28 Days Of Dilla #5: De La Soul - Stakes Is High

I decided to post this one just because it’s been stuck in my head since J Dilla Changed My Life on Sunday. Having worked with A Tribe Called Quest on Beats, Rhymes and Life as part of the production crew The Ummah, it was only fitting that he jump on a beat for another group from the Native Tongues.

Featuring samples from Ahmad Jamal’s Swahililand and James Brown’s Mind Power, Stakes Is High is one of my personal favourites from Dilla and De La overall. I can’t think of a better hip hop marriage than Posdnuos spitting lyrical sermons over a Dilla beat.

Tune in tomorrow when we’ll be looking at one of Dilla’s solo albums. In the meantime, stream the video below and look out for a couple of Tribe members.

Samples used:

• Ahmad Jamal – Swahililand
• James Brown – Mind Power