The first time I heard De La Soul was on a square in the center of the town I grew up, somewhere around '88/'89. Boys & girls were jammin' and breakin' to this brilliant tune, which turned out to be “Jenifa Taught Me” from their later-to-be-released seminal first album, "3 Feet High & Rising".

Me, I was this kid standing on the side, watching their dance moves, but above all occupied listening to said tune blastin' out of the boombox, which harboured all I liked about music: that old, vintage Soul sound I was really missing in those days as contemporary black music became far too synthesized for my taste. So when I first heard “3 Feet High..”, my head was buzzing. Here was this band that took bits & pieces from records I heard my dad and uncles play in years, prior to that pivotal moment, records such as Steely Dan's “Peg” (“Eye Know”), Hall & Oates “I Can't Go For That” (“Say No Go”) Sly's “Poet”(“Description”), Barry White, etc...

A fan from there-on, I kept track of anything De La did and had a rewarding time: “De La Soul is Dead”, “Buhloone Mindstate” & “Stakes is High” are all classics in my book. And though I was less impressed by their later albums as a whole, jewels are still to be found on either one of those. So I figured it would be only right to sift through their catalogue of b-sides and non-album cuts for another entry in my universe of fictive albums, cause right from the gate already, De La was infamous for their bonus cuts as most of their early twelves have one -or more- on the b-sides (that said, for this one I decided to skip on that early period and pick up at '94 and beyond, as it's sonically more connected to each other than to the early stuff. I might make one later with all the songs from that time frame).

Like the other times, I tried to make for great album listening, instead of mixtape. That means songs are played all the way through with no DJ shout-outs and cuts & scratches that f*#k up the whole listening vibe. Both “Buhloone Mindstate” and “Stakes Is High” act as a sort of blueprint for the sequence and with a little imagination, this 'album' can be seen as the 1998 follow-up to the latter or the third AOI installment that, regretfully, yet has come to fruition.

De La didn't release that many albums for a career that's spanning 25+ yrs (and still counting), but what they did release is nothing short of great with the first four albums essential listening for anybody remotely interested in in Hip Hop. Their new album "You're Welcome" is slated for a couple of years already (we been patiently waiting since 2013), so maybe this little nugget will hold you over.

IMPORTANT NOTE: every song here is in 128kbps. Some may not sound that very well as they haven't been released properly (or, in some cases, so limited I don't even have a physical copy of it myself). As for those that do: you want better quality, go out & buy the song(s). Always support the artists!

This is a labour of love. If any of the artists featured in this series is not feeling their work is treated as such, please let me know.

Enjoy!

Tracklisting:

  1. Intro+
  2. So Cool
  3. Turn It Out (ft. Yummy Bingham)
  4. Speed Limit (ft. Supa Dave West)
  5. Ego Trippin' pt. III
  6. Do De Damn Thing
  7. Lovely How I Let My Mind Float (ft. Biz Markie)
  8. So Good (ft. Camp Lo)
  9. Trouble In The Water
  10. More Than You Know
  11. Chanel No. Fever
  12. The Hustle
  13. Sh.Fe MC's (ft. A Tribe Called Quest)
  14. I Can't Call It
  15. La,La,La
  16. Stakes Is High pt.II (ft. Mos Def & Truth Enola)
  17. Sweet Dreams
    ....
    ....

All tracks produced By De La Soul, except

  1. produced by 88-Keys
  2. produced by Muro
  3. produced by Dart
  4. produced by Spearhead X & The Beat Messiahs
  5. produced by DJ Honda
  6. produced by Prince Paul
  7. produced by Da Beatminerz
  8. & 16. Produced by J. Dilla
Translate this for me

    Other
    • 90 bpm
    • Key: Bm
    Full Link
    Short Link (X/Twitter)
    Download Video Preview for sharing