Celebrating De La Soul in Austin McCoy's Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age

 Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age: The Music, Culture, and World De La Soul Made by Austin McCoy

Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age book cover

Author and scholar Austin McCoy

Big thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for sharing an advanced copy of Austin McCoy’s excellent book Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age: The Music, Culture, and World De La Soul Made, which to me is one of the best books about hip-hop I’ve read recently. About a year ago, I had the privilege of reading Marcus J. Moore’s great book about De La Soul titled High and Rising: A Book About De La Soul. While both books examine the works and impact of this seminal group, Moore’s book combines both band biography and a kind of memoir approach to their music to chart the significance of De La’s work on both hip-hop and the individual. McCoy’s book combines both memoir and critical analysis of the lyrics, artwork, and the entire D.A.I.S.Y. (Da Inner Sound Y’all)  ethos. Rather than being in competition, these books work as complimentary texts that help provide insight, depth, and a greater understanding of how De La Soul connected with fans, especially young Black men.

Dr. McCoy, who is a professor of African American history and labor at West Virginia University, organizes the book chronologically according to De La’s recorded output. Dr. McCoy’s analysis of each album focuses on lyrical content as well as the socio-historical context of the album’s creation. I loved this approach as he frames each album in the context of both events and trends of its time, as well examining how De La’s work challenged and shaped later movements and genres within hip-hop. I also loved that Dr. McCoy starts the book with an explanation about how he used De La within his History of Hip-Hop course, which I would have loved to take. However, as he notes, many of the students, who consume music via streaming services, were unable to access De La’s catalog due to conflicts with Tommy Boy Records. McCoy acknowledges that this inability to access the band’s classic back catalog often required students to purchase physical copies and also to focus on the entirety of the album, not just singles, which again counters the record industry’s approach to the disposability of hip-hop and pop music in general. These approaches that challenge the record industry also shape Dr. McCoy’s analysis and recognize the importance of De La’s work as artists and activists who fought record company practices to not only maintain their artistic integrity, but also to advocate for fair compensation for their work. As a scholar of labor, Dr. McCoy frequently notes how De La Soul’s lyrics and videos often challenged many of the popular tropes and themes of hip-hop moving from gangster rap in the late 80’s and 90’s to the shiny suit era of the later 90s and early 2000s, demonstrating that De La were one of the groups that actually kept it real. I really appreciated this acknowledgement of De La Soul’s ethos, and I think it speaks to their continuing relevance and endearment to fans. This is a band that celebrated reality and everyday life, and although faced many challenges, had fun doing it. In addition, by examining De La’s output chronologically, Dr. McCoy is able to trace how album’s like De La Soul is Dead  and Buhloone Mindstate are in dialogue with one another and De La’s classic debut 3 Feet High and Rising. He notes that Tommy Boy played up the daisy angle, framing the band as hippies, which is why their second album, De La Soul is Dead, is a much harder album. It’s this kind of close analysis of the artwork and lyrical content that makes Dr. McCoy’s book a fascinating and engaging read.

Dr. McCoy not only analyzes the primary texts of De La’s albums but also incorporates others sources to contextualize and add meaning to De La’s lyrics and artistic output. I was excited to see some books I’ve recently read including Dante Ross’s awesome memoir about working in the music business (Son of the City) and Max Felker-Kantor’s critical history and analysis of the DARE program (DARE to Say No), which help provide further context into not only the conditions of the record industry and De La’s work on their first album, but also provides some indication of socio-cultural topics and concerns arising in communities in the late 80s and early 90s. In particular, I just read a book about the Bernie Goetz trial (the excellent Fear and Fury by Heather Ann Thompson) that also takes a nuanced look at a similar time period that birthed De La. I loved how McCoy emphasizes that De La remained critical of the inequalities in society, aligning with the conscious rappers of the day like Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions, yet also were able to provide an escape from stereotypes and projections of Black masculinity, offering listeners a positive mirror that challenged many of the negative reflections from the media. In addition, Dr. McCoy also cites an amazing Jelani Cobb essay I recently read and can’t stop thinking about (“Hip-Hop at Fifty: An Elegy” found in his amazing collection Three or More is a Riot). Both writers reflect on the death of Dave Jolicoeur, also known as Trugoy the Dove and Plug Two, and the more recent epidemic of rappers dying of preventable diseases and illnesses in middle age. It’s something that Chuck D raps about on the most recent PE album as well, although he repeatedly reminds listeners about his senior citizen status, which is still incredible to me. Regardless, there have been too many MCs and DJs who survived young adulthood only to be felled by illness and disease that falls short of typical life expectancy. As both McCoy and Cobb note, these kinds of trends are representative are larger inequalities in the health field where Black men typically experience shorter lifespans and lower quality of health than other groups. McCoy, however, further links his own family losses with the loss of Trugoy and other rappers, noting how De La in particular had to continue to tour and live life on the road (or labor) while not having access to their back catalog to make money from the new streaming economy. Furthermore, McCoy importantly notes that even once they regained control over their music, the terms and conditions for streaming largely favor tech companies and provide artists with less than minimal compensation for their labor and work. McCoy’s insight and teaching about this approach to music consumption not only raises readers’ consciousness about our entertainment choices but also comes with a plea to further consider purchasing physical media or using platforms that support artists’ work more. Throughout the book, McCoy includes important research and information that not only educates, but also challenges us to consider not only what we listen to, but how we engage with and consume these choices. I loved how much I learned and considered music, art, and the work that ground-breaking artists like De La Soul have created in the greater context of hip-hop and popular music. Furthermore, I loved that this is a book that is based on McCoy’s class, as he offers some teaching recommendations and pedagogical approaches to incorporating hip-hop in the classroom. As he notes from Marc Lamont Hill’s book about hip-hop pedagogy and other prominent educators like Gloria Ladson Billings, hip-hop is a language relevant to many of our students and using these texts and methods to teach are not only important for engagement, but also necessary and urgent due to the “cultural, political, and economic exigencies of the day.” As any teacher can tell, using popular music, especially culturally relevant music, is not only a great way to engage students, but also to encourage critical analysis of social and cultural issues in a familiar and supportive method. I didn’t expect McCoy’s book to make me think so much about De La’s impact, especially in regards to teaching, but I think that this is an incredible book that I recommend not only for lovers of hip-hop, but also teachers. It can provide some insight and ideas into incorporating hip-hop into the classroom, and more importantly, some excellent examples of critical analysis of lyrics and style. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it!