What was De La Soul’s 1989 debut album, famous for its psychedelic humor and eclectic samples?

3 Feet High and Rising was De La Soul’s 1989 debut album, famous for its psychedelic humor and eclectic samples.

Tommy Boy Records released the album on March 3, 1989. Produced primarily by Prince Paul, it used skits, playful dialogue, unusual samples, and imaginative wordplay to create a sound that contrasted with the harder rap styles prominent at the time. The title referred to a song by Johnny Cash, while the album’s colorful presentation helped the group become associated with the Native Tongues movement.

“Me Myself and I” became the album’s best-known single and reached the Billboard Hot 100. The record’s sampling practices later created legal and licensing complications, which made it difficult to keep the original album widely available on streaming services for many years.

De La Soul Is Dead was the group’s second album, Buhloone Mindstate was the third, and Stakes Is High was released in 1996. None was the group’s debut.