[1] Released during the height of the East Vs. West (coast) rap rivalries, "Stakes..." was a relentless attack on what De La saw as a decline, not only in hip hop music, but also in hip hop culture.

The song included many memorable lines such as Posdnous' "Gun control means using both hands in my land...".

The song was one of the earliest mainstream productions to be handled by hip hop producer J Dilla (known then as Jay Dee).

[2][3] The music video for "Stakes Is High" has all three members of De La Soul on an episode of The Maury Povich Show (with Povich appearing as himself) about hip-hop culture in the 1990s and how much of an influence it is on the world, along with clips of each De La Soul member doing typical household chores (raking leaves, doing laundry, etc.).

Fellow Native Tongues group A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, Common & Jerry Stackhouse also made cameo appearances in the music video.