3 Feet High And Rising - De La Soul

...time of the release of 3 Feet High And Rising. This is De La Soul's brief response to that style, done with humour and biting wit.

**16. Plug Tunin' (Last Chance To Comprehend)**
This is the b-side to Jenifa (Taught Me) and sadly has not stood the test of time. One of the couple of weak links that I cite in my rating.

**17. De La Orgee**
Pointless skit involving a syncopated drum beat and lots of groaning. ...
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**18. Buddy**
De La Soul weren't stupid. If they were going to create a new movement in music, they weren't going to do it on their own as a trio, they needed some allies to fight back against the anticipated backlash from the "traditional" rap fraternity. So they recruited some like-minded artists and formed a sub-group called the Native Tongues whose interest lay with black history and integration. Hence this mid-tempo ... more

In 1989 rap music was suffering a mini-crisis. It was running out of ideas. For five years rappers had bragged about themselves on record, like LL Cool J:

-no rapper can rap quite like I can
-I take a musclebound man and shove his face in the sand

or Big Daddy Kane:

-lay off the scenery
-I’m slick with supremacy
-better than Cool J, Doug E Fresh or Public Enemy

Then along came NWA who singled-handedly invented gangsta rap with such karaoke favourites as Fuck Tha Police, A Bitch Iz A Bitch and Dopeman that included lines such as:

-a nigga like me is on the warpath
-and when I’ve finished there’s gonna be a bloodbath
-of cops dying in LA
-yo Dre I’ve got something to say

But for some, me included, this was taking rap music in the wrong direction. There needed to be something new, some fresh angle or take on rap music to counteract the aggressive and stale nature of the genre. Then, out of the blue, came three history students from Long Island, New York who decided that rap needn’t be confrontational or self-obsessed or inaccessible to most people. They were rappers Posdnous, Trugoy and their DJ and crate-digger Mace. Together they were De La Soul and they transformed people’s perception of the whole rap culture.

So what's Three Feet High And Rising? Well, it rap music's first concept album with the common denominator, the thread, being built around a fictional gameshow with ridiculously easy questions that remain largely unanswered. I've always thought that this aspect of the album was having a bit of a dig at those rappers who are quick to use expletives instead of a witty put-down.

And 23 tracks later, the whole whirlwind of samples and beats and intelligent rapping and skits comes to an abrupt halt like a sonic rollercoaster. But what a journey it is. Buckle up!

**1. Intro**
Silly little "skit" that kicks of the concept of the gameshow mentioned above. Complete with glitzy prime time TV music and a gold microphone wielding presenter, one contestant calls upon his cousin Nate to help him answer his easy question. Like the stupid questions they ask on GMTV applied to CD.

**2. Magic Number**
Still used for little television trailers even now, this simple song with it’s “three: that’s the magic number” chorus and fabulously murky beats and singsong rapping still sounds fresh and vibrant today. This instant classic was, remarkably, the fourth single lifted from the album in January 1990. If it was released sooner, before fans had bought the album, it would have peaked higher than the number seven it achieved.

**3. Change In Speak**
Accentuated by a constant soulful grunt and a six-note trumpet riff throughout, this short track compliments Magic Number well and is a sensible step forward on the album. At the end, we hear some manic DJ scratching that segues into….

**4. Cool Breeze On The Rocks**
This track, clocking in at under a minute is the perfect chance for Mixmaster Mace to show off his DJ-ing skills. Taking vocal samples from tracks by artists as diverse as Run DMC and Michael Jackson, as long as the sample mentions the word “rock”, it’s included here to create an aural collage that melds together nicely. More of a vanity track than anything else, but still very clever.

**5. Can U Keep A Secret**
Silly little track over an uptempo bongo beat that features the members of the band whispering innocent, secretive facts about their fellow bandmates. As daft as it is unnecessary. The beat is fab though, and that’s the point with this album: for every weak idea, there are two great ideas to counter it.

**6. Jenifa (Taught Me)**
Their debut single, released at the end of 1988, that failed to get anywhere in the charts and is much sought after these days as a collectors item. Mace takes the “woo-yeah” vocal sample that appeared on every dance and rap track in those days and, using superior mixing skills, twists it into an unrecognisable sound. The beat comes fast and furious on this humorous tale of losing one’s virginity. Jenifa sounds great.

**7. Ghetto Thang**
The tempo slows for only the third proper song on the album so far. Another single release – in the summer of 1989 – and another top twenty hit for the band. I mentioned earlier, the need for a rap group to steer away from aggression and self-indulgence and with this stinging and witty ode to the problems of inner cities the world over. “Mary had a little lamb/That’s a fib/She had two kids, though, a one crib”. A huge problem, simply addressed.

