, and that's where it really clicked. I'm glad I did cus this album absolutely slaps.

I didn't remember how many amazing samples were on this album, including Hall & Oates and Steely Dan. The flows are amazing, and while the skits are pretty bad, especially at this point, the songs are strong from beginning to end, and it is an absolute classic that set a precedent only a couple years after rappers were speaking half the speed and with 10% of the variety and poetry and content.

The first album I get is one that I’ve listened to dozens of times. It’s a stone cold classic for a reason. The sampling is inventive and clever. The wordplay between Pos and Tru is amazing. There’s tons more to say but it’s all been said before.

An all time great hip hop album

Delightful

It's a fun and creative album, breath of fresh air compared to more 'Gangster' hip hop which became popular later. 4.5/5

Love the straight up quirkiness of this album particularly on the production side, truly unique and possibly even risky in 1989 in a world where hip hop was still finding its feet to the masses. This album promotes a very different approach to a genre that has predominantly been taken seriously by artists from the start and to that end still holds a lot of relevance and influence today. Their style is brilliantly executed with a feature from Q tip being the cherry on top. A brilliant classic hip hop album that I will definitely listen to again!

They came to my school and played a show in 1997 and I've been a fan ever since. Still an amazing album that I listen to pretty regularly to this day. Bursting with great samples and just overall creativity. Also, the rare hip-hop record with genuinely funny skits. Bonus points for introducing me to the movie Bloodsucking Freaks.

Really entertaining set of catchy late-80's hip hop tunes. Definitely will revisit

Absolutely iconic. This album captures a moment in time so well.

YES!!

Really fun and great early rap album. Almost heads onto cheese, as this genre tends to do, but super fun. Love the interludes, love the intros and outros. Fun and great.

wow! wow! can't believe I never listened to this. it is awesome. stone cold classic.

Took hip hop into new and exciting territory and made it accessible for a whole new audience. Took risks with its skits and opening the album with a quiz but that helped the album to be more cohesive.

Another of my beloved classics. It's such a fun and funky record. I love all the doofy skits.

Hell yeah. It’s perfect.

Intro- N/A (sketch) The Magic Number- 5/5 Change in Speak- 4.7/5 Cool Breeze on the Rocks- N/A (sketch) Can U Keep a Secret- 5/5 Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)- 5/5 Ghetto Thang- 4.8/5 Transmitting Live From Mars- 4.6/5 Eye Know- 4.6/5 Take It Off- 4.8/5 A Little Bit of Soap- 3.7/5 Tread Water- 5/5 Potholes in My Lawn- 4.6/5 Say No Go- 5/5 Do as De La Does- 3.8/5 Plug Tunin' (Last Chance to Comprehend)- 4.4/5 De La Orgee- N/A (sketch) Buddy- 5/5 Description- 3.5/5 Me Myself and I- 4.6/5 This Is a Recording 4 Living in a Full Time Era (L.I.F.E.)- 4.7/5 I Can Do Anything (Delacratic)- 3/5 D.A.I.S.Y. Age- 4.8/5 Total- 4.6/5

Playful and uplifting, this is an unbridled expression of youthful goofiness and pure creativity combined with a pathbreaking flow and refined taste in the sampling/production. Soul, funk, jazz, country, psych all paired with simple drum-machine parts and scratching give this a party feel of sharing records and swapping verses, roasting each other, doing bits, telling stories, flirting. Somber spiritual moments about love and transcendence flip immediately into teasing each others' gear and BO. Swagger, joy, reflexivity, and unmatched cool - the whole Native Tongues indie Hip Hop thing had it all.

One of the best hip hop albums of all time by one of the best groups to do it. Super creative, fun, and groovy. The beats are genius with a lot of diverse samples and keep you want to dance or nod your head. The raps are clever and will keep a smile on your face, with some laughs. Rewards repeated listening, which this album has earned. I really can’t say enough positive things about this album - one of my all time favorites. Absolute classic.

favourite song: jenifa taught me this has been an all time favourite of mine for a while. its so much fun. youre a loser if you cant enjoy the skits.

