Which rap group released the 1989 album 3 Feet High and Rising?

Which rap group released the 1989 album 3 Feet High and Rising? De La Soul released it on February 6, 1989.

The album was De La Soul’s debut studio record and was produced largely by Prince Paul. Its playful skits, positive lyrics, unusual humor and dense sampling helped establish the group as a leading force in alternative and progressive hip hop. The title references Johnny Cash’s song “Five Feet High and Rising.”

The record produced several well-known singles, including “Me Myself and I,” “The Magic Number,” “Buddy” and “Eye Know.” Its guest appearances also connected it to the Native Tongues scene, including the Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest. Those associations can cause confusion, but neither group released this album.

3 Feet High and Rising became a landmark of sample-based rap. It was added to the National Recording Registry in 2010, and its complicated sample clearances delayed digital availability until 2023. De La Soul’s next album, De La Soul Is Dead, followed in 1991.