HIGH AND RISING

The first book about De La Soul High and Rising is a stunning cultural biography of the era defining hip hop trio that touched millions of lives and changed rap forever 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 Written by the acclaimed journalist Marcus J Moore author of The Butterfly Effect How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America High and Rising tells the whole story of one of the most influential rap groups of all time In the process the bo