{"product_id":"de-la-soul-stakes-is-high-2lp","title":"De La Soul - Stakes Is High [2LP]","description":"\u003cp\u003eStakes Is High is De La Soul at their most serious, a 1996 album that looked hard at hip-hop's direction and decided to say something about it, here on double LP.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt was the Long Island trio's fourth album and their first without longtime producer Prince Paul, who had shaped the playful, skit-strewn worlds of their earlier records. Posdnuos, Trugoy and Maseo took the controls themselves, and the mood shifted accordingly, turning darker, jazzier and more pointed, with sharp words for commercialization and the gangsta posturing that dominated the era.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe title track is the centerpiece, built on a warm, looping beat co-produced by a young Jay Dee, later known as J Dilla, and carrying some of the group's most quoted lines. \"Itzsoweezee (Hot)\" bounces with deceptive ease, \"The Bizness\" brings Common along for a lyrical sparring session, and \"Big Brother Beat\" introduced plenty of listeners to Mos Def.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe production leans on smoky basslines and crisp drums, closer to a late-night cipher than a block party, and the group's verses are sharper and more pointed than ever.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLong considered one of the group's finest moments, it rewards close, repeated listening, and spread across four sides, every verse gets the room it needs to land.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alliance Entertainment","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57165864337713,"sku":"810098503006","price":37.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0704\/2026\/7313\/files\/De_La_Soul-Stakes_Is_High_2LP.jpg?v=1793186086","url":"https:\/\/vinyl.com\/products\/de-la-soul-stakes-is-high-2lp","provider":"Vinyl.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}