Amazing, incredible, ground breaking album. I owned this when it came out. It’s still fresh sounding.

Excellent, excellent.

Absolute classic in hip hop and music. What De La has done with this record is left a profound impact on music for generations. Funky, fun, and inspiring. It never gets old.

This is just fun. 4.5/5

Really like it

Classic. Rap without all the play acting. A thick syrup of pure rhythm, melody and rhyme.

Classic forever.

Classic.

I love old school shit like this!!!!! personal top3 in no order: Ghetto Thang Buddy D.A.I.S.Y. AGE

Obviously a classic, easy 5

Tread wata

It is very Energizing!

The three F’s, fun, funny, and funky. This album has it all. The only problem is that it does drag a little towards the end, but that’s just an issue with albums from the late 80’s in general. I’m not sure whether or not to drop a point for that, because this is some seriously good shit otherwise, like a 4.5. Screw it

Classic.

Knew this album before.

First time listening to De La Soul - couldn't imagine how amazing it must have been hearing something so creative come out in 1989.

HELL YEAH THIS SHI FIRE

Solid

Pretty funky!

Love, love, love this album. It's fun, cheerful and extremely intellectual. One of my favorites!!!

Great record, still holds up. Production amazing, way ahead of its time sonically and lyrically

Classic Old School Hip hop with Samples GALORE!!!!

What a great fun easy going happy vibe. Faves: The Magic Number and Eye Know

Seemingly effortlessly cool, and all the more astonishing for being their debut! Gotta give them props for making the skits not interrupt the flow of things too badly, too. Fave track - I mean, "The Magic Number", obviously. "Eye Know" is great too...

Esse álbum faz rap parecer uma coisa muito divertida, literalmente me peguei dançando pela casa e rindo ouvindo esse álbum. Longe da vibe badass que a maioria dos rappers tentam passar.

One of my favourite albums. So great. So fun.

Fun, classic, hip hop album. 5/5

This was a lovely surprise. I'm not a fan of the genre, but these were GREAT. Thank you again for challenging my musical tastes

thank god for de la getting their masters back. genuine masterpiece of sampling. drums are so crisp, samples are fantastic & the energy is amazing. not to mention the lyrical chops. literally only downside is the skits but they're still kinda funny which is the best you can hope for. best tracks: the magic number, plug tunin, buddy

One of my favourite albums. It's everything I want from a hip hop record. Great beats, great samples, distinctive flows - most of all it is fun! Hip hop often takes itself waaaaay to seriously. 3ft is the absolute antithesis of all the gangster stuff that was literally getting people killed. It still sounds phenomenal as it approaches it's 35th anniversary. It's feels very organic and analogue which keeps it timeless. It's just such a positive force and I adore it.

Classic

Early 90's hip hop at it's best. I will listen to the album in it's entirety until I die

nice

this was so good. so fun. so funny.

This album should come with a hearing damage warning. That cheering at the start near burst my eardrums. Great album

An amazing debut album. Bringing fresh air to a style often too limited. Funny, emotional, exciting. The hip hop album to recommend to someone who don't like hip hop.

I had only really ever heard Me Myself and I. While I still think it is the best song on the album the rest is a super eclectic and interesting hip hop mix. Really cool sampling. Skits are weird but I know they became a rap staple. Really enjoyed it and then being prompted to read about its influence on the genre.

One of my favourite albums. Awesome

It was the 90s: every rap album needed an embarrassing “skit” where the artists had loud sex with like four women at once.

