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Soul Strut 100: # 30 - De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising

RAJRAJ tenacious local 7,783 Posts
edited March 2013 in The Soul Strut 100
I will slowly be unveiling the Top 100 Soul Strut Related Records as Voted by the Strutters Themselves.

# 30 - De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising



The list so far:

# 100 - Jr. and His Soulettes - Psychodelic Sounds
# 99 - Sir Joe Quarterman & Free Soul
# 98 - Donny Hathaway - S/T (1971)
# 97 - Bernard Wright - ???Nard
# 96 - Tom Scott - Honeysuckle Breeze
# 95 - People Under the Stairs - Question in the Form of an Answer
# 94 - Harlem River Drive
# 93 - Black Moon - Enta Da Stage
# 92 - Marvin Gaye - Here, My Dear
# 91 - Muddy Waters - Electric Mud
# 90 - Les McCann - Layers
# 89 - Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland
# 88 - Leroy Hutson - Hutson (1975)
# 87 - ESG - S/T (1981)
# 86 - Can - Tago Mago
# 85 - Bohannon - Stop & Go
# 84 - WILLIAM DEVAUGHN - Be Thankful For What You Got
# 83 - Power of Zeus - The Gospel According to Zeus
# 82 - Gang Starr - Hard To Earn
# 81 - The J.B.???s - Doing It to Death
# 80 - Parliament - Osmium
# 79 - McNeal & Niles - Thrust
# 78 - The Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Malik
# 77 - Earth, Wind, and Fire (1971)
# 76 - Dr. Dre - The Chronic
# 75 - Black Sabbath (1970)
# 74 - Trap Door / An International Psychedelic Mystery Mix (2006)
# 73 - Bob James - One
# 72 - Matthew Larkin Cassell - Pieces
# 71 - The Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau
# 70 - Big Bear - Doin??? Thangs
# 69 - Steely Dan - Aja
# 68 - Quasimoto - The Unseen
# 67 - Curtis Mayfield - Curtis/Live! (1971)
# 66 - Al Green - Im still in love with you
# 65 - The Beatnuts - Street Level
# 64 - Archie Whitewater - Archie Whitewater (1970)
# 63 - Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - Mecca & the Soul Brother
# 62 - Notorious B.I.G. - Ready to Die
# 61 - The J.B.???s - Food For Thought
# 60 - Don Blackman (1982)
# 59 - Niagara - (Tiddies)
# 58 - Can - Ege Bamyasi
# 57 - Whatnauts - On the Rocks
# 56 - The Mohawks - Champ
# 55 - McDonald and Giles (1971)
# 54 - Darondo - Let My People Go
# 53 - Dorothy Ashby - Afro Harping
# 52 - Beastie Boys - Paul???s Boutique
# 51 - Mulatu Astatke - Mulatu of Ethiopia
# 50 - Lyman Woodard Organization - Saturday Night Special
# 49 - Isaac Hayes - Hot Buttered Soul
# 48 - Lyn Collins - Think (About It)
# 47 - James Brown - In The Jungle Groove
# 46 - Bill Withers - Still Bill
# 45 - Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
# 44 - Silver Apples - S/T
# 43 - Mobb Deep - The Infamous
# 42 - Lyn Christopher (1973)
# 41 - Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson
# 40 - Gang Starr - Step in the Arena
# 39 - Diamond D - Stunts, Blunts, & Hip Hop
# 38 - Terry Callier - What Color is Love
# 37 - David Axelrod - Song of Innocence
# 36 - The Invaders - Spacing Out
# 35 - Leo Sayer - Endless Flight
# 34 - Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
# 33 - DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - Brainfreeze (Mix)
# 32 - Michael Jackson - Thriller
# 31 - DJ Shadow - Endtroducing

Please discuss your reactions to this record. The thread will be archived later here.

About


3 Feet High and Rising is the debut album from the American hip hop trio De La Soul, which was released in 1989.

The album marked the first of three full-length collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would become the critical and commercial peak of both parties. It is consistently placed on 'greatest albums' lists by noted music critics and publications.[1] Robert Christgau called the record "unlike any rap album you or anybody else has ever heard."[2] In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums..[3]

A critical, as well as commercial success, the album contains the well known singles, "Me Myself and I", "The Magic Number", "Buddy", and "Eye Know". On October 23, 2001, the album was re-issued along with an extra disc of B-side tracks, and alternative versions. The album's title was inspired by a line in the Johnny Cash song "Five Feet High and Rising." The album is discussed in detail by De La Soul in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique.[4] It was selected by the Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.[5]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_Feet_High_and_Rising

Related Threads

Tribe VS. De La

RANK THE ALBUMS OF THE HIP HOP HEAVYWEIGHTS

Wow, its been 20 years since first De La album

Media



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  Comments

  • DuderonomyDuderonomy Haut de la Garenne 7,794 Posts
    C'mon...

