De La Soul 3 Feet High and Rising 180g 2LP

Groundbreaking 1989 Debut Album Reissued on 180g Black Vinyl 2LP!

De La Soul's seminal debut album 3 Feet High and Rising was originally released on March 3, 1989 and is widely considered among the most influential hip-hop albums of all time. It marked the first of three full-length collaborations with producer Prince Paul and contains the singles "Me Myself and I," "The Magic Number," "Buddy," and "Eye Know." The album title came from the Johnny Cash song "Five Feet High and Rising." It is listed on Rolling Stone's 200 Essential Rock Records as well as their list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It is also featured on The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.

Sampling artists as diverse as Hall & Oates, Steely Dan and The Turtles, 3 Feet High and Rising is often viewed as the stylistic beginning of 1990s alternative hip hop (and especially jazz rap). 3 Feet High and Rising was chosen by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry for its cultural significance and general excellence.

180 gram double LP in custom printed inner sleeves and jacket with a comic insert.

The most inventive, assured, and playful debut in hip-hop history, 3 Feet High and Rising not only proved that rappers didn't have to talk about the streets to succeed, but also expanded the palette of sampling material with a kaleidoscope of sounds and references culled from pop, soul, disco, and even country music. Weaving clever wordplay and deft rhymes across two dozen tracks loosely organized around a game-show theme, De La Soul broke down boundaries all over the LP, moving easily from the groovy my-philosophy intro 'The Magic Number' to an intelligent, caring inner-city vignette named 'Ghetto Thang' to the freewheeling end-of-innocence tale 'Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge).' ... If it was easy to believe the revolution was here from listening to the rapping and production on Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, with De La Soul the Daisy Age seemed to promise a new era of positivity in hip-hop.

3 Feet High and Rising emerged fully formed, offering a world as richly imagined as anything American pop has ever produced. Just as hip-hop was firmly establishing itself as the most avant of pop's garde, the best of their peers—from smooth operator Big Daddy Kane to Blastmaster KRS-One to Living Colour's Vernon Reid—showed up at their release party to salute their achievement. Even KRS, who had just dropped what would come to be recognized as one of the best albums in hip-hop history, said it couldn't compare [to] what De La Soul had just made. While huddled in Los Angeles to finish their own sample-heavy Paul's Boutique, the Beastie Boys reportedly listened to 3 Feet High, despaired, and briefly considered starting all over again.