De La Soul announced on March 3, 2023, their whole discography will be accessible via all streaming services and digital shops. De La Soul’s catalog, which includes the albums 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000), and AOI: Bionix (2002), will be made available to fans on all streaming platforms for the first time ever (2001). The group will also issue limited edition vinyl, CDs, and cassettes through their label AOI and through Chrysalis Records as part of this historic release.
Posdnuos, Dave, and Maseo have formally secured possession of the rights to the master recordings through their new partnership with Reservoir and Chrysalis Records after decades of litigation for their in-demand back catalog. “It’s been 20 plus years overdue, but finally, we are here,” says DJ Maseo.
In the late 1980s, Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo formed De La Soul. By the early 1990s, the group had established itself as a distinctive collective, leveraging early hip-hop inspirations to propel the genre into its Golden Age and beyond. Their critically acclaimed debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was created by Grammy-winning hip-hop producer Prince Paul and released on March 3, 1989. The one-of-a-kind album was included to the National Recording Registry, a collection of audio files that the Library of Congress has considered “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important.” The group advanced hip-hop and showed the significance of a well-crafted album as a whole piece of art.
On this date in 1993, De La Soul dropped their third full-length studio album, Buhloone Mindstate.
The legendary Long Island Hip Hop trio known as De La Soul showed and proved that the third time was the charm when they released their Buhloone Mindstate album two years after their oxymoronic De La Soul Is Dead LP. Marketed and promoted by Tommy Boy Records for DSL’s third time around, Buhloone Mindstate flew pretty much under the radar but still managed to make 10th on comedian Chris Rock’s Top 25 hip-hop albums of all time as published by Rolling Stone magazine.
The most familiar single would be “Breakadawn,” which features the unforgettable samples from Michael Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It” and Smokey Robinson’s “Quiet Storm.” Even the late great Guru from Gangstarr appeared on “Patti Dooke,” making this project one of the most well-rounded LPs from the three Plugs.
Salute to Trugoy, Mace, and Posdnous for this classic project!
Despite The Notorious B.I.G. rapping “you never thought that hip-hop would take it his far” on his 1994 breakout single “Juicy,” even he might have been shocked to see just how far the genre has come since then if we were still around. After all, when he wrote that line, the genre had only been around for around twenty years, going by the widely accepted “birthday” of August 11, 1973. For much of that time, hip-hop was seen as a passing fad, a little like its immediate predecessor disco.
But here we are, coming up on hip-hop’s 50th anniversary. The culture and the music both look way different than they did when they started, even factoring in the 20-year fashion cycle. One thing that can’t be denied, though, is that hip-hop underwent some of its biggest stylistic evolutions and innovations during the ’90s when people finally began to realize that this “fad” might be here to stay. And while things have changed a lot, many of those innovations remain the bedrock upon which almost all future offshoots of hip-hop are based.
While there have been multiple generations born into a world where hip-hop has always been part of pop culture, those generations often find themselves at odds because as new fans are born every day — literally or figuratively — they often come into those discussions missing valuable context about the roots and history of the music both sides love so much. Rather than shooing these newcomers out the proverbial gates, why don’t we welcome them in?
Being a good citizen starts with a good education, and since it’s hard to know where to start with the hip-hop canon, we wanted to give the kids (and new hip-hop fans of all ages) a primer on some of the most groundbreaking and important rap albums of the ’90s. By no means is this list comprehensive or complete — that’d be borderline impossible without turning it into a book instead — but these albums have contributed to a canon that has turned out to be dynamic, inclusive, and at times borderline ridiculous. You might see some familiar favorites or even a few unexpected additions, but they all form part of hip-hop’s beloved and elaborate tapestry.
(P.S. In case it’s not immediately obvious, this list is in alphabetical order. Please don’t mistake this for a ranking and yell at me for putting MC Lyte “above” Tupac or something stupid like that.)
