In 1989, at the dawn of gangsta rap and its accompanying macho gun play, De La Soul 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.
The cover of their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was fluorescent yellow and featured neon daisies and geometric haircuts. Between each flower are the heads of Posdnuos, Trugoy and the band’s third member, Maseo, together, but in a circle, like satellites orbiting one another.
