Gabriella Griffin / The Mossy Log
Austin McCoy, assistant professor of U.S. and African American history at West Virginia University, spoke in front of Lewis & Clark faculty and students on Sept. 10 to deliver a presentation on his recently published book, “Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age: The Music, Culture, and World De La Soul Made.” He was hosted by the Ethnic Studies Program and the Department of Music and introduced by Magalí Rabasa, associate professor of Hispanic studies and director of ethnic studies.
De La Soul is an eclectic, experimental hip-hop group that pioneered both musically and politically in the late 80s. The Long Island group wanted to be different and to emphasize through their music — during societally stirring and controversial times like the Anti-Drug Abuse Act and post-civil rights movement — that rap as an art form can be emotional, vulnerable and is almost always political.
McCoy explains that in 1989, when their first album, “3 Feet High and Rising,” was released, it was revolutionary for its time. When rappers were labeled as being “violent,” the group pushed against that stereotype: “They are creating their own world, coming together.” McCoy says this was done through skits, new/made-up terminology and samples that were inside jokes between the members; these included Maseo, Posdnuos, and Trugoy the Dove. Examples of their creativity include the members’ names spelled backwards: Posdnuos = soundsop. Trugoy = yogurt. And “D.A.I.S.Y.” as reflected in one of their songs as an acronym for “Da Inner Sound Y’all.” And, my personal favorite, “Schwingalokate,” which they say means “to change.” McCoy tells us De La Soul believed that “all rappers, all artists, should reflect creative individualism.”
Another example of their genius lyricism and political involvement is through their song “Say No Go,” written in response to Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign in the late 80s. Additionally, the members also used a quote from the Daryl Hall and John Oates song, “I Can’t Go for That.” Though commonly misconstrued as being a love song, Oates directly says that their song is really about “not being pushed around by big labels, managers, and agents, and being told what to do, and being true to yourself creatively.”
The group heavily pushed back against politics, stereotypes and even themselves when they released their album “De La Soul Is Dead” in 1991. The cover of their album depicts a fallen flower pot, with soil and three wilted daisies spilling from it, presumably symbolizing Maseo, Posdnuos, and Trugoy. If there was one thing the members did not like, it would be being put in a box — or in this case, a pot. They would do everything they could to ensure that they were always doing something different and out of the box, switching from hip-hop to experimenting with jazz, funk and bossa nova. Because the group gained immense popularity in the 80s — after the civil rights movement — they were revolutionary to the Black community and to Black art. McCoy writes in his book, “They made it okay for young Black men, and young men of color to be weird, quirky, and vulnerable.” They inspired confidence, freedom of self-expression and told the world through their music that you don’t need to morph yourself to fit into an “acceptable” category. The New Yorker thoroughly elaborates on their impact in an article titled “The Outsized Influence of De La Soul”
They inspired artists to speak through their medium, to encourage individualism, to go against the grain and to never allow anyone to succeed in attempts to stifle their unique voice. When I asked McCoy what inspired him to write about De La Soul, he beamed like I had asked the golden ticket question.
He explained that he had been a “huge rap fan” during his teenage years, and over time when he became a professor, he would sneak into another class teaching topics like “rapid globalization” or the “rap response to the drug crisis.” When he was offered a position to teach a class on hip-hop, McCoy showed his students clips from a documentary titled “Hip-Hop Evolution,” where De La Soul was featured, and the students were curious about them and asked, “Who are these guys? Why haven’t I heard of them before?” He explained that it was because their music was never on any streaming services, and that it remained only on CDs or YouTube.
McCoy said that when Trugoy passed away in 2023, he was approached by an editor asking if he would want to write about the group, and that it was something he did not know he wanted until he was asked to write the book. McCoy took great joy in explaining the history of De La Soul. Having Professor Austin McCoy share his passion project with us at LC was truly an honor and joy.
“Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age: The Music, Culture, and World De La Soul Made” by Austin McCoy is available to borrow from Watzek.
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