Stakes Is High
De La Soul
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The Instamatic focal point bringing damage to your boroughs Be some brothers from the east with some beats that be thorough Got the solar gravitation so I'm bound to pull it I gets down like brothers are found ducking from bullets Gun control means using both hands in my land Where it's all about the cautious livin' Migrating to a higher form of consequence, compliments Of strugglin', that shouldn't be notable, Man every word I say should be a hip hop quotable. I'm sick of bitches shakin' asses I'm sick of talkin' about blunts, Sick of Versace glasses, Sick of slang, Sick of half-ass awards shows, Sick of name brand clothes. Sick of R&B bitches over bullshit tracks, Cocaine and crack Which brings sickness to blacks, Sick of swoll' head rappers With their sicker-than raps Clappers and gats Makin' the whole sick world collapse The facts are gettin' sick Even sicker perhaps Stickabush to make a bundle to escape this synapse Man life can get all up in your ass baby you betta work it out Let me tell you what it's all about A skin not considered equal A meteor has more right than my people Who be wastin' time screaming who they've hated That's why the Native Tongues have officially been re-instated (Vibes, vibrations) Stakes is high (Higher than high) You know them stakes is high (Higher than high) When we talkin' 'bout the (Vibes, vibrations) Stakes is high, you know them stakes is high When we dealin' with the (Vibes, vibrations) Stakes is high (Hey yo, what about that love?) Yo, it's about love for cars, love for funds Loving to love mad sex, loving to love guns Love for opposite, love for fame and wealth Love for the fact of no longer loving yourself, kid We living in them days of the man-made ways Where every aspect is vivid, these brothers no longer talk shit Hey yo, these niggas live it 'Bout to give it to you 24/7 on the microphone Plug One translating the zone No offense to a player, but yo, I don't play And if you take offense, f*ck it, got to be that way J.D. Dove, show your love, what you got to say? I say G's are making figures at a high regard And niggas dying for it nowadays ain't odd Investing in fantasies and not God Welcome to reality, see times is hard People try to snatch the credit, but can't claim the card Showing out in videos, saying they cold stars See, shit like that will make your mama cry Better watch the way you spend it 'Cause the stakes is high Y'all know them stakes is high When we talkin' 'bout the (Vibes, vibrations) Stakes is high I think that smiling in public is against the law 'Cause love don't get you through life no more It's who you know and "How you, son?" And how you gettin' in, and who the man holding Hey yo, and how was the scams and how high Yo what up, huh? I heard you caught a body Seem like every man and woman shared a life with John Gotti But they ain't organized! Mixing crimes with life enzymes Taking the big scout route And niggas know doubt better Than they know their daughters And their sons (Oh boy) Yo, people go through pain and still don't gain Positive contact just like my main man Who got others cleaning up his physical influence His mind got congested He got the nine and blew it Neighborhoods are now hoods cause nobody's neighbors Just animals surviving with that animal behavior Under I who be rhyming from dark to light sky Experiments when needles and skin connect No wonder where we live is called the projects When them stakes is high you damn sure try to do Anything to get the piece of the pie Electrify Even die for the cash But at last I be out even though you wantin' more This issue is closed like an elevator door But soon re-opened once we get to the next floor where the (Vibes, vibrations) Stakes is high Y'all know them stakes is high When we talkin' 'bout the (Vibes, vibrations) Stakes is high Stakes is high, come on
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Written by: JAMES BROWN, FRED WESLEY, CHARLES BOBBITT, AHMAD JAMAL, DAVID JOLICOEUR, VINCENT MASON, KELVIN MERCER, JAMES YANCY
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
11 facts about this song
Release Date"Stakes Is High" was released on July 2, 1996. It was the first single from De La Soul's fourth album of the same name.
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Album ArrivalThe album "Stakes Is High" marked a significant change in the group's sound and subject matter. This album arrived in the midst of hip hop's "gangsta" era, and the track itself is known for its explicit criticism of the genre's shift toward materialistic themes.
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Collaborative EffortThe album was largely produced by De La Soul themselves, with a few tracks produced by others, such as iconic hip-hop producer Jay Dee (later known as J Dilla).
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Message AspectThe song "Stakes Is High" established De La Soul as socially conscious rappers. The lyrics lament the state of hip-hop and call for a return to its roots of creativity and originality.
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Music VideoThe music video was directed by Brian Beletic. It features appearances from other prominent hip-hop artists of that period, including Common, Mos Def, and Black Thought from The Roots.
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Band Members"De La Soul" is a trio consisting of members Kelvin Mercer, David Jude Jolicoeur, and Vincent Mason, who went by the stage names Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove, and Maseo respectively.
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AchievementsThe song peaked at number 52 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1996.
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Poetic NavigationThe song is often seen as an invitation for the hip-hop genre to navigate away from using harmful stereotypes and clichés, moving towards a more authentic, poetic form of expression.
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Critical AcclaimThe album and track “Stakes Is High” have been revered for their message and sound, contributing to the group's reputation as 'thinkers' within the hip-hop genre. It has retrospectively been praised as one of the 90s most important hip-hop albums.
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LegacyEven though it wasn't a commercial success, the track "Stakes Is High" and its corresponding album have left a lasting legacy, shaping the group's career and heavily influencing the sound of alternative hip hop.
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Sampled TracksThe song samples "Mind Power" by James Brown and "Swahililand" by Ahmad Jamal as well as other tracks. This shows De La Soul’s diverse range of influences, spanning soul, jazz, and funk.
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