De La Soul burst onto the scene with the release of their groundbreaking 1989 album 3 Feet High & Rising, an “anything goes” hip-hop masterpiece. Between their dusty drums and obscure samples, De La’s debut was received as a new masterwork from a bygone era of Black experimentation. Formed in Long Island in 1988 by Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer, Dave “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur, and Vincent “Maseo” Mason, De La Soul rebuked classification and appealed to the Black alternative. Their music was positive and psychedelic, their album art and music videos were full of flowers and peace signs. It was rap with a broad sonic palette, which would set a blueprint for artists like The Roots, Pharrell, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar. But as quickly as De La ascended, they were faced with the pressures of a changing industry and legal battles around sampling. High and Rising tells the whole story of one of the most influential rap groups of all time. In the process, the book unpacks the birth of hip-hop and the evolution of alternative rap. Marcus also weaves in a deeply personal coming-of-age story about his journey through life with De La as a backdrop. Completed in the wake of Dave’s passing and the group’s arrival on streaming platforms after a long and bitter legal fight, High and Rising is not just a hip-hop tale, it’s a triumphant book about staying the course, and how moving with integrity can lead to dynamic results.
