Stakes Is High

Stakes Is High is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul. It was released on July 2, 1996, through Tommy Boy Records. The album marked a change in the group's sound and direction, as it was their first release not produced in collaboration with Prince Paul. Stakes Is High was mainly produced by the group themselves, with additional tracks provided by Jay Dee, DJ Ogee, Spearhead X and Skeff Anslem. It is considered the group's darkest and most serious album. It received mostly strong reviews but little commercial success.

Stakes Is High
Studio album by
De La Soul
ReleasedJuly 2, 1996
GenreHip hop
Length68:19
Label
Producer
De La Soul chronology
Clear Lake Audiotorium
(1994)		 Stakes Is High
(1996)		 Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump
(2000)
Singles from Stakes Is High
  1. "Stakes Is High"
    Released: June 17, 1996
  2. "Itzsoweezee (Hot)"
    Released: 1996
  3. "4 More"
    Released: 1997
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB[2]
Muzik[3]
NME6/10[4]
RapReviews10/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]
Spin6/10[8]
Tiny Mix Tapes[9]
The Village VoiceB+[10]

History

Stakes Is High marked the first time De La Soul did not collaborate with longtime producer Prince Paul on an album, as the group felt that the production he turned in for it didn't match the album's mood.

After the album's release, the group toured extensively and remained rather quiet before returning in 2000 with the first installment of their "Art Official Intelligence" series, Mosaic Thump.

Stakes Is High deals with many topics, including the state of hip-hop, the commercialization of hip-hop culture, and criticism of gangsta rap. Gangsta rapper 2Pac later retaliated on the song "Against All Odds" from his posthumous 1996 album The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (as well as the unreleased song "Watch Ya Mouth" recorded during the same sessions). Naughty By Nature member Treach also took serious offense at the record, creating a feud that only died down after about a decade and a half after Stakes Is High was released.

Stakes Is High helped introduce rapper Mos Def to a wider audience, on the track "Big Brother Beat". Common also makes an appearance on "The Bizness".

Interludes

Like other De La Soul albums, Stakes Is High has a running theme, which in this case is the group's concern about the state of rap, as well as the state of hip hop culture and how it is regarded in general. The following sound clips are featured:

  • The introduction track begins with various clips of interviews, the interviewees describing where they were when they first heard the influential rap album Criminal Minded.
  • At the end of track 9, "Long Island Degrees", a "redneck" explains why he hates rap music ("There's no music in it. It's just niggers talking.")
  • At the end of track 10, "Betta Listen", there is a clip of Posdnuos and Maseo discussing an error in communication about a club.
  • At the end of track 15, "Pony Ride"—an excerpt from the documentary Crumb, in which Maxon Crumb discusses his struggle living on the streets, describing his periods of optimism and depression. Of his situation, he remarks, "Stakes is high".
  • The beginning and end of track 16, "Stakes is High", feature sound clips of people playing dice. A man nearby discusses the O. J. Simpson trials.
  • The clip at the end of the final track, "Sunshine", closes the album with a young man saying "Yo, when I first heard 3 Feet High and Rising, I was" and then the clip is cut out in similar fashion to "Fight the Power" in Public Enemy's legendary album, Fear of a Black Planet. 3 Feet High and Rising was De La Soul's first release and a very influential album, held in similarly high regard as Criminal Minded, which is discussed at the beginning of the album.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
De La Soul2:35
2."Supa Emcees"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:40
3."The Bizness" (featuring Common)
De La Soul5:41
4."Wonce Again Long Island"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:39
5."Dinninit"
Spearhead X4:20
6."Brakes"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
  • Reggie Hodby
  • Charlie Jimenez
  • Lawrence Mack
De La Soul4:06
7."Dog Eat Dog"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:40
8."Baby Baby Baby Baby Ooh Baby"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul2:10
9."Long Island Degrees"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:27
10."Betta Listen"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul4:28
11."Itzsoweezee (Hot)"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul4:55
12."4 More" (featuring Zhané)
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
  • Gary Scott
  • Nathaniel Hall
  • Michael Small
  • Eric Matthew
  • Darryl Payne
  • O. Gee
  • De La Soul[a]
4:18
13."Big Brother Beat" (featuring Mos Def)
Skeff Anselm3:42
14."Down Syndrome"
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
De La Soul3:28
15."Pony Ride" (featuring Truth Enola)
  • Mercer
  • Jolicoeur
  • Mason
  • Sheddrick Preston
De La Soul5:26
16."Stakes Is High"
5:30
17."Sunshine"
De La Soul3:39
Total length:68:19

Notes

  • ^[a] indicates an additional producer.
  • "Baby Baby Baby Baby Ooh Baby" features additional vocals by the Jazzyfatnastees.
  • The streaming version of the album divides "The Bizness" into two tracks, "The Bizness" and "Yunonstop".[11]

Charts

References
  1. Thomas, Vincent. "Stakes Is High – De La Soul". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  2. Smith, Ethan (July 12, 1996). "Stakes Is High". Entertainment Weekly. New York. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  3. Ashon, Wil (July 1996). "De La Soul: Stakes Is high" (PDF). Muzik. No. 14. p. 122. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  4. Cigarettes, Johnny (July 29, 1996). "De La Soul – Stakes Is High". NME. London. Archived from the original on October 10, 2000. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  5. Matson, Andrew (20 July 2002). "De La Soul - Stakes Is High - Tommy Boy (RapReviews "Back to the Lab" series)". RapReviews. Retrieved 20 July 2002.
  6. Sprague, David (August 8, 1996). "Stakes Is High". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  7. Caramanica, Jon (2004). "De La Soul". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 224–25. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. Salamon, Jeff (August 1996). "De La Soul: Stakes Is High". Spin. Vol. 12, no. 5. New York. pp. 98–100. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  9. Brusie, David (18 June 2009). "De La Soul - Stakes Is High". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on 2009-07-18. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  10. Christgau, Robert (July 23, 1996). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  11. "Stakes Is High". July 2, 1996 – via open.spotify.com.
  12. "Dutchcharts.nl – De La Soul – Stakes Is High" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  13. "Offiziellecharts.de – De La Soul – Stakes Is High" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  14. "Charts.nz – De La Soul – Stakes Is High". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  15. "Swedishcharts.com – De La Soul – Stakes Is High". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  16. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  17. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  18. "De La Soul Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  19. "De La Soul Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  20. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  21. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  22. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  23. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
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