De La Soul Is Dead

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De La Soul Is Dead
De La Soul Is Dead cover
Studio album by De La Soul
Released May 13, 1991
Genre Hip hop
Length 73:30
Label Tommy Boy
Producer(s) Prince Paul
Professional reviews
De La Soul chronology

3 Feet High and Rising
(1989)
De La Soul Is Dead
(1991)
Buhloone Mindstate
(1993)


De La Soul is Dead is De La Soul's second full-length album, and one the few albums in hip-hop music to receive a "Five Mics" rating in the Rap magazine "The Source".

Contents

[edit] Overview

De La Soul's first album, 3 Feet High and Rising is widely regarded in the hip-hop community as a classic, leaving this, the follow-up, something of a poisoned chalice. The album's title is in reaction to De La Soul's labelling of "hippies" following their debut release. The album cover, an upset pot of daisies, signals the end of "The D.A.I.S.Y. Age". In an attempt to shake this label off, De La Soul's second album is significantly edgier than their first release. Despite the fact that they clearly did not want to be labelled as "hippies", they also did not want to be labelled as "hardcore". The album's 13th track, "Afro Connections At A Hi 5 (In The Eyes Of The Hoodlum)", is a direct stab at the emerging gangsta rap of the early 90s.

The album features a series of separate, ongoing skits. The intro to the album feaures Jeff, a teenage character played by Chi-Ali, who was introduced on the Bonus Compact Disc for 3 Feet High and Rising in the songs "Brain Washed Follwer", "The Mack Daddy on the Left" and "Double Huey Skit". Jeff finds a cassette tape copy of a De La Soul album in the garbage. Bullies appear, beat up Jeff and steal the tape. Ensuing skits feature these bullies harshly criticizing the songs on the album and, in the end, throwing it back in the trash, exclaiming "De La Soul is dead". The album also introduces a fictional radio station called "WRMS" that plays nothing but De La Soul music. The "BK Lounge" (Burger King) is also frequently referenced.

The lyrics are again heavily praised for their intelligence and seemless infusion with almost endless references to pop culture. The album's strength further stems from the production of Prince Paul.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Intro"
  2. "Oodles of Os"
  3. "Talking Bout Hey Love"
  4. "Pease Porridge"
  5. "Skit 1"
  6. "Johnny's Dead AKA Vincent Mason"
  7. "A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays""
  8. "WRMS' Dedication to the Bitty"
  9. "Bitties in the BK Lounge"
  10. "Skit 2"
  11. "My Brother's a Basehead"
  12. "Let, Let Me in"
  13. "Afro Connections at A Hi 5(In The Eyes Of The Hoodlum)"
  14. "Rap De Rap Show"
  15. "Millie Pulled A Pistol on Santa"
  16. "Who Do U Worship?"
  17. "Skit 3"
  18. "Kicked Out the House"
  19. "Pass the Plugs"
  20. "Not Over Till the Fat Lady Plays The Demo "
  21. "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)"
  22. "WRMS: Cat's in Control"
  23. "Skit 4"
  24. "Shwingalokate"
  25. "Fanatic of the B Word"
  26. "Keepin' the Faith"
  27. "Skit 5"

[edit] List of Samples

The following is a list of songs and sound footage sampled in the songs on De La Soul Is Dead.

Intro

Oodles of O's

  • "Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)" by De La Soul

Talkin' Bout Hey Love

Pease Porridge

A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"

WRMS' Dedication To The Bitty

My Brother's A Basehead

Let, Let Me In

  • "The Three Little Pigs"
  • "Tramp" by Lowell Fulson
  • "At My Front Door" by The El Dorados

Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa

  • "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss
  • "I'll Stay" and "Mommy, What's a Funkadelic" by Funkadelic

Pass The Plugs

  • "Oops Here I Go Again" by Edna Wright

Not Over Till The Fat Lady Plays The Demo

Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)

  • "Pass the Peas" by The J.B.'s
  • "Help is on the Way" by The Whatnauts

Shwingalokate

  • "Mr. Groove" by One Way
  • "Placebo Syndrome" by Parliament

Fanatic Of The B Word

Keepin' The Faith

[edit] Miscellanea

  • The song "Pass the Plugs" features the lyrics "Arsenio dissed us but the crowd kept clapping". This refers to the group performing on The Arsenio Hall Show where Arsenio Hall introduced them as "the hippies of hip hop". The group then performed "Me Myself and I" which explicitly states that they aren't hippies.

[edit] Album singles

Single cover Single information
"A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays""
  • Released: 1991
  • B-side:
"Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)"
  • Released: 1991
  • B-side: "Piles And Piles Of Demo Tapes Bi-Da Miles"
"Keepin' The Faith"
  • Released: 1991
  • B-side: "Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa"

[edit] External links

De La Soul
Posdnuos | Dave | Maseo
Studio albums
3 Feet High and Rising (1989) | De La Soul Is Dead (1991) | Buhloone Mindstate (1993) | Clear Lake Audiotorium (EP) (1994) | Stakes Is High (1996) | Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) | AOI: Bionix (2001) | Live at Tramps, NYC, 1996 (2004) | The Grind Date (2004) | The Impossible: Mission TV Series - Pt. 1 (2006) 
Singles
Potholes in My Lawn| Plug Tunin'| Buddy| Eye Know| Me Myself And I| Say No Go| The Magic Number| Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)| A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"| Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa / Keepin' The Faith| Breakadawn| Ego Trippin' (Part Two)| Fallin'| Stakes Is High| Itzsoweezee (HOT)| 4 More| Oooh.| All Good?| Thru Ya City| Baby Phat| Shoomp| Shopping Bags (She Got From You)| Rock Co.Kane Flow|Feel Good Inc.
Related articles
Native Tongues | Prince Paul | Spitkicker
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