Say No Go

"Say No Go"
Single by De La Soul
from the album 3 Feet High and Rising
Released	August 24, 1989
Recorded	1988
Genre	Alternative hip hop golden age hip hop
Length	4:21
Label	Tommy Boy
Songwriter(s)	Paul Huston David Jude Jolicoeur Vincent Mason Kelvin Mercer
Producer(s)	Prince Paul, De La Soul
De La Soul singles chronology
"Me Myself and I" (1989) "Say No Go" (1989) "The Magic Number" (1990)

"Say No Go" is a single by De La Soul from their influential 1989 album 3 Feet High and Rising . It reached number 18 in the UK charts. ^[1] The tune is heavily based on the Hall & Oates song "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)". ^[2]

Background

During the 1980s and 1990s, the United States faced a severe crack cocaine epidemic. This crisis particularly impacted Black urban communities, leading to increased rates of addiction, violence, and incarceration. ^[3] In this context, The song is a cautionary tale about the use of drugs, in particular "base" (otherwise known as crack cocaine); a topic they would tackle on their follow-up album, De La Soul Is Dead , albeit from a different perspective, on the song "My Brother's a Basehead".

In the opening line, Posdnuos raps: "Now let's get right on down to the skit / A baby is brought into a world of pits / And if it could've talked that soon / In the delivery room / It would've asked the nurse for a hit".

Track listing

1. "Say No Go (Say No Dope Mix)" - 6:15
2. "Say No Go (New Keys Vocal)" - 4:51
3. "Say No Go (Radio Mix)" - 4:21
4. "The Mack Daddy on the Left" - 2:33
   • Guest Appearance: Chi Ali
5. "Say No Go (New Keys Instrumental)" - 5:01

Samples

"Say No Go" includes samples from the following songs: ^[4]

• Hall & Oates: "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)"
• Sly Stone: "Crossword Puzzle"
• The Detroit Emeralds: "Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)"
• Emotions: "Best of My Love"
• Funky 4 + 1: "That's The Joint"
• The Turtles: "I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're the Royal Macadamia Nuts)"
• Walter Schumann: "Dragnet (theme music)"

Charts

Chart (1989)	Peak Position
Australia (ARIA) [5]	143
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [6]	8
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [7]	7
UK Singles (OCC)	18
U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles	32
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play	3
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles	11
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	13

Yearly charts

Year-end chart performance for "Say No Go"

Chart (1989)	Position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [8]	82
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [9]	63

See also

• Just Say No

References

1. "SAY NO GO". Official Charts. 1989-07-08. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
2. Cantor, Paul (2014-03-03). "De La Soul, '3 Feet High and Rising' at 25: Classic Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
3. Watkins, Beverly Xaviera; Fullilove, Robert E.; Fullilove, Mindy Thompson (1998). "Arms against Illness: Crack Cocaine and Drug Policy in the United States" . Health and Human Rights. 2 (4): 42. doi:10.2307/4065186. JSTOR   4065186.
4. Cantor, Paul (2014-03-03). "De La Soul, '3 Feet High and Rising' at 25: Classic Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
5. "De La Soul ARIA chart history (albums) to 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 20, 2024– via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 31, 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
7. "De La Soul – Say No Go" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
8. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1989". Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved 12 December 2023.
9. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1989" (in Dutch). MegaCharts . Retrieved 23 June 2023.