Greetings, girl, and welcome to my world of phrase I'm right up to bat It's a Daisy Age, and you're about to walk top-stage So wipe your Lottos on the mat Hip-hop love this is and don't mind when I quiz your involvements before the sun But clear your court cause this is a one-man sport And who's better for this than Plug One Now you don't have to worry about me squashin' other deals 'Cause they've already been squooshed Freeze a frame about moods the same which we can continue right behind the bush You'll stay with me Eye know this but not because of all my Earthly treasures Or regardless to the fact that I'm Posdnuos But because eye know I love you better My favorite movie is blood sucking freaks just like your mama. 5/5

Goofy, light, fun, and catchy. Innovative samples, entertaining skits, funky beats, several infective hits... it has a lot to offer. Stark contrast to harder forms of rap at the same time. A little long, and weaker and a bit tiring in the second half, but every track offers new creative ideas. Besides, we got a Q-Tip cameo.

This album is just funky fun. What an absolute joy.

Reminds me of my youth.

Own it

Loved this! Fantastic, funny, clever, entertaining. I can’t believe I hadn’t got round to listening to this before. Fave track: Three is the magic number

Have this on vinyl also

Great album, one of my favorite hip hop albums of all time!

This album is a blast. Early hip hop at its best. Quirky sampling, fun lyrics. I loved everything about it.

Amazing and hilarious

Tää on ihan megakova! Jotenkin ei ihan liian pitkä ja pelkkää rautaa! Saakelin väkevää tekstiä ja positiivinen asenne. Biititkään ei oo hullummat. Älykköräppiä! 5/5

5/5 great album with kick ass beats. It's a little long. But fantastic.

This album really is incredible. Like a living painting. Paul’s production is just relentless. I love it a lot.

this was excellent, so listenable, chilled out and doesn't sound dated at all

Never listened to too much Hip-Hop but this had me dancing the whole time.

The stitching skills to make all seamless👌👌👌

Fabulous and important album

Bonafide classic, outstanding

Like a familiar hug. Such a nice album. I think DeLa Soul are a group who have only improved with age, though. #####

...as it turns out, for this album, 5 is the magic number!

10/10 legendary hip hop album I absolutely adore this

Such great memories associated with this one personally. It’s a landmark album really.

Already listened to this before. It’s quality work but I have to be in a certain mood to enjoy it

Loved it. Great beats sample use and keeps you engaged.

Amazing

Puts the “Fun” back into “Funky”! As far as Hip-Hop goes at least. Thankfully it’s now out on streaming services and repressed on Vinyl so the masses can enjoy! Again!

i can't offer a real review because listening to the whole album reminds me of just how formative a document it was. a delicious stew of weirdness and hipness that showed that while you might care about being cool, true coolness came from self-confidence. a dramatic curtain pull on a possible future for hip-hop and sampling as art forms, it instead became the victim of being so successful as Art that Commerce demanded tribute, silencing most of De La's catalog for years and then only making it available in neutered form. RIP trugoy.

FINALLY. Now you can call this list 'A Few Albums You Must Hear Before You Die and 800 Other Albums'. This was my sister's tape and I took it one day and listened to it and it was all I wanted to listen to for months after. As with almost every other moment like this in my childhood, I didn't know anyone else who was listening to this which didn't make sense because this was the best. Still is. That said, the streaming version changed some samples and it drives me crazy. This album is completely soaked in samples, produced in a time when nobody knew what a sample clearance looked like. So they took that Eddie Murphy sample 'Anybody in the audience ever get hit by a car?' out of the end of The Magic Number and it changes the whole thing. I bet Eddie doesn't own that sample. Anyway - if you like this, seek out the original album. It's not a lot different, but the differences make a difference.

Ah De la Soul. The happy smiling voice grooves. They make hip hop sound SO much lighter than anyone I can think of right now... Of course it's more a private listen, as opposed to radio, so unless you had an album, you don't hear this much... Outside clubland, that is, and even then it was faster remixes.... A welcome shift in mood. And I so like the gentle pace. For grooving. And chilling hadn't noticed the whole thing was like a gentle hip hop Sesame Street ... It's explaining the basics. ... Life lessons and a big piss take. Like. Belong on the list .. yes but not sure it's their best album. Was it breakthrough? Like. 4-5/5

