Search - De La Soul :: Buhloone Mind State

Slamming

Gift | 09/27/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I ask most hip hop heads what their favorite De La album is I almost always get "3 Ft..." as a response. Occasionally, I'll meet someone who is well-schooled who goes for "De La is Dead." Why has this album been so slept on? This is hands down their best record, in my opinion, and an artistic peak for both De La and Prince Paul. This album makes my top ten hip hop albums of all time list with a bullet. "Area", "I Am I Be", "Eyepatch", "Breakadawn", and of course "Ego Trippin'". Come on people, this album is a masterpiece. I think part of the problem is that the peak tracks come in the latter half of the record so it takes a thourough listen to really absorb its brilliance. And in all fariness it may be a simple matter of taste. The first four De La albums are all classics, but the production and rhymes on this one cannot be topped. At this point Native Tongues were on the outs and you can hear subtle references to this internal dispute throughout the album. I think this rift caused De La to get more introspective on this record and focus more on what they could offer as an individual entity. The result is the peak of the famed De La Prince Paul calloborations and the end of an era for De La Soul. Prince Paul went all out on this one sampling all kinds of crazy sh**t, like old Jeffeson Starship records. This album also stands as a lasting conceptual crtique of hip hoppers gettin' bigheaded when they get famous. "It might blow up, but it won't go pop.." In one shot De La made every egomaniac rapper look like a complete fool. I would highly recommend this album to anyone, even if you don't usually like hip hop."

SOME OF THE BEST RHYMES OF ALL TIMES

bruddascott | san francisco | 02/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"De La would have taken hip hop into a direction of more complex rhymes and provoking thought, if hip hop fans could have been more turned on to this disc. Instead hip hop plateau'd and today is not significantly better than it was 10 or even 15 years ago. When compared to hip hop today, Buhloone Mindstate is on another level. Pos puts together rhymes that are unbelievable. Dove and Mace are right there with him and the result is the best rhyme flow I've ever heard. "Breakadown" and "I Am I Be" are amazing. "3 Days Later", "En Focus", "Patti Duke", "Eye Patch", "Area", etc. are all tight. "Long Island Wildin" is hilarious. The disc is flat if you just pop it in and don't really pay attention. But when you do listen closely, the tracks keep getting better and better and you hear exactly how amazing De La is. The disc has been underrated and overlooked. To me, it's the best, the apex of hip hop music."

5 thumbs up

rexxbanner | Grosse Ile, MI USA | 07/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Buhloone Mind State is De La's most creative and versatile work. To me, this record plays a large role in defining underground hip-hop in retrospect. It includes mellow, brilliant elements of jazz with borrowed ideas from jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie (kids playing in the background, traditional playground/summer sounds). The beats are refreshing, original and upbeat. The lyrics are thoughtful and become instantly memorable. De La Soul is an original, creative, and talented group, and they never fail to produce matching records. Buy this album. If you lose it, buy it again. This IS their most dazzling work"