Retro Video of the Week: "Me Myself and I" by De La Soul

This past Sunday was the 35th anniversary of the release of New York hip hop group De La Soul's debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising.  De La Soul's catchy, quirky, and generally non-offensive style of hip hop was well-received, both at the time and since then.  The album reached #24 on the Billboard album chart and #1 on the Billboard R&B album chart in 1989, and it has gone platinum in the U.S.  When De La Soul finally released their catalog to digital and streaming services in 2023, the album sold well enough to reach #15 on the Billboard album chart and #9 on the UK album chart.  Over the years, it has landed on many "greatest" lists, and it's generally considered one of the most important and influential albums in hip hop history.

"Me Myself and I" was the third single released from the album, and chances are, it was the first time you heard De La Soul.  With its signature sample of Funkadelic's "(Not Just) Knee Deep" and silky smooth rhymes, "Me Myself and I" is a classic.  It became the group's biggest hit, reaching #34 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as #1 on the Billboard R&B, Rap, and Dance Club Track charts.  It also hit #1 on the Dutch pop chart and #7 on the Belgian pop chart.

The video is like a bizzaro school bad dream, but it does have cameos from Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest (Ali is the one writing "De La Sucks" on the bathroom wall).