3 Feet High and Rising is my favourite hip hop album of all time, and probably in my top ten albums of all time. I reckon this was played at nearly every party I went to between 1990 and 1993. I bought it when it was pretty fresh out, and still play it today. It's funny and smart and silly and surprising and funky and playful and thoughtful. I hear something new every time I listen to it, and it always makes want to dance. So many great songs on here, and great hooks. This is one the late 80s sampling records that showed how the use of samples, recontextualizing moments of other records drawn from a diverse and eclectic collection, can gel into a new work of art that has something new to offer,. Sadly, the legal ramifications mean that it is hardly feasible to make records like this (or Paul's Boutique or A Nation of Millions) these days, and it kept this album from being readily available for a long time. Which is a damn shame, because this album is so great. It introduced the idea of skits on hip hop albums, which I generally find to be annoying blight, but I love this record so much that I will forgive the skits. I still play songs from this record when I'm DJing, and they always get people on the floor with a smile on their face. An absolute classic, five stars.

Favourite tracks: the magic number; eye know

Dope as all hell

This was exactly what hip-hop needed; child-like wonder replacing guns and bitches.

Top 5 all time album. Don't need to explain myself further. Got an 80s copy, so all the samples are correct! If you can find one, it's only minor differences from the version that finally made streaming. But it's worth it!

Quality. Liked how much it just seemed like a load of mates having fun.

This album was mega influential for good reason. This legendary album lives up to the hype and if you haven’t heard it yet you’ll want to get on er! Hip to the Hop to Top is my faves list.

The production on this is so specific to 1989/1990. It's a great, joyful album full of clever samples. Lots of fun, back when rap could be fun.

I bought this on vinyl when it first came out; no idea where it is now. Glad to see it finally on streaming services, even if they had to lose a few samples to allow it to happen. The skits have not aged as well as the music, but the music still earns its five stars.

Yes, this is the sort of Hip-Hop I love! This came out amid the explosion of gangsta rap in the late 80s, and it is such a massive contrast to the violent and confrontational direction that the genre was seemingly moving towards. The beats are great, the production is tight, the sampling is top-tier. It's just a fun, playful and totally listenable record, and it just seems like they all had a lot of fun putting this together. Favourite: The Magic Number

Definitely my favourite hip hop album of all time.

An absolute CLASSIC! I've somehow never given the whole album a listen before, and if this isn't a masterclass in album pacing and flow, I honestly don't know what is! Fantastic lyrics/flows throughout, fantastic production, and an extremely entertaining concept--deserves to go down as one of the most influential hip-hop records of all time! Favorite Tracks: The Magic Number, Eye Know, Take it Off, Buddy, D.A.I.S.Y. Age (the list goes on...)

I really liked this album! It felt like I was listening to a story in a really interesting way. You could tell everyone that had a hand in creating this album was insanely talented.

This album is awesome. So fun so happy it’s now on Spotify too

Incredible stuff. De La Soul was a blind spot for me and I loved this start to finish. Now looking for this on vinyl

It slaps

Brilliant

Too long and too many tracks, but those are the only flaws I can find. Near perfect and deserving of 5/5.