8Ball & MJG — Comin’ Out Hard
You might be surprised to see the 1993 debut album from the Memphis duo here, but one listen to the title track will almost certainly call to mind the groovy style still in use today by the likes of Curren$y, Denzel Curry, Joey Badass, Larry June, Le$, and more.
A Tribe Called Quest — Midnight Marauders
As the debate between which Tribe album, 1991’s Low End Theory or 1993’s Midnight Marauders, holds more weight in the Queens crew’s canon, there’s simply no denying that the latter saw them at the height of their powers, standing toe-to-toe with gigantic contemporaries as the standard-bearers for so-called “alternative hip-hop” on the radio and at MTV.
Black Star — Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are…
When you think of modern “conscious rap” today, nearly every practitioner of the form comes from the lineage of this culture defining album.
Da Brat — Funkdafied
She may have been a gender-flipped Snoop Dogg clone on her 1994 debut, but she was the first female solo rap act to receive a platinum certification, opening the door for the sisterhood to follow. She proved women could be commercially viable — and inadvertently opened the door for queer representation in hip-hop, even if it took 25 years for her to openly admit her sexuality.
De La Soul — Stakes Is High
De La Soul’s discography is one of the heartiest in hip-hop history — and the hardest to hear — but their 1996 album remains a high watermark as an exemplar of the then-burgeoning underground movement against hip-hop’s growing commercialism.
E-40 — In A Major Way
Aside from being one of hip-hop’s longest-tenured pioneers to retain a foothold on contemporary tastes, E-40 is also one of its foremost businessmen. He showed rappers how to grind independently without label backing; in addition, the stripped-down production of his early Bay Area projects has come to define the sound of many modern rising rappers, from Southern California to Detroit.
Freestyle Fellowship — Innercity Griots
The criminally overlooked Los Angeles collective might not be a household name, but their jazz-influenced, freeform take on the genre had a lasting impact on alternative rap, from their contemporaries like Pharcyde to modern-day descendants such as Kendrick Lamar. Their 1993 sophomore album took a quantum leap in innovation from their 1991 debut To Whom It May Concern…
Lauryn Hill — The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill
20 years later, the argument about whether Ms. Hill’s 1998 solo debut belongs in the rap category or the R&B one continues. But one thing is for certain: it’s the blueprint on which dozens of future stars’ albums are built.
Lil Kim — Hardcore
Let’s put it this way: If you like pretty much any female rapper in 2022, there’s a 99 percent chance there’s some Lil Kim in her stylistic DNA. From Nicki Minaj to Cardi B and all their flourishing progeny, Lil Kim is the godmother of them all, bringing unabashed sex appeal, unfiltered raunchiness, and high fashion sensibilities to gritty, mafioso-style rap. It all started here in 1997.
MC Lyte — Bad As I Wanna Be
Without MC Lyte, there wouldn’t be a Lauryn Hill — or a Rapsody, Blimes & Gab, or dozens of other flow-forward women in rap who earned the respect of the fellas while holding it down for the ladies.
Missy Elliott — Supa Dupa Fly
Futuristic, funky, and fun; Missy Elliott’s debut album brought a completely unique perspective to the rap world in 1997. It’s been discussed before but it can never be overstated: Hip-hop has never seen an artist like Missy and it might never do so again. Supa Dupa Fly reintroduced the world to the Virginia native’s golden pen and her industry-defining partnership with Timbaland.
Mobb Deep — The Infamous
Let’s say you really love the menacing, blunt street rap from acts like Griselda rappers Benny The Butcher and Mach-Hommy. You owe a debt to Mobb Deep’s 1995 sophomore release. Leaps and bounds beyond their ’93 debut Juvenile Hell, The Infamous practically created a subgenre in itself — one that remains darkly alluring to all kinds of hip-hop fans from the rugged ghettos depicted here to the desk jockeys bumping Freddie Gibbs in their Priuses before clocking in for a hard day of accounting.
