De La Soul spent decades proving hip-hop could be playful, poetic, and experimental all at once — from their sample-heavy daisy age debut to raw independent efforts and a long-awaited comeback. Cast your vote.
13 Feet High and RisingThe 1989 debut pioneering sample-heavy daisy age hip-hop with playful, genre-bending creativity that rewrote the rules.
2De La Soul Is DeadThe 1991 second album that deliberately subverted their hippie image by deconstructing their own mythology.
3Buhloone MindstateThe 1993 jazz-influenced album featuring guest appearances from Maceo Parker and elements of Japanese hip-hop.
4Stakes Is HighThe 1996 album critiquing the commercialization of hip-hop with Q-Tip producing the title track.
5Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic ThumpThe 2000 album marking their transition to a harder sound with guest appearances from Redman and LL Cool J.
6AOI: BionixThe 2001 follow-up blending alternative hip-hop with electronica and a more introspective lyrical approach.
7The Grind DateThe 2004 independent album showing a return to raw lyricism with production from Just Blaze and 9th Wonder.
8And the Anonymous Nobody...The 2016 album recorded using live session recordings, featuring Estelle, Little Dragon, and Damon Albarn.





























