Without De La Soul, we may never have gotten Kendrick Lamar. Without De La Soul, they probably wouldn't be an Outkast or J. Cole. Ever since the release of their debut 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul has made an enormous impact on the sound and style of Hip Hop. In fact, without the trio, the beautiful marriage between hip-hop and Jazz may never have been popularized, and acts like A Tribe Called Quest and others in the "alternative rap" genre may have taken an entirely different route. Of course, this influence hasn't gone unnoticed. Even today, almost thirty years after the release of their debut, De La Soul has an enormous legion of fans who are itching to hear new music. This was illustrated by a kickstarter campaign launched in March to raise money for a new album. The trio raised over $600,000 in comparison to their goal of $100,000. On their kickstarter page, the band made an announcement about the progress of their new album And The Anonymous Nobody, and set a release date of April 29th.
Speaking to their fans, the trio said, "Releasing a record independently has been a real undertaking. In addition to artistic satisfaction, the administrative and executive end had to feel right as well. Side artist clearances and appropriating the best distribution for this project has been just as important. With negotiations complete, we are now working on the plan for our awaited release. Thank you all for your patience."
According to HipHopDX, the album was originally slated for a September release date, but was pushed back due to difficulties. Regarding the setbacks experienced since the onset of their kickstarter campaign, the group said, "We're digging deep and exhausting every creative possibility we can to make music that'll be worth the wait."