Nas — Illmatic
Look, man. This album could never be considered overrated for the fact that Nas still has a career after I Am… and Nastradamus sheerly because hip-hop fans felt in their bones that he had the potential to match this. He hasn’t yet, but he’s gotten closer than he has in years thanks to Hit-Boy. Still, a gold standard debut that I’ve taken to using for anyone who overachieves their first time at anything (see also: Jordan Peele).
The Notorious B.I.G. — Ready To Die
Another pick so obvious, you almost want to skip it, but know you couldn’t, because there are some sacred cows you just leave alone. Origin of the above-mentioned awed line, Ready To Die is so meaningful perhaps mostly because it kicked off the so-called “jiggy era.” It had glitzy production, flashier presentation, and oh yeah, it pretty much gave Puff Daddy free license for the next 25+ years of shenanigans.
Outkast — Aquemini
Give Outkast credit for elevating (heh) so much three albums into their careers. In 1998, they could have rested on their laurels. ATLiens had reversed hip-hop’s view of Southern rap, set them apart from almost everything else out, and justified Andre 3000’s Source Awards declaration that “the Souf got sum to say.” Then, they went to another dimension, crafting a trippy, P-funk-inspired excursion beyond the boundaries of contemporary hip-hop sound. This is when Outkast really started to become Outkast.
The Roots — Things Fall Apart
I will admit some bias here; “You Got Me” was my favorite song when it came out in 1999, and completely changed my perspective of what hip-hop could be. Apparently, it did so for plenty of others, as well; “You Got Me” won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 2000, legitimizing alternative hip-hop in the eyes of the wider musical establishment once and for all. This one is 90 percent of the reason Questlove’s opinions hold so much weight.
Snoop Dogg — Doggystyle
In 1993, all eyes were on Snoop after his breakout appearance on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic two years before. He knocked it out of the park, becoming a nigh-ubiquitous figure in American pop culture seemingly overnight. What’s impressive is that his current persona is almost night and day with the rambunctious young adult who detailed his life of pimping, gangbanging, and being the biggest dog on the block.
Three 6 Mafia — Mystic Styles
You can’t listen to the Memphis group’s 1993 debut without instantly hearing so many of the musical elements that define modern rap: the trunk thump, the skittering snares, and the pitter-pat rap cadence that can be heard in the flows of artists from ASAP Rocky to Megan Thee Stallion — to say nothing of a swarm of the Mafia’s successors in the Memphis scene like Yo Gotti, Moneybagg Yo, Duke Deuce, and more.
Tupac — All Eyez On Me
“He runnin’ around like he ‘Pac.” When Kanye said that, he was referring to this 1996 version of Tupac Shakur (there are so many, after all): The swaggering, thugged-out, and increasingly paranoid superstar Tupac became between his release from prison and his fatal shooting seven months after the album’s release. Was its impact inflated a bit by that latter fact? The world may never know, but for a time, Tupac seemed invincible and this album is a huge part of the reason why — and why so many rappers still mimic ’96 Pac’s persona to this day.
UGK — Ridin’ Dirty
You just can’t talk about Southern hip-hop without talking about Houston. This 1996 album is a large part of the reason why. While the city had a flourishing hip-hop scene of its own before this, Ridin’ Dirty demonstrated just how influential that scene could be. Its impact reverberated through 2005’s Houston breakout, which in turn informed a last genre-wide infatuation with chopped and screwed beats. Arguably it all started here, with the duo’s best-selling album — a status it acquired with no official singles and minimal label promotion.
