The brilliance of the band’s debut album got me through learning difficulties at school – and later, helped me articulate the impossible as an adult
rapper Trugoy chose a name that celebrates his love of yogurt, spelled backwards, and wore his sleeves pulled down over his hands. On their single The Magic Number, De La Soul namechecked Fred Astaire and the Dosey Doe. This was the hip-hop version of the Kinks singing “I’m not the world’s most physical guy” while surrounded by rockers like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
But these disparate pop culture references constitute the best possible splintering of the brain. Listening to 3 Feet High is like laying on your back, watching meteor showers. It was rough not understanding questions nor knowing how to answer them. Being able to recite 3 Feet High off by heart was a balm
De La Soul had a catchphrase – Da Inner Sound Y’all – which was shortened to DAISY, and my dad painted it on to my bedroom wall when I was 12, surrounding it with their cartoon flowers. It was one of those random times when he could have said “No” but said “Yes”, and I don’t understand why. Kids who came over didn’t understand, either, why I was allowed a De La Soul mural painted straight on to the wall. I think it was his gateway drug to letting me leave school at 16, to try being a writer.