De La Soul

Stakes is High De La Soul

This is the best de la soul album, and clearly a more mature piece of work. The trio have progressed from the reliance on punch-lines and antique samples to more socially concious rhymes and doper-than-dope head-nod compositions. Three Feet is cool, but it lacks the maturity and depth of this work, and despite the amazing rhyme schemes in De La Soul Is Dead, it just had too many skits and not enough solid beats. Unlike the much overlooked Bulhoone Mindstate, Stake Is High has a perfect balance, every track is dope, with no exception, and it flows brilliantly. The Breaks and The Bizness are two of my favourite De La Soul songs, ill production and assertive lyrics match each other perfectly. Mos Def makes an appearance on the classic Big Brother Beat, dropping some fresh rhymes "life be nothing but a river and i'm swimming up stream", and here his flow really impresses. Common also steps up and guests on The Bizness, lighting up the mic as usual. Pos, Maseo and Dove really excel lyrically on this album, spitting the "microphone mathematics" and making it look easy. Buy this record, and let these Supa Emcees tell you something about the self. Track Listings 1. Intro 2. Supa Emcees 3. The Bizness 4. Wonce Again Long Island 5. Dinnint 6. Brakes 7. Dog Eat Dog 8. Baby Baby Baby Ooh Baby 9. Long Island Degrees 10. Betta Listen 11. Itzsoweezee (HOT) 12. 4 More 13. Big Brother Beat 14. Down Syndrome 15. Pony Ride 16. Stakes Is High 17. Sunshine