Musical therapy

American hip hop group De La Soul drop their new album Cabin in the Sky tomorrow, November 21.

This marks their first project since the passing of founding member David Jude Jolicoeur – better known as Trugoy the Dove – in 2023.  The album follows their 2016 release And the Anonymous Nobody.

The line-up currently consists of rapper Kelvin Mercer aka Posdnuos, alongside rapper, producer and DJ Vincent Mason aka Maseo.

“Cabin in the Sky lives in that space between loss and light,” Kelvin said in an interview.

“It’s about the pain we carry and the joy that somehow still finds us. This album is therapy and celebration at the same time,” he added.

“There’s a vulnerability in these songs, because everything we’ve been through has brought us to this moment, to this album, honouring what we’ve lost and lifting up what still remains. That duality. That’s life, and that’s De La.”

Formed in 1988, the group is known for their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres, as well as for their extensive sampling. Their musical catalogue was not available on streaming platforms until 2023 due to contractual disputes and copyright clearances.

Their 1989 debut project, 3 Feet High and Rising, is consistently placed on lists of the greatest albums of all time by noted critics and publications, and was selected by the Library of Congress as a 2010 addition to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings that are deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

They are also known for their Grammy-winning collaboration with the English virtual band Gorillaz on the track Feel Good Inc.