I have been playing this album non-stop and it has got to be one of the greatest releases of the 00s. I feel like it kind of flies below the radar but I honestly think it’s a flawless album.

Great production from Dilla, Madlib, Jake-One, and Supa Dave.

Great songs.

Great lyrics.

Where do you rank this in their discography?

I’m guessing most will have it at 5.

Where do you have it in 04? 00s as a whole?

One caveat being that I was just starting to really get into music back then so I had only been listening to De La for about a year at that point. I never warmed up to '3 Feet High and Rising', and it beats out 'Stakes is High' as well. No shade against 'Stakes' I just love Grind Date that much.

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1) 3 Feet High and Rising
2) De La Soul Is Dead
3) Buhloone Mindstate
4) Stakes Is High
5) The Best (1993 Italian Release)
6) Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump
7) The Grind Date
8) AOI: Bionix
9) Smell The Da.I.S.Y.
10) The Impossible: Mission TV Series
11) And the Anonymous Nobody...
12) Are You In?: Nike+ Original Run
13) Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present... First Serve

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In other words I'm not gonna argue with anyone who has that top 5 in literally any order. That's how good De La Soul is/their discog is.

I may be slightly confused if anyone had any of the last 3 in their top 5 above the others, but those albums are great in their own ways too.

Brew Rankings:
1. Buhloone Mindstate
2. Stakes is High
3. 3 Feet High
4. Grind Date
5. DLSID
6. AOI
7. Bionix
8. Anonymous Nobody

Anyway, regarding Grind Date specifically, that album was one of the soundtracks of my junior year in college and I agree that it's near perfect. "Shopping Bags" is the only song I've ever skipped and continue to skip.

But man are the highs high. "The Future" is a typically great opening track and one of my fave De La songs. "Much More" *chef's kiss*. "Rock Co. Kane Flow" is one of the best songs ever created. "Days of Our Lives" is a(nother) typically great collab with Common; Comm's comeback verse before Be dropped. That song goes hard as hell.

This is the album that put me on to Jake One, who had one hell of a fucking run around this time. His beats for "Rock Co. Kane Flow" and "Days of Our Lives" go *hoard*.

What a terrific album and statement by the best group of all time.

DLS will be SORELY missed as a full unit. RIP Trugoy.

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Shopping Bags is fire to me.

That beat is insane and the flow and hook are maybe the best examples of how to do an underground commercial joint.

Maybe it’s the hatred for Gang Starr’s The Mall that makes people cringe at the topic *shrugs*

But that joint goes to me. Madlib laced it.

"Gasp", clutch, gags on tongue!

Shopping Bags IS MY SH!T.

But this is a great example of different tastes.

My rankings:
1 Stakes is High
2 Buhloone Mindstate
3 The Grind Date
4 3 Feet High
4 De La Soul is Dead
6 Bionix
7 Plug 1 & Plug 2 Present... First Serve
8 Mosaic Thump
9 And the Anonymous Nobody
10 Are You In?
11 The Impossible Mission
12 Smell The Da.I.S.Y.

Putting anything at the bottom should not be seen as disrepect to the albums, but I am ranking based on my replay history.

And yes, I have 2 4's. Musically they are fantastic, but since I had to go back to listen to them, as I got into hip hop in '92, the others came naturally to me as I devoured them as they came out.

Of course all of this is subject to change.

Peace,
Doitall76

I don't have a specific order but my 3 favorite De La albums are Grind Date, Buhloone Mindstate and 3 Feet High & Rising.

I think for me it was the first De La album that came out while I was already a fan of them. I played it so much. Among 2004 albums I think I have it top 3 for me. k-os - Joyful Rebellion, then either GD or Gift of Gab 4th Dimensional Rocketships. I played all 3 a ton a long with College Dropout. I think the k-os and Grind Date are the only of those 4 I still go back to often so maybe top 2.

As far as where it ranks in their discog it's tricky. I think for me it has fallen some because I really got into Stakes recently.

I think top 3 for me in whatever order is:
3 Feet High
Buhloone
DLS is Dead

Stakes at 4

5 and 6
Grind Date
Mosaic Thump

Anonymous
Bionix

Now it certainly didn’t have the historical impact of some of their earlier work.

But if I’m throwing a De La album on….this is one of the ones I’m playing the most often. Frankly, it’s usually this or Stakes.