Wu-Tang Clan — Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
If you ever “Shimmy Shimmy Ya’d” or if your favorite rapper rhymes incessantly about anime, thank these guys for breaking down the door. They also set the precedent for massive super crews like Raider Klan, Beast Coast, Odd Future, and Brockhampton, created the blueprint for Kanye’s chipmunk-soul production style, and spawned a veritable family tree of acolytes, associates, imitators, and literal offspring that continues to expand throughout the world of hip-hop.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Last year, alt-rap pioneers De La Soul made their animated debut on Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans Go!, appearing as themselves to help the titular superhero team defeat a giant octopus monster. Over the course of the episode, it’s revealed that the Titans were actually huge fans of the group, so Beast Boy, Cyborg, Raven, Robin, and Starfire would be excited to learn that their rhyme heroes are set to make their return to the show in its upcoming eighth season, according to Cartoon Network’s Winner Take All panel at San Diego Comic-Con this past week.
In the previous De La Soul guest episode, Robin gave his fellow Titans — dressed as old-school rap figures, naturally — a lesson in music royalties, a moment that held special meaning for the guest stars, who had been fighting to disentangle themselves from their original 1989 recording contracts over the past few years. Ironically, superhero fans encountered the fallout of that struggle in late 2021, after falling in love with De La’s musical stylings in the credits sequence of Spider-Man: No Way Home only to discover that the song is unavailable on DSPs, along with the bulk of the trio’s catalog.
And while De La has finally gained control of their masters as of August 2021, they’ve still got to unravel a labyrinth of sample clearances to avoid any legal issues in bringing those albums to streaming. Until then, they’ll keep fighting the forces of evil, and perhaps even offer some new musical renditions alongside the Teen Titans when the episode airs during season eight, whose start date has yet to be announced.
On this day in Hip Hop history, De La Soul released their second album De La Soul is Dead.
Being one of the first albums to earned the coveted ‘Five Mics’ from The Source magazine, De La Soul Is Dead marked a change in direction for De La Soul. Although the title would suggest the end of the group as a whole, instead the meaning behind the album’s cryptic title is an allusion to the ‘death’ of this old style. Through this album, De La Soul began to separate themselves from their previous pseudo-1960 flower-child aesthetic that was set up by their popular debut. The title also represents the group’s separation from mainstream Hip Hop.
Regardless of the fact the group stuck to their skit heavy, storytelling structure, critics and charts were all but kind to this album. Unlike their uber-successful debut, De La Soul is Dead did not appear on any charts and was not recognized as a good album until years after it’s release. In the late 90s however, the album rose to critical acclaim when publications realized the impact the album had on the careers of De La Soul and Hip Hop as a whole. The album has been ranked by Rolling Stone, The Source, Pitchfork Media, and others as one of the greatest albums, regardless of genre, of the 1990s.
Following this album, De La Soul went on to be one of the most respected rap groups of their generation. The rebranding that came from De La Soul is dead allowed for De LA Soul to cross over as artists into the realm of respected artistry rather than a continuing their career riding the wave set by their debut.
On this day in 1989, the iconic trio De La Soul released an album that would change the course of Hip Hop forever. Off Tommy Boy Records, De La Soul’s debut album, 3 Feet High And Rising set the standard for what rap should (and would) sound like.
Along with producer Prince Paul, the group crafted a sonic landscape of sampled songs, sounds, and snippets unheard of before in Hip Hop. Where most producers sampled either James Brown or P-Funk, De La and producer Paul were borrowing from recordings by an unlikely host of artists usually not affiliated with hip-hop sampling like Johnny Cash, Hall and Oates, Otis Redding, The Turtles, and a French-language instructional record.
3 Feet High And Rising also introduced the “skit” concept, which is now almost too prevalent on rap albums. 3 Feet High And Rising also spawned hits and raps classics like Me, Myself And I, Potholes In My Lawn, Plug Tunin’, Buddy, Say No Go, The Magic Number and Eye No.
The album’s funky and dreamy 1960’s and 1970’s inspired attitude, coupled with the group’s concept of “The D.A.I.S.Y. Age, an acronym for “Da Inner Sound Y’all” caused people to inaccurately refer to the group as “hippies”.
