Stakes Is High
| Stakes Is High | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by De La Soul | ||||||||||
| Released | July 2, 1996 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1995-1996 | |||||||||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||||||||
| Length | 68:19 | |||||||||
| Label | Tommy Boy | |||||||||
| Producer | De La Soul, Spearhead X, Skeff Anselm, O.Gee, Jay Dee | |||||||||
| De La Soul chronology | ||||||||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| RapReviews.com |  [2] |
| Robert Christgau | B+ [3] |
Stakes Is High is De La Soul's fourth full-length album, released during the summer of 1996. The album marked a change in the groups sound and direction as it was their first release not to be produced by Prince Paul. Stakes Is High was mainly produced by the group themeselves with additional tracks provided by Jay Dee, DJ Ogee, Spearhead X and Skeff Anslem. It received mostly strong reviews but little commercial success.
Contents |
[edit] History
Stakes Is High was responsible for introducing rapper/actor Mos Def to a wider audience, on the cut "Big Brother Beat". Common also makes an appearance on "The Bizness".
Stakes Is High marked the first time the group did not collaborate with long-time producer Prince Paul on an album.
On Stakes Is High, De La Soul also attempted to bridge the growing gaps between the original members of the Native Tongues collective, although none of those artists make an actual appearance on the album. After the album's release, the group toured extensively and remained rather quiet before returning in 2000 with the first installment in their "Art Official Intelligence" series, Mosaic Thump.
Stakes Is High dealt with many topics, including the state of hiphop, the commercialization of the hip-hop culture and criticism towards gangsta rap. This would cause great contempt with the late gangsta rapper 2Pac who would later retaliate on the song "Against All Odds" from his posthumous 1996 album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Naughty By Nature also took serious offence to the record, creating a feud that has only recently died down.
[edit] Background
De La Soul is a hip-hop group who has been a part of the music scene since the early eighties. Meeting in high school, the group members' individualism is demonstrated from the backward spelling of Trugoy’s and Posdnuos’ stage names (“Yogurt” and “Sound-Sop” spelled backwards) to being founding members of the “alternative” hip-hop collective Native Tongues (including A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, Universal Zulu Nation, Black Sheep, Queen Latifa, Monie Love, Chi Ali, Leaders of the New School, Mos Def, Common, Da Bush Babees, Fu-Schnickens and Truth Enola. The group has held steadfast against the trends of hip hop music throughout their careers, steadily staying positive despite the sometimes negative directions taken by other ever evolving direction, releasing Stakes is High.
Prince Paul produced the first three albums, 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul is Dead and Buhloone Mindstate. Stakes is High takes a noted production turn as the group opted to produce their own tracks, with a little help from the late J-Dilla (or Jay Dee). In contrast to the group's first three albums, which all had a bright and happy feel to it, this album has a more darker sound.
3 Feet High and Rising marked the first time a hip-hop group was sued for using unauthorized samples in their songs. This started the requirements for all album samples to be cleared before an albums release, after the suit was lost to The Turtles. During the mid 1990’s, De La Soul was competing with Nas’ second release, an up and coming Jay-Z, an already established Notorious B.I.G., a second album by Outkast and the escalation of Gangter Rap. Released on the same day as Nas’ It Was Written, De La Soul kept their direction of positivity by addressing problems within not only the hip-hop community, but society as a whole. As many of the formentioned artists have demonstrated the problems with the hip-hop music scene, which can be seen today (2011), De La Soul’s Stakes is High continued to preach positivity and alternative ways of thinking to it’s young listeners. Within the music community, this album was initially underrated, but today still gets praise for it’s attempt to keep the music form true to it’s New York based, Jazz influenced roots.
[edit] Interludes
Like other De La Soul albums, Stakes Is High has a running theme, which in this case is the group's concern for the state of rap, as well as the current state of hip hop culture and how it is regarded in general. The following sound clips are featured:
- The introduction track begins with various clips of interviews, the interviewees describing where they were when they first heard the influential rap album Criminal Minded.
