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| 1 | +# Stakes Is High |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +- **Category:** Music |
| 4 | +- **Artist:** De La Soul |
| 5 | +- **Album:** Stakes Is High |
| 6 | +- **Release Date:** 1996-07-02 |
| 7 | +- **Date:** 2025-10-29 |
| 8 | +- **Rating:** 5/5 |
| 9 | +- **Link:** [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=radJQyaC5kY) |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +## De La Soul's "Stakes Is High": A Stand for Hip Hop's Soul |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +In the mid-90s, as hip hop found itself increasingly dominated by the East Coast vs. West Coast rivalry and a growing emphasis on commercial success, De La Soul took a stand. Their 1996 track, "Stakes Is High," served as a powerful critique of the state of the genre and a call to return to its more conscious roots. |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +The song, and the album of the same name, marked a significant shift for the group. Moving away from the lighter, more psychedelic vibes of their earlier work, "Stakes Is High" adopted a darker, more serious tone. The lyrics, delivered with a sense of urgency by Posdnuos and Dave, pull no punches. They express a deep frustration with the glorification of violence, materialism, and the overall decline in lyrical substance that they saw pervading hip hop culture. |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +Lines like, "I'm sick of bitches shakin' asses / I'm sick of talkin' about blunts / Sick of Versace glasses," and the declaration that the "Native Tongues have officially been re-instated," made their position clear. De La Soul was drawing a line in the sand, reminding listeners that the cultural and artistic integrity of hip hop was at stake. |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +## Trivia |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +* **J Dilla's Touch:** The iconic beat for "Stakes Is High" was produced by the legendary J Dilla (then known as Jay Dee), marking one of his earliest mainstream productions. |
| 22 | +* **No Prince Paul:** This was the first De La Soul album not produced in collaboration with their longtime producer, Prince Paul. |
| 23 | +* **Native Tongues Reunion:** The music video for the song featured members of the Native Tongues collective, including A Tribe Called Quest, visually reinforcing the song's call for unity and a return to their roots. |
| 24 | +* **2Pac's Response:** The criticisms on the *Stakes Is High* album drew a response from 2Pac on the track "Against All Odds" from his posthumous album *The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory*. |
| 25 | + |
| 26 | +"Stakes Is High" remains a pivotal track in hip hop history, a moment when one of the genre's most respected groups risked commercial success to make a statement about the music and culture they loved. |
| 27 | + |
| 28 | +## Second Verse |
| 29 | + |
| 30 | +``` |
| 31 | +>> -- Trugoy the Dove -- |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | + I'm sick of bitches shakin' asses |
| 34 | + I'm sick of talkin' 'bout blunts, sick of Versace glasses |
| 35 | + Sick of slang, sick of half-ass awards shows |
| 36 | + Sick of name-brand clothes (Word) |
| 37 | + Sick of R&B bitches over bullshit tracks (Heard) |
| 38 | + Cocaine and crack, which brings sickness to blacks |
| 39 | + Sick of swoll'-head rappers with they sickenin' raps |
| 40 | + Clappers of gats, makin' the whole sick world collapse |
| 41 | + The facts are gettin' sicker, even sicker, perhaps (Sicker, perhaps) |
| 42 | + I Stickabush to make a bundle to escape this synapse |
| 43 | +``` |
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