THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

246-De La Soul-Say No Go.

1989-Number 18 single.

Best Bit-At 0.06. How do you explain De La Soul to someone who doesn’t know of them?

De La Soul (see also best songs 444) have been described as the ‘Hip-Hop Beatles,’ and also as the ‘Hip-Hop Hippies.’ Their debut Album ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ from 1989 was released at around the same time as when ‘Gangsta Rap’ was booming, performed by acts such as Public Enemy (see also best songs 578 and 37) and N.W.A. (see also best songs 664 and 128) The respected American writer Robert Christgau in his revue of the ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ Album in the ‘Village Voice’ in 1989 wrote,’An inevitable development in the class history of Rap, De La Soul is new wave, to Public Enemy’s Punk’,

De La Soul have issued nine studio Albums between 1989-2016, and 26 singles between 1988-2019, they have also appeared as the featured artist on a further seven singles between 1990-2019. In America on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, they have reached the top 40 twice, with their 2005 collaboration with the ‘Gorillaz’ on ‘Feel Good Inc’ charting the highest at Number 14, while in the UK, 11 of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘Feel Good Inc’ being the most successful, when reaching Number 2.

‘Say No Go’ was the third of six singles released from De La Soul’s debut studio Album ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ from 1989, the Album’s title comes from the 1959 song ‘Five Feet High and Rising’ from Johnny Cash. (1932-2003) The Album has been critically acclaimed as not only one of the greatest Rap Albums, but is recognised as one of the most important Albums of all time, appearing in many ‘best of’ lists. The Album is acclaimed for it’s lyrical content, and clever use of it’s numerous samples, it is also credited with introducing the Hip-Hop skit, a style of comedic sketch used both to introduce rap albums, and as interludes between songs.

‘Say No Go’ has song writing credits given to all three band members, along with the songs producer Prince Paul, although the track contains at least five prominent samples, only they are credited. The songs samples include ‘I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do’) from Daryl Hall & John Oates, (see also best songs 881) ‘That’s The Joint’ from The Funky Four Plus One More, and ‘Baby Let Me Take You (In My Arms’) by The Detroit Emeralds. The songs message is about the evils of drugs, in particular ‘Base,’ which is Crack Cocaine, the songs title is a reference to Nancy Reagan’s 1980’s anti-drug campaign ‘Just Say No.’

David Jude of De La Soul who goes by the stage name ‘Trugoy the Dove’ has said,’Crack. We grew up around neighbourhoods where there was an epidemic. We knew drug dealers and some of us actually stood on the corner ourselves. We didn’t know about songs where people were boasting about being drug dealers at that time, so for us, speaking about social issues and things that were going on in our neighbourhood worked. Those three words, ‘say no go,’ kinda caught our ear, and we thought we could make that about not doing drugs.’

‘Now let’s get right on down to the skit, a baby is brought into a world of pits, and if it could’ve talked that soon in the delivery room, It would’ve asked the nurse for a hit.’