De La Soul are one of the most distinctive, pioneering bands in the history of hip-hop – they were Kelvin Mercer, Dave Jolicoeur, and Vincent Mason, better known as Posdnuos, Trugoy the Dove and DJ May-see-oh – three guys from Brooklyn and the Bronx who burst onto the music scene in 1989 with their witty and irreverent album 3 Feet High and Rising.
In subsequent work they have continued to experiment and challenge hip-hop's macho orthodoxies. We reviewed their tenth album Cabin in the Sky last November, an record released after the death of Trugoy the Dove.
Now academic and author Austin McCoy has put De La Soul under the microscope in his new book Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age. Austin McCoy spoke to RTÉ's Rick O'Shea from West Virginia - listen above, and listen to more from RTÉ Arena here.
