De La Soul – Biography, Songs, Albums, Discography & Facts

De La Soul Biography

The American hip-hop trio band De La Soul was established in the Amityville neighborhood of Long Island, New York, in 1988. They are most well-known for the diverse styles they use, the unique rhymes they write, and the contributions they have made to the development of jazz rap and alternative hip-hop subgenres. Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo are the members of the group. When they were in high school, the three decided to get together and record a demo of their song “Plug Tunin’,” which got the attention of a producer named Prince Paul. The band’s first studio album, titled 3 Feet High and Rising, has been recognized as “a hip-hop classic” due to the clever language, forward-thinking sampling, and humorous skits that appear on it.

The release of De La Soul’s debut album in 1989, 3 Feet High and Rising, was a critical and commercial success for the hip-hop genre. They became famous quickly after joining the Native Tongues Posse, which included A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, Queen Latifah, and the Jungle Brothers. The success of the group’s track “Me, Myself, and I” helped to further solidify its fame. For exploiting a sample from their 1969 hit “You Showed Me” for the interlude track “Transmitting Live from Mars,” the 1960s pop group The Turtles sued De La Soul.

A lot of the lyrics of 3 Feet High and Rising were about trying to find peace and harmony. De La Soul’s idea of the “D.A.I.S.Y. Age” (an acronym for “da inner sound, y’all”) was also introduced in 3 Feet High and Rising. Audiences quickly associated De La Soul’s members as hippies as a result.

The second album, De La Soul Is Dead (1991), was significantly more sophisticated. Although it managed to keep a light, silly sense of humor, it had a lot of material that condemned the violent, reckless route that hip hop was taking at the time. The broken daisy flower pot on the album cover symbolizes the end of the “D.A.I.S.Y. Age” and the imagery that went along with it.

The band’s subsequent albums have received ever less commercial success, despite earning increasingly good reviews from music critics. However, this album was the band’s most commercially successful release to date. They are an important part of the Spitkicker collective and played a big part in Mos Def’s early stages as a rapper and actor. After the Jungle Brothers, they had the distinction of being the Native Tongues group with the second-longest history. In 2006, the band was awarded a Grammy for the tune “Feel Good Inc.,” which was produced in conjunction with the band Gorillaz.

They made the announcement in the beginning of 2015 that they were going to release their ninth studio album, titled And the Anonymous Nobody…, in September of that same year; the album was finally published on August 26, 2016. People say that the songs on the album were made in a series of unplanned jam sessions. Damon Albarn, Little Dragon, David Byrne, 2 Chainz, and Snoop Dogg, among others, also make short appearances on the album.

De La Soul Discography

And the Anonymous Nobody…SpotifyAppleYouTubeAmazon
The Grind DateSpotifyAppleYouTube
AOI: Bionix
Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump
Stakes Is High
Buhloone Mindstate
De La Soul Is Dead
3 Feet High and Rising

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Frequently Asked Questions

What Was De La Soul Best Selling Album?

De La Soul’s best selling album to date is 1991’s De La Soul Is Dead, which has sold over 600,000 copies. The group’s second album, 3 Feet High and Rising, is their most critically acclaimed work and is widely considered one of the best rap albums of all time.

How Many Top Ten Hits Did De La Soul?

They had a total of three top ten hits on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

What Is De La Soul?

De La Soul is an American hip hop trio from Long Island, New York. The group is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the alternative hip hop sub-genre. They were one of the first hip hop groups to use unique samples from records and incorporate them into their songs.

Most Searched For De La Soul Songs

Rock Co.Kane Flow (feat. MF Doom)SpotifyAppleYouTube
PainSpotifyAppleYouTube
All GoodSpotifyYouTube
Me Myself And ISpotifyYouTube
BreakadawnSpotify
Much More (feat. Yummy)SpotifyAppleYouTube
Ring Ring RingSpotifyYouTube
Fallin’SpotifyApple
Baby Got WorkSpotifyYouTube
ExodusSpotifyAppleYouTube