3 Feet High and Rising

3 Feet High and Rising
Cover above features members Trugoy The Dove, Maseo, and Posdnus.
Released	March 3, 1989
Recorded	1988
Studio	Calliope Studios (Brooklyn, New York) Island Media Studios (West Babylon, New York)
Genre	Art rap, Alternative hip hop, Jazz rap, Psychedelic hip hop, Sampledelia
Length	67:24
Label	Tommy Boy Records
Producer	Prince Paul

De La Soul chronology
Next	De La Soul Is Dead (1991)

3 Feet High and Rising is the debut studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul, It was released on March 3, 1989 by Tommy Boy Records. Recording sessions took place at Calliope Studios in Brooklyn and Island Media Studios in West Babylon, New York during 1988. It was the first of three full-length collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would result in the critical and commercial peak for both parties. 3 Feet High is consistently placed on 'greatest albums' lists by noted music critics and publications. In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Albums.

A critical and commercial success, the album contains the well known singles, "Me Myself and I", "The Magic Number", "Buddy", and "Eye Know". The album's title was inspired by a line in the Johnny Cash song "Five Feet High and Rising". The album is discussed in detail by De La Soul in Brian Coleman's book Check the Technique. It was selected by the Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

Legacy

Rolling Stone ranked 3 Feet High and Rising at #103 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2020.

Track listing

All songs produced by Prince Paul and co-produced by De La Soul.

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	-	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	1:41
2.	"The Magic Number"	Posdnuos, Trugoy	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	3:16
3.	"Change in Speak"	Posdnuos, Trugoy	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer, Patterson, Scipio	2:33
4.	"Cool Breeze on the Rocks"	-	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	0:48
5.	"Can U Keep a Secret"	-	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	1:41
6.	"Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)"	Trugoy, Posdnuos	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	3:25
7.	"Ghetto Thang"	Posdnuos, Trugoy	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	3:36
8.	"Transmitting Live from Mars"	Posdnuos, Trugoy	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	1:12
9.	"Eye Know"	Posdnuos, Trugoy	Becker, Fagen, Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	4:13
10.	"Take It Off"	-	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	1:53
11.	"A Little Bit of Soap"	Posdnuos	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	0:57
12.	"Tread Water"	Trugoy, Posdnuos	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	3:46
13.	"Potholes in My Lawn"	Trugoy, Posdnuos	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	3:50
14.	"Say No Go"	Posdnuos, Trugoy	Allen, Hall, Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer, Oates	4:20
15.	"Do as De La Does"	Maseo, Posdnuos, Trugoy, Prince Paul	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	2:12
16.	"Plug Tunin' (Last Chance to Comprehend)"	Posdnuos, Trugoy	Jolicoeur, Mercer	4:07
17.	"De La Orgee"	-	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	1:14
18.	"Buddy"	Trugoy, Posdnuos, Jungle Brothers, Q-Tip	Davis, Hall, Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer, Small	4:55
19.	"Description"	Trugoy, Maseo, Posdnuos, Q-Tip, Prince Paul	Davis	1:32
20.	"Me Myself and I"	Trugoy, Posdnuos	Clinton, Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer, Wynn	3:50
21.	"This Is a Recording 4 Living in a Fulltime Era (L.I.F.E.)"	Posdnuos, Trugoy	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	3:10
22.	"I Can Do Anything (Delacratic)"	-	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	0:41
23.	"D.A.I.S.Y. Age"	Posdnuos, Trugoy	Huston, Jolicoeur, Mason, Mercer	4:43
24.	"Plug Tunin' (Original 12" version)"	Posdnuos, Trugoy	Jolicoeur, Mercer	3:43

Samples

The Magic Number

• "Three Is a Magic Number" by Bob Dorough
• "Different Strokes" by Syl Johnson
• "Is This the Future" by The Fatback Band
• "Five Feet and High Rising" by Johnny Cash

Change In Speak

• "Mary, Mary" by The Monkees
• "No Strings Attached" by The Mad Lads
• "Bra" by Cymande

Cool Breeze on the Rocks

• "Rock With You" by Michael Jackson
• "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" by Vaughan Mason and Crew
• "Crap Game" by Richard Pryor
• "Body Rock" by Treacherous Three
• "Shake You Down" by Gregory Abbott

Can U Keep a Secret

• "Got to Get a Knutt" by The New Birth

Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)

• "Soupy" by Maggie Thrett
• "Shout" by The Isley Brothers
• "Take the Money and Run" by The Isley Brothers
• "Think (About It)" by Lyn Collins

Ghetto Thang

• "Dreaming About You" by The Blackbyrds
• "Trans-Europe Express" by Kraftwerk
• "Rock Creek Park" by The Blackbyrds
• "Funky President (People It's Bad)" by James Brown

Transmitting Live from Mars

• "You Showed Me" by The Turtles
• "Hey Jude" by Wilson Pickett
• "Practice Record 3A" by Audio Lingual Materials

Eye Know

• "Get Out of My Life, Woman" by Lee Dorsey
• "Make This Young Lady Mine" by The Mad Lads
• "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding
• "Peg" by Steely Dan

Take It Off

• "God Make Me Funky" by The Headhunters feat. Pointer Sisters
• "Kick the Ball" by Krown Rulers

A Little Bit of Soap

• "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" by Ben E. King
• "A Little Bit of Soap" by The Jarmels

Tread Water

• "I Likes to Do It" by People's Choice
• "Chinese Chicken" by Duke Williams and the Extremes

Potholes In My Lawn

• "The Boogie Back" by Roy Ayers Ubiquity
• "Magic Mountain" by Eric Bordon and War
• "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss
• "Little Old Country Boy" by Parliament

Say No Go

• "I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're the Royal Macadamia Nuts)" by The Turtles
• "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" by Hall & Oates
• "Best of My Love" by The Emotions
• "Crossword Puzzle" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms)" by Detroit Emeralds

Do as De La Does

• "Let's Play House" by Parliament

Plug Tunin' (Last Chance to Comprehend)

• "Written on the Wall" by The Invitations
• "I'm Shook" by James Brown
• "Bring the Noise" by Public Enemy

De La Orgee

• "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" by Barry White

Buddy

• "Hit or Miss" by Bo Diddley
• "Girl I Think the World About You" by The Commodores
• "Bang Zoom (Let's Go-Go)" by The Real Roxanne feat. Howie Tee

Description

• "Midnight Theme" by Manzel
• "Poet" by Sly & the Family Stone

Me Myself and I

• "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic
• "Funky Worm" by Ohio Players
• "Gonna Make You Mine" by Loose Ends

This Is a Recording 4 Living in a Fulltime Era (L.I.F.E.)

• "Action" by Orange Krush
• "Funk You Up" by The Sequence
• "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm McLaren
• "Got to Get a Knutt" by The New Birth

D.A.I.S.Y. Age

• "Schoolboy Crush" by Average White Band
• "Catch the Beat" by T-Ski Valley
• "Take Me Just as I Am" by Lyn Collins
• "My World" by The Rascals

Plug Tunin' (Original 12" Version)

• "Midnight Theme" by Manzel
• "Written on the Wall" by The Invitations
• "Son of Shaft / Feel It" by The Bar-Kays
• "Stiletto" by Billy Joel