The Top 10 De La Soul Songs

Out of all the lists I've created, this one might have been the most difficult to write. I've been on record for years in claiming that De La Soul is the greatest hip hop group of all time (sure, I'll entertain arguments for Quest, Wu Tang, et. al., but ultimately I will not be moved off of this opinion). So the process of ranking their top 10 songs, and curating their incredible catalog down to just 30 of my favorites, was arduous to say the least. There are just so many tracks to choose from, across 8 studio albums and a 30+ year run of sustained excellence. 

Much has been made of how De La carved out space in rap music for those who didn't fit the mode. Suburban kids, backpackers, and goofballs from all walks of life who happened to be fans of hip hop. What I love most about De La is however is how often they reinvented themselves, not just on the seminal "De La Soul Is Dead" (for my money, their best record and still one of the 10 greatest hip hop albums ever recorded), but again and again on later albums, where they kept expanding their sound and reflecting on where they were in their lives as artists and men. Long after the masses had pretty much stopped listening, De La kept putting their heads down, going into the studio and making imaginative, mature and artistically captivating music. 

After hours of re-listening and taking way too much time to decide, I did end up mostly coming back to the older songs for my list (no doubt due to nostalgia and a fondness for the golden age of hip hop). It turns out, those early De La tracks that, at the time seemed so mind blowingly original, have aged remarkably well. They still thump in my car stereo and radiate with a joy for life that continues to shine through. 

RIP Dave, AKA: Plug 2, AKA: Trugoy The Dove, your singular vision will be missed but your contributions to our culture will live on forever.

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(To Listen, click on the song title)

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10. Trying People (AOI: Bionix, 2001) - For all of De La's playfulness, I tend to like them most when they're in a more pensive mood. "Trying People", a world-weary song delivered 6 albums deep into a career filled with spectacular highs and frustrating lows, captured them during one of their most sober moments. The track came off as a melancholy lament on the personal and professional struggles that follow us into adulthood, but it nonetheless managed to strike an optimistic tone. Dave's unforgettable opening verse where he rapped "when I'm gone make sure the headstone reads he did it for us" was felt deeply then, and even more so now.

9. Jenifa Taught Me (3 feet High And Rising, 1988) - "Access to her code, love struck was my mode. Took a look, dropped my textbook. Jenifa...OH!" For most people, that line - delivered by Trugoy with the exuberance of a high-school virgin about to get some for the first time - was their introduction to De La Soul. It served as an immediate announcement that the world was in for something entirely divergent from any previous understanding of what hip hop was supposed to sound like.

8. I Am I Be (Buhloone Mindstate, 1993) - The combination of ingenious samples and live horns from none other than Maceo Parker fit snugly with De La's introspective lyrics on "I Am I Be", a song which helped them create further distance from their Daisy Age roots. It stood out as an incredible testament to their depth and range as artists, and served as a precursor to the more grown-up concerns that would appear on later records.

7. Magic Number (3 feet High And Rising, 1989) - Who else would be imaginative enough to sample School House Rock? Only De La could do so and to such spectacular effect. Even more so than the other quirky tracks on "3 Feet High And Rising", this song defines De La Soul for me. It sounds like peace and love and brotherhood...all propelled by a relentless drum loop. 

6. The Grind Date (The Grind Date, 2004) - By the time 2004 arrived, De La Soul had drifted far far away from hip hop and mainstream musical consciousness, now serving a fan base that, although fiercely loyal, was increasingly small. The title track on the album however, set the bar high for what rap music from grown ass men could accomplish and served notice that De La still hadn't lost a step. Their frustrations with the music business (by now their Tommy Boy troubles had become an infamous example of record company f*ckery) was palpable. But this track let us know that despite it all, the beat would go on. As Pos would spit mid-way through:"I'm far from bitter, even further from quittin'. Got a grind date to make, no time for sittin'..."

5. Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) (De La Soul Is Dead, 1991) - As a palate cleanser (from "3 Feet High And Rising") "Ring Ring Ring" set the mood for a darker, edgier vibe as the lead single for "De La Soul Is Dead". It's sardonic and somewhat mean-spirited, but undeniably catchy and downright hilarious. 

4. Breakdawn (Buhloone Mindstate, 1993) - "Breakadawn" showcases De La at the peak of their artistic powers. At once smooth and rugged, the multilayered track blends Smokey Robinson's "Quiet Storm" and an MJ vocal sample with the slick, cerebral wordplay to form an intoxicating stew that only seems to improve with the passage of time. 

