Me Myself and I (De La Soul song)

"Me Myself and I" is a song by American hip hop trio De La Soul, released in April 1989 as a single from their debut studio album, 3 Feet High and Rising (1989). It was the group's only number one on the US Billboard R&B chart. The song also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.^[2]

"Me Myself and I"
Single by De La Soul
from the album 3 Feet High and Rising
B-side	"Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)"
Released	April 1, 1989[1]
Recorded	1988
Studio	Calliope Studios (Brooklyn, New York)
Genre	Alternative rap
Length	3:50
Label	Tommy Boy
Songwriter(s)	Paul Huston David Jude Jolicoeur Vincent Mason Kelvin Mercer
Producer(s)	Prince Paul
De La Soul singles chronology
"Eye Know" (1989) "Me Myself and I" (1989) "Say No Go" (1989)
Music video
"Me Myself and I" Video on YouTube

The song's number one position in The Netherlands was spurred by the VPRO television station, who made a documentary about De La Soul after meeting them when they were still unknown.^[3] The record label Indisc acquired the local rights from Tommy Boy Records, and immediately seized the opportunity to release the song as a single. It ranked number 46 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.

Background and composition

De La Soul member Posdnuos stated: "The words were written pretty quick. [...] The press was referring to us as the hippies of hip-hop. This song became a way to express that this wasn't a gimmick, and that we were being ourselves. This is why in my first verse I say, 'You say Plug 1 & 2 are hippies, no we're not, that's pure plug bull.'"^[4]

Prince Paul and Maseo sat down and came up with the idea of sampling Funkadelic's song "(Not Just) Knee Deep" for the beat of "Me Myself and I". When they played the beat to Posdnuos and Trugoy the Dove, they did not like it because the group was anti-radio and anti-establishment, but went ahead and reluctantly recorded their vocals over the beat.^[5]

Critical reception

Jerry Smith from Music Week wrote, "Hot dance band of the moment, De La Soul issue this engagingly loping track from their much acclaimed album, 3 Feet High and Rising. And its strong beat and rhythmic rap is sure to take it high chartwards."^[6]

Music video

As high school students, all three members of De La Soul are assigned to take a class taught by Professor Def Beat. Def Beat instructs his students to adopt prevalent rap/hip-hop mannerisms of the late 1980s, such as wearing gold chains, sunglasses, expensive sneakers, and track suits, learning the cross-armed hip-hop stance, and recklessly scratching records to the point that one flies off the record player and a classmate gets one embedded in his head. Because the trio stick to their unique style and refuse to participate in class, they get punished and shamed for being themselves. Def Beat puts Posdnuos in the corner with a Kangol dunce cap on his head while Trugoy gets pelted with paper balls and trash by the other students. Duplicates of the three, dressed in brightly colored clothing, emerge from the back of the room and give them passes allowing them to drop the class. The original three members get up from their desks, throw the drop slips in Def Beat's face, and leave the room. Prince Paul, who produced the single, appears briefly at the start of the video to deliver an opening narration.

Posdnuos stated, "I'm a big Twilight Zone fan, so when it was time to figure out how to include Prince Paul in the video, we went with him being a hip-hop Rod Serling to set up the story." He also recalled: "[A standout memory was] shooting the scene where the teacher Def Beat throws the record into one of the student's heads. All the students were all fans of our music and were happy to have the opportunity to be in the video." Posdnuos commented: "This video underscored individuality - confidence in owning who you are and want to be, regardless of what others think. It was our first video with a budget."^[7]

Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest appear in the video. Ali is the one who writes "De La Sucks" on the boys' bathroom wall and Q-Tip appears when Pos says Black is Black.^[8]

Track listing

#	Title	Length
United States 12" single
A1.	"Me Myself and I (Radio version)"	3:45
A2.	"Ain't Hip to Be Labeled a Hippie"	1:54
A3.	"Me Myself and I (Instrumental)"	3:35
A4.	"What's More" from the soundtrack Hell on 1st Avenue	2:10
B1.	"Me Myself and I (Oblapos Mode)"	3:38
B2.	"Me Myself and I (Oblapos Instrumental)"	3:24
C1.	"Brain Washed Follower"	3:01
European CD single
1.	"Me Myself and I (Radio version)"	3:25
2.	"Me Myself and I (Richie Rich Remix)"	7:25
3.	"Ain't Hip to Be Labeled a Hippie"	1:54
4.	"What's More" from the soundtrack Hell on 1st Avenue	2:10
5.	"Brain Washed Follower"	3:01

List of samples

"Me Myself and I"

• "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic (1979)
• "Rapper Dapper Snapper" by Edwin Birdsong (1980)
• "Funky Worm" by the Ohio Players (1973)
• "The Original Human Beatbox" by Doug E. Fresh (1985)
• "Gonna Make You Mine" by Loose Ends (1986)

"Ain't Hip to Be Labeled a Hippie"

• "Hard Times" by Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band (1976)

"What's More"

• "You Baby" by The Turtles (1966)

"Brain-Washed Follower"

• "Funky President" by James Brown (1974)
• "You Made A Believer (Out of Me)" by Ruby Andrews (1971)
• "Booty Butt" by Ray Charles (1971)
• "So This Is Our Goodbye" by The Moments (1972)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1989) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 21 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 7 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 22 UK Singles (OCC)[14] 22 US Billboard Hot 100[15] 34 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[16] 1 US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[17] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[18] 1 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[19] 1 West Germany (GfK)[20] 16

Year-end charts Chart (1989) Position Belgium (Ultratop)[21] 67 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[22] 20 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23] 25 US 12-inch Singles Sales (Billboard)[24] 3 US Dance Club Play (Billboard)[24] 21 US Hot Black Singles (Billboard)[25] 12 US Hot Rap Singles (Billboard)[26] 2 West Germany (Media Control)[27] 87

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[28]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Compilation appearances

• All That "Hip Hop" (2005)