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    First time I listened to this album back in high school was a day all my friends thought my best friend's mom was going to seduce me. She drove a Firebird, regularly supplied her son and me with alcohol, and she was definitely hot stuff. Back when she would take my friend and me to and from driver's ed, I used to drool over her legs from the back seat of her car. Next thing I know she's telling both her son, then me that she had several sex dreams about me.

    So down the line a bit we're about to graduate, and she throws a daytime graduation party for her son. She got us a keg and we indulged and had ourselves a ball, to the point that our Cuban friend projectile vomited onto the hallway wall inside her house. So when it was time to bail and go over to another friend's house to go swimming in his backyard, it was decided that none of us "kids" could drive due to extreme drunkedness. So everybody piles into a few other cars, leaving dude's mom to drive me alone in my '77 Buick Regal.

    Everybody, including the son, thought it would be on like donkey kong. Problem for me was that dork me had a girlfriend that I was far too dedicated to, so I declined to ever take dude's mom up on what seemed to be an open offer. Of course other problem was that she was still married to her second husband who was a cop and dude seemed to have at least a little clue that his wife was one to stray. So anyway, I get to the pool party and have to disappoint everyone and tell them that nothing happened.

    And then something happened. My friend popped 3 Feet High and Rising into his boombox. Up to that point, I had heard the true corn known as Me, Myself, and I a half a billion times sandwiched in between Paula Abdul and Paul Carrack by way of unavoidable pop radio. And I had also seen the video for Buddy and actually liked that one quite a bit. But to hear the full album, with all its clever sampling and lyrical tomfoolery, that's what made it an afternoon to never forget. Well, that and the projectile vomit.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
  • tonyphronetonyphrone 1,500 Posts
    i saw this in junior high and it changed my life

  • SunfadeSunfade 799 Posts
    Came out 24 years ago yesterday.
  • asstroasstro 1,754 Posts
    I was a sophomore in college when this record came out. I bought the cassette one morning that spring of 89 and listened to it on my walkman as I walked to my apt from my AM classes. By the time the tape got to "Jenifa Taught Me" I remember having the hugest smile on my face, the sense of humor and the clever way they were using samples and all that just blew me away. I played that tape so much that spring, it was in constant rotation in my house.

    One of my roommates was a pretty traditional rock fan, way into the Dead and Traffic and 60's stuff like that, and he HATED the way De La sampled Steely Dan on "Eye Know". It infuriated him that they could "steal" a song from the Dan and call it their own, and we had massive arguments on the ethics of sampling and whatnot. Fast forward a few weeks and I keep finding my "3 Feet" tape in his stereo, or finding that he borrowed it to listen to in his car. The record ended up completely changing his musical tastes, to this day he's still a huge hip-hop fan, and I bet hasn't listened to "Dear Mr Fantasy" in many many years.

    I love this record.
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,475 Posts
    Speaking of sampling masterpieces...damn. This album, Nation of Millions,and Paul's Boutique are pretty much the holy trinity of that densely-layered, "hell, let's throw another sample in there!" style that was so amazing.
  • SunfadeSunfade 799 Posts
    DJ_Enki said:
    Speaking of sampling masterpieces...damn. This album, Nation of Millions,and Paul's Boutique are pretty much the holy trinity of that densely-layered, "hell, let's throw another sample in there!" style that was so amazing.

    Don't forget Mr.Hood.
  • SunfadeSunfade 799 Posts
    One of the standouts for me upon hearing it back in 8th grade is that I one time masterbated to "De La Orgy".
  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    ^^^Possibly the 2 worst consecutive posts in Strut history.
  • Da VinylmentalistDa Vinylmentalist 229 Posts
    Buhloone mindstate is better.
  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    asstro said:
    "Jenifa Taught Me"

    Had it on both record and cassette when it first came out. I was playing the tape in the car one time and my Dad stopped it halfway through this song and asked me to explain what the song was about it and why was I listening to it. Sigh. I can't even remember what I said but it got turned back on.


    We played the shit out of the tape in the caf at school.

    I am glad they re-issued a louder pressing for outside of the home plays.


    asstro said:
    I love this record.

    Yup. The start of a solid discography - I don't think De La Soul has one bad record.
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,475 Posts
    bassie said:
    I was playing the tape in the car one time and my Dad stopped it halfway through this song and asked me to explain what the song was about it and why was I listening to it. Sigh. I can't even remember what I said but it got turned back on.

    That reminds me: I was playing this tape in my room one time when my mom walked in to ask me a question. She happened to walk in right at the moment in "Say No Go" when Pos says, "The reason for this? The mother is a jerk." She was not amused.
  • DORDOR Two Ron Toe 9,905 Posts


    Remember getting the promo tape on this.


