Hip Hop has been around for nearly half a century. I think it’s safe to accredited it’s longevity to the culture’s innovators. De La Soul and their debut, 3 Feet High Rising, considered as one of the innovative projects.
However, Questlove of the legendary rap group, The Roots, went even further than that. On an appearance on the podcast Fired Up With Brad Jenkins, he was asked who was the most underappreciated Hip Hop artist of all time. He named De La.
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“We have taken from the tree of De La Soul so many times and they have never gotten credit for it,” Questlove says.
“I’ll say that. Just as far as — I’ve watched them use samples that later been used and built empires. I’ve seen them do concepts. Everything that De La Soul has done, I’ve seen other people come in and do afterwards and it’s like, ‘Ah!’ So yeah, De La Soul.”
As I’ve stated, Posdnous, Maseo, and Dave are some of the innovators in Hip Hop. The way they blended comedy, consciousness, and fun into their music was before it’s time. In addition, the skits/interludes, which was provided by their producer, Prince Paul.
Unfortunately, their contributions haven’t been valued as it should. Or at least, that’s what Questlove thinks.
Questlove Says De La Soul is the Most Underappreciated Artists in Hip Hop; Cosign or Nah?
Cosign – 67%
Nah – 33%