De La Soul – Stakes is High

Artist: De La Soul
Album: Stakes is High
Production: De La Soul, Skeff Anslem, Ogee
Label: Tommy Boy Records

De La Soul 
Stakes Is High
Production: De La, Skeff Anslem, Ogee
Tommy Boy Records

De La Soul is one the very few and I mean few groups to get their start in the golden age of Hip-Hop (87-88) and still be around today to tell about it and still make records.  The three kids form Long Island keep on pluggin’. 1996 rolls around and De La is ready to do it again. Stakes Is High is a firm slap to the face of those who thought that they had fallen off. Two underrated MC’s Pos and Dove blow the lid of this album holding nothing but contempt for the sucker MC. The lyrics on this album are more blunt and to the point instead of the heavy use of complex metaphors and similes of before. Don’t get it twisted though, because they do not insult your intelligence like Coolio and you still have to listen carefully to get the meaning.

This time without the help of Prince Paul, the production is handled by the group itself. The beats are pretty basic. A funky bassline, drumtrack and a sampled loop. Enough to get the head bobbin’ but not enough to distract from the main focus being the lyrics. There are NO weak cuts on this album and you always hear something new every time you listen. My favorite cuts are “Brakes”, “Wonce Again Long Island”, “The Bizness” featuring Common, and the slammin’, bangin’, bumpin’ track “4 More” featuring Zhane.

Stakes Is High is pure Hip-Hop but not only for the Hip-Hop purist. It’s something the true heads can enjoy but also something the other music lovers can appreciate. De La Soul stays on the cutting edge of creativity and are definitely soldiers in the war against wackness!

The De La Soul catalog from Tommy Boy Records is not currently available through most streaming services.