Love this - brings back memories and a good mood

"3 Feet High and Rising" is the debut album by Long Island, NY hip hop group De La Soul. The album title is based on a Johnny Cash song. The album was produced by Prince Paul with the music and lyrics trying to distance itself from the gansta rap very popular at the time. The music is put into the genres of art rap, progressive rap, jazz rap, pyschedelic hip hop and sampledelia and very influential in each of those. It has sample-heavy production with samples of funk, soul, doo-wop, pyschedelic rock and children's music and bizarre and surreal lyrics. Yeah, I had no idea what they were rapping about at times but it sounded good. The album was a critical and commercial success reaching #1 in the Billboard R&B Albums Chart and #24 in the Top 200. It was also added to The National Recording Registry in 2010 for its significance. The album begins with "Intro" which is essentially a comedic game show hip hop skit. This continues throughout in the background. De La Soul is credited with introducing the hip hop skit approach. "The Magic Number" is the first single. Just a drum beat and background noises and samples. The rapping sounds like it was done into a megaphone. The magic number is three like the number of members in De La Soul. "Eye Know" has some of the best sampling I've heard combining Steely Dan's "Peg" and the guitar and horns from a Mad Lads' song. An easy groove and a simple love and great song. "Plug Tunin'" was their debut single. You know you got the sampling down when you can combine James Brown, Liberace and The Invitations. I think they're commenting on hardcore rap. "Buddy" features the Jungle Brothers, Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest and Queen Latifah. Great samples of a Commodores' song and a 1981 Taana Gardner's disco song. Great rhyming. "Me Myself and I" is my favorite De La Soul song. A strong beat. It's funky, catchy. They lay heavy into the sampling of Funkadelic's "(Not Just) Knee Deep." The song reached #1 on the Billboard R&B Charts. The album ends with the same game show skit that it began with. I'm not sure which one of the four contestants won. There's no doubt that this is a great and influential album. Great rhyming and just outstanding sampling. It is long at 73 minutes and at times somewhat disjointed between songs. But, it is a very enjoyable listen and rightly placed in musical history.

Amazing early hip-hop album.

Wow, where do I begin? I'll start by saying that there are only maybe 10-20% of rap artists I love, and the rest I typically detest. I rarely feel middle ground about rap, but De La Soul may have been in that category...until now! Prior to this listen, I only knew "Me, Myself and I" which I really like. It never moved me enough to buy the album though, and that's pretty much how we found new music back when this released. My bad! A major note is that this had been unavailable for streaming until about 4 weeks ago. This was due to the numerous samples used and getting clearance for those samples. It unfortunately happened just weeks after founding member, Trugoy the Dove, passed away though. (I did some research while listening). This album is special in, not only are the samples used creatively mixed, but the lyrics are intelligently crafted and not in a superficial way. This is a completely positive vibe, much like DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince were. I enjoyed every moment of listening to this. I'm absolutely certain I'll be listening to this many times. I've already listened to a few of the songs 2 or 3 times! If you're an "I hate rap" person, you probably won't enjoy it. However, I would suggest you listen anyway because this might be the album to show you that not "all rap is terrible". You might even get a chuckle at a few of the songs! For me, I regret not listening sooner!

In 1989, along with Beastie Boys, these guys proved themselves as the vanguard of "alternative" approaching in hip hop context. They expanded the sound in every possible direction - sample(delia), "progressive" yet diverse musicality by trying to absorb all kind of popular black music (& probably music in general - De La Soul surely wanted to!). They also consciously moved away from aggressive macho/gangsta vibe, used the lyrics and sounds in an obviously more intellectual manner. If you want to know what's more about hip hop than "street" & "criminal" kind of content, this LP is the best to start with. Fav Track: Buddy (Ft Jungle Brothers & Q-Tip)

Rating: 10/10

Wat een lekker album zeg! Vrolijk, vette productie, en lekkere beats. De lol spat ervan af!

Crazy for daisies, captures it all. Classic hip hop album. (In my memory follow-up albums were stronger, but it is not true, this album is perfect as it is.)

sad but happy about this. some of the samples have been removed due to not having permission.

Pretty close to perfect.

Classic. Me myself and I.

It may have been pouring out my window today, but this put sunshine in my heart.

Fantastic Hip Hop in an alternative vein from its contemporaries. Of course, I think that these guys eventually make even better music later, but truly a great start.

Pretty fucking good and clearly influential. opened my mind to a whole new genre

Golden age. It’s a real shame that quantised and sterilised modern production will never allow this kind of hiphop to be made again.

hiphop classic

Classic!

Wasn’t able to listen to this exact album yet but will when it drops on Spotify. Their discography is amazing though and I can’t believe I’ve never checked these legends out before.

I've never listened to any De La Soul before, but this album was great. The rapping was awesome, some of the lyrics were humorous, and the sampling was out of this world. I was humming "Eye Know" to myself for several hours before I realized they sampled Steely Dan's "Peg" in it. To me, that shows that these guys are incredibly talented at making songs. To take a song that I know, and sample it in a way that makes it something entirely new is a remarkable skill. Also, Trugoy just died yesterday? What a wacky coincidence. I hope the man rests in peace, and I hope to get to listen to more De La Soul.

