Last Friday, seminal hip-hop group De La Soul released their eighth studio album (and first in 12 years) ...And The Anonymous Nobody after dropping a steady stream of singles. The crowd-sourced project proved multiple things, but it mainly shows that fans still love De La and that, nearly 30 years since they stepped onto the scene, the trio is still alive and well. Interestingly enough, though, the story of the Plugs is one rarely told, especially when you consider how much we know about their contemporaries. That wrong will soon be righted thanks to the folks at Mass Appeal, who have put together a short documentary appropriately titled De La Soul Is Not Dead.
The film will look into the history of the trio, from their beginnings to their reputation for being the "hippies of hip hop." Friends of the group, including singer Renee Neufville, their frequent producer Prince Paul, DJ Red Alert and a few of the industry insiders who helped them, all speak about the Daisy Age crew along with the group's three members themselves. It also promises to delve into the legal issues the group has had with sample clearances, which has unfortunately has stopped De La's classic albums from being discovered by newer generations on digital platforms.
De La Soul Is Not Dead is set to arrive on September 7th. Until then, you can catch the trailer for the doc below. If you want to hear more from the group, you can stick around to watch group members Dave and Posdnuos chop it up with The Breakfast Club.