- At the end of track 9, "Long Island Degrees", a 'redneck' describes why he hates rap music ("There's no music in it. It's just niggers talking.")
- At the end of track 10, "Betta Listen", there is a clip of Posdnuos and Maseo discussing an error in communication about a club.
- At the end of track 15, "Pony Ride", excerpt from documentary Crumb in which Charles Crumb discusses his struggle living on the streets, describing his periods of optimism and depression. While describing this situation, he remarks "stakes is high".
- The beginning and end of track 16, "Stakes is High" feature sound clips of people playing dice. The O.J. Simpson trials are discussed by a man nearby.
- The clip at the end of the final track, "Sunshine", closes the album with a young man saying "Yo, when I first heard 3 Feet High and Rising, I was" and then the clip is cut out in similar fashion to "Fight the Power" in Public Enemy's legendary album, Fear of a Black Planet. 3 Feet High and Rising being De La Soul's first release and a very influential hip-hop album, held in a similarly high regard as Criminal Minded, which is discussed at the beginning of the album.
[edit] Track listing
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | De La Soul | 2:35 |
| 2. | "Supa Emcees" | De La Soul | 3:40 |
| 3. | "The Bizness" (ft. Common) | De La Soul | 5:41 |
| 4. | "Wonce Again Long Island" | De La Soul | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Dinninit" | Spearhead X | 4:20 |
| 6. | "Brakes" | De La Soul | 4:06 |
| 7. | "Dog Eat Dog" | De La Soul | 3:40 |
| 8. | "Baby Baby Baby Baby Ooh Baby" | De La Soul | 2:10 |
| 9. | "Long Island Degrees" | De La Soul | 3:27 |
| 10. | "Betta Listen" | De La Soul | 4:28 |
| 11. | "Itzsoweezee (HOT)" | De La Soul* | 4:55 |
| 12. | "4 More" (ft. Zhane) | O. Gee, De La Soul* | 4:18 |
| 13. | "Big Brother Beat" (ft. Mos Def) | Skeff Anselm | 3:42 |
| 14. | "Down Syndrome" | De La Soul | 3:28 |
| 15. | "Pony Ride" (ft. Truth Enola) | De La Soul | 5:26 |
| 16. | "Stakes Is High" | Jay Dee, De La Soul* | 5:30 |
| 17. | "Sunshine" | De La Soul | 3:39 |
*Co-producer
[edit] Additional credits
| # | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
| 2 | "Supa Emcees" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
| 3 | "The Bizness" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, L. Lynn |
| 4 | "Wonce Again Long Island" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
| 5 | "Dinninit" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, X. Hargrove, M. Jackson |
| 6 | "Brakes" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, R. Hodby, C. Jimenez, L. Mack |
| 7 | "Dog Eat Dog" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
| 8 | "Baby Baby Baby Baby Ooh Baby" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
| 9 | "Long Island Degrees" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
| 10 | "Betta Listen" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
| 11 | "Itzsoweezee (HOT)" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
| 12 | "4 More" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, G. Scott, N. Hall, M. Small, E. Matthew, D. Payne |
| 13 | "Big Brother Beat" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, D. Beze, S. Anselm |
| 14 | "Down Syndrome" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
| 15 | "Pony Ride" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, S. Preston |
| 16 | "Stakes Is High" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, J. Yancey |
| 17 | "Sunshine" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, L. Richie, T. McClary |
[edit] References
- ^ Thomas, Vincent. De La Soul: Stakes Is High > Review at Allmusic. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ Matson, Andrew (20 July 2002). "De La Soul :: Stakes is High". rapreviews.com. http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_stakes.html.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "De La Soul". robertchristgau.com. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=de+la+soul. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
4. Wenner, Jane S. Artists - De La Soul Rolling Stone. 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2011
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