Buddy (De La Soul song)

"Buddy"
Single by De La Soul featuring Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Queen Latifah, Monie Love and Jungle Brothers
from the album 3 Feet High and Rising
A-side	"The Magic Number"
Released	December 11, 1989
Recorded	1988 (album version) 1989 (remix)
Genre	Alternative hip hop
Length	4:54 (album version) 7:17 (12" remix version)
Label	Tommy Boy
Songwriter(s)	P. Huston, K. Mercer, D. Jolicoeur, V. Mason
Producer(s)	Prince Paul, De La Soul
De La Soul singles chronology
"Potholes In My Lawn" (1988) "Buddy" (1989) "Eye Know" (1989)
Q-Tip singles chronology
"Buddy" (1989) "One Love" (1994)
Queen Latifah singles chronology
"Buddy" (1989) "Just Another Day..." (1993)
Monie Love singles chronology
"I Can Do This" (1988) "Buddy" (1989) "It's a Shame (My Sister)" (1990)
Jungle Brothers singles chronology
"Because I Got It Like That" (1988) "Buddy" (1989) "What 'U' Waitin' '4'?" (1990)

"Buddy" is the third single released by De La Soul from their album 3 Feet High and Rising.

The song is often cited as an example of an effective remix; one that includes a change of song lyrics or beat. In this case, both the original song's lyrics and the musical bed received a makeover. With its sample of the bassline from Taana Gardner's 1981 song "Heartbeat", the 7 minute 12" version was clearly tailor-made for dancefloor and provided a striking contrast to the laid back album version.

The song was also famous for featuring the major members of the Native Tongues posse, including Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah and Monie Love. While Phife Dawg appears in the video itself and is heard in the extended mix, the mix in the video eliminates his entire verse.

In 2015 an unauthorized song was released digitally with the name "Buddy (Remix)" provided by Ingrooves to De La Soul, but it was not the song or the remix, it was Kool Keith's song "Lyrical Magic".

In 2023, Billboard and Stereogum ranked the song number one and number three, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest De La Soul songs.^[1][2]