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De La Soul Is Dead

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De La Soul Is Dead
File:De La Soul is Dead album cover.jpg
Studio album by
De La Soul
ReleasedMay 14, 1991
Recorded1990–91
StudioCalliope Studios
GenreAlternative hip hop
Length73:30
Label
Producer
De La Soul chronology
3 Feet High and Rising
(1989) 		De La Soul Is Dead
(1991) 		Buhloone Mindstate
(1993)
Singles from De La Soul Is Dead
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Tribune[2]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
Orlando Sentinel[5]
Q[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
The Source5/5[9]
Spin Alternative Record Guide7/10[10]

De La Soul Is Dead is the second studio album by American hip-hop group De La Soul, released on May 14, 1991.[11] The album was produced by Prince Paul, whose work on 3 Feet High and Rising was highly praised by music critics. The album was one of the first to receive a five-mic rating in the Hip hop magazine The Source;[9] and the album was also selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums in 1998.[12] The album's cover refers to the death of the "D.A.I.S.Y." (Da Inner Sound, Y'all) age, or a distancing from several cultures including hippies and mainstream hip-hop.[1]

The song "Oodles of O's" was featured on the soundtrack of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.

In 2020, Rolling Stone placed the album at number 228 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[13]

Overview

The album features a series of separate, ongoing skits. The introduction to the album features Jeff, a teenage character (introduced in the B-sides to "Eye Know" and "Me Myself and I": "Brain Washed Follower," "The Mack Daddy on the Left," and the rare "Double Huey Skit"). In a parody of old children's book-and-record read-along sets, 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. Mista Lawnge of Black Sheep provides the voice of the lead antagonist, while P.A. Pasemaster Mase voices the other bully who gets ridiculed and abused by Lawnge for his admiration of the album. Throughout the skits, the sound of the signal that lets the reader know that it's time to turn the page is heard. In the end, they throw the tape 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.

In 2008 the album was re-released on vinyl without the CD version's bonus tracks.

Track listing

All tracks written by P. Huston, K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason; additional writers credited below.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro"C. Johns, L. Farrow2:14
2."Oodles of O's"T. Waits3:31
3."Talkin' Bout Hey Love"S. Gainsbourg, S. Wonder, C. Paul,2:27
4."Pease Porridge"A. Goodhart, A. Hoffman, H. Magidson,5:02
5."Skit 1" 0:25
6."Johnny's Dead AKA Vincent Mason (Live from the BK Lounge)" 1:57
7."A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays""R. Matthews, J. Davis4:03
8."WRMS' Dedication to the Bitty"J. Sample0:46
9."Bitties in the BK Lounge"K. Nix, R. Isley, R. Isley, O.K. Isley5:40
10."Skit 2" 0:31
11."My Brother's a Basehead"C. Ballard Jr., R. Krieger4:20
12."Let, Let Me In"B. McCracken, L. Fulson, B. Birthright3:25
13."Afro Connections at a Hi 5 (In the Eyes of the Hoodlum)" 4:02
14."Rap de Rap Show" 2:19
15."Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa"G. Clinton, G. Cook4:10
16."Who Do U Worship?" 1:59
17."Skit 3" 0:31
18."Kicked Out the House" 1:56
19."Pass the Plugs"E. Wright, W. Smith, J. Perry3:30
20."Not Over till the Fat Lady Plays the Demo"S. Gainsbourg, J.C. Vannier1:29
21."Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)"G. Skinner5:06
22."WRMS: Cat's in Control"J. Sample0:34
23."Skit 4" 0:12
24."Shwingalokate"K. McCord, G. Clinton, B. Nelson4:14
25."Fanatic of the B Word" (featuring Dres)M. Jones, D. Kinsey, A. Titus4:09
26."Keepin' the Faith"B. Marley, R. Temperton, M. Adams4:45
27."Skit 5" 0:32

"My Brother's a Basehead", "Afro Connections at a Hi 5 (In the Eyes of the Hoodlum", "Who Do U Worship?", "Kicked Out the House" and "Not Over till the Fat Lady Plays the Demo" are bonus tracks exclusively found on the CD version.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[27] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "De La Soul Is Dead – De La Soul". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  2. ^ Kot, Greg (May 16, 1991). "De La Soul: De La Soul Is Dead (Tommy Boy)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  3. ^ Browne, David (May 24, 1991). "De La Soul Is Dead". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  4. ^ Gold, Jonathan (May 12, 1991). "Another Great Rap Hope Falters". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  5. ^ Gettelman, Parry (August 2, 1991). "De La Soul". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  6. ^ "De La Soul: De La Soul Is Dead". Q (209): 149. December 2003.
  7. ^ Poulson-Bryant, Scott (May 30, 1991). "De La Soul Is Dead". Rolling Stone. No. 605. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007.
  8. ^ Caramanica, Jon (2004). "De La Soul". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 224–25. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ^ a b Atco (May 1991). "De La Soul: De La Soul Is Dead". The Source (24). Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  10. ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  11. ^ Hernandez, Victoria (11 May 2016). "De La Soul Reflects On Da Inna Sound For 25th Anniversary Of "De La Soul Is Dead"". HipHopDX. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
  12. ^ "The 100 Best Rap Albums". The Source #100. January 1998. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  13. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 22 September 2020.
  14. ^ "Australiancharts.com – De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Charts.nz – De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  19. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  20. ^ "Swisscharts.com – De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  22. ^ "De La Soul Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "De La Soul Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  24. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1991". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  25. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  26. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  27. ^ "American album certifications – De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead". Recording Industry Association of America.
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