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Album

De La Soul

3 Feet High and Rising

Music videoDe La Soul - Me Myself and I (Official Music Video) [HD]

Music videos Official videos via YouTube

De La Soul - Me Myself and I (Official Music Video) [HD]
De La Soul - Me Myself and I (Official Music Video) [HD]
De La Soul - Eye Know (Official Music Video) [HD] ft. Otis Redding
De La Soul - Eye Know (Official Music Video) [HD] ft. Otis Redding
De La Soul - The Magic Number (Official Music Video)
De La Soul - The Magic Number (Official Music Video)
De La Soul - Me Myself and I (Official Music Video) [HD]
De La Soul - Me Myself and I (Official Music Video) [HD]
De La Soul - Say No Go (Official Music Video) [HD]
De La Soul - Say No Go (Official Music Video) [HD]
De La Soul - Potholes in My Lawn (Official Music Video) [HD]
De La Soul - Potholes in My Lawn (Official Music Video) [HD]

3 Feet High and Rising is the debut album by De La Soul, released in February 1989 by Tommy Boy Records and produced by Prince Paul with the group. Playful, colorful and packed with samples, it opened hip hop to new moods and made the Native Tongues a movement.

The story

Recorded at Calliope Studios in New York City and Island Media in West Babylon, the album produced a run of singles including “Me Myself and I,” “Eye Know,” “The Magic Number,” “Buddy” and “Potholes in My Lawn.” For decades, sample clearance problems kept it off streaming and digital stores; it finally arrived there on March 3, 2023.

Sound and production

Prince Paul and the trio pulled from pop, soul, jazz and children’s records, stitching the tracks together with comedic skits. It is often called the first psychedelic hip hop album, and it is widely credited with making skits a standard part of rap albums.

Charts and certifications

3 Feet High and Rising peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and it is certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Legacy

It topped the Village Voice’s 1989 Pazz & Jop critics’ poll, was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2010, and ranks No. 103 on Rolling Stone’s 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums.

Tracklist & credits

Produced by De La Soul, Prince Paul, Danté Ross

  1. A1
    Intro
    1:41
  2. A2
    The Magic Number
    3:14
  3. A3
    Change In Speak
    2:32
  4. A4
    Cool Breeze On The Rocks
    0:37
  5. A5
    Can U Keep A Secret
    1:40
  6. A6
    Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)
    3:23
  7. A7
    Ghetto Thang
    3:34
  8. A8
    Transmitting Live From Mars
    1:11
  9. A9
    Eye Know
    4:12
  10. A10
    Take It Off
    1:52
  11. A11
    A Little Bit Of Soap
    0:49
  12. A12
    Tread Water
    3:44
  13. A13
    Potholes In My Lawn
    3:47
  14. B1
    Say No Go
    4:19
  15. B2
    Do As De La Does
    2:06
  16. B3
    Plug Tunin' (Last Chance To Comprehend)
    4:06
  17. B4
    De La Orgee
    1:12
  18. B5
    Buddy
    4:54
  19. B6
    Description
    1:30
  20. B7
    Me Myself And I
    3:40
  21. B8
    This Is A Recording 4 Living In A Full Time Era (L.I.F.E.)
    3:09
  22. B9
    I Can Do Anything (Delacratic)
    0:40
  23. B10
    D.A.I.S.Y. Age
    3:55

Tracklist and producer credits: Discogs. Gear credits: Breakbeat Archive, sourced on each credit.

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