De La Soul Album: “De La Soul Is Dead”

No album in any genre really sounds like DE LA SOUL IS DEAD, or even WORKS like it (mmmaybe THE WHO SELL OUT is a good comparison)...This is the first and possibly the ONLY hip hop album to present itself not as a collection of songs/singles but as a complete 70-plus-minute work. In other words: Not every song on this album is exactly a "hit," and in fact some of them really only stand in the context of the complete album...but those tracks ("Johnny", "Who Do You Worship?") flesh the catchier songs out into what reads, much as I hate to use the term, as a "concept album" of the highest order.

And let's not ignore the incredible "singles" (not all of them released as such, but idenitfiably different from the skit-type tracks) like "Pass the Peas," "Ring Ring," "A Roller Skating Jam named Saturdays" and the INCREDIBLE game of dozens that makes up "Bitties in the BK Lounge." Prince Paul and Maseo produced the first hip hop you could HUM along to, and paved the way for the introduction of actual melody into hip hop.

Of course, De La Soul didn't make too much money off this masterpiece. Pop is like that. I've always looked at this as the gem that THE LOW END THEORY is seen as...no dissing Tribe, but De La's ambition seems to alienate a fanbase who just want a solid collection of singles (ala Tribe)...

When I've DJ'ed and put in anything off this album, I get "WOW! " responses from kids who've slept on this record. Don't let yourself be among the ranks of the ignorant. This is an essential album, not only for hip hop heads, but for fans of popular music. Almost ten years (!) later it sounds as uniquely challenging as it did when it dropped. Hip hop still hasn't caught up.

This is seriously a tough album to listen to from start to finish without feeling (at various times) like throwing something at the CD player, hugging it or almost anything in between. I actually wound up buying this (after a long time of tracking them down) on the same day as "3 Feet High And Rising", all I can say is "What A Contrast!!".

Of course most of you will recognise at least one song from this masterpiece, the repetitive and (to the generation above mine) ANNOYING "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" and the famous answering machine chorus "Hey howya doin' sorry you can't get through/Why don't you leave your name and your number and I'll get back to you". But that's not where it ends.

It's hard to play favorites with this one, all the tracks are equally good. If I had to name a second-best track on the album, I'd have to say "Roller Skating Jam Called Saturdays" purely for its good, straightforward fun(k).

In short, not an album for everyone's tastes, but one which is worth buying - even if just to have in your collection and look intelligent.

This deliberately inaccessible work of genius is the most brilliant work the hip-hop nation has ever produced. While other groups have recieved accolades for their bombast (P. E.), vulgar but astounding wordplay (Wu-Tang) and sheer wierdness (Busta Rhymes), De La Soul are comfortable and confident enough to wallow in excess and make it art. ".....Dead" almost seems like a deliberate attempt to alienate fans of their debut and cast off the whole 'hippie' tag (hence the pot of broken daisies on the cover) which never suited them anyway. "Millie Pulled a Pistol On Santa" is easily the best thing they've ever done and the skits that link these tracks manage a rare feat, they're actually FUNNY and give the album a consistent flow. Alternately mean-spirited, humorous, troubling and joyous, this second album showed that some artists are not only too smart to fall for that old 'sophomore jinx', but they can also blow it clean into the cosmos.

I'm a De La fan (I can't wait until their new joint comes out) and I bought this CD because I never listened to it before. Man, this CD is unbelievable. Considering the time it was made, it is creative, unpredictable, and twisted. It is a lot more cynical than 3 ft high and ironic at that (the kids on the CD hate it as they listen, similar to what happened when it was released). De La never conforms to hip-hop's current trends and is one of the true underground groups out there. When "Artofficial Intelligence" comes out, watch out, Puff Daddy!

Easily one of my favorite albums (not just hip hop) of all time. Along with "3 Feet High and Rising", "De La Soul is Dead" is masterfully crafted, sampling music history and mixing in a concept album with lyrics that are literally out of this world and when read and comprehended, rival any of the best hip hop lyrics ever written. I dare you to play "Schwingalokate" as loud as you can, and if you aren't moving every joint in your body, then you have no soul. The album is a joy to listen to from a creative standpoint, but it's also fun and funky, the way hip hop should've always been.

Now, the reason for the 3 star review is because the VINYL LP reissue cuts out 2 classic songs. "My brother's a basehead" and "Afro connections..." were cut out along with "Kicked out the house" to make everything fit onto 1 LP. For me, this is unacceptable! The label clearly wanted to save money and make everything fit onto 1 LP and buy doing so are robbing people who want a high quality vinyl the experience of the whole album. I'm sure De La would not approve. Be wary of buying the reissued LP because it's not the complete album.