Buhloone Mind State

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The group took a more active role in the production side of the equation for this project. Though Prince Paul’s presence and influence is definitely felt throughout the album, there’s a more serious edge to the material, which is in keeping with its themes. Musically, Buhloone Mind State raises the stakes; it gets to something rap seldom achieves — a truly gorgeous groove." POS: I'm talking about when the album first came out. And me and Dave would just be looking at him like, "Man, we was havin' fun making this record!" Like all this stuff you're talking about, it doesn't even matter. Not that it didn't matter. But it wasn't what we took into play for the record. The old saying goes that success is a journey, not a destination. And in that sense, few artists have committed the undertaking of this journey like De La Soul, one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time, if not the greatest. Bursting onto the scene as fresh-faced and naïve kids living in Long Island, New York, they found success and acceptance in the hip-hop world largely by being their quirky selves. But even being true to yourself on record can be draining, and by Buhloone Mindstate, their third album, released 30 years ago, the successful journey was grinding De La Soul down. Weisbard, Eric (1995). "De La Soul". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp.104–05. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.

MASE: I wish she, um, maximized on the opportunity, you know? She tapped out early, became a wife, a mom. You know, that changes the trajectory. Patti Dooke (feat. Guru, Frank Wes, Fred Wesley, Larry Goldings, Maceo Parker, Pee Wee Ellis and Rodney Jones)|5:54 5 The group's third studio release, Buhloone Mindstate released on September 21, 1993, saw the group evolve into a new sound as they continued to grow stylistically and musically. For all the talk of how De La coded their speak in abstract sensibilities, the group has always worn its heart on its sleeve. Pos and Dove have never been shy about expressing their feelings, you just may need to decipher their rhymes to fully appreciate them. And after 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul had a lot of animosity towards the major label machine. Jones, Alan (September 25, 1993). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p.17 . Retrieved February 1, 2023.Bernard, James (October 8, 1993). " Buhloone Mindstate". Entertainment Weekly. No.191. New York . Retrieved June 23, 2020.

Unsurprisingly mainstream audiences did not show Buhloone the patience it demands upon its release. It did not go pop; it did not blow up. It fared well critically—four-and-a-half mics in the Source, No. 8 on the Village Voice’s Pazz & Jop critics poll —and was embraced by diehards but was basically dead-on-arrival commercially. It remains a bit of a favorite amongst critics to this day, but isn’t nearly as adored as the more accessible De La albums. When it does get a mention, its inherent and remarkable weirdness is usually brushed over in favor of parroting the basic Won’t Go Pop thesis. POS: It’s like Biggie’s “One More Chance.” The original is not the one. You think of “One More Chance” you think of the remix. “Buddy” is the same. People don't think of the album version, but Mase was just describing the magic rhyming over that Commodores sample [on the album version of “Buddy”]. People don't think of that. They think of the “ Heartbeat” version. De La Soul Is Dead

Reviews

Johnson, Brett (November 1993). "De La Soul: Buhloone Mindstate". The Source. No.50. New York. p.75 . Retrieved June 13, 2012.

Buhloone Mindstate, delivered a jazzier palette than their two previous albums and has ended up an unduly underrated gem in not only De La’s catalog, but in the story of ‘90s rap in general. It’s soulful, features biting critiques of other rap music of the time and includes collaborations with jazz greats like Maceo Parker. Buhloone Mindstate is a testament to the lyrical greatness and vocal interplay of Posdnuos, Dave and Maseo and no self-respecting rap fan’s collection is complete without it. On both the production and writing side, Buhloone Mindstate shows creative leaps for De La Soul and Prince Paul. On one hand, you have the mystifying saxophone work of Parker to bring the textures of live instrumentation to the otherworldly sample work of the group’s signature sound. The album’s loose feel comes from the jazz influence, by allowing their love of the genre to be the centerpiece of the work they were able to find a new side of their creativity and welcome in guests like Japanese rappers Scha Dara Parr and Takagi Kan. On the other hand, the trio has never written better. For the first time in their careers, you can hear them get personal on “Long Island Wildin’” and pen some of the most potent verses of their career on “Area”. The latter features a vocal appearance from De La member Maseo, whose vocals were noticeably sparse on the album.The rapping is decent, I wish there was more to the individual styles of each member of the trio to create a more interesting group dynamic, but the way they build off of each other in an extremely similar style works even if I don't prefer it. It's hard to hear what they're saying without reading along, I wish they were clearer and pronounced everything more strongly. I do respect the flow style they go for to some degree though, that sort of exciting and fun feel works well with the production compared to the more aggressive or cool styles that I would say were popular at the time. Christgau, Robert (March 1, 1994). "Pazz & Jop 1993: Dean's List". The Village Voice . Retrieved June 23, 2020. POS: On that album, “Millie” is one of my favorite records if not the favorite. Just how it came about. It came from a title first. Me, Dave, and I think Mase you was with us?