De La Soul Is Dead

De La Soul Is Dead
Studio album by De La Soul
Released	May 14, 1991
Recorded	May 1990 - February 1991
Studio	Calliope Studios (Brooklyn, New York)
Genre	Alternative hip hop, East Coast hip hop, Conscious hip hop
Length	73:30
Label	Tommy Boy / Warner Bros. Records
Producer	De La Soul, Prince Paul

De La Soul chronology
Previous	3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
Next	Buhloone Mindstate (1993)

De La Soul Is Dead is the second studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul, released in May 14, 1991 by Tommy Boy Entertainment. Recording sessions took place at Calliope Studios in Brooklyn, New York City from May 1990 to February 1991. Production was entirely handled by Prince Paul, whose work on the group's debut album 3 Feet High and Rising was highly praised by music critics. It includes guest appearances from Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest), Dres (of Black Sheep) and Vinia Mojica. The album's cover is a reference to the death of the group's self-proclaimed "D.A.I.S.Y. age" (Da Inner Sound, Y'All), and this album serves an effort to distance themselves from the hippy image that they had been associated with upon the release of their debut album.

The album peaked at #26 on the US Billboard 200 and #24 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. De La Soul Is Dead released the singles: "A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays", "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)", "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa" and "Keepin' the Faith".

It is considered among many as one of the best albums of 1990s, and is often referred to as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. It was one of the first albums to receive a five mic rating in the hip hop magazine The Source, and was also selected by the magazine as one of the 100 Best Albums.

Legacy

Rolling Stone included De La Soul Is Dead at #228 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" in 2020.

Track listing

All songs produced by Prince Paul and De La Soul. All songs written by P. Huston, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason and K. Mercer, except for "A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"" which is also written by J. Davis.

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Time
1.	"Intro"	-	2:14
2.	"Oodles of O's"	Trugoy the Dove, Posdnuos	3:31
3.	"Talkin' Bout Hey Love"	Posdnuos	2:27
4.	"Peas Porridge Hot"	Posdnuos, Maseo, Trugoy the Dove	5:02
5.	"Skit 1"	-	0:25
6.	"Johnny's Dead AKA Vincent Mason (Live from the BK Lounge)"	-	1:57
7.	"A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays""	Q-Tip, Vinia Mojica, Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove	4:03
8.	"WRMS' Dedication to the Bitty"	-	0:46
9.	"Bitties in the BK Lounge"	Trugoy the Dove, Posdnuos	5:40
10.	"Skit 2"	-	0:31
11.	"My Brother's a Basehead"	Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove	4:20
12.	"Let, Let Me In"	Trugoy the Dove, Posdnuos, Maseo	3:25
13.	"Afro Connections at a Hi 5 (In the Eyes of the Hoodlum)"	Trugoy the Dove, Maseo, Posdnuos	4:02
14.	"Rap de Rap Show"	-	2:19
15.	"Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa"	Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove	4:10
16.	"Who Do U Worship?"	-	1:59
17.	"Skit 3"	-	0:31
18.	"Kicked Out the House"	Trugoy the Dove	1:56
19.	"Pass the Plugs"	Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove	3:30
20.	"Not Over till the Fat Lady Plays the Demo"	Trugoy the Dove	1:29
21.	"Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)"	Trugoy the Dove, Posdnuos, Maseo	5:06
22.	"WRMS: Cat in Control"	-	0:34
23.	"Skit 4"	-	0:12
24.	"Shwingalokate"	Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove	4:14
25.	"Fanatic of the B Word"	Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove, Dres	4:09
26.	"Keepin' the Faith"	Trugoy the Dove, Posdnuos	4:45
27.	"Skit 5"	-	0:32

Samples

Intro

• "D.A.I.S.Y. Age" by De La Soul
• "Five Star Final" by Arthur Knob

Oodles Of O's

• "Hihache" by Lafayette Afro Rock Band
• "Diamonds on My Windshield" by Tom Waits
• "Walking to War" by War

Talkin' Bout Hey Love

• "The Easiest Way to Fall" by Freda Payne
• "Hey Love" by Stevie Wonder
• "Les Oubliettes" by Serge Gainsbourg
• "Flamingo" by Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass

Pease Porridge

• "Pease Porridge Hot" and "Finger Fun" by Harrell & Sharron Lucky
• "Black-Eyed Susan Brown" by Brother Bones
• "Make It Funky" by James Brown

A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"

• "Ebony Jam" by Tower of Power
• "I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)" by Instant Funk
• "Light My Fire" by Young-Holt Unlimited
• "Evil Vibrations" by Mighty Ryeders
• "Grease" by Frankie Valli

WRMS Dedication to the Bitty

• "The Breakdown (Part II)" by Rufus Thomas
• "In All My Wildest Dreams" by Joe Sample

Bitties in the BK Lounge

• "It's Your Thing" by Lou Donaldson
• "No Frills" by Taana Gardner
• "Money (Dollar Bill Y'all)" by Jimmy Spicer
• "Dancing Machine" by The Jackson 5

My Brother's a Basehead

• "Touch Me" by The Doors
• "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana & the Mindbenders
• "Hang On Sloopy" by The McCoys
• "Shack Up (Part II)" by Banbarra
• "Stick 'Em" by The Fat Boys

Let, Let Me In

• "Tramp" by Lowell Fusion
• "At My Front Door" by The El Dorados

Afro Connections at a Hi 5 (In the Eyes of a Hoodlum)

• "And That's Saying a Lot" by Chuck Jackson
• "For Goodness Sake, Look at Those Cakes" by James Brown
• "Bust That Groove" by Stetsasonic

Rap De Rap Show

• "If It Don't Fit, Don't Force It" by Kellee Patterson
• "Groovy Lady" by The Meters

Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa

• "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss
• "I'll Stay" and "Mommy, What's a Funkadelic?" by Funkadelic

Who Do U Worship?

• "Anyway" by Genesis
• "Johnny the Fox Meets Jimmy the Weed" by Thin Lizzy

Kicked Out the House

• "La Di Da Di" by Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh

Pass the Plugs

• "Magic Mountain" by Eric Burdon and War
• "Eric B Is President" by Eric B. & Rakim
• "Oops! Here I Go Again" by Edna Wright
• "Pass the Peas" by The J.B.'s

Not Over Till the Fat Lady Plays the Demo

• "En Melody" by Serge Gainsbourg
• "Mr. Cab Driver" by Lenny Kravitz
• "Please Listen to My Demo" by EPMD

Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)

• "Impeach the President" by The Honey Drippers
• "Help Is on the Way" by The Whatnauts
• "Beat" by Lou Donaldson
• "God Make Me Funky" by The Headhunters feat. Pointer Sisters

WRMS: Cat's in Control

• "In All My Wildest Dreams" by Joe Sample

Shwingalokate

• "Mr. Groove" by One Way
• "Placebo Syndrome" and "Flash Light" by Parliament

Fanatic of the B-Word

• "Get Out of My Life, Woman" by Lee Dorsey
• "That's No Lie" by White Lightnin'"
• "Freedom" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five

Keepin' the Faith

• "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith
• "Just a Touch of Love" by Slave
• "Could You Be Loved" by Bob Marley and The Wailers
• "The Champ" by The Mohawks
• "Beats to the Rhyme" by Run-D.M.C.

Skit 5

• "A Question of Honor" by Arthur Korb