Stakes Is High

Last updated
Stakes Is High
Stakes is High album cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 2, 1996
Genre East Coast hip hop [1]
Length68:19
Label
Producer
De La Soul chronology
Clear Lake Audiotorium
(1994)
Stakes Is High
(1996)
Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump
(2000)
Singles from Stakes 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 Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Entertainment Weekly B [3]
Muzik Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
NME 6/10 [5]
RapReviews10/10 [6]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Spin 6/10 [9]
Tiny Mix Tapes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Village Voice B+ [11]

Stakes Is High is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul. It was released on July 2, 1996, through Tommy Boy Records. The album marked a change in the group's sound and direction, as it was their first release not produced in collaboration with Prince Paul. Stakes Is High was mainly produced by the group themselves, with additional tracks provided by Jay 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.

Contents

History

Stakes Is High marked the first time De La Soul did not collaborate with longtime producer Prince Paul on an album, as the group felt that the production he turned in for it didn't match the album's mood.

Stakes Is High deals with many topics, including the state of hip-hop, the commercialization of hip-hop culture, and criticism of gangsta rap. Rapper 2Pac later retaliated on the song "Against All Odds" from his posthumous 1996 album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (as well as the unreleased song "Watch Ya Mouth" recorded during the same sessions). Naughty By Nature member Treach also took serious offense at the record, creating a feud that only died down after about a decade and a half after Stakes Is High was released.

Stakes Is High helped introduce rapper Mos Def to a wider audience, on the track "Big Brother Beat". Common also makes an appearance on "The Bizness".

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 .

Interludes

Like other De La Soul albums, Stakes Is High has 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:

Critical reception

Robert Christgau wrote: "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

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro" De La Soul 2:35
2."Supa Emcees"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:40
3."The Bizness" (featuring Common)
De La Soul5:41
4."Wonce Again Long Island"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:39
5."Dinninit"
Spearhead X 4:20
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" (featuring Zhané)
  • 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" (featuring Mos 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

Charts

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