De La Soul is one of the most important groups in the foundation of hip-hop. Not only do they represent the power of a rap group but they also represent the power of lyricism. They were known for rapping over a plethora of unique samples. Most recently, the group has been in the news for both unfortunate and fortunate reasons. The unfortunate reason is one of their members, Trugoy The Dove, recently passed away at the age of 54. The fortunate reason is their first six albums will be available for streaming on March 3rd, 2023. This will be the 34th anniversary of their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising. Ahead of this historic day, we wanted to celebrate the biggest songs that have been able to make it to streaming up to this point.
Note: At the time of this writing, these are the songs with the highest streaming numbers. The songs are likely to change once their discography is added.
#10 Quiet Culture – Ibrahim Maalouf (feat. Pos of De La Soul)
This first entry is the most recent so naturally it has the lowest amount of streams out of this group. That is in no way a reflection of the quality of the song. Released in 2022, this one is a collaboration between Posdnuos and jazz trumpeter and pianist Ibrahim Maalouf. The track comes from Maalouf’s album which also features other notable artists.The first minute or so of the track is drumless as and we hear Pos flow over Maalouf’s trumpet and piano. Once the drums come in the song picks up and a children’s sounding choir assists with the song’s hook. Pos’ flow on the second verse features some flow switches and Maalouf’s trumpet takes a backseat of sorts. On this one we get three verses and each one is more motivational than the last as we get advice for getting through life.
#9 Eye Know
The samples in this song are all iconic and instantly recognizable for many. They all come together to create a pleasant atmosphere for the two MCs to rhyme over. Their smooth yet upbeat bouncy flows pair well with the melodies. This song is also iconic because of its music video and how it showcases the epitome of the image De La Soul had at the time. The brightly colored backgrounds and flower graphics lined up really well with the positive image they were presenting. The wholesomeness of the song itself added to this as it is a love song. Trugoy and Pos share their intentions for their lover and it may seem they are after the same woman. Referring to themselves as “Plug One” and “Plug Two”, they explain why they are better than other men the woman has met.
#8 The Magic Number
This is a track most people today are probably familiar with. It’s one of the biggest singles De La Soul ever had and this is due to a few reasons. One of course, is the sample of “Three is a Magic Number” from the series Schoolhouse Rock. Many of their listeners grew up watching this show and have a nostalgic connection to the original song. Fast forward to 2022 and Marvel fans heard it during the end credits of Spider-Man; No Way Home. Since there were three Spider-Men in that movie and there are three members of De La Soul, it just worked out perfectly. The joy of the song could now be shared with new generations and form a connection for the older one and the current one.
#7 Baby Got Work – Potatohead People (feat. Pos of De La Soul)
Potatohead People are a Canadian producer duo consisting of Nick Wisdom and AstroLogical. Producers are just as important as the rappers themselves especially in this day and time. On this track, Potatohead People give Pos a landscape of jazzy and electronic noises to flow over. Trugoy is absent from this one but Pos holds it down and represents the trio well. Pos’s rapping does not distract listeners from the production nor the reverse. They come together and enhance each other. Kapok provides some sung vocals for the hook that Pos has an equal contribution to. This is one of the most recent songs from De La Soul and fits in very well with their expansive discography. This track came out in 2020 and sounds modern while still keeping the spirit of traditional hip-hop alive.
#6 He Comes – (feat. Ghostface Killah)
De La Soul and Wu-Tang Clan are both giants in terms of 90s hip-hop representation, However, if you have heard a song from either group, you know how different they are. There is nothing wrong with this as it only makes this collaboration all the more important. Ghostface Killah hails from Wu-Tang clan and represented them well on this track. In fact, his bridge declares that this collaboration was inevitable because they’ve both been killing the game for so long. His verse is full of internal rhyme schemes and other word gymnastics. Posdnuos and Trugoy hold it down with solid verses too and the song’s sample serves as a brief but soulful hook between verses.
#5 Fallin’ – De La Soul and Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub is a Scottish alternative rock band. While there are multiple aspects of the golden age of hip-hop people often cite, one sticks undoubtedly: unexpected collaborations. These found hip-hop acts joining forces with someone from a completely different genre. The reasoning behind it ranges from wanting to experiment or sometimes for the sake of charity. In this case, the reason was the former. The song comes from the soundtrack for the 1993 movie Judgment Night whose tracklist consists of rock and metal bands collaborating with rappers. Trugoy and Posdnuos rap over a guitar and drums that are a little different from the breaks they are used to and the two of them still slow their flows down a little here. They certainly had fun with it as the last minute or so is just them laughing and goofing off in the booth.
#4 Much More – De La Soul (feat. Yummy)
This song is quite a big deal for two main reasons. The intro has a brief spoken contribution from DJ Premier. The song itself was produced by J Dilla. Both of these people are the epitome of the era De La Soul hails from. The song is an example of them coming together to showcase their roots in traditional hip-hop. The overall tone of the song lines up with this as it has a very triumphant atmosphere – a golden age atmosphere. Featured artist Yummy Bigham is on hook duty here and reinforces the vocal sample J Dilla used. Trugoy and Pos both assert their dominance over other rappers with Trugoy focusing on his mental ability and outlook being superior. Posdnuos closes his verse with some creative imagery about his skill on a mic which is a testament to their era of “rocking the mic”
#3 Drawn – (feat. Little Dragon)
The feature on this song is a testament to the power of generations working together. Little Dragon is a band from this generation and their listeners may be unfamiliar with an older group like De La Soul – and vice versa. Still, this song shows that these separate audiences can come together simply for the sake of enjoying good music. The gentle piano and Little Dragon’s lead singer Yukimi Nagano’s vocals are what is heard for most of the song. Other instruments drop in and out giving the song a unique feeling. The collaboration comes to the forefront in the song’s bridge where Nagano sings and Posdnuos raps a brief repeated two line piece followed by a verse. This verse offers a bit of vulnerable transparency that fits in well with the atmosphere of the song.
#2 Pain -(feat. Snoop Dogg)
This is a more recent track (2016) from their discography and has been on streaming since it was released. It was a single for their 9th album And The Anonymous Nobody…This one is in the chilled out jazzy lane the trio often finds themselves in. The song’s hook is sung by Lola Troy and has an upbeat motivational feeling to it. Both verses from Posdnuos and Trugoy capitalize on this theme through positive and uplifting verses. Posdnuos chooses to focus on universally uplifting content while Trugoy mentions some of the struggles of everyday life and being able to overcome them. Snoop Dogg’s feature has the same feeling to it as he uses word gymnastics to reflect his confidence and his relaxed flow fits the song excellently.
#1 Rock Ko. Cane Flow (feat. MF DOOM)
RIP MF DOOM. This song has a semi eerie tone to it due to the vocal sample loop. These background vocals sit between a simple piano melody that fits the eerie atmosphere. Production on this one comes from Jake One, a name many are very familiar with. MF DOOM’s feature includes two verses from him, one after Posdnuos’ first verse and one before his second verse. In a unique delivery decision, he speeds up his flow to match the drums at the conclusion of the verse. This switch up adds to the intrigue of the song and showcases his skill in syllable usage. The song has no hook and the verses come in one after another in a cypher-esque way. The effective simplicity of the production capitalizes on this feeling.
Is De La Soul one of your favorite golden age hip-hop groups? Are you excited to see their discography coming to streaming services? Let us know in the comments below.