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| "Stakes Is High" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by De La Soul | ||||
| from the album Stakes Is High | ||||
| Released | June 17, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1995 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 5:30 | |||
| Label | Tommy Boy | |||
| Songwriter(s) | K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, J. Yancey, A. Jamal, L. R. Lynn | |||
| Producer(s) | De La Soul, Jay Dee | |||
| De La Soul singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Stakes Is High" is a single by De La Soul released in 1996 from their album Stakes Is High . [1]
Released during the height of the East Vs. West (coast) rap rivalries, "Stakes..." was a relentless attack on what De La saw as a decline, not only in hip hop music, but also in hip hop culture. The song included many memorable lines such as Posdnous' "Gun control means using both hands in my land...". Dave's input was no less outspoken: "I'm sick of bitches shakin' asses / I'm sick of talkin' about blunts / Sick of Versace glasses / Sick of slang / Sick of half-ass awards shows / Sick of name brand clothes..."
Posdnous also makes a point to inform us that the Native Tongues are still together when he states: "A meteor has more right than my people / Who be wastin' time screaming who they've hated / That's why the Native Tongues have officially been re-instated" An announcement which was furthered by appearing with old friends such as A Tribe Called Quest in the video.
The song was one of the earliest mainstream productions to be handled by hip hop producer Jay Dee. The B-side to the single was "The Bizness", featuring Common. This song talks about the music industry.
In 2023, Billboard and Stereogum ranked the song number six and number two, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest De La Soul songs. [2] [3]
The music video for "Stakes Is High" has all three members of De La Soul on an episode of The Maury Povich Show (with Povich appearing as himself) about hip-hop culture in the 1990s and how much of an influence it is on the world, along with clips of each De La Soul member doing typical household chores (raking leaves, doing laundry, etc.). Fellow Native Tongues group A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, Common & Jerry Stackhouse also made cameo appearances in the music video.
"Stakes Is High"
"The Bizness"
| Chart (1996) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 53 |
| UK Singles Chart | 55 |
De La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1988 in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres. Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, and Vincent "Maseo" Mason formed the group in high school and caught the attention of producer Prince Paul with a demo tape of the song "Plug Tunin'".
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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.
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"Itzsoweezee (Hot)" is a song by De La Soul and the second single to be released from their fourth album, Stakes Is High, which was released in 1996. The song is entirely performed by group member Trugoy the Dove.
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