Stakes Is High (song)

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"Stakes Is High"
Single by De La Soul
from the album Stakes Is High
ReleasedJune 17, 1996
Recorded1995
GenreHip hop
Length5:30
LabelTommy Boy
Songwriter(s)K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason, J. Yancey, A. Jamal, L. R. Lynn
Producer(s)De La Soul, Jay Dee
De La Soul singles chronology
"Fallin' (with Teenage Fanclub)"
(1994) 		"Stakes Is High"
(1996) 		"Itzsoweezee (HOT)"
(1996)

"Stakes Is High" is a single by De La Soul released in 1996 from their album Stakes Is High.[1]

Overview

Released during the height of the East Vs. West (coast) rap rivalries, "Stakes..." was a relentless attack on what De La saw as a decline, not only in hip hop music, but also in hip hop culture. The song included many memorable lines such as Posdnous' "Gun control means using both hands in my land...". Dave's input was no less outspoken: "I'm sick of bitches shakin' asses / I'm sick of talkin' about blunts / Sick of Versace glasses / Sick of slang / Sick of half-ass awards shows / Sick of name brand clothes..."

Posdnous also makes a point to inform us that the Native Tongues are still together when he states: "A meteor has more right than my people / Who be wastin' time screaming who they've hated / That's why the Native Tongues have officially been re-instated" An announcement which was furthered by appearing with old friends such as A Tribe Called Quest in the video.

The song was one of the earliest mainstream productions to be handled by hip hop producer J Dilla (known then as Jay Dee). The B-side to the single was "The Bizness", featuring Common. This song talks about the music industry.

In 2023, Billboard and Stereogum ranked the song number six and number two, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest De La Soul songs.[2][3]

Music video

The music video for "Stakes Is High" has all three members of De La Soul on an episode of The Maury Povich Show (with Povich appearing as himself) about hip-hop culture in the 1990s and how much of an influence it is on the world, along with clips of each De La Soul member doing typical household chores (raking leaves, doing laundry, etc.). Fellow Native Tongues group A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, Common & Jerry Stackhouse also made cameo appearances in the music video.

Track listing

  1. "Stakes Is High (Album Version)"
  2. "Stakes Is High (Instrumental)"
  3. "Stakes Is High (A Cappella)"
  4. "The Bizness (Album Version)"
  5. "The Bizness (Clean Version)"
    • Guest Appearance: Common
  6. "The Bizness (Instrumental)"

Personnel

"Stakes Is High"

Produced by Jay Dee
Co-Produced by De La Soul
Written by K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason & J. Yancey
Published by Tee Girl Music/Daisy Age Music (BMI)/Ephcy Music (ASCAP)
Contains samples from "Mind Power" by James Brown and "Swahililand" by Ahmad Jamal

"The Bizness"

Featuring Common
Produced by De La Soul
Written by K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason & L. Lynn
Published by Tee Girl Music/Daisy Age Music (BMI)
Common appears courtesy of Relativity Records

Charts

Chart (1996) Peak
Position
Australia (ARIA)[4] 117
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 53
UK Singles Chart 55

References

  1. ^ Wang, Oliver (3 March 2023). "De La Soul Is Streaming". NPR. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
  2. ^ Hart, Ron (March 3, 2023). "De La Soul's 10 Best Songs". Billboard. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Patrin, Nate (March 7, 2023). "The 10 Best De La Soul Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  4. ^ "De La Soul ARIA chart history (albums) to 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 20, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
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