3 Feet High and Rising

by De La Soul

3 Feet High and Rising cover art

3 Feet High and Rising is the debut studio album by the American hip hop group De La Soul, released on February 6, 1989, by Tommy Boy Records. It is the first of three collaborations with the producer Prince Paul, and was the critical and commercial peak of both parties. The album title comes from the Johnny Cash song "Five Feet High and Rising". The album contains the singles "Me Myself and I", "The Magic Number", "Buddy", and "Eye Know". The album was a critical and commercial success. It is consistently placed on lists of the greatest albums of all time by noted critics and publications, with Robert Christgau calling it "unlike any rap album you or anybody else has ever heard". 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. It was selected by the Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". As of 2025, it is the only De La Soul album to be certified platinum by the RIAA.

Genres

  • East Coast Hip Hop

Tracklist

  1. Intro
  2. (3 Is) The Magic Number
  3. Change In Speak
  4. Cool Breeze on the Rocks - The Melted Version
  5. Can U Keep a Secret
  6. Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)
  7. Ghetto Thang
  8. Transmitting Live from Mars
  9. Eye Know
  10. Take It Off
  11. A Little Bit of Soap
  12. Tread Water
  13. Potholes in My Lawn
  14. Say No Go
  15. Do as De La Does
  16. Plug Tunin' (Last Chance to Comprehend)
  17. De La Orgee
  18. Buddy
  19. Description
  20. Me Myself and I
  21. This is a Recording 4 Living in a Fulltime ERA (L.I.F.E.)
  22. I Can Do Anything (Delacratic)
  23. D.A.I.S.Y. Age