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 to be 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 to be the group's darkest and most serious album in terms of subject matter and production. It received mostly strong reviews but little commercial success.
Stakes Is High | ||||
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Studio album by De La Soul | ||||
Released | July 2, 1996 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 68:19 | |||
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Producer |
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De La Soul chronology | ||||
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Singles from Stakes Is High | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B[2] |
Muzik | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 6/10[4] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 6/10[7] |
The Village Voice | B+[8] |
Stakes Is High marked the first time the group did not collaborate with long-time producer Prince Paul on an album, as the group felt that the production that he turned in for the album didn't correctly 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 in their "Art Official Intelligence" series, Mosaic Thump.
Stakes Is High dealt with many topics, including the state of hip-hop, the commercialization of the hip-hop culture, and criticism towards gangsta rap. This would cause great contempt with the late gangsta rapper 2Pac who would later retaliate 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 also took serious offense to 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".
Like other De La Soul albums, Stakes Is High has a running theme, which in this case is the group's concern for the state of rap, as well as the current state of hip hop culture and how it is regarded in general. The following sound clips are featured:
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Intro" | De La Soul | 2:35 |
2. | "Supa Emcees" | De La Soul | 3:40 |
3. | "The Bizness" (featuring Common) | De La Soul | 5:41 |
4. | "Wonce Again Long Island" | De La Soul | 3:39 |
5. | "Dinninit" | Spearhead X | 4:20 |
6. | "Brakes" | De La Soul | 4:06 |
7. | "Dog Eat Dog" | De La Soul | 3:40 |
8. | "Baby Baby Baby Baby Ooh Baby" | De La Soul | 2:10 |
9. | "Long Island Degrees" | De La Soul | 3:27 |
10. | "Betta Listen" | De La Soul | 4:28 |
11. | "Itzsoweezee (Hot)" | De La Soul* | 4:55 |
12. | "4 More" (featuring Zhané) | O. Gee, De La Soul* | 4:18 |
13. | "Big Brother Beat" (featuring Mos Def) | Skeff Anselm | 3:42 |
14. | "Down Syndrome" | De La Soul | 3:28 |
15. | "Pony Ride" (featuring Truth Enola) | De La Soul | 5:26 |
16. | "Stakes Is High" | Jay Dee, De La Soul* | 5:30 |
17. | "Sunshine" | De La Soul | 3:39 |
• Co-producer
# | Title | Notes |
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1 | "Intro" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
2 | "Supa Emcees" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
3 | "The Bizness" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, L. Lynn |
4 | "Wonce Again Long Island" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
5 | "Dinninit" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, X. Hargrove, M. Jackson |
6 | "Brakes" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, R. Hodby, C. Jimenez, L. Mack |
7 | "Dog Eat Dog" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
8 | "Baby Baby Baby Baby Ooh Baby" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
9 | "Long Island Degrees" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
10 | "Betta Listen" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
11 | "Itzsoweezee (Hot)" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
12 | "4 More" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, G. Scott, N. Hall, M. Small, E. Matthew, D. Payne |
13 | "Big Brother Beat" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, D. Beze, S. Anselm |
14 | "Down Syndrome" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason |
15 | "Pony Ride" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, S. Preston |
16 | "Stakes Is High" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, J. Yancey |
17 | "Sunshine" |
Songwriters: K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, L. Richie, T. McClary |
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