Music Column: The Legendary Back Catalogue of De La Soul

That being said, I’m happy to present month two of the Voices playlist! Links to Spotify and Apple Music here and at the bottom of the page.

Now off of that and on to the Soul, De La that is… (Prince Paul, 1989)

If you’ve followed news in the music world in the past few months, or seen the new Spider-Man movie, you may have been introduced to Long Island hip-hop veterans De La Soul, who’ve seen little renown in the 21st century for their absence on streaming services.

De La have been in the news for two main reasons: one, their 1989 track “The Magic Number” was featured in the end credits scene of Spider-Man: No Way Home, and two, late in the summer of 2021, the trio announced that a new deal with music rights company Reservoir was struck to digitize their back catalogue, with a promise of a November digital platform release. As a matter of fact, I was originally going to write this article in November with the title “De La Soul - Streaming Soon?” but since then, there’s been no integration to streaming services. As such, the news companies like Rolling Stone and Variety are having a field day promoting the same article over and over: “The Rap Group You Haven’t Heard Of But Your Dad Loves and Why You Can’t Stream Them.”

While these articles have assisted in rekindling the fire of the public eye on De La, there’s a recurring theme of only telling half of the story, and for good reason. How can you talk about music that no one can access?

I’d like to do just that, but provide access to the legendary back catalogue of the group. This is the story of De La Soul’s first four albums, with links to download all referenced music here and at the end of the article. Scroll down now if you want to listen.

3 Feet High and Rising - 1989

De La Soul formed in 1988 in Amityville, Long Island, NY, as members Posdnous, Trugoy, and Maseo met at Amityville Memorial High. When they partnered with producer Prince Paul (at the time famous for his work with Stetsasonic) to release 3 Feet High and Rising, the group immediately saw success. Nerdy and new, filled with odd sounds, upbeat samples, and humorous rhymes, the album struck a chord with audiences nationwide, and for good reason. 3 Feet High and Rising is the group’s first masterpiece. While a long listen, full of skits and interludes customary for the time, the album contains many of De La’s gems. “The Magic Number” gives a first glimpse at Posdnous (Pos)’s rhyming skill and Trugoy (Dave/Dove)’s knack for singing, humorously describing why the group functions so well as a trio. “Buddy” marked the group’s first collaboration with their contemporaries, featuring the Jungle Brothers and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest. “Me Myself and I” is an anthemic song of individualism, and MC Maseo’s sampling of Steely Dan crafts one of the best hip-hop love songs ever written in “Eye Know.”

While this lighthearted album marked the most commercial success, it was only the beginning of what De La Soul would go on to create.

De La Soul Is Dead - 1991

Much of the success of 3 Feet High and Rising came from an affluent crowd of white Americans who preferred De La’s lighthearted rhymes and rhythms over the gangsta rap of the time. While De La Soul did believe their messages of peace, they weren’t hippies, and they weren’t going to be confined to that label that the white music industry had given to them. In retaliation, the group titled their second release De La Soul Is Dead, burying the image that had been thrust upon them. Another long listen with more of the same skits and interludes, De La’s sophomore album gets a little jazzier, and in some instances, more serious. The majority of the tracks remain lighthearted, while covering more serious topics than their precious release. “Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)” sees the group recording a clip for their answering machine, while rapping about unnecessary calls and fame in their verses, and samples The Whatnauts “Help Is On The Way” for a jam of a beat. “A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'” covers the joys of the freedom Saturdays bring. “Pease Porridge” discusses both a relaxing life eating the titular food and a life of carrying guns and avoiding trouble. “Keepin’ the Faith,” (one of my personal favorite De La tracks) is another masterclass in DJing and sampling (mixing Slave’s “Just A Touch Of Love,” Bob Marley’s “Could You Be Loved,” and Bob James’ “Sing of the Times”). But then, De La Soul gets really serious for the first time in their discography. “Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa” was the group’s slowest and hardest song yet, as Pos and Dave tell the story of Millie, a young girl beaten and sexually abused by her father. The story cuts off abruptly as Millie kills her father in a Macy’s as he works as Santa Claus.

