De La Soul Bags Historic Spot In Library Of Congress

Written By S. Samuel

Rap pioneer group De La Soul have become the latest urban induction into the Library of Congress a year after the late Tupac Shakur's "Dear Mama" entered its music collection.

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De La Soul’s 1989 debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, has officially been inducted.

Every year, the Library of Congress chooses 25 sound recordings to preserve. This year’s haul includes underwater recordings of humpback whales, which could easily be mistaken for some kind of avant-garde electronica. The rest of the list, however, is dominated by actual songs — and it’s a diverse bunch. The list includes “Tumbling Tumbleweeds,” a collaboration by Roy Rogers, Tim Spencer and Bob Nolan (they called themselves The Sons of the Pioneers), recorded in 1934. The hip-hop trio De La Soul sampled Steely Dan‘s 1977 album Aja on its 1989 hit “Eye Know.” That song, in turn, appeared on De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising, which is also being added to the collection this year. All Things Considered’s favorite from that album? (National Public Radio)

Last year, Tupac Shakur became only the third hip-hop artist placed in the Library of Congress.

The rapper’s 1994 song “Dear Mama,” about a mother struggling with poverty and addiction, was selected for the 2009 National Recording Registry for its cultural significance, alongside works by Willie Nelson, Little Richard, Patti Smith and R.E.M.. Tupac is the third rapper to be included, following Grandmaster Flashand Public Enemy. (Washington Post)

Pac’s “Dear Mama” record was inducted on the basis of its overall message.

They must be at least 10 years old and be culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. Organizers said Tupac’s “Dear Mama” was a heartfelt homage to mothers struggling with addiction and poverty. It’s also a “relatively tame” recording, and the cultural impact of hip-hop is undeniable, program coordinator Steve Leggett said. (Access Atlanta)

Recently, rapper Hasan Salaam named De La Soul SOHH Underrated.

“The most underrated? D*mn, that’s a good question. There’s a lot of different people I think could be called underrated. I’m actually a big De La Soul fan. I really think Posdnuos is very, very complex in the way he puts music together. I listen to all kinds of sh*t. To me, my favorite rappers of all-time are Rakim and Redman. So to me, I really listen to how people put their words together and I think [about] the way Posdnuos approaches topics, the flow, just everything. I just think he’s very underrated. I really believe don’t even begin to mention Pos or just De La when they talk about who is the nicest.” (SOHH Underrated)

Check out De La Soul’s “Me, Myself & I” down below:

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Written by S. Samuel

Steven Samuel is the co-founder of SOHH.com.

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