The album’s diverse subject matter, which tackled things like poverty, individualism, drug abuse, love, materialism, commercialism and Hip Hop cliches, as spoken about on the track Take It Off, cause many to label it rap’s first intellectual album.
3 Feet High And Rising would also feature other members of the musical collective the group was a part of called The Native Tongues with guest appearances by A Tribe Called Quest, The Jungle Brothers, and Monie Love.
3 Feet And Rising is one of the most influential Hip Hop albums in music history.
De La Soul‘s streaming woes are well-documented at this point, but now that the crew has landed a soundtrack placement on the biggest movie of the year, new fans are finding themselves frustrated to learn that the pioneer trio’s catalog is unavailable on DSP. The crew’s 3 Feet High And Rising song “The Magic Number” appears over the end credits of Spider-Man: No Way Home, undoubtedly sending many of the film’s viewers to Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal only to discover that the only two De La Soul albums available are The Grind Date and The Anonymous Nobody.
And while both albums are worth several spins, most of De La’s most recognizable work comes from earlier in their career, when they were still under contract with Tommy Boy Entertainment. The trouble with streaming the albums stems from their extensive sample use; over the course of their six projects under Tommy Boy, the band used hundreds of samples of prior works — 3 Feet High And Rising contains 60 samples by itself. While Tommy Boy cleared most of those samples, the contracts only covered physical releases, the only method for releasing music through the ’80s and ’90s. With the advent of streaming, the label considers the albums open to a plethora of potential lawsuits and not worth the hassle of uploading.
The band themselves have offered to take on the intricate work of clearing all the samples backed by an army of volunteers who just want to be able to stream the albums they love, only to get rebutted by Tommy Boy. Earlier this year, De La Soul apparently won back their master recordings after Reservoir Media acquired Tommy Boy for around $100 million, but now comes the nitty-gritty work of actually clearing all those samples, which could take some time considering the age of the records and the labyrinthine nature of copyright law. While the appearance of “The Magic Number” on Spider-Man’s soundtrack could be a promising sign that at least the work has begun (the song mainly samples Bob Dorough’s “Three Is a Magic Number”), all those new fans will have to join the grizzled vets in waiting impatiently for that work to be completed to stream De La’s greatest hits.
Rap pioneers De La Soul are finally going to reach fans globally. The hip-hop group’s publicized battle to get their music catalog online has turned into a victory. De La Soul’s Finally Joining DSPs Era The group went onto Instagram Live to break the news to true day ones about partnering up with music rights […]
Legendary hip-hop trio De La Soul — Posdnuos, Trugoy and Maseo — have been locked in a battle with Tommy Boy Music for years to regain control of their masters. Now, according to Talib Kweli, it’s mission accomplished for The Plugs.
“After years of being taken advantage by the recording industry in the worst possible ways, De La Soul now owns all the rights to their masters and is in full control of the amazing music they have created,” Kweli wrote in an Instagram post over the weekend, writing that Maseo had confirmed the news. “Let’s salute Plugs 1, 2 and 3 for sticking to their guns and showing us that we can all beat the system if we come together as a community. Let’s hear it for black ownership of black art! Congratulations fellas.”
The news may not come as a huge surprise, since just two months ago, Reservoir Media acquired the Tommy Boy for close to $100 million. They also gained ownership of Tommy Boy’s catalog, which includes six De La Soul albums: 3 Feet High And Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), and Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000), and AOI: Bionix (2001). A spokesperson for Reservoir also confirmed that the new label ownership would mean that De La Soul’s catalog would at last come to streaming platforms. “We have already reached out to De La Soul and will work together to the bring the catalog and the music back to the fans,” a Reservoir rep told Variety.
As Uproxx’s Aaron Williams pointed out recently, the only two De La albums currently available to stream are 2004’s The Grind Date, released under Sanctuary Records, and their crowdfunded 2016 album And The Anonymous Nobody.
