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Stakes Is High

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Stakes Is High
Studio albumby
De La Soul
ReleasedJuly 2, 1996
GenreEast Coast hip hop[1]
Length68:19
Label
Producer
De La Soulchronology
Clear Lake Audiotorium
(1994) 		Stakes Is High
(1996) 		Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump
(2000)
SinglesfromStakes Is High
  1. "Stakes Is High"
    Released: June 17, 1996
  2. "Itzsoweezee (Hot)"
    Released: 1996
  3. "4 More"
    Released: 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB[3]
Muzik[4]
NME6/10[5]
RapReviews10/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Spin6/10[9]
Tiny Mix Tapes[10]
The Village VoiceB+[11]

Stakes Is Highis the fourth studio album by Americanhip hopgroupDe La Soul.It was released on July 2, 1996, throughTommy Boy Records.The album marked a change in the group's sound and direction, as it was their first release not produced in collaboration withPrince Paul.Stakes Is Highwas mainly produced by the group themselves, with additional tracks provided byJay Dee,DJ Ogee, Spearhead X and Skeff Anslem. It is considered the group's darkest and most serious album. It received mostly strong reviews but little commercial success.

History

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Stakes Is Highmarked the first time De La Soul did not collaborate with longtime producerPrince Paulon an album, as the group felt that the production he turned in for it didn't match the album's mood.

After the album's release, the group toured extensively and remained rather quiet before returning in 2000 with the first installment of their "Art Official Intelligence" series,Mosaic Thump.

Stakes Is Highdeals with many topics, including the state of hip-hop, the commercialization of hip-hop culture, and criticism ofgangsta rap.Rapper2Paclater retaliated on the song "Against All Odds" from his posthumous 1996 albumThe Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory(as well as the unreleased song "Watch Ya Mouth" recorded during the same sessions).Naughty By NaturememberTreachalso took serious offense at the record, creating a feud that only died down after about a decade and a half afterStakes Is Highwas released.

Stakes Is Highhelped introducerapperMos Defto a wider audience, on the track "Big Brother Beat".Commonalso makes an appearance on "The Bizness".

Interludes

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Like otherDe La Soulalbums,Stakes Is Highhas a running theme, which in this case is the group's concern about the state of rap, as well as the state of hip hop culture and how it is regarded in general. The following sound clips are featured:

  • The introduction track begins with various clips of interviews, the interviewees describing where they were when they first heard the influential rap albumCriminal Minded.
  • At the end of track 9, "Long Island Degrees", a "redneck" explains why he hates rap music ( "There's no music in it. It's just niggers talking." )
  • At the end of track 10, "Betta Listen", there is a clip of Posdnuos and Maseo discussing an error in communication about a club.
  • At the end of track 15, "Pony Ride" —an excerpt from the documentaryCrumb,in whichMaxon Crumbdiscusses his struggle living on the streets, describing his periods of optimism and depression. Of his situation, he remarks, "Stakes is high".
  • The beginning and end of track 16, "Stakes is High", feature sound clips of people playing dice. A man nearby discusses theO. J. Simpsontrials.
  • The clip at the end of the final track, "Sunshine", closes the album with a young man saying "Yo, when I first heard3 Feet High and Rising,I was "and then the clip is cut out in similar fashion to"Fight the Power"inPublic Enemy's legendary album,Fear of a Black Planet.3 Feet High and Risingwas De La Soul's first release and a very influential album, held in similarly high regard asCriminal Minded,which is discussed at the beginning of the album.

