De La Soul have announced their 10th album, Cabin in the Sky, which will be out November 21 via Mass Appeal as part of the label’s “Legend Has It” series. It’s their first album in nine years and the first since David “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur passed away in 2023.
The album title is a reference to the 1943 all-Black musical of the same name, which starred Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. They teased the album at this year’s New York Comic Con, as part of a panel on the Marvel Comics “Legend Has It” adaptations. Via Hip Hop DX, Posdenous said, “We’re working and working [on the album], and I come across this movie. And I’m like, ‘Yo, this title is crazy!’ Cabin in the Sky. Immediately, I felt Dave.”
“Cabin in the Sky lives in that space between loss and light,” says Pos. “It’s about the pain we carry and the joy that somehow still finds us. This album is therapy and celebration at the same time. There’s a vulnerability in these songs, because everything we’ve been through has brought us to this moment, to this album, honoring what we’ve lost and lifting up what still remains. That duality. That’s life, and that’s De La.”
Guests o Cabin in the Sky include Killer Mike, Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano, Nas, and Black Thought, with production from DJ Premier, Super Dave, Pete Rock and others. The album also has Dave on it, including its first single, “The Package.” This one was produced by Pete Rock, and samples The Impressions’ 1969 song “Seven Years.”
“The Package” is low-key and groovy and you can watch the video below.