I purchased this album on it’s original release and I still have it on my regular playlist to this day. A total game changer for the hippie hip hop generation.

What fun! I like this a lot! I could only listen to half of the album on youtube, but what was there was great!

cool

Difficult to find (I found on soundcloud). Just absolutely outstanding. Playful, funny, inventive, beats and flow on point and lyricism is superb, but what really makes it is the range and quality of the sampling.

An absolute classic. Start to finish.

So bloody good. One of their best and one of of the best. 5 stars.

I know this is a good one. Love some De La Soul.

Wow this record was really ahead of its time. It really started the whole conscious/sample-heavy rap that would rise in the 90s. Packed with great tracks. Lots of cool samples. I also really appreciate how the tracks flow into each other. I’ve commonly heard this referred to as “The Sgt Pepper of Hip Hop”. Really fun listen overall.

Wrong disc! The missing album from NOEL REDDING https://open.spotify.com/album/3KfvJUJv7Y0NuacdyqidJ0?si=Tn97GoSmRf6dX8ZJAO8yqA

Excellent

so amazing

Landmark hiphop record. So much fun to listen to and the sampling is incredible. So glad this is available on streaming now.

Hugely influential. This was one of the first popular rap albums to not focus on life in the streets. It is a tour de force assemblage of sounds of all genres - there is soul, pop, rock, disco, country all weaved together. There will soon be others that attempt this - some successful (Paul's Boutique) and others not so much. A great work and an awesome debut.

Hard to find, brilliant

What a way to start a weekt and continue my lessons on hip hop (Also thank you to the ppl that put this album on YouTube); from the opening skit I was smiling and the vibe never went away. It was a joy through and through, and learning more about how innovating it was and the impact it had on the culture just made it all the more enjoyable. 5/5, recommending it to everyone.

It's a shame that this wasn't available on Spotify. It was always one of my favorite hip hop albums. I was able to find it all on YouTube. Great stuff!

This has got to be regarded as one of the best hip hop albums of all-time. It was like listening to a musical collage with great lyrics & vocals on top of bits of sampled a songs with creative instrumentation. Everything fit together beautifully by masters of music. Excellent album.

This is the first hip hop album that I truly liked from all of the ones I've had to listen during this challenge. So upbeat and groovy! Pity it's not on Spotify! Some weirder tracks on the second half of the album, but overall really good. Favourite tracks: The Magic Number, Change in Speak, Ghetto Thang, Tread Water, Me Myself and I, Plug Tunin

Eye know is such a great song, and in general the album is really good ! 4,5/5

Unable to stream this anywhere, unfortunately. Fortunately, I still have them on CD. This was the first rap album that I got to really listen to, when my older brother borrowed the tape from a friend. I had no idea music could be this eclectic, creative, playful and downright WEIRD. De La Soul definitely matured as artists, but they never lost their sense of humor or creativity. One thing that separates them from other hip hop acts is the variety of different flows/use of meter that they use. Every album features songs that use off-kilter rhyme schemes, and it all started here. There's precise iambic/trochaic delivery on Me Myself and I, a weird thesis statement at the beginning of each couplet on D.A.I.S.Y. Age, and delayed/echoing rhyme payoffs in Potholes in my lawn, just to name three.

Great album with top notch production and awesome beats throughout.

retro. loved it

Great stuff - never heard of it before.

It’s definitely a fun album that still feels modern even today. Too bad their music doesn’t stream so I can listen to it without YouTube audio compression

fun and vibey!!

While I did not grow up listening to this record I am still very familiar with the impact it had. I know many of the songs and this is a very solid record. A little fun, and little lite, some serious stuff on it as well. Very good record.

Awsome!

