You can ask any day one De La fan and we will tell you, “Buhloone Mindstate” might be our favorite record out of their pristine discography. Yes, even in front of the all time classic “3 Feet High and Rising” and the incredible follow up “De La Soul Is Dead“. It might be the weirdness and abstract side of the lyrics, with the inspiration taken from the frustration with their label situation or the state of Hip Hop at the time. It might be the in house production with the help of day one collaborator Prince Paul, with the addition of a lot of live instrumentation from legendary JB’s players Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley and Pee-Wee Ellis (the track “I Be Blowin'” is a long Maceo Parker solo). It’s probably because of the well chosen singles “Breakadawn” and “Ego Trippin’ (Part Two)”, or even because of the unforgettable b-sides like Ego Trippin’ (Part Three) and Sh.Fe.Mc’s featuring A Tribe Called Quest. (The latter was released on a mysterious EP titled “Clear Lake Audiotorium” that came out a couple of months after the LP, with only 500 copies pressed for the dj’s. The two new tracks included on this one were clearly some top quality leftovers from the “Buhloone Mindstate” recording sessions.)
In the end, the best way to convince you is below. You can listen to the album on your favorite platform, watch both videos, catch all the remixes & b-sides, dig in the samples via www.whosampled.com and also lend an ear to an incredible tribute mix by Chris Read for Wax Poetics. Enjoy one of the greatest project in Hip Hop history!
Full album on YouTube:
Stream on Spotify and Apple Music.
Videos:
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Breakadawn
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Ego Trippin’ (Part Two)
De La Soul ‘Buhloone Mindstate’ 25th Anniversary Mixtape mixed by Chris Read:
Remixes & B-Sides:
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Breakadawn (De La Soul Remix)
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The Dawn Brings Smoke
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Breakadawn (Foncett UK Remix)
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Breakadawn (London Remix)
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Lovely How I Let My Mind Float feat. Biz Markie
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Ego Trippin’ (Part Two) (LA Jay Remix)
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Ego Trippin’ (Part Two) (Gumbo Funk Remix)
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Ego Trippin’ (Part Three) (Egoristic Mix)
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Teenage Fanclub & De La Soul – Fallin’
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Teenage Fanclub & De La Soul – Fallin’ (Remix)
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Sh.Fe.Mc’s feat. A Tribe Called Quest
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Stix & Stonz feat. Grandmaster Caz, Prince Whipper Whip & The Fearless Four