    I was given this picture disk.
  • hogginthefogghogginthefogg 6,098 Posts
    I'll add my name to the endless list of white men of a certain age whose lives were changed by this and Paul's Boutique. I wore out both albums, and they opened up a new world of blah blah blah.

    I haven't listened to either in years.

    Also: if this thread hits 20 pages, no one is topping Harvey's post.
  • badder_than_evilbadder_than_evil 951 Posts
    Crazy LP that in my opinion was totally different to anything else at the time.

    Ghetto Thang was my favourite for about the first two plays..

    One of those Records that can be played all the way through because no two tracks sound really alike and also
    one that for a long time you would hear new things contained within each time you played it.

    Over the years, different tracks stand out each time you play it too.
    Not one of those LP's that "sounded good at the time" - it still sounds good.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Such a huge game changer.

    Musically, the boundaries got stretched the fuck out.

    Lyrically they added an encryption that was hinted at before.

    Fashion wise they made it ok to breakout of the classic Hip Hop styles worn by most cats.
    And it wasnt as costume-y as Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force or when Melle Mel and them went "Punk".

    I never really put this album down, but around the late 90's/early 00s it seemed a bit dated. But ive reintegrated back into my diet.

    To me its the Native Tongue Holy Trinity, which every collectron should have.
    Straight Out The Jungle - Foundation
    3FtH&Rising; - Possibilities
    People Instinctive Travels... - Culmination

    I recall a early promo photo of them that hung in Calliope Studios sport in Classic B-Boy outfits lookin like StetaSonic and shit.
  • ketanketan Warmly booming riffs 3,180 Posts
    transcendent beauty...

    by the way, the Frank151 issue on De La was AMAZING... so many behind the scene's stories on this album with active participation from central figures. highly recommended if you're a nerd about them:

    http://www.frank151.com/book/chapter-37-de-la-soul.html
  • DJBombjackDJBombjack Miami 1,665 Posts
    Awesome LP and just a few months back I bought a fresh and minty copy, even though it's waaaaay too quiet.
    On the Harv tip, when I was 17 I tried playing 'Eye Know' to seduce a girl once. Yes, it worked.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Yeah i recall the wax being subpar interms of sound. 50 damn songs per side type shit.

    I cant imagine trying to spin that sht out trying to find the songs.

    Id rock the 12" Singles.
  • SunfadeSunfade 799 Posts
    Your telling me no one else beatoff to De La Orgy when there was no Swanks available?!!

    You sons
  • DawhudDawhud 213 Posts
    Bought this LP multiple times on pretty much every format. LP, CD (three times) and tape.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Are they the only Hip Hop artists to rock the hidden double track with the Brainwashed Follower joint?
  • SunfadeSunfade 799 Posts
    batmon said:
    Are they the only Hip Hop artists to rock the hidden double track with the Brainwashed Follower joint?

    The endless loop?
  • SunfadeSunfade 799 Posts
    What was the 12" they had with the endless loop at the end?
  • SIRUSSIRUS 2,554 Posts
    batmon said:
    Are they the only Hip Hop artists to rock the hidden double track with the Brainwashed Follower joint?

    i think so. although there could be a newfangled deluxe press of some new lp that i don't know about. people are going nuts with that shit. i think freeway is the OG of the new deluxe rap lps, bonus 45, etc.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Eggplant Xanadoo said:
    What was the 12" they had with the endless loop at the end?


    U talmbout Its A Demo....demo...demo...demo...demo...demo...demo.....demo....demo....demo.....
  • SunfadeSunfade 799 Posts
    batmon said:
    Eggplant Xanadoo said:
    What was the 12" they had with the endless loop at the end?


    U talmbout Its A Demo....demo...demo...demo...demo...demo...demo.....demo....demo....demo.....

    I thought de la had one?
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    3-sided 12" single
    The U.S. 12" single of "Me Myself and I" was released as a "3-sided single". Side 1 of the record plays like a normal record. Side 2 was mastered with "parallel grooves". Instead of one continuous groove, there are actually two different grooves on the record. Each time the listener plays the record, it may play something different than before. One groove would play two mixes of "Me Myself and I", while the other groove would play "Brain Washed Follower".
  • SunfadeSunfade 799 Posts
    batmon said:
    3-sided 12" single
    The U.S. 12" single of "Me Myself and I" was released as a "3-sided single". Side 1 of the record plays like a normal record. Side 2 was mastered with "parallel grooves". Instead of one continuous groove, there are actually two different grooves on the record. Each time the listener plays the record, it may play something different than before. One groove would play two mixes of "Me Myself and I", while the other groove would play "Brain Washed Follower".

    Yes
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