The living members of De La Soul—Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer and Vincent “Maseo” Mason—are urging fans not to support a new book called High & Rising (A Book About De La Soul). As the title and cover art suggest, the book intertwines the New York-bred trio’s journey to becoming one of the most influential Hip-Hop groups to emerge from the 1980s with the author’s life.
But according to an Instagram post, Pos and Mase had nothing to do with it and, in fact, they’re considering taking swift legal action. The post explains, “We’ve been receiving congratulatory messages about a book titled ‘High & Rising.’ However, we want to make it absolutely clear: this is an unauthorized book, and we are not connected to it in any way.
“For years, you’ve stood with us in our fight for ownership of our catalog and the right to benefit from the music we created. That same dedication to protecting what’s ours extends to being the ones who tell OUR story—something deeply personal and ‘De La’ to the core. Our story will be told in our words, in our way, with the style you’ve come to know and love. Until then, we encourage you to indulge in the authentic DA.I.S.Y. Age by supporting projects backed by us.”
They go on to say, “If you choose to support this book, that’s your right. We just want it to be clear that we do not and we are exploring all of our legal options. Even within this book’s title, the ‘3’ Is missing which shows how inauthentic it is because for us, ‘3’ will always be the magic number. We’re cooking up something special for Spring 2025—so the wait won’t be long for more of that authentic ‘De La.’”
High & Rising: A Book About De La Soul is written by Marcus J. Moore, and is currently being sold on the Harpers Collins website. Described as “a stunning cultural biography of De La Soul, the era-defining hip-hop trio that touched millions of lives and changed rap forever,” the book touts itself as the first about the beloved group.
“The first book about De La Soul, High & Rising shows that De La Soul is Black history, American history, world history, our history,” the description reads. “This is a tale about staying the course, and how holding true to your virtue can lead to dynamic results.”
According to the website, Moore finished it shortly after Dave “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur’s death. The beloved member passed away in February 2023.
“Completed in the wake of Dave’s passing and the group’s arrival on streaming platforms after years in digital purgatory, High & Rising tells the story of one of the most influential rap groups of all time,” it continues. “In the process, acclaimed music journalist Marcus J. Moore braids in a deeply personal coming-of-age story about his journey through life with De La as a backdrop.”
De La Soul’s first six albums, including 1989’s 3 Feet High and Rising, landed on streaming services for the first time on March 3, 2023 (3/3/23), just weeks after Jolicoeur had died. It was a bittersweet moment for Pos and Mase, who’d been fighting Tommy Boy Records founder Tom Silverman for the rights for years but suddenly, Jolicoeur wasn’t there to witness it.
Pos reflected on Jolicoeur’s passing on the one-year-anniversary of his death, writing, “I feel conflicted posting this on this date…Dave disliked when people were publicly remembered on the day they were lost….The day they transitioned but I’m sure he also respected how people chose to remember those they love and have lost. So on this day I will stand alongside all the people who cherish him as well as kept us in their prayers but to be clear I miss him in the physical everyday, rep for him everyday & will talk to someone about him everyday.”
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In a subsequent interview with AllHipHop, Maseo assured De La Soul fans it wasn’t the end for them.
“The plan is definitely to step out and put my best foot forward to make AOI 3 a reality,” he said at the time. “We are definitely looking to complete that mission. Pos has other ideas that he’s trying to bring to fruition. We got the blessing of friends and family—and Dave’s family in particular— for us to keep moving forward. We were actually kind of summoned to it. We went to Dave’s memorial at his house, and everybody that we grew up with was like, ‘Y’all know y’all gotta keep going.’ And on so many levels I feel like we have to and, at the same time, we want to. We still got a lot in the tank.”