Critical reception

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Robert Christgauwrote: "After almost four years, Posdnuos and company emerge from the ether like the long-lost friends they are. Their wordplay assured in its subtle smarts, their delivery unassuming in its quick, unmacho mumble, their cultural awareness never smug about its balance, they bind up an identifiable feeling in an identifiable sound, and just about every one of the 17 tracks comes equipped with a solid beat and a likable hook or chorus. It's a relief to have them back. But it's never a revelation."[12]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
De La Soul2:35
2."Supa Emcees"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:40
3."The Bizness" (featuringCommon)
De La Soul5:41
4."Wonce Again Long Island"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:39
5."Dinninit"
Spearhead X4:20
6."Brakes"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
  • Reggie Hodby
  • Charlie Jimenez
  • Lawrence Mack
De La Soul4:06
7."Dog Eat Dog"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:40
8."Baby Baby Baby Baby Ooh Baby"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul2:10
9."Long Island Degrees"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:27
10."Betta Listen"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul4:28
11."Itzsoweezee (Hot)"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul4:55
12."4 More"(featuringZhané)
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
  • Gary Scott
  • Nathaniel Hall
  • Michael Small
  • Eric Matthew
  • Darryl Payne
  • O. Gee
  • De La Soul[a]
4:18
13."Big Brother Beat" (featuringMos Def)
Skeff Anselm3:42
14."Down Syndrome"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:28
15."Pony Ride" (featuring Truth Enola)
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
  • Sheddrick Preston
De La Soul5:26
16."Stakes Is High"
5:30
17."Sunshine"
De La Soul3:39
Total length:68:19

Notes

  • ^[a]indicates an additional producer.
  • "Baby Baby Baby Baby Ooh Baby" features additional vocals by theJazzyfatnastees.
  • The streaming version of the album divides "The Bizness" into two tracks, "The Bizness" and "Yunonstop".[13]

Charts

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References

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  1. ^"50 Greatest East Coast Hip-Hop Albums of the 1990s".The Boombox.October 20, 2017.RetrievedSeptember 14,2024.
  2. ^Thomas, Vincent."Stakes Is High– De La Soul ".AllMusic.RetrievedAugust 25,2011.
  3. ^Smith, Ethan (July 12, 1996)."Stakes Is High".Entertainment Weekly.New York.RetrievedJune 13,2012.
  4. ^Ashon, Wil(July 1996)."De La Soul:Stakes Is high"(PDF).Muzik.No. 14. p. 122. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2 April 2022.Retrieved16 July2022.
  5. ^Cigarettes, Johnny (July 29, 1996)."De La Soul –Stakes Is High".NME.London. Archived fromthe originalon October 10, 2000.RetrievedDecember 16,2018.
  6. ^Matson, Andrew (20 July 2002)."De La Soul - Stakes Is High - Tommy Boy (RapReviews" Back to the Lab "series)".RapReviews.Retrieved20 July2002.
  7. ^Sprague, David (August 8, 1996)."Stakes Is High".Rolling Stone.New York.RetrievedJune 13,2012.
  8. ^Caramanica, Jon(2004). "De La Soul". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.).The New Rolling Stone Album Guide(4th ed.).Simon & Schuster.pp.224–25.ISBN0-7432-0169-8.
  9. ^Salamon, Jeff (August 1996)."De La Soul:Stakes Is High".Spin.Vol. 12, no. 5. New York. pp. 98–100.RetrievedDecember 16,2018.
  10. ^Brusie, David (18 June 2009)."De La Soul - Stakes Is High".Tiny Mix Tapes.Archived fromthe originalon 2009-07-18.Retrieved18 June2009.
  11. ^Christgau, Robert(July 23, 1996)."Consumer Guide".The Village Voice.New York.RetrievedDecember 16,2018.
  12. ^Robert Christgau: CG: de la soul
  13. ^"Stakes Is High".July 2, 1996 – via open.spotify.
  14. ^"De La Soul ARIA chart history (albums) to 2024".ARIA.RetrievedJuly 20,2024– via Imgur.N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  15. ^"Dutchcharts.nl – De La Soul – Stakes Is High"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  16. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – De La Soul – Stakes Is High"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  17. ^"Charts.nz – De La Soul – Stakes Is High".Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  18. ^"Swedishcharts – De La Soul – Stakes Is High".Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  19. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  20. ^"Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40".Official Charts Company.Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  21. ^"De La Soul Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  22. ^"De La Soul Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  23. ^"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  24. ^"Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50".Official Charts Company.Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  25. ^"Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  26. ^"Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996".Billboard.RetrievedApril 23,2021.
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