Stakes Is High | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 2, 1996 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 68:19 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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De La Soul chronology | ||||
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Singles from Stakes Is High | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B [2] |
Muzik | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 6/10 [4] |
RapReviews | 10/10 [5] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 6/10 [8] |
Tiny Mix Tapes | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Village Voice | B+ [10] |
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.
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.
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 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".
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:
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." [11]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Intro" | De La Soul | 2:35 | |
2. | "Supa Emcees" |
| De La Soul | 3:40 |
3. | "The Bizness" (featuring Common) |
| De La Soul | 5:41 |
4. | "Wonce Again Long Island" |
| De La Soul | 3:39 |
5. | "Dinninit" |
| Spearhead X | 4:20 |
6. | "Brakes" |
| De La Soul | 4:06 |
7. | "Dog Eat Dog" |
| De La Soul | 3:40 |
8. | "Baby Baby Baby Baby Ooh Baby" |
| De La Soul | 2:10 |
9. | "Long Island Degrees" |
| De La Soul | 3:27 |
10. | "Betta Listen" |
| De La Soul | 4:28 |
11. | "Itzsoweezee (Hot)" |
| De La Soul | 4:55 |
12. | "4 More" (featuring Zhané) |
|
| 4:18 |
13. | "Big Brother Beat" (featuring Mos Def) |
| Skeff Anselm | 3:42 |
14. | "Down Syndrome" |
| De La Soul | 3:28 |
15. | "Pony Ride" (featuring Truth Enola) |
| De La Soul | 5:26 |
16. | "Stakes Is High" |
| 5:30 | |
17. | "Sunshine" |
| De La Soul | 3:39 |
Total length: | 68:19 |
Notes
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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