Album Review: 3 Feet High and Rising
By: James Kelly
Legendary rap trio De La Soul’s catalog is finally coming to streaming services on March 3rd. For this momentous occasion, I think it’s the perfect time to go back and look at the group's debut album 3 Feet High and Rising.
Released in 1989 during the boom of gangsta rap, 3 Feet High and Rising shows a diversion from this norm at the time, being one of the first alternative hip-hop albums and pioneering jazz rap. This style went on to influence the likes of A Tribe Called Quest and Jungle Brothers during the 90s but still has influence today in the likes of Tyler, the Creator.
Hits like “Eye Know” and “Me, Myself, and I” show off some of this group’s genius sampling. With artists like Johnny Cash, Otis Redding, and Steely Dan being some of the 60-plus samples across the record, 3 Feet High and Rising is a revelation. The LP also shows off a semi-conceptual theme that was not seen before in the hip-hop community. The group used skits to introduce and lead the listener through the album, which would grow to become very popular in the 90s. These two concepts were relatively unprecedented at the time, but can now be seen in the early work of Kanye West and also most of Kendrick Lamar’s discography.
The album's oddity and novelty didn’t stop with the sampling and jazz influences, however, as the lyrics and the rhymes were also groundbreaking for the time. Instead of following the popular rap blueprint from the late eighties, which was based around violence and gangs, De La Soul rapped about more positive and random topics. “Potholes In My Lawn” is about living in the suburbs but still trying to be different and individualistic, while “The Magic Number'' is all about how there are three members of De La Soul and why it’s the magic number for success. This showed artists that they did not need to follow the norms of gangsta rap, but could truly create any form of hip-hop they wanted.
The trio’s production, lyrics, and overall themes of 3 Feet High and Rising shows how influential and progressive this record is. Critics have likened it to Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd and Sgt. Pepper by The Beatles because of its forward-thinkingness . The project was also included in Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time and was listed as ninth on their list of best albums of the 1980s.
So after a long wait, 3 Feet High and Rising has arrived on all streaming services, and everyone can (finally) easily access all the amazing elements it has to offer. The release of the LP also comes after the passing of Trugoy, one third of the trio. The re-release of this project, along with the rest of their discography, will cement his legacy and keep him alive through the ears of listeners, new and old.