Buhloone Mindstate

by De La Soul

Overview

The last album of De La Soul's creative prime, Buhloone Mindstate was also their last with producer Prince Paul. After the claustrophobic De La Soul Is Dead, Mindstate is a partial return to the upbeat positivity of 3 Feet High and Rising, though not its wildly colorful invention. Instead, Buhloone Mindstate takes a calmer, more laid-back approach -- the music is often more introspective, and the between-song skits have been jettisoned in favor of a tighter focus. The surrealism of Buhloone Mindstate's predecessors has largely evaporated, and the production, while still imaginative, doesn't quite dazzle the way it used to. Then again, it's admirable that the group is trying to mature and progress musically, and they would never experiment quite this ambitiously again. There's quite a bit more live instrumentation here, with extensive, jazzy guest work by the JB Horns. In fact, the guests threaten to overpower the first half of the album; "Patti Dooke" and "I Be Blowin'" are both extended showcases for the horns, and the latter is a full-fledged instrumental led by Maceo Parker. They're followed by a group of Japanese rappers on "Long Island Wildin'," and it isn't until the terrific single "Ego Trippin', Pt. 2" that De La really takes over. Many of the record's best raps follow: the reflective old-school tribute "Breakadawn," the jazzy "I Am I Be" and "In the Woods," and the Biz Markie collaboration "Stone Age." If Buhloone Mindstate is a great deal more straightforward than De La's earlier work, its high points are still excellent and well worth the time of any fan. In fact, many De La diehards feel that this album is hugely underrated. ~ Steve Huey

Product Details

Release Date:	05/05/2023
Label:	Chrysalis Records
UPC:	0810098502979
Rank:	4543

Album Credits

Performance Credits

De La Soul   Primary Artist
Chip Fu   Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Busta Rhymes   Guest Artist,Vocals
Pee Wee Ellis   Guest Artist,Sampling,Saxophone,Featured Artist
Fred Wesley   Guest Artist,Rap,Sampling,Trombone,Featured Artist
Maceo Parker   Guest Artist,Rap,Vocals,Sampling,Saxophone,Featured Artist
Guru   Guest Artist,Rap,Vocals,Featured Artist
Dres   Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Biz Markie   Guest Artist,Rap,Vocals,Featured Artist
Shortie No Mass   Vocals,Featured Artist
Larry Goldings   Rap,Organ,Sampling
Frank Wess   Rap,Sampling
Rodney Jones   Rap,Sampling
Maseo   Vocals
Melvin Parker   Rap,Drums,Sampling
Posdnuos   Vocals,Sequencing
Trugoy the Dove   Vocals
Paul Goodridge   Sequencing
SDP   Vocals,Featured Artist
Takagi Kan   Vocals,Featured Artist
May May Ali   Vocals,Featured Artist
Rose Jones   Vocals

Technical Credits

Patrick Derivaz   Engineer
Susaye Greene   Composer
Berry Gordy, Jr.   Composer
Eden Ahbez   Composer
Bob Power   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Additional Production
Jimmy Reed   Composer
Chip Fu   Performer
Chris Flam   Assistant Engineer
Duke Ellington   Composer
Frank Wess   Musician
Lawrence Parker   Composer
Fred Wesley   Composer
Eddie Harris   Composer
James Pryor   Composer
Joe Warda   Assistant Engineer
Maceo Parker   Composer
Eric Gast   Assistant Engineer
Mark Farner   Composer
De La Soul   Mixing,Composer,Producer,Art Direction
Hoover Le   Assistant Engineer
Howard Kessler   Digital Mastering
Rose Ella Jones   Composer
Rodney Jones   Musician
Prince Paul   Mixing,Producer
Billy Strayhorn   Composer
Norman Durham   Composer
Brian Sperber   Assistant Engineer
Tim Latham   Engineer
Arthur Snyder   Composer
Brenda Holloway   Composer
Tommy George   Composer
Stevie Wonder   Composer
Woody Cunningham   Composer
William Robinson   Composer
Patrice Holloway   Composer
Ted Snyder   Composer
Kelvin Mercer   Composer
G. George   Composer
Lou Donaldson   Composer
Smokey Robinson   Composer
Tom Coyne   Digital Mastering
Dave Jolicoeur   Composer
Mikael Ifversen   Assistant Engineer
Vincent Mason   Composer
Erwin Gorostiza   Art Direction
Guy Aroch   Cover Photo,Photography
Jerome Duran   Photography
Vanessa Mason   Composer
Paul Huston   Composer
Marty Buchwald   Composer
Joseph Buckingham Jr.   Logo,Design
Lawrence Dickens   Composer
Brad Schmidt   Assistant Engineer
Gerard Julien   Assistant Engineer
Frank Wilson   Composer
Ken Quartarone   Assistant Engineer
Brenda Davis   Composer
Jermaine "Griff Dogg" Griffin   Illustrations
Paul Houston   Composer
May May Ali   Performer
Rose Jones   Composer