Buhloone Mindstate | ||||
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Studio album by De La Soul | ||||
Released | September 21, 1993 | |||
Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 48:14 | |||
Label |
Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records 01063 |
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Producer | De La Soul, Prince Paul | |||
De La Soul chronology | ||||
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Singles from Buhloone Mindstate | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Chicago Sun-Times | |
Chicago Tribune | |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A |
Entertainment Weekly | A+ |
NME | 8/10 |
Pitchfork | 9.1/10 |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
The Source | 4.5/5 |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 8/10 |
Buhloone Mindstate is the third studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul. It was released in 1993 and was the group's last record to be produced with Prince Paul.
Buhloone is a phonetic spelling of the English noun "balloon". This theme is laid out in the intro track, which starts with the sound of a balloon being inflated; then the hookline "it might blow up, but it won't go pop" is repeated over and over, until the sound of a balloon popping replaces the final word "pop". This lends itself to the interpretation that the group hope to expand their popularity with their third album without selling out.
De La Soul continued the early 1990s experimentations with jazz by featuring jazz veterans Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, and Pee Wee Ellis, on "Patti Dooke" and "I Am I Be". The song "Patti Dooke" deals with what the group sees as the mainstream's efforts to control the direction of black music. Posdnous raps:
The Japanese rappers Scha Dara Parr and Takagi Kan make an appearance on "Long Island Wildin'" while Biz Markie drops by on "Stone Age" and Guru makes a spoken cameo on "Patti Dooke" ("Peace to my man Premier''...So guard your trenches 'cause we runnin' through 'em. "). Dres of Black Sheep appears, and the album heavily features Shortie No Mass of Philadelphia. The album was preceded by the single and video "Breakadawn", which features samples from Michael Jackson's "I Can't Help it" and Smokey Robinson's "Quiet Storm."