"3 Feet High and Rising" is the first studio album by hip-hop trio De La Soul and was released on March 3rd. Published March 1989. It marked the first of three full-length collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would become a critical and commercial highlight for both parties. The album was a success both critically and commercially. It contains the singles "Me Myself and I", "The Magic Number", "Buddy" and "Eye Know". The album's title comes from the Johnny Cash song "Five Feet High and Rising". It is listed on Rolling Stone's 200 Essential Rock Records and The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums. When the Village Voice conducted its annual Pazz & Jop Critics Poll in 1989, 3 Feet High and Rising was ranked #1. The album was also included in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Amid the gangsta rap boom in 1989, which focused on harsh, confrontational and violent lyrics, De La Soul's uniquely positive style made them a curiosity with their first single, "Me, Myself and I." Due to their positive attitude, many observers labeled them a "hippie" band as they proclaimed the "DAISY Age" (Da.Inner.Soul.Yall). "3 Feet High and Rising", which cited artists as diverse as Hall & Oates, Steely Dan and The Turtles, is often viewed as the stylistic beginning of alternative hip-hop (and particularly jazz-rap) of the 1990s.