Many rap fans consider 1989 as one of the years during hip hop’s “Golden Age.”  Arguably, from 1987 to 1992, some of the most groundbreaking albums that would define the genre were released, and De La Soul’s “3 Feet High and Rising” is among the best of the era.

Natives of Long Island, which had already produced Public Enemy, Rakim, Biz  Markie, EPMD, and several others, Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, and Vincent "Pasemaster Mase" Mason formed De La Soul at Amityville Memorial High School. 

Eventually, a demo tape of their song "Plug Tunin” (which would be the group’s debut single) was discovered by Prince Paul, a fellow Long Island native who had just left his gig as Stetasonic's DJ. His innovative production and sense of humor helped to shape the sound behind De La Soul’s quirky lyricism and introspective realism.

In an interview with Variety, Paul, who would become one of hip hop’s most iconoclastic and innovative producers, explained that the ambitious nature of the project was entirely a collaboration where everyone brought their most elaborate ideas to the table.

“So it’s definitely everybody combined. I think the way the dynamic changed because of me is I’m pro everything,” Paul said. “ If somebody’s considering an idea, I’m like, “Let’s do it!” Where maybe if I wasn’t there they would probably be like, “I’m not going to do it.” They’ll talk themselves out of it. I’m like, “Let’s do everything.”

Released on Tommy Boy Records on March 3, 1989, the album title is derived from a Johnny Cash song, "Five Feet High and Rising," and was unlike any rap album that preceded it.

"The Magic Number” is the album's opening track and a signature De La Soul song. Sampling the 1973 song, "Three Is a Magic Number" by Bob Dorough, part of a segment of “Schoolhouse Rock!,” the group conveys the trio’s artistic vision.

The bridge says, “Everybody wants to be a deejay/Everybody wants to be an emcee/But being speakers are the best/And you don't have to guess/De La Soul posse consists of three/And that's the magic number.”

The album’s first single, “Potholes In My Lawn,” was about rappers stealing their style and rhymes. Trugoy explained the meaning of the track in a Rolling Stone interview.

“Potholes in my Lawn' was like another way to say beat-biter or sucker MC, like songs from Run-DMC, songs from MC Lyte,” Trugoy said. “The lawn was our rhymes and the potholes were the pieces missing."

"Me Myself and I," the album’s fourth single, was an instant classic upon its release. Sampling Funkdelic’s “Knee Deep” an idea that Paul and Maseo came up with the song was the last song recorded on the project because the label said it didn’t contain any viable singles. Pos and Trugoy reluctantly made the song, although they felt the track went against their anti-establishment stance. They decided to use the song, to tell the truth about their message.

“The press was referring to us as the hippies of Hip Hop,” Pos explained in an installment of Vevo Footnotes.“This song became a way to express that this wasn’t a gimmick and that we were being ourselves. This is why in my first verse I say, ‘You say Plug 1 & 2 are hippies, no we’re not, that’s pure Plug bull.'”

The song became a smash hit, going 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the US Billboard R&B, the Rap Songs, and the Dance chart. To date, it remains the group’s most successful song.

 "Buddy,” is one of the greatest posse cuts ever. Both versions are incredible. The more laid-back album cut and the remix with a sample of the bassline of Taanna Gardner’s “Heartbeat” had become an undisputed hip-hop classic.

Featuring cameos from Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, and Monie Love, collectively known as the Native Tongues (along with Black Sheep, the Beatnuts, and Chi Ali),  “Buddy” is a hallmark song that collection of budding rap stars who were putting on for the culture.

Other standout tracks include “Ghetto Things (Ghetto Ximer),” "Eye Know,” which samples Steely Dan’s “Peg,” and “Say No Go.” which sampled Hall & Oates’ ‘I Can’t Go For That (No Go).

“3 Feet High and Rising” is more than just another great album. It revolutionized the conceptual framework of how rap LPs were orchestrated. With its electric sampling, self-effacing humor, and poignant lyricism, De La Soul and Prince Paul curated the blueprint that would ultimately give birth to the subgenre of alternative hip hop.

Additionally, the album's use of skits/comedy sketches as interludes would influence how rappers sequence their records.

The accolades for the album continued to accumulate. In 1998, it was selected as one of The Source's "100 Best Rap Albums" and in 2020 was ranked 103 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. 

The Library of Congress selected the album as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." As of 2023, it is the only De La Soul album to be certified platinum by the RIAA.

After years of legal battles that kept “3 Feet High and Rising” off of streaming services, the album and De La Soul’s entire discography were made available on digital platforms in March 2023. Their music was introduced to fans who “were not outside” when they were created. Sadly, just one month before their first six albums were set to hit streaming services, Trugoy the Dove aka Plug 2, passed away on Feb. 12, 2023.

De La Soul introduced themselves on “3 Feet High and Rising” as a unique rap act that would be hailed as one of the best groups of all time. Although they would detest the “Daisy”, “hip hop hippie” image cast upon them by the promotional team at Tommy Boy, the music and the organic chemistry cultivated with Paul at the helm is undeniable and trailblazing.

Artists such as The Roots, Yasiin Bey, Talib the Pharcyde, OutKast, and Common, consider “3 Feet High and Rising” as their creative “North Star.”

Great music is timeless, and “3 Feet High and Rising” is still ahead of its time.