A little over 20 years ago, three teens from Amityville, N.Y., set out to make a rap record their city could be proud of. Calling themselves De La Soul and their album, 3 Feet High and Rising, Kelvin “Posdnuous” Mercer, David “Trugoy” Jolicoeur and Vincent “Maseo” Mason made music history with their exploration of hip-hop and jazz, mixed with quirky samples and out-of-the-box lyrics.
Today, the three artists are as germane as ever, and this year will be hitting the masses with You’re Welcome, marking the anniversary of their historic introduction to the industry.
“I mean we were kids — we had no idea or knew anything about being in a professional studio, so we were approaching this thing like it was another day in our basement, just tinkering with equipment and music,” Trugoy says of 3 Feet High and Rising.
“We stayed conscious of the fact of what was going on around us,” Posdnuous says. “We are those people who don’t like to repeat ourselves and don’t like to do what everybody else is doing, so it worked out for us.”
Though still humble like the 19-year-old kids who made 3 Feet High and Rising, many fans put De La Soul in the living legends category. They don’t argue the point.
“Biggie and N.W.A. — they did something that was natural to who they were and it just left a lasting impression,” Posdnuous says. “I think people as a whole felt what we were doing and they got behind us, for not only a great song likes ‘Me, Myself & I,’ but they got behind the movement of what they felt De La Soul was, so I think that adds on to who you are and you can become someone that’s considered a legend.” –gavin philip godfrey
