It marked the first of three full-length collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would become the critical Chang, Jeff (September 23, 2018). "De La Soul: 3 Feet High and Rising". Pitchfork . Retrieved September 23, 2018. a b Ayiku, Vernon (March 7, 2023). "De La Soul's Albums Ranked from Worst to Best". Exclaim! . Retrieved March 9, 2023. positivity meant many observers labeled them a “hippie” group, based on their declaration of the “D.A.I.S.Y. Electronica artist James Lavelle cited 3 Feet High and Rising as one of his favorite albums. "It was definitely a reaction to the slightly more hardcore area of what was going on in hip hop. As a concept record, it's probably one of the best ever. It's like the Pink Floyd of hip hop, their Dark Side of the Moon – the way it musically and sonically moves around, but also the use of language was so unusual and out there." [44]

Ultratop.be – De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 12, 2023. a b "The Art of the Album Cover: De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising by Toby Mott + the Grey Organisation". hypergallery.blogspot.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2013-05-29 . Retrieved 2012-12-04. Transmitting Live From Mars: contains excerpts from "You Showed Me" written by Gene Harold Clark and James Roger McGuinn and published by BMG Platinum Songs (BMI), BMG Bumblebee (BMI), Reservoir Media (BMI), Reservoir One America (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved. "Transmitting Live from Mars" contains excerpts from "You Showed Me" performed by The Turtles courtesy of Concord Music Group. Used by permission. Description: contains excerpts from "Poet" written by Sylvester Stewart and published by Mijac Music c/o Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved. Comntains a sample of "Poet" as performed by Sly & The Family Stone, used courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment. Contains excerpts from "Midnight Theme" written by Manzel Bush and published by Piagneri Music (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved. "Description" contains excerpts from "Midnight Theme" performed by Manzel courtesy of Fraternity Music Group / Undercover Brother Ent. Inc. Used by permission. the singles, “Me Myself and I”, “The Magic Number,” “Buddy,” and “Eye Know”. The album title came from theUltratop.be – De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 26, 2023. Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5. Released amid the late-1980s boom in gangsta rap, which gravitated towards hardcore, confrontational, violent lyrics, 3 Feet High and Rising stood out from this trend by showcasing De La Soul's more positive style. [10] The mirth and intelligence of De La Soul's self-presentation led many observers to label them a " hippie" group; however, this characterization was disputed by De La Soul themselves. [11] On the album, De La Soul sought to explicitly distance themselves from gangsta rap by "lampoon[ing] emerging tropes" such as the growing materialism within the genre. [12] Their lyrics are instead characterized by a variety of "bizarre and surreal" choices of subject matter, such as dandruff, gardening metaphors, and " Dr. Dolittle-esque interactions with animals". [13] Rytlewski, Evan (February 17, 2012). "Phasing out the skit: How hip-hop outgrew one of its most frustrating traditions". The A.V. Club . Retrieved July 27, 2022. Me Myself And I: contains excerpts from "(Not Just) Knee Deep" written by George Clinton and Philippe Wynn and published by Bridgeport Music Inc. (BMI). Used by permission. All rights reserved. "Me Myself and I" contains excerpts from "(Not Just) Knee Deep" performed by Funkadelic courtesy of Warner Music Group. Used by permission. Contains excerpts from "Rapper Dapper Snapper" written by Edwin Birdsong and published by Birdsong Music Pub (ASCAP). Used by permission. All rights reserved. "Me Myself and I" contains excerpts from "Rapper Dapper Snapper" performed by Edwin Birdsong courtesy BMG Rights Management. Used by permission.

Soul's uniquely positive style made them an oddity beginning with the first single, “Me, Myself and I.” Their The album features a recurring lyrical motif of the "D.A.I.S.Y. Age", an acronym that stands for "Da Inner Sound, Y'all". [18] This concept also inspired the design of the album cover, as Mott describes in his essay "Hip Hop in The Daisy Age":Offiziellecharts.de – De La Soul – 3 Feet High and Rising" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 24, 2023. As stated by Maseo, "the stereotype and the stigmatism [...] was put on us with the hippy concept when D.A.I.S.Y. just was an acronym for Da Inna Sound." Hernandez, Victoria (May 11, 2016). "De La Soul Reflects On Da Inna Sound For 25th Anniversary Of "De La Soul Is Dead" ". HipHopDX . Retrieved September 27, 2023.