3 Feet High And Rising

Description

3 Feet High and Rising is the debut studio album by the trio De La Soul, released on March 3, 1989. It is the first of three collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would become the critical and commercial peak for both parties. Critically and commercially, the album is a success. It features the singles "Me Myself and I," "The Magic Number," "Buddy," and "Eye Know." The album's title comes from Johnny Cash's song "Five Feet High and Rising." It appears on Rolling Stone's 200 Essential Rock Records and The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. When Village Voice held its annual Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 1989, 3 Feet High and Rising was ranked #1. It was also listed on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Released amid the gangsta rap boom of 1989, which gravitated towards hardcore, confrontational, and violent lyrics, De La Soul's unique positive style made them an oddity from the first single, "Me, Myself and I." Their positivity led many observers to label them a "hippie" group, based on their declaration of "the D.A.I.S.Y. age" (Da. Inner. Soul. Yall). Artists as diverse as Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, and The Turtles, 3 Feet High and Rising is often seen as the stylistic beginning of 1990s alternative hip-hop (and especially jazz rap).