A year ago to the day (March 3), De La Soul’s back catalog was released on streaming platforms across the internet. After decades of going back and forth with the record label Tommy Boy, who acquired the full masters from Warner and wanted to give the trio only 10% of the revenue, De La gained control of the masters in 2021. Tommy Boy would be purchased by the music rights company Reservoir, who would go on to release the trio’s discography across the internet and hip-hop fans rejoiced across the world. The fact that some of De La’s most important work stayed relevant despite its absence from the internet is a statement to the music itself. De La changed the game with the release of their 1989 debut 3 Feet High and Rising and 35 years later, its impact is still astronomical.
De La Soul is amid a second wind of their career. Since their colorful discography, brimming with danceable grooves and stellar rhyme schemes hit the internet, the group seems to be more popular than ever. In a true fairy tale ending, De La feels like it is finally getting the praise it truly deserves. Today marks the 35th anniversary of De La’s seminal debut and whether you were around in 1989 to witness its initial impact or you caught on later through loose YouTube videos and now the full album, the magic is still the same. 3 Feet High and Rising is quoted by just about everyone as one of the most important albums of their lives, everything from Prince Paul’s cartoonish arrangements and sleek DJing to the comedic sketches that tie everything together, De La’s debut is as close to perfection as an album can get.
Timelessness is one of the most difficult things to achieve in music. Some albums have won awards and sold millions of copies that don’t carry the same legacy as 3 Feet High and Rising. The album introduced the world of hip-hop to the psychedelic flows and bouncy cadence of Posdnuos, Maseo, and Trugoy The Dove. Sadly, Trugoy passed just weeks before this De La boom we’re in now, Pos, Maseo, and The Roots put on a beautiful performance on The Tonight Show with a touching dedication to the lost De La member.
3 Feet High and Rising has aged like wine, and the music speaks for itself. A blogger or writer could go on and on about the influence the album continues to project or the intricacies of the songwriting, there are countless things about this album that could be spun into full-blown novels. 35 years have gone by and the album is still being discussed and dissected, a true testament to De La’s natural talents. The release of this album is seen as a defining moment for the Native Tongues Posse, a collective of forward-thinking rappers from the late 80s that included A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, and Queen Latifah. 3 Feet High was quickly welcomed by the already-established Posse and solidified De La as the next stars of their movement.
Being welcomed into the genre by greats like Tribe seemingly promised De La Soul’s success. Although, one could argue the last thing De La Soul and their debut needed was help. By allowing their loftiest ideas to become reality, De La started their career off with an opus. Even if Tommy Boy was never purchased and 3 Feet High and Rising never made it to Spotify, we would still be here discussing the album. The term “instant classic” gets thrown around a lot these days, it’s a cheap way to hyperbolize a great album. De La Soul defined the concept of “instant classic” by redefining the rules of hip-hop and 35 years later, it is sounding better than ever.
