Product Description

This release collects together the stand out moments from the Long Island trio's career so far. From the groundbreakingalbum '3 Feet High And Rising' to their 2001 release 'AOI: Bionix' the album showcases the distinct laidback hip hop sound that has dominated their work since 1989. The album features the UK top ten hit 'The Magic Number'.

Track Listing

1. Me Myself And I
2. Say No Go
3. Eye Know
4. Magic Number
5. Potholes In My Lawn
6. Buddy - De La Soul & Jungle Brothers/Q Tip/Phife
7. Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)
8. Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays
9. Keepin' The Faith
10. Breakadawn
11. Stakes Is High
12. 4 More - De La Soul & Zhane
13. Oooh - De La Soul & Redman
14. All Good - De La Soul & Chaka Khan
15. Thru Ya City - De La Soul & DV Alias Khrist
16. Baby Phat - De La Soul & Devin The Dude/Elizabeth 'Yummy' Bingham
17. Watch Out

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2431 in Music
• Released on: 2003-06-02
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Explicit Lyrics

Amazon.co.uk Review
Considering their place in hip-hop history, De La Soul have had a rough ride. The Long Island trio's 1989 debut album, 3 Feet High & Rising, single-handedly did more to popularise rap music outside the genre's core audience base than any other record to that point, but the band have been made to pay a heavy price for helping make hip-hop one of the biggest selling sectors in popular music.

This collection gives the band's legacy a stereotypical overview. There are two discs, but the second half is given over to collaborations and remixes. It's also a limited edition; so many buyers will only get the first half, and will therefore hear only a patchy summation of De La Soul's story so far.

Admittedly, every track is exceptional, giving a consistently high-quality listen, but the balance is askew. Six tracks from 3 Feet High & Rising is understandable, but almost ignoring the mainstream-shunned, underground-loved Buhloone Mindstate and Stakes Is High albums is short-sighted. De La Soul are hip-hop's Prince, widely praised for things they did years ago, their new work subjected to unfairly slanted comparisons with their debut. But the best of De La Soul is almost certainly yet to come. --Angus Batey

Customer Reviews

And They Still Can't Touch This...
This "Best Of" collection is, in a word, awesome. This fact is not suprising given that De La Soul are one of (if not THE) greatest rap groups to ever grace the worlds Hip-Hop scene. Offering up inspired samples, funky grooves second to none and thought provoking lyrics and meaning - De La Soul are certainly one of a kind and show a rare appeal and talent that doesn't come along very often. This incredibly generous 18-track compilation (accross 2 discs) brings together all of thier finest cuts together on one album. From the insanely funky "Roller Skating Jam" to the sultry R&B flavoured "4 More" and to the track that almost everyone will know "The Magic Number", all of the finest tracks from De La Soul's career are included here. One of the big plus points about this release is that it doesn't just include the singles, but also some more memorable album cuts.

When listening to this incredible album, you would be forgiven for wondering what on earth happened to Hip-Hop after this and other dearly departed classic artists left the fold. Put bluntly, 50 Cent and his rival 'gangsta' artists have nothing on this. While the hip-hop material of late (Post 2Pac/Biggie) is uninspiring, predictable and distinctly boring "The Best of De La Soul" reminds us there was once a brighter day in the Rap world. It's a day that may have past, but it sure is great to remember those better days gone by with this excellent profile of one of the most important and influencial Hip-Hop artists ever.

rapping since 1989 and still rising
This is a great CD for anyone who likes kicking back to some HipHop now & again in the car or with mates. Seeing as there's two CDs worth of music there's bound to be some dodgy additions but you get top-banana on the whole. Me Myself and I from 1989 is cool today, as is the more modern Watch Out. De La are neither hardcore ghetto rappers nor playful & non-serious. There are some good collaborations & a mix of new/old school rap.

Soulful, unique, thoughtful. A stunning collection.
De La Soul, the three man crew that stuck two fingers up to the hard-hitting 'gangsta' rhymes of some of the more popular groups around in their heyday. It was obvious from the start that this was no ordinary rap group. In fact, they changed the face of rap forever, leaving an indellible mark on the hip-hop world.

Plugs 1 and 2 (Posdnous and Trugoy, later known as Dave) deliver slick rhymes with a sprinkle of humour throughout, and P.A. Mase rips the decks up. Almost every one of the songs on this album ooze quality. The first six tracks are all taken from their debut album 'Three Feet High..., and the listener can expect the jazzy beats and playful lyrics to feature heavily here. Track 6 Buddy features great guest appearances from the Jungle Brothers, and A Tribe Called Quest rappers, Q-Tip and Phife.

The next three tracks are from their followup, De La soul is Dead, an album which attempted to put straight misconceptions people had got from their debut. These tracks are very different from the first six, this is not to say they are anything less than brilliant hip-hop compositions.

Track 10 Breakadawn features a sweet female vocalist, and a relaxed beat. It is the only track on this from the all to often overlooked Buhloone Mindstate. The next two are from the album Stakes Is High, and the title track of this album is truly excellent.

The final five tracks are taken from De La Soul's work in the not-to-distant past, and have good guest appearances from redman, Chaka Khan and others.

Overall, this is a great album. It provides an appropriate starting point for people discovering De La Soul whilst at the same time offering a good if a little limited summary of the group's highlights. There are a few notable exceptions, (Tread Water, Ghetto Thang?) but overall the classics have been chosen well. A minor criticism would be that it is a little limited in its choice of tracks, but songs from all their main albums have been chosen.

Each album offers a very different experience, and this is reflected in the tracks. However, it is this versatility that keeps De La Soul in the hearts of hip-hop heads everywhere. It showcases the group's talent perfectly, creating an album that your ears deserve. This is intelligent hip-hop at its finest, a worhtwhile investment.