Music journalist and author Marcus J. Moore‘s new book about De La Soul, High and Rising, came out this week via HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books. It’s Moore’s second book — he published The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America in 2020 — and here’s the synopsis:

A stunning cultural biography of De La Soul, 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 hailed 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 imagery full of flowers and peace signs. It was rap with a broad sonic palette which set the blueprint for an entire generation of artists who followed. But as quickly as De La ascended, they were faced with the pressures of a changing industry and bitter legal battles.

Completed in the wake of Dave’s passing and the group’s arrival on streaming platforms after years in digital purgatory, High and Rising tells the story of one of the most influential rap groups of all time. 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.

The first book about De La Soul, High and Rising shows that De La Soul is Black history, American history, world history, our history. This is a tale about staying the course, and how holding true to your virtue can lead to dynamic results.

There’s an NYC launch event at POWERHOUSE Arena tonight (7/21) that will feature Moore in conversation with Angelika Beener. Tickets are on sale.

De La themselves, however, are not happy about the release of the book. They’ve posted a statement on Instagram, distancing themselves from the “unauthorized book,” and saying that they will tell their own story “in our words, in our way, with the style you’ve come to know and love”:

Friends and De La Family. 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.

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.”

Moore also wrote about the book on his Instagram when it was announced:

This book has been a labor of love and struggle over the past four years. Completed in the wake of Dave’s passing and my mother’s death, parts of it wrestle with grief and mourning in public, how to move forward when the body and mind refuses.

HIGH AND RISING is a cultural biography with critical analysis. It’s also a memoir that not only celebrates De La, it unpacks my coming of age. At the behest of friends and colleagues, I’m asserting my voice and perspective a lot more (in this book and elsewhere moving forward). For those who ask, “Marcus, what are *your* thoughts?,” this one’s for you.

Ultimately, HIGH AND RISING gives flowers to De La for inspiring a Black boy from Landover to be his genuine self. It doesn’t give passes to albums and attitudes that were less than ideal.

It honors my family. I’m embracing what the universe keeps telling me I am.

Upon its publication this week, he wrote:

Four years ago, just before my book about Kendrick Lamar was slated to publish, I started thinking about what I wanted to write about next. Would it be a jazz book? Or something else? More than anything, I want to write about subjects that are somewhat — if not completely — underappreciated in the literary space. We can read several books on the same names over and over, why not make room for new narratives?

After giving it some thought, I landed on De La Soul. They were the most relatable to me. Not only did they soundtrack my youth, their albums arrived during significant moments in my life.

This book lands the same way. High and Rising marks a period of change for all of us. It’s about De La, me, my mother and my family. It’s about grief, creative ingenuity, joy and normalcy. It’s about life and the music and people we love.

Thanks to my agent @wjloturco and @sassy_nation, who commissioned the book. Thanks to the @deystreet and @harpercollins teams for their insight. Sincerest love to all my friends, peers and collaborators in music and creative writing throughout the world. I appreciate you all and will thank you personally (if I haven’t done so already).

High and Rising is officially out now. I hope it resonates with you in some way.

With love,
MJM