does anyone else prefer "Stakes Is High" to De La's first three classics?

[boogers]

first album on their own without prince paul, the production holds up

this album put mos def on, and early com makes an appearance

its generally a darker and weirder album which is why i like it i guess


3 feet high and rising - 8
de la soul is dead - 9
bahloone mindstate - 9
stakes is high - 10

just my two cents

 

[semicko82]

Nope
It's always been the first 3
Bahloone Mindstate is their best album IMO

 

[Ku$h Parker]

I was always De La Is Dead but after spinning Stakes Is High for the first time it definitely surpasses it l,especially knowing how the Climate of Rap was in 96-97

 

[boogers]

Nope
It's always been the first 3
Bahloone Mindstate is their best album IMO

you dont fw stakes is high at all? most seem to consider it a fourth classic from what ive heard/read

 

[The Intergalactic Koala]

Stakes is High is a really dope album, but the transition from a bunch of flower peace and harmony dudes, to facing the reality that the times are changing, to accepting reality just hits so different from Stakes is High.

That trilogy in itself is crazy.

 

[semicko82]

you dont fw stakes is high at all? most seem to consider it a fourth classic from what ive heard/read

It's cool but the first three albums are way better

 

[semicko82]

Stakes is High is a really dope album, but the transition from a bunch of flower peace and harmony dudes, to facing the reality that the times are changing, to accepting reality just hits so different from Stakes is High.

That trilogy in itself is crazy.

It's funny De La Soul had the same trajectory that ATCQ on their first 5 albums

First three albums- humorous, Native Tounge hippy vibe,

Fourth album- dark cynical album

Fifth album- the end of the peak and chasing after radio hits

 

[wizworld]

No, they went away from what made them special. A lot of the music on there sounds good but the concepts were less artsy, the rhymes were less witty and fun, etc.
Would they have made an album like this if they didn't have screwed up contracts? I wonder if they were somehow convinced that their bread wasn't right because "the culture of hip-hop was changing".

 

[semicko82]

No, they went away from what made them special. A lot of the music on there sounds good but the concepts were less artsy, the rhymes were less witty and fun, etc.
Would they have made an album like this if they didn't have screwed up contracts? I wonder if they were somehow convinced that their bread wasn't right because "the culture of hip-hop was changing".

It was ironic they were critiquing the culture at that time, but end up doing the exact type of music on their early 00s albums.

I love De La soul and they're hip-hop legends, but this is facts.

 

[Ziggiy]

I agree with OP

But i’ll say I didn’t listen to a lot of De La Soul in “real time” so the impact of those first albums don’t hold the same significance with me.

From a pure beats & rhymes perspective Stakes Is High is an INCREDIBLE piece of work front to back and a chronicling of the changing times within Hip Hop. I read an interview where the group was talking about how the album title was a reference to the label Tommy Boy being ready to drop them if this album didn’t sell better than Buhloone Mindstate, so they’re careers were in jeopardy.


Of all they’re albums I like all of them but I PREFER Stakes Is High.

The main criticism i hear about Stakes is “Bu bu but…its not FUN!!” So the fukk what? Life isn’t always about fun and as artists if they would have faked it like it was all good then it would have come off wack. They made an album from their hearts. I’ll take that over some Daisy shyt any day of the week

 

[Jigganaut]

I didn't like that hippie dippie shyt as a youngster. I didn't fukk with digable planets and shyt like that either.

 

[hex]

Subs. Got a lot to say on this.

Fred.

 

[hex]

As far as "Stakes Is High" being different than their first three albums:

"Buhloone Mindstate" was just too weird for the direction hip-hop was going in 1993. I personally always loved it.

By the time they recorded "Stakes Is High" they had some bitterness (which is why they're going at everyone on that album) because like you said, they were more or less told they had one more chance.

I remember reading an interview when "Stakes Is High" was being recorded and Pos actually had to talk to a psychiatrist, the failure of "Buhloone" and the stress of doing a follow up was almost too much to bear.

That didn't exactly inspire confidence in me, that the project would be good. They were under tremendous pressure to not fail.

Fast forward, I was killing time at the mall in 1996, picked up a Source mag, thumbed through it, came to the Hip-Hop Quotable section. It was for "Stakes Is High". This was like a month before the single dropped. Read the lyrics and it fukking blew my mind that Pos actually called himself getting Hip-Hop Quotable.

One of the craziest memories I have, music-wise, growing up. It was like watching an elaborate magic trick or something. Let alone Dave's lyrics. Regardless of how anyone felt about De La at that point, I knew they weren't going anywhere.

Fred.

They were essentially told "stop being weird or get dropped" which is why the album is so dark.

Fred.

 

[DANJ!]

I don't really get the "they went from hippies to this" angle in the thread, because even as early as the 2nd album, they had a song about how people got their ass whooped for mistaking them for "hippies" and happy harmless dudes. They were more like the chill type who'd rather not beef but were with the shyts if it came to that. The 2nd album in particular is a departure from the first, that's why it's called De La Soul is Dead and the cover is of a spilled over flower pot. The third album's whole premise is "it might blow up but it won't go pop" and beefing with their label's insistence on them making more crossover type music. Stakes Is High was more like the gradual arrival to frustration. Even on that album, though, there's not an overly dark theme surrounding it- they were still havin' fun in the videos and the music was still upbeat. They definitely had a lot to say regarding where rap was at the time but they had already been doing that. Even on the 2nd album, they had those skits with the guys dissing the album because it wasn't about guns or dancing. Stakes Is High was more "serious" in a sense but I don't see it as a dramatic departure from where they were already going.

 

[wizworld]

I agree with OP

But i’ll say I didn’t listen to a lot of De La Soul in “real time” so the impact of those first albums don’t hold the same significance with me.

From a pure beats & rhymes perspective Stakes Is High is an INCREDIBLE piece of work front to back and a chronicling of the changing times within Hip Hop. I read an interview where the group was talking about how the album title was a reference to the label Tommy Boy being ready to drop them if this album didn’t sell better than Buhloone Mindstate, so they’re careers were in jeopardy.


Of all they’re albums I like all of them but I PREFER Stakes Is High.

The main criticism i hear about Stakes is “Bu bu but…its not FUN!!” So the fukk what? Life isn’t always about fun and as artists if they would have faked it like it was all good then it would have come off wack. They made an album from their hearts. I’ll take that over some Daisy shyt any day of the week

Salute. I see your perspective but as someone who heard "Plug Tunin" as a child I couldn't fully accept the album. Their approach to every song became more standard but they were dissing people for being uncreative.

And being in NYC it didn't go with the times, the people that grew up on De La were kinda on the up and up. Piecing everything together I think it's fair to say their record label stole their money & made them point the finger at other people.

If De La, Tribe & Black Sheep were able to properly monetize of their huge cross cultural impact they wouldn't have changed their music.