Goofy and light-hearted, the traditional hip-hop skit presented is funny and entertaining. Enjoyable to listen to and not too juvenile, which I saw some reviews mention (none of their jokes are really crude enough to warrant that). Everybody in the world has dandruff!

This was a fun one!

I had fun listening and I'm sure they had fun making this album. One or two tracks were a bit short or I didn't like but overall a good listen.

se nota que es de la época de deee-lite, ta divertido

Seems like a fun time

I would not have been into this when it first came out, but fun and catchy hearing it now.

5 palabras, increible de principio a fin

Great beats and production and overall an fun album to listen to. Biggest tragedy is that we don’t learn the answers to the 4 trivia questions. Likes: 3 is the Magic Number; Eye Know; Tread Water; Say No Go; Me Myself and I

Very good album. Love their jazzy and upbeat sound. (3 Is) The Magic Number is an amazing song, but Eye Know was also really good. The interludes were fun, but maybe the orgy one isnt the best to listen to in public. 7.2/10

Solid hip hop album. Front to back just good.

太好聽了

3 is the magic number, you know.

This is actually pretty good!

the energy in this is just so fun and playful.

love me an album that's not just random songs thrown together! yes fun story gametime baby!

Great album. I think if I had listened to it earlier than recently it would have had a bigger impact on me.

Solid, not better than quest tho

Nice inoffensive fun

It was a good one. I was bracing for the skits, but they weren't too bad. Solid album art too.

Steely Dan jumpscares: Track 9 - 0:43, 1:36, 2:36, 3:30

What if you goofed off with your class clown friends on a group project about some 10th-grade shit like The Great Gatsby or the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and it turned out incredible and changed the course of academia? It's taken me several listens over the years for this album to click, but I think it's what De La Soul did here with hip-hop. I love The Magic Number, Ghetto Thang, Eye Know, Say No Go, and Me Myself And I. There are definitely a few stinkers on this one, sure. But I think the wacky stuff that they did on 3 Feet High is part of the charm and flavor of De La Soul. It makes me nostalgic for the creative and chaotic energy you feel as a college-aged kid making stuff with your buds.

It took nearly 30 years for this album to get released because of the samples, and longer for me to get around to listening. That's a damn fucking shame. Yes, it's long; yes, it's a little immature in places. But these dudes were the true vanguard of hip-hop in 1989, pulling samples and beats into lyrics that were intensely relatable with healthy doses of humor. It's a party record that verges on avant-garde but every song could be a radio hit if you wanted. Really cool stuff.

Obviously has some amazing tracks but it drags a bit on a focused listen.

Maybe one or two too many doo-doo jokes, but a great album. Had my head bobbing the whole time.

The “old school hip hop” category confuses me. I like the overall sounds and themes and beats, but I am in the wrong musical generational niche to have nostalgia for it, so the actual rapping and skits always feel a little dated to me. And I don’t know the history well enough to be able to say “Okay X is so important because it led to Y” the way I could with someone like Buddy Holly. Anyway this might be more of a 3.5 to me, hard to say.

Skits never age well, skip em. Had this since i was young, first listen in a long time though. A few more mid tracks than I remember but fresher than a lot of the early hip hop on the list. 4 Heard before? Yes Owned: Yes, 86/330 (26%) Will I get: Already have

Peculiar. Bem feito, mas possui muitas excentricidades que vejo como defeitos, como uma faixa de 1 minuto só com gemidos e sons sexuais. Isso por si só já tira uma estrela inteira, nojeira. Muitas batidas boas e ótimos versos também, mas o álbum acima de tudo se destaca por sua personalidade errática, com diversos efeitos e interlúdios humorísticos. Nem sempre o resultado agrada, mas as canções mais típicas são imensamente satisfatórias, como Me Myself and I ou No Go. Situação complexa onde há no fundo um disco clássico e impecável, mas que está soterrado por detritos de estranheza musical, mas que se removidos, o álbum perderia totalmente seu caráter único. A conclusão é que, se você me disser que esse é seu álbum favorito eu totalmente entenderia, mas que eu prefiro só extrair as jóias e deixar a terra pra trás. 4/5

A joy to listen to. Reminds me of driving around in my old beat up Buick, listening to this on cassette. It certainly doesn't sound like hip-hop in the 2020s, but (to my ears) 3 Feet High has aged well because it's funky, funny, weird, uplifting, and really really creative.

