WhoSampled x Wax Poetics: ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ 30th Anniversary Mixtape
On March 3rd 1989, De La Soul released their critically acclaimed debut album ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ and Hip Hop music changed forever. At a time when samples of James Brown and various other breakbeat staples ruled supreme, De La Soul and long time production partner Prince Paul cast the net far wider, snatching up snippets of vintage Soul, Rock n Roll, Disco, Spoken Word albums and children’s records to create a collage the likes of which had not been heard before and would not be heard again until the release of Beastie Boys’ similarly eclectic Paul’s Boutique several months later. Lyrically, the album married zany humor, honest observations of real life and occasional social commentary. Released less than a year after N.W.A’s ground breaking ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and Public Enemy’s politically charged opus ‘It Takes A Nation of Millions…’, ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ offered a light hearted counterpoint to the harder edged sounds emerging on both coasts and would set the scene for revered Long Players of comparable stature from groups including A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde in the years that followed. In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of this classic album, WhoSampled teamed up with Wax Poetics to present an exclusive mixtape of album tracks, original sample material, alt versions, interview snippets and more, mixed by Chris Read.