Interview excerpt , with Pos and Mase talking about how they conned Tip out of the beat for the title track
De La Soul reflect on their relationship with J Dilla and why the his tapes were treated as the holy grail among his peers and contemporaries.
www.okayplayer.com
02/08/23
How did you spot the beat for what would become “Stakes is High”?
Maseo: It was on one of his new tapes.
Posdnuos: Well, when it came to “Stakes is High,” we had already started working on the album, knew that was going to be the name. And we knew that we wanted a title track. So I looped up some record, I rhymed, and that was the start. But even then I was like, “No, I think this ain’t it.” And Dave was like, “Yeah, no, the rhyme is cool. The music is dope.” But we were like, “Nah, the music itself has to sound like the coming down of God, the Koran, Budda, everything.” It just had to sound like the end of days.
So, one day I’m at Q-Tip’s crib and he was like, “Yo, I just got a bunch of shyt from Dilla. You want to hear?” So he starts playing me every track. And every track that comes on is better than the last. But he will always be like, “Yo, what do you think of it?” I’m like, “Yeah, that’s dope.” He’s like, “Word yeah, I think this is something me and Phife could get on.” The next track would come on. “Yo, what do you think of this one?” And he’s looking at me. I’m like, “Dog, that’s crazy.” And he’s like, “Word yeah, I was thinking about maybe letting Ali see what he, blah, blah, blah.”
When “Stakes is High” came on. When them horns came I’m telling you, three seconds in I said, “I cannot tell Q-Tip this shyt is dope.” I started picking at it. He went to the next track, started playing it. I said, “That’s dope. Can I use your bathroom real quick?” I go in the bathroom, pull out my mobile phone, call Dave and was like, “Yo, it’s this fukking track Q-Tip just played for me from Jay Dee. It’s ‘Stakes is High.’ This is what we need.” He said, “Word, Merce.”
Sounds like you pulled off a heist. But also, that you were a trusted barometer to him.
Posdnuos: Well, Q-Tip has always been an amazing judge of a beat’s character. But at the same time, he’ll be the one to say, “Yo Merce, I’m not sure what we’re doing man. You heard that new Premier record? That new Snoop, that new Group Home?” And I’ll be looking at him like, “Q-Tip, they’re the same ones looking at you like, ‘Yo, you hear this shyt Tribe doing?'” Like ni**a, don’t doubt yourself!
Maseo: I think we were definitely used as the barometer up until the point everybody started having success that we didn’t have. Once people begin to have a success level you don’t have, you’re no longer that. But I think we were a barometer for a long time because obviously we came first. We also made some decisions that kind of helped take our career into a certain place business-wise. And we continued to make records our own way.
that this new guy had popped out of nowhere and had heat with The Pharcyde, Mad Skillz and Busta in a really short window. Then Summer '96 came. By Summer '97 - he was doing songs with Janet Jackson and it all made sense. 
