Twenty years ago producer Prince Paul helped produced one of the most influential albums that would create a new genre of rap that promoted conscious thought and intelligence. 2009 marks De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising's 20th anniversary and the group is re-releasing the album with new interpretations of old tracks.

After two decades De La Soul is revered as on the greatest rap groups alive and pioneers of The Native Tongues, a group comprised of A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep and others whose music reflected the societal needs of the unspoken disadvantage groups that needed a voice in their defense.

The main reason why De La Soul is such an importance to music is because they came out during the "gold chain era" in where materialism and flashiness was the apple of the eye to most rappers and social issues weren't topics of discussion unless it was another source of income.

As a fan of De La Soul and the entire Native Tongue posse, I admire the lasting influence of these groups and their impact to the new wave of rappers. Common, Kanye West and The Roots are just a few whose musical styling can even compare to the old school swag of conscious rap.

May you continue to rise De La Soul and your legacy will always be present in hip-hop as your debut album has been a zenith of influence to some of the greatest rappers alive.  

- By Jeremy Carmona