Rambling into noise.

When De La Soul released their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, in 1989, it broke the boundaries of late 80s hip-hop, blending unique samples with eclectic lyricism to create an album which challenged the traditionally hardcore, violent ‘gangsta rap’ of its era. 3 Feet High and Rising is credited as laying the foundations for the jazz- and psychedelic- rap era, which saw its peak in the early 90s, alongside groups such as a Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, and other members of the Native Tongues collective.

One of the reasons 3 Feet High and Rising is such a landmark album, earning titles such as the ‘Sgt Peppers of hip-hop’, is its sampling diversity. Producer Prince Paul deserves a phenomenal amount of praise; he mixed a diverse range of records to create a unique blend of tracks for the trio to lay their words over. The sounds of funk and soul were commonplace in hip-hop at the time – of which there are plenty samples to be heard here – but Prince Paul boldly blended them with the likes of pop-rock, psychedelic rock, yacht rock, jazz, swing, classical, blues music, children’s music and comedy skits.

Using samples to create music dates back to the 1940s, and its popularity surged in the 70s thanks to the advent of hip-hop – but it hasn’t been without its critics, who dispute the creative validity and discipline associated with the practice.

How then, can a record which leans so heavily on samples, be credited with redefining hip-hop, lauded as ground-breaking, and hailed as one of the best albums of its generation? Simply, it is quite the opposite of what critics say; it is a masterpiece of creativity and vision.

Take, for example, ‘Say No Go’: It features the intro of ‘Crossword Puzzle’ by Sly Stone; rhythms provided By Daryl Hall & John Oates; a snippet of ‘Best of my Love’ by The Emotions thrown in for good measure; and the catchy guitar riff from ‘Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)’ by R&B group The Detroit Emeralds. Listen to those four pieces on their own, especially the last, and you’ll appreciate that sampling truly is an art form in its own right, and one displayed in abundance throughout 3 Feet High and Rising.

What makes this even more impressive is when you consider that this was all done in the 1980s, without the ease of modern technology. De La Soul and Prince Paul created all this by digging through records, finding the gems, and chopping and splicing them to create their tracks, taking inspiration from whatever the young men from Long Island could get their hands on.

Despite the critical success and legacy of De La Soul, the release, along with the rest of the trio’s catalogue, has not been without issues. It was only in 2023 that the album was released digitally and on streaming platforms, due to concerns around the legality of the multitude of samples used, which were initially only cleared for physical releases.

Initial negotiations by Tommy Boy, (De La Soul’s record label) to come to an agreement with copyright holders were unsuccessful. It wasn’t until 2023 that the record was digitally released, accompanied by a collection of physical re-releases, after the label acquisition by Reservoir Media in 2021.

Interesting though, are the noticeable differences between old and new versions of the record, which, although relatively minor, have ultimately still changed the dynamic of the album. Some are understandable; ‘Cool Breeze on the Rocks’ is replaced with ‘Cool Breeze on the Rocks (The Melted Version)’, having lost all the ‘Rock’ references, which were stitched together in the original release. Presumably clearing the many, quite famous samples would incur serious difficulties and costs. Nonetheless, it is a shame this track didn’t make it to the 2023 release in its full glory.

Other changes are smaller, and peculiar. ‘The Magic Number’ features a sample from an Eddie Murphy skit – ‘Anybody in the audience ever get hit by a car?’ – which bizarrely is omitted on the digital release. I find it strange to comprehend why anybody would hold issue with this, but there are dozens of similar instances throughout this album and De La Soul’s digital discography.

Whilst we of course should be grateful to now have De La Soul’s catalogue at our fingertips, it feels marred slightly by the replayed instrumentals, interpolations or downright removals that have had to be made. I was fortunate enough to find an original 3 Feet High and Rising CD in a charity shop, a mere week after it had been re-released, and therefore after I’d already spent five times the cost on the 2023 version. Needless to say, the re-release has not been played since – I will choose the original any day. It’s the album the group created as they intended it to be experienced, without suffering from the consequences of fickle legal disputes over samples which were spliced, pitched, sped up and down, and mixed in an exciting, creative and inspiring way.

As the art of sampling continues to permeate music across all genres, particularly the ever evolving electronic and dance spheres, it is an art form that should be respected, encouraged, and celebrated. In the right hands, it can create brilliant music.