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2/8/2011 @ShaStimuli Each week we’re asking an artist what album was influential to them growing up. Too often in hip-hop we focus on the brand new material without taking a step back to realize that without the foundation built by countless legends, we wouldn’t have what we do today. This week Sha Stimuli profiles an album that was instrumental to his life, De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising. Artist: Sha Stimuli Album: De La Soul - 3 Feet High and Rising (March 3, 1989) Big Daddy Kane's Long live the Kane, Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions... and Michael Jackson's Thriller all inspired me in different ways to not only become an artist, but they taught me about relationships, rhyme cadence and politics. However, when I heard De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising I was confused, amused and enlightened in one sitting. I wanted to understand how they had 24 tracks when back then everyone kept it close to 10. What was up with the short interludes and 1 minute skits? The album title baffled me as well. Their image was hippie, they weren't bragging about being the best, and some of the music had a message. "Say No Go" was about drugs in the hood, "Ghetto Thang" had some vivid stories and "Buddy" was an extension of the Jungle Brothers safe sex message. They had "Plug" aliases, they even had a song called "Brainwashed Follower" that was against the grain before being against the grain was even cool. I felt like I was the kid on that record asking them where their gold chains and BMWs were. I didn't even know they were from Long Island. "The Magic Number" rocked, the beat on "Eye Know" was hard and the concept for "Potholes in my Lawn" was ingenious. Who were these guys? Why were they so ahead of their time? They even laughed at out of style trends on "Take it Off." The concept of the game show on the album was crazy to me. I wanted to know what marketing department had thought of all this, or better yet what drug were they on to spark these ideas? I wanted to be a Native Tongue because it didn't call for anything other than just being who I was. I was a kid thinking I didn't need to be hardcore or anything, I just needed skill and I could get down. Which is the reason why I started an all out personal assault on Chi-Ali that he knew nothing about. That was my spot that he had! I even set him up so he could go to prison...I'm lying about that part but I would have if I had the opportunity.   Without the song, "A little bit of Soap" I would have never done "Smelly Cat," if I had never heard "Delacratic" I would have thought artists couldn't be silly and spit hard on the same album. Sure Biz Markie was clowny and Kane had jokes but this was different, this was opening the door to something special. I saw rules being broken, limits being pushed, 3 Feet High and Rising was an LP that set a standard and made me want to do an album...and get a flat top haircut with designs in the back and wear loud, colorful shirts but I stopped that...if I find my African medallion though it's back on.       1/16/2011 @StLaz Each week we’re asking an artist what album was influential to them growing up. Too often in hip-hop we focus on the brand new material without taking a step back to realize that without the foundation built by countless legends, we wouldn’t have what we do today. This week St. Laz profiles an album that was instrumental to his life, 2Pac’s Me Against the World. Artist: St. Laz Album: 2Pac’s Me Against the World (March 14, 1995) I was locked up in New York State and at the time this album dropped, ‘Pac was taking a lot of bad criticism from the streets, people was calling him a snitch, a liar, a fake thug and all types of things. I heard that the album was out but I didn't have it. I had just been moved to a new dorm where I didn't really know anybody and I was on restriction, meaning I couldn't go to the yard or leave my immediate bed area without permission. I was stressed out and bored to death! One of my closest friends, Sha, who at the time I'd never met, came up to me and asked was I related to Kaseen, who was also in the same jail. That was my uncle. I said "Yea" and he asked did I listen to ‘Pac. I said "Of course.” He pulled out a brand new cassette tape of Me Against the World and said "I'm going to the yard for two hours, I need this tape back as soon as I walk back through the door. You have two whole hours with it." I laughed and said “OK, thanks. I hope this shit doesn't disappoint me. I'm hearing a lot of bullshit lately about ‘Pac.” Sha looked at me as if he had the same worry. "I haven't even listened to it yet, that's why I need that back tonight. You’re hearing it before me" He went to the yard and I popped the tape in. I started reading the cover and I was seeing a lot of song names that made me hope ‘Pac wasn't getting too soft and giving up on his Thug Life movement that I was such a serious follower of. I remember seeing the song named "Lord Knows"  and saying to myself "Uh oh, I hope he's not on some born-again Christian shit" but then I played the song and the first bars out his mouth was "I smoke a blunt to take the pain out and if I wasn't high I'd probably try to blow my brains out, I'm hopeless." Those bars were so powerful they pierced my soul like somebody shot a arrow through my heart. I vowed never to doubt ‘Pac again, ever, and I never did. I listened to the whole album, every single song was hot and to this day that is my favorite ‘Pac album. Sha came back from the yard and I told him this was the best ‘Pac album I’d ever heard and we became road dogs for life, all because of that 2Pac Me Against the World album.

By Brian Kayser @ seven3zero

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