South Bank Cultural Forecourt

De La Soul is an American hip-hop group formed in Amityville, Long Island, New York, in 1988. The group consists of Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, and Vincent "Maseo" Mason. They gained recognition for their eclectic sampling and eccentric lyrics, contributing to the development of jazz rap and alternative hip hop. Their debut album, '3 Feet High and Rising' (1989), is considered a significant work in hip-hop. De La Soul is the longest-standing group within the Native Tongues collective, after the Jungle Brothers. In 2006, they received a Grammy Award for their collaboration with Gorillaz on the single 'Feel Good Inc.' The group released ten studio albums and one live album from 1989 to 2025. Their catalog was not available on streaming platforms or digital media stores until 2023 due to contractual disputes and copyright issues related to their sampling. Trugoy the Dove died in 2023.