DAVE HEATON – DE LA SOUL
J-CARD PRESS
BOOK REVIEW BY GERROD HARRIS
De La Soul are the godfathers of underground and alternative hip-hop. Having made their debut in 1989, the influence the rap trio have had is undeniable. Despite this, very little has been written on the group. As an early entry to the J-Card Press series, author Dave Heaton has written a brief, but meaningful, biography of the titular group in De La Soul, a read that will pull you in and leave you reaching for their records.
Heaton starts from the very beginning, bringing the reader back to the ‘80s for the formation of De La Soul. In doing such, he reveals much about Trugoy The Dove, Posdnuos, and Maseo, along with long-time collaborating producer, Prince Paul, and how they all came to hip-hop in the suburbs of Long Island, New York. Immediately, De La Soul is a well-researched book, with Heaton pulling from a vast collection of sources, the most promising of them being interviews from the group from both back then and within the last decade. When paired with an impartial, yet enthusiastic tone, Heaton is able to navigate the ups and downs of De La Soul’s career effectively.
As the book progresses, Heaton has assigned full chapters to examining each album, denoting the era surrounding the record. Through such a lens, we are able to appreciate De La Soul’s catalogue through the greater context of the evolution of hip-hop; ultimately better allowing the reader to see the social and musical factors that influenced their work and, in turn, how each album successfully contributed to an ever-growing cultural lexicon. Heaton goes as far as to look at each release, track by track, something that is most interesting when analysing the artistry of the group, along with their proclivity for sampling, something that was especially signature to their early work (pre-sampling legislation and regulation) and would become a point of contention in the digital age. Most importantly, however, Heaton’s De La Soul pays tribute to more than just the group, but also to Trugoy, who passed away in 2023, just days before their entire discography would drop on streaming services following nearly a decade of disputes with labels and concerns over copyrights.
If anything, De La Soul is an effective guide to the music and impact of, arguably, the first alternative rap group amid a recent resurgence of interest in their work. Furthermore, Heaton has the distinction of publishing the first book solely dedicated to De La Soul. As the second addition to the J-Car Press—a series that seeks to provide biographies of alternative and indie artists–Heaton has not only paid a meaningful and informative tribute to De La Soul, but has set the pace for J-Card Press.
ISBN: 9798989194728
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