Me Myself And I

The track that was American hip-hop trio De la Soul’s only US #1, “Me Myself And I”, is the 20th song off of the group’s 1989 album: “3 Feet High and Rising”.

The track is a self-love anthem, celebrating individuality and being proud to be yourself. The song also acts as a commentary mixing with dry humour, it became the group’s signature sound. The track answers back at the people who criticise the group for their hippie image: “You say Plug One and Two are hippies” / No we’re not, that’s pure plug bull”. “Me Myself And I” is the group attempting to convince the public that they are not “try-hards” or solely focused on their image and not their music.

The music video was uploaded to the official De La Soul channel in October 2012. The video opens to the trio sat in a high school guidance counsellor’s office, annoyed they have to take a class with Professor Defbeat. They are interrupted by Prince Paul when he says: “If you take three glasses of water and put food coloring in them, you have many different colors, but it’s still the same old water.” The track starts playing, and the trio sing their verses in a high school classroom, dancing around. A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip also makes an appearance in the video. The video has almost 3 million views as of April 2019.

Release Date: 14th February 1989

Songwriter/s: George Clinton, Paul Huston, David Jude Jolicoeur, Vincent Mason, Kelvin Mercer, Philppé Wynne

Producer/s: De La Soul, Prince Paul

Label: Tommy Boy

Chart Rankings, Certifications & Accolades: The track went to #1 in the Netherlands and the US in its year of release. It also reached the charts in the UK, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. “Me Myself and I” also received Gold certification in the US. The track was #46 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop, as well as being featured in “The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll”.