“Stakes is High” Changed Everything | De La Soul & J Dilla

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Loved this album when it came out. The greatest irony that seemed to go over so many of heads heads at the time was we were actually living Hip-Hop's best musical years in that very moment. Half the albums released each month were easily 4 stars, we were legit spoiled for choice. Anyway, I loved DeLa's first 4 albums and this one remains my fav than and now along with other '96 jawns like the Bush Babee's "Gravity" & Bahamadia's "Kollage" just to name two. DeLa was also one of the few Hip-Hop groups to deliver great live shows and finally seeing them at UCLA Jazz Reggae Fest in 2009 was great. And they pointed me out rhyming along to this track in the crowd to boot. 😅 RIP Dave. ❤

Classic Material
Album is Dope af

shoulda got a grammy

Great work as always. Salute!

Jeeez you know your stuff bro! Nuff respek😊

This is their best album!

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.
Sick of R&B bitches over bullshit tracks,
Cocaine and crack
Which brings sickness to blacks,
Sick of swoll' head rappers
With their sicker-than raps
Clappers and gats
Makin' the whole sick world collapse
The facts are gettin' sick
Even sicker perhaps
Stickabush to make a bundle to escape this synapse

Still one of the truest verses in all of hip hop. RIP DAVE😢

The 12 inch at the lowest pressing ever used to play it at the club and it would just barely work. I like putting the a cappella over Blackman‘s buck him down.

I was lucky enough to see De La perform live in the netherlands as a young teen. They were incredible live. So much raw talent.

I remain convinced hip hop, shucks maybe music generally, may have peaked with that album.

You're incredible at illustrating the narratives of artists. And making/explaining music. Thankyou r

We’ll put together 👊🏾

With all due respect I believe your beat remake misses the most important part of Ahmad Jamal's song which appears at 8 min 7 sec https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3S1naGY9EQ&t=487s

Stakes is High foretold so much of to come of hip-hop, breaks my heart.

It’s like listening to a great painting. Only way I can describe it.

First off let me say this; I appreciate the work and time you put into your videos. ..and your love for hip hop.

But saying stakes is high album changed everything is inaccurate!

This album went under the radar at the time…and from what I remember almost got shelved…but the production was a bit routine at that time, with raw samples and drums over filtered bass-lines. And although J-Dilla was great at it; he didn’t invent low pass filtering on hip hop beats. It had been done by numerous producers, Sir Jinx, DJ Pooh, Dr. Dre, Premier, Pete Rock, everyone did some variation of sample filtering. I think a lot of people use J-Dilla’s legacy similar to Kobe Bryant..when they were alive they were just considered good and part of the game…but when their no longer around we build them up to be something untouchable. People didn’t start to give him his props until he passed away and they folk like stories started coming out from artist he produced for…

This album is the shit

4metoo. Stakes is high was an overall Diamond Classic Album, rest his peace, Great JDilla. I bought every cd from this one man I could find, including BBE and great ‘the diary’. His brothers and cousins are real artists as well, more like Sugarhill(?) and not The Firm. But its overall great music and feel(s). Bless his soul and his Collection!

I honestly didn't know that this track was so highly regarded, I've loved it since first getting it on tape in 96 and it's never been out of rotation for me since then. Classic.

Stakes is High is one of the greatest albums of all time. De Le Soul was always a good group, but when this one came out, I literally was like 😮.