De La Soul

3 Feet High and Rising

First released1989

3 Feet High and Rising, released in 1989, was recorded primarily at Battery Studios in New York with additional work at other local studios. The album was produced by Prince Paul, along with the group members themselves, who employed innovative sampling and production techniques that were groundbreaking for hip-hop at the time. The production featured extensive use of samples from a diverse range of sources, layered with live instrumentation and vocal arrangements that departed from the minimalist aesthetics dominating hip-hop production in the late 1980s. Engineer and co-producer DJ Moe Dewese played a key role in realizing the group's sonic vision. The album's playful, sample-heavy approach and emphasis on musicality and humor helped define the Native Tongues movement and established a template for alternative hip-hop production that influenced the genre significantly.