**8. Transmitting Live From Mars**
Pointless little skit that detracts from the true quality of this album. Ecoute.

**9. Eye Know**
With the plundering of the 1960’s soul and rhythm ‘n’ blues vaults by the rap acts in the 1980s, it’s a wonder it took so long to steal the whistley bit from Otis Redding’s Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay and turn it into the main melody of a song. That’s what De La Soul have done here brilliantly on this bittersweet love song. It is little strokes of inspiration like this that give this album it’s enduring appeal 16 years on.

**10. Take It Off**
Another short track, once again criticising the whole rap culture of the 1980s. “Take those gold chains off/Take those sneakers off”, they plead over a repetitive, dated beat. An anti-uniform song if you like. This segues intro the hygiene-conscious….

**11. A Little Bit Of Soap**
…in which the sing song rhyming style of Magic Number reappears in a concerted plea for more people to take more care of their personal hygiene more often. The beat reminds me of that struck-match beat from Ben E King’s Stand By Me and as such adds a little bit of quality to a song of questionable sentiment.

**12. Tread Water**
A lot of people dismissed De La Soul as hippies when they first arrived on the scene. Sure, they shied away from the limelight, refused to follow rap’s uniform of gold chains and gold teeth and wore leather medallions with African maps and CND logos on them. Then they recorded this track: a song in which they talk to various animals and get their views of an ever-changing world. “I was walking on the water when I saw a crocodile/he had daisies in his hat so I stopped him for a while”. Aside from the new age mumbo jumbo, the lyrics are rather astute and the shuffling beat and distinct bassline make this a treat.

**13. Potholes In My Lawn**
"I've got potholes in my lawn", raps Trugoy on this song about the sheer monotony of white, suburban life. Comparing the ghetto lifestyles of it's largely black residents to the seemingly minute daily problems faced by their white, suburban counterparts, this is another piece of social commentary that you can dance to.

**14. Say No Go**
And so as this month sees the release of that United Nations dance track called Out Of Touch, here we find another Darryl Hall And John Oates track pillaged for creative gain. This time it's their blue eyed soul classic I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) cut up to superb effect by Mace on this tale of teenage junkies getting pregnant. Still more social awareeness, then, but all the more richly satisfying for it.

**15. Do As De La Does**
Remember Fatman Scoop's Be Faithful track from last year? Well the "call and answer" rap style originated in the 80s and was rife around the time of the release of 3 Feet High And Rising. This is De La Soul's brief response to that style, done with humour and biting wit.

**16. Plug Tunin' (Last Chance To Comprehend)**
This is the b-side to Jenifa (Taught Me) and sadly has not stood the test of time. One of the couple of weak links that I cite in my rating.

**17. De La Orgee**
Pointless skit involving a syncopated drum beat and lots of groaning. Bit like Karenes' house on a Friday night, then.

**18. Buddy**
De La Soul weren't stupid. If they were going to create a new movement in music, they weren't going to do it on their own as a trio, they needed some allies to fight back against the anticipated backlash from the "traditional" rap fraternity. So they recruited some like-minded artists and formed a sub-group called the Native Tongues whose interest lay with black history and integration. Hence this mid-tempo track features the Jungle Brothers ("What U Waitin 4?"), Monie Love ("Grandpa's Party"), Queen Latifah ("Mama Gave Birth To The Soul Children") and A Tribe Called Quest ("Can I Kick It?"). Needless to say the ensuing six minutes features many voices wwith many opinions. Not bad for a song about willies.

**19. Description**
Skit. A bit dull with some nice background flourishes.

**20. Me Myself And I**
Their first hit in the spring of 1989 was this George Clinton-sampling track. The keyboard riff and bassline are stolen from him and the rapping is ever so simple but very, very infectious. I saw this video on VH1 on New Year's Eve and we hooked up the stereo to the TV and this made our night. Choon!

**21. This Is A Recording 4 Living In A Fulltime Era (LIFE)**
The only full-length track on the album that actually drags. A bit boring as the whole De La Soul message starts to slightly grate.

**22. I Can Do Anything (Delacratic)**
and
**23. DAISY Age**

And so to the last two tracks that really highlight De La Soul's philosophy back in 1989. I Can Do Anything is a call to arms to all the people with low self esteem and little respect for their potential, and D.A.I.S.Y Age (da Inner Sound, Y'All) is a goodtime, old time party tune the likes of which kid N Play used to bash out befreo they became shit.

And there you have it.

Overall, the album is an absolute classic, noteworthy for the music as m uch as the incisive lyrics, which is a rare thing for a rap album. After Three Feet.....they released the just as good De La Soul Is Dead album featuring Another Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays" and Keepin' The Faith, both of which were a slight move towards the pop audience they quite obviously craved on this album.

Three Feet High And Rising is the rarest of rap albums. It features no swearing, fabulous humour, superior intellect and a wealth of revolutionary (for 1989!) ideas. They would never achieve the success of this album ever again.

Brilliant.

They influenced:
Definition Of Sound
PM Dawn
Digable Planets
Dilated Peoples
Black Eyed Peas

Thanks for reading.

Wayne

 

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