3. Ego Trippin' (Part Two) (Buhloone Mind State, 1993) - Despite the genius of "3 Feet High" and "De La Soul Is Dead", a strong case can be made for "Buhloone Mindstate" as De La's best album. Picking up where the parody track "Afro Connections At A High 5" left off 2 years earlier, "Ego Trippin'" saw the group once again taking shots at industry cliches and the tendency for rappers to engage in played out thug posturing. This time however, the beat was bigger & funkier and the rhymes were even more over-the-top. Sarcasm aside however, "Ego Trippin'", more than anything, was a certified banger. 

2. Buddy (3 feet High And Rising, 1989) - It's hard to believe, given how much we've celebrated the Native Tongues as an essential hip hop collective, that "Buddy" was one of their only true collaborations. There's not much depth to the song, just an ode to sex from a bunch of horny teenagers. But to this day it continues to soar on the strength of its light touch, effervescent bounce and endearing playfulness.

1. Stakes Is High (Stakes Is High, 1996) - It's ironic that my favorite song from a group most known for its peacefulness is one that represents their most pissed off moment. When "Stakes Is High", the album, debuted in 1996, it was clear that De La was fed up with hip hop, the music business and our world at large. So for the title track they did away with the parody in order to unleash a blistering take down on the whole sorry state of affairs. Over a boomin' beat from J Dilla that perfectly matched the mood, the group replaced its signature puns, inside jokes and clever asides with tight, unflinching lyrics that demanded a course correction. The usually laid back Dave, famously pulled no punches with his iconic first verse, rapping: "I'm sick of b*tches shakin' asses / I'm sick of talkin' 'bout blunts, sick of Versace glasses / Sick of slang, sick of half-ass awards shows / Sick of name-brand clothes (Word) / Sick of R&B b*tches over bullshit tracks / Cocaine and crack, which brings sickness to blacks..." With the benefit of hindsight, we know now that no such course correction was forthcoming. Hip hop would indeed double down on gangsta rap and the shiny suit era would soon take hold over the culture, for better or (mostly) worse. But at least De La would forever be able to looks us all in the eyes and shout, don't say we didn't warn you.

Honorable Mention

Here are 10 more classics that could have easily been top 10:

• Afro Connections At A High 5 - Nobody does parody like De La. Even when their boasts are silly "my breath never smells whack, I eat the watermelon tic tac", they're still irresistible. 
• All Good - A dressing down of fake friends...with an assist from Chaka Khan.
• Big Brother Beat - Big beat. Better wordplay. And who is the Mos Def kid?
• In The Woods - "F*ck being hard Posdnuos is complicated!"
• Me Myself And I - And to think, the record company had to twist the group's arms to get them to make this classic.
• Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa - "Millie bucked him and with the quickness it was over". I kept waiting for the levity that never came. This song is just dark.
• Oodles Of O's - It took me 30 years to concede that this song had no deeper meaning. It's just a bunch or words that rhyme with O.
• Ooooh - Let's get Redman in on the fun
• Plug Tunin - This is what originality sounds like. You had to be there in '88 to fully appreciate it.
• A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays - Everything great in life happens on Saturday.

Ten More That I Can't Leave Out

And 10 more that must be added to any Best Of De La playlist:

• The Bizness - Common joins the crew for an old school freestyle session.
• Dinninit - Call and response rap to get the party started.
• En Focus - Fame is a beguiling mistress, luckily De La is hip to the game and won't fall for the bullsh*t.
• Eye Know - This is on the very short lift of greatest hip hop love songs ever recorded.
• Ghetto Thang - De La snuck in a straight up conscious rap song in the middle of 3 Feet High's Daisy filled high jinks.
• Itsoweezee - A brilliant solo outing from Dave that was elevated by a hilarious, cameo-heavy video.
• My Writes - De La proved they could do a sizzling posse cut while keeping pace with some of the west coast's finest MCs of the day.
• Potholes In My Lawn - A very roundabout way of saying stop biting my style.
• Set The Mood - The rhymes and production are first class, but the Phife "Ghost Weed" cameo at the end is everything.
• Simply - De La proved to be magicians for making the Paul McCartney "Wonderful Christmastime" sample work so well.