The following is a Designated Cheerleader piece by @sammadams for the Best Album of 1991 tournament. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you follow the link to vote in the tournament. Thanks!

I'm performing my cheerleading here, so I'll start off saying that this is one of my all-timers, and may be the album that was most responsible for getting me big into hip hop. I used to give a buddy rides to school, and he gave me a tape he made that was mostly songs from the first Tribe album and this one . It was '98 and I just got my first car ('88 Pontiac Sunbird). I didn't know De La or Tribe, but I quickly got the CDs. And for the next couple of years, I listened to this a whole lot (I got Low End Theory around the same time too. That's my #1 in this tourney. But we need to talk about De La now).

Look, the album is a little bloated due to skits and jokey songs, which can kill a lot of albums, but not here. For one, they're actually pretty funny. Also, this is a record that reminds you that you just can't take everything seriously. Have a good time! They are! C'mon!

Hip hop has had plenty of acts that were funny (or tried to be)--you've heard the Beasties and Biz Mark, and probably a lot that's much worse--but maybe no one has quite done it as well as De La with Prince Paul -- he's very much a member in all but name on this album. 

But most importantly, the songs are really, really good. "Pease Porridge" uses a kids' record for the hook, but the beat infects your brain and makes you nod. Posdnuos and Trugoy hit a perfect cadence over it. "A Roller Skating Jam Named 'Saturdays'"--look, I've never been to a Saturday night roller skating party, but I can picture going around with my girl under disco lights to this song (it's also just a really good one for a house party). "Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa" is a great story-about-fucked-up-people song. "Fanatic of the B Word" brings in Dres from Black Sheep and rides a fantastic sampled bass line. Also--"Oodles of O's", "Hey Love", "Bitties in the BK Lounge", "Pass the Plugs" (listen to this one if you don't listen to anything else on the album), and everything else. 

Prince Paul sampled anything and everything. Pos, Trugoy, and Maseo bring it on every song. Even the skits don't take things down. Find it and listen to it. (I know, no Spotify). Vote for it!

 

-- @sammadams