3 FEET HIGH AND RISING/REEDITION VERSION VERTE

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: skits, or interludes, that punctuate the songs, and which would become essential in the coming years, never quite 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 joyous and finely crafted sketches. "Magic Number," "Eye Know," "Say No Go," and especially "Me Myself And I" are hits whose effectiveness has never been called into question. This album, with its fluorescent and flowery cover, flows exemplarily; 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.