Some fun tracks on this album. Love the “old school” hip hop sound.

Yeah that orgy track is getting a point deducted.

Very good

4/5

There is a place for all kinds oh hip hop but this is more like it for me. Mellow vibes, a wee bit of humour and not taking themselves too seriously, fun samples and not strident or hectoring. Of course it errs o. The long side but that almost goes without saying. A breath of fresh air. 3.75

Rap and hip-hop aren't broadly my usual style, but I expected I might like this. My favorite hip-hop album is I Wish My Brother George Was Here by Del tha Funkee Homosapien, so it's clear I'm not into the gangster subgenre. That applies to mafia films, too; I just can't relate to the romanticization of organized crime. It feels a bit strange, akin to women who become pen pals to imprisoned serial killers. 3 Feet High and Rising is as polar opposite to gangster as you can get. Despite enjoying it, I'm unsure how to properly judge this genre. In my naivety, the samples and production all sound great to me. It's all very funky with a strong groove that gets my head bobbing. There's a sense of humor and humility in the lyrics that makes you smile. My only criticism would be the game-show skits interspersed between some tracks. Given the album's length, those segments could have been trimmed to create a tighter runtime. I'm generally not into hip-hop, but when I am in the mood, I would definitely consider giving this one another listen. 4/5

Good flow. Very high, highs, some songs were really good. I liked the theme and what they did with the whole clean/ positive hip-hop vibe.

Just a fun album that doesn't sound like any other rap album out there.

toller hip hop - von damals, wo er noch gut war.

Me, myself, and I gave me a ton of nostalgia for the NCAA Football 13 soundtrack. Whole album was great, if a bit longer than I would prefer. Still, four stars for sure.

De La Soul are known to the general public primarily for their verses on Gorillaz's "Feel Good Inc." Not so many can name another song by them. And that's a shame, because their first album is literally a textbook example of sampling. Three twenty-somethings took their parents' old records and chopped up everything they could: melodies by Otis Redding, Steely Dan, and The Turtles are mixed with TV-show jingles and French advertising slogans. They didn't bother clearing copyright, so the album wasn't available on streaming services until 2023. The result is positive and pumping hip-hop, quite provocative for the time — back then, it was common to rap about social injustice and gunfights, but here we have some funny stuff, friendly banter... In short, De La Soul is like the Weezer of rap. A great album!

The Magic Number - 5/5 Change in Speak - 4.5/5 Can U Keep a Secret - 4/5 Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge) - 4.5/5 Ghetto Thang - 4.5/5 Transmitting Live From Mars - 3.5/5 Eye Know - 5/5 Take It Off - 3.5/5 A Little Bit of Soap - 3.5/5 Tread Water - 4.5/5 Potholes in My Lawn - 4.5/5 Say No Go - 4.5/5 Do as De La Does - 3.5/5 Plug Tunin' (Last Change to Comprehend) - 4.5/5 De La Orgee - 2.5/5 Buddy - 4.5/5 Description - 3.5/5 Me Myself and I - 5/5 This is a Recording 4 Living in a Full Time Era (L.I.F.E) - 4/5 I Can Do Anything (Delacratic) - 3.5/5 D.A.I.S.Y. Age - 4/5 These guys were really having fun making this and you can tell by listening to this. The main singles were all killer and the sampling/production was also top notch. I can blame this album now for introducing the skit thing that a lot of other hip-hop albums also did, even though it was as simple as a "game show" that really didn't go anywhere. Highs were high, rest was alright. Overall: 4/5 Favorites: The Magic Number, Eye Know, Me Myself and I

DeLaSoul is DeLaSoul. Wonderous trippy fun!

A good album and a really tight sound.