3 FEET HIGH AND RISING/VINYLE COULEUR MAGENTA

Description

This record, or rather this landmark in 20th-century music history, hasn't aged a day. The Amityville trio invents a phenomenal number of things here: the skits, or interludes, that punctuate the songs, and which would become essential in the years to come, without ever matching this good humor (the Assimil French method, with "les saucisses" and the eternal "il est midi, c'est l'heure de déjeuner"!). But De La Soul also breaks free from beats borrowed from James Brown and funk, drawing instead from jazz, variety, pop, and a whole repertoire to create these joyful and finely crafted vignettes. "Magic Number," "Eye Know," "Say No Go," and especially "Me Myself And I" are hits of unfailing effectiveness. This album, with its fluorescent and flowery cover, is remarkably fluid; every second is inventive and makes you prick up your ears. The family spirit comes together on "Buddy" with Jungle Brothers and Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest, the core of the Native Tongue. A consensual masterpiece of rap, 3 Feet High and Rising is simply a record of joy and intelligence.