Buhloone Mindstate - 1993

In a much shorter project, gone are the skits and gags. If “Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa” was any indicator, De La Soul were headed in a new direction. Poorly received at the time, yet phenomenal all the same, Buhloone Mindstate is the most artistic project by the group, and marks De La’s transition to musical adulthood. On this album, production is finally crystal clear, and Dave comes into his own, rapping in a heavier tone and singing with power. Pos starts to go absolutely crazy on the beat, beginning to solidify himself as a top MC. On Buhloone Mindset, De La Soul goes from telling stories to telling their stories. Harder songs like “En Focus” and “Ego Trippin’” see the group developing a boom-bap sound, in contrast with mellow tracks like “Eye Patch” and “Breakadawn.” They all sample elements of jazz, and De La has something to say on all of them, whether it be a gripe with the world or their experience with the evils of the music industry. Perhaps the group’s most personal song, the beautiful “I Am I Be” opens with humans telling their story in the I Am I Be format (“I am Shorty. I be 4’11”) and builds into equally revealing verses from Pos and Dave, the former rapping about his upbringing, children, and struggles, and the latter rapping about his writing, performing and artistry. Buhloone Mindstate is a truly human album, and an underappreciated work of art.

Stakes Is High - 1996

Both the best De La Soul album and one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, Stakes is High sees the group calling it exactly as it is, over and over. When releasing the album, stakes really were high for De La. In a career sense, their last two releases saw a negative trend in commercial success and engagement. In a broader sense, Stakes Is High was one of multiple releases in 1996 with a focus on the injustice plaguing the nation (along with albums such as Tribe’s Beats, Rhymes, and Life) in a year equal parts legendary and contentious for hip-hop. De La Soul are really firing on all cylinders here. Dave’s singing is a staple of the album, performing as the sole MC on “Itzsoweezee” and singing the hauntingly beautiful chorus on “Dog Eat Dog,” a song of dejection and the lows. Pos’s rapping on Stakes Is High solidifies him as one of the greatest MCs of all time. Mase’s beats are consistent and full, with his sampling talent on full display. Elegant features from 90s contemporaries Mos Def on “Big Brother Beat” and Common on “The Bizness” help create two more classics as the rappers trade off with the De La MCs, often going bar for bar or stanza for stanza. While all of this would already combine to make one incredible album, the final three songs are representative of the true strength of the album.“Pony Ride” featuring Truth Enola takes the listener on the rough ride of life, begging the world to “just stop taking me for a ride,” and ending with an interview with an interview in which a homeless man describes his deep depression and suicidal thoughts. The interview concludes with the man proclaiming that “stakes is high,” transitioning into the title track, where Pos and Dave spend five minutes dissecting the struggles facing African Americans nationwide. After such an exclamation mark on the end of an important album, De La Soul bring back Enola and conclude with the triumphant “Sunshine,” a glowing victory lap that calls back to the group’s early days of joy and humor in a song that really does sound like sunshine. Stakes Is High is masterful, and marked the end of a legendary era for the group, serving as an exclamation point on the back catalogue.

Download De La’s Music

I swear, this is 100% legal, since De La Soul released their entire catalogue for free download a few years ago, and since it isn’t for commercial use. If you do listen and enjoy, consider streaming De La’s projects that do exist on streaming services, like The Grind Date and And The Anonymous Nobody... (both great albums). Streaming royalties are a small contribution but it’s still a way to support the group!

To Download:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1spjJ_uY-F9ZF0tPOPfGFw5Y6YS613_2F?usp=sharing

Voices January Playlist

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5PsdKPeHzWfZHtxvxwozo4?si=sZTy7vktT5WEbpI_Fmm4xg&utm_source=copy-link

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/voices-january/pl.u-WabZv4jUep9kv15?ls