"La Di Da Di" is a song performed by Doug E. Fresh, who provides the beatboxed instrumental, and MC Ricky D (later known as Slick Rick), who performs the vocals. It was originally released in 1985 as the B-side to "The Show". The song has since gained a reputation as an early hip hop classic, and it is one of the most sampled songs in history. It was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress in April 2024.

Content

"La Di Da Di" is a light-hearted party song wherein MC Ricky D (Slick Rick) tells a seemingly autobiographical story of a typical day in which he wakes up, bathes, gets dressed, and upon leaving his apartment is accosted by a female love interest, and then by her mother.

Different edits

There are two releases of the song. The original vinyl and cassette versions contain sung lyrics from "Sukiyaki" by A Taste of Honey, but due to a lack of clearance, CD versions are missing the following [slightly modified] refrains in the middle of the song: "<i>It's all because of you, I'm feelin' sad and blue You went away, now my life is [filled with] rainy day[s] [And] I love you so, how much you'll never know 'Cause you took your love away from me</i>"

"Lodi Dodi"

Snoop Dogg covered "La Di Da Di" (titled "Lodi Dodi") on his 1993 debut album Doggystyle.

"Lodi Dodi" charts

Legacy

"La Di Da Di" has gained a reputation for consistently being sampled and referenced by many artists. The line, "Hit it!" for example, has appeared in songs like Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock's "It Takes Two", Ludacris and Mary J. Blige's "Runaway Love," Beastie Boys' "Hold It Now, Hit It," N.W.A.'s "Gangsta Gangsta", Naughty by Nature's "O.P.P.", and Ini Kamoze's "Here Comes the Hotstepper." The line, "We like to party" has appeared in such songs as Vengaboys' "We Like to Party", Miley Cyrus' "We Can't Stop", and Beyoncé's "Party" (not to mention Slick Rick's own later songs “Hey Young World”, "The Ruler's Back", and "Children's Story.") Slick Rick's lyrics "For all of y'all keeping y'all in health / Just to see you smile and enjoy yourself" have been interpolated in several songs. Namely "Lost Souls" by 2Pac and Outlawz; "Shyne" by Shyne featuring Mashonda; "4 All Y'all" by Conspirituality; "You're Welcome" by Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige. The following is a list of other songs that referenced "La Di Da Di": In 2024, "La Di Da Di" was selected for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".