de la soul / albums

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- De La Soul Is Dead
- - 103,489 plays
  - 85 favs
  - 10 shares
De La Soul
Released 1991

Oodles of O's
03:31
8,529 plays

Skit 1
00:00
7,336 plays

A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"
04:02
5,765 plays

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songs

- 1
- Intro
- 02:14
- 2,730 plays

- 2
- Oodles of O's
- 03:31
- 8,529 plays

- 3
- Talkin' Bout Hey Love
- 02:27
- 4,485 plays

- 4
- Pease Porridge
- 05:02
- 4,481 plays

- 5
- Skit 1
- 00:00
- 7,336 plays

- 6
- Johnny's Dead AKA Vincent Mason (Live from the BK Lounge) [Live]
- 01:57
- 2,608 plays

- 7
- A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"
- 04:02
- 5,765 plays

- 8
- WRMS' Dedication to the Bitty
- 00:00
- 2,394 plays

- 9
- Bitties in the BK Lounge
- 05:40
- 4,613 plays

- 10
- Skit 2
- 00:00
- 4,447 plays

- 11
- My Brother's a Basehead
- 04:02
- 3,356 plays

- 12
- Let, Let Me In
- 03:25
- 3,655 plays

- 13
- Afro Connections at a Hi 5 (In the Eyes of the Hoodlum)
- 04:02
- 3,494 plays

- 14
- Rap de Rap Show
- 02:19
- 2,528 plays

- 15
- Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa
- 04:10
- 3,238 plays

- 16
- Who Do U Worship?
- 01:59
- 2,619 plays

- 17
- Skit 3
- 00:00
- 3,959 plays

- 18
- Kicked Out of the House
- 01:56
- 2,721 plays

- 19
- Pass the Plugs
- 03:30
- 4,815 plays

- 20
- Not Over Till the Fat Lady Plays the Demo
- 01:29
- 2,342 plays

- 21
- Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)
- 05:06
- 4,296 plays

- 22
- WRMS: Cat's in Control
- 00:00
- 2,903 plays

- 23
- Skit 4
- 00:00
- 3,319 plays

- 24
- Shwingalokate
- 04:14
- 2,725 plays

- 25
- Fanatic of the B Word
- 04:09
- 3,063 plays

- 26
- Keepin' the Faith
- 04:45
- 3,290 plays

- 27
- Skit 5
- 00:00
- 3,778 plays

album review

On their notorious second album, De La Soul went to great lengths to debunk the daisy-age hippie image they'd been pigeonholed with, titling the record De La Soul Is Dead and putting a picture of wilting daisies in a broken flowerpot on the cover. Critics and fans alike were puzzled as to why the group was seemingly rejecting what had been hailed as the future of hip-hop, and neither the reviews nor the charts were kind to the album. It isn't that De La try to remake their sound here -- Dead keeps the skit-heavy structure of the debut, and the surreal tone and inventive sampling techniques are still very much in evidence. But, despite a few lighthearted moments ("Bitties in the BK Lounge," the disco-flavored "A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'"), a distinct note of bitterness has crept into De La's once-sunny outlook. On the one hand, they're willing to take on more serious subject matter; two of the album's most powerful moments are the unsettling incest tale "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa" and Posdnuos' drug-addiction chronicle "My Brother's a Basehead," both true-life occurrences. Yet other tracks betray a brittle, insular state of mind; one running skit features a group of street thugs who ultimately throw the album in the trash for not having enough pimps, guns, or curse words. There are vicious parodies of hip-house and hardcore rap, and the single "Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)" complains about being harassed into listening to lousy demo tapes. Plus, the negativity of the bizarre, half-sung "Johnny's Dead" and the hostile narrator on "Who Do U Worship?" seemingly comes out of nowhere. Dead is clearly the product of a group staggering under the weight of expectations, yet even if it's less cohesive and engaging, it's still often fascinating in spite of its flaws. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide