Earlier this week, music journalist and author Marcus J. Moore released his new De La Soul book High and Rising, and then controversy broke out when De La Soul themselves called it an “unauthorized book” that they do not support, and they said they’re “exploring all of [their] legal options.” “Our story will be told in our words, in our way, with the style you’ve come to know and love,” they said. Their response prompted a widespread debate, with some people taking the side of the group and others–especially other music writers and authors–criticizing De La Soul for deterring their fans from purchasing the book and furthering a faulty narrative that books about public figures need to be “authorized” by the public figure themselves to be published or worth reading. Now, Open Mike Eagle, a rapper and podcaster who is a longtime De La Soul fan and personally familiar with both De La and Marcus, has weighed in with a new 17-minute video.
Mike mentions that he sees both sides. “I know that they’re very protective of their legacy, they’re very protective of their narrative, they’re very protective of their ownership of all things De La,” he says of the group. “And it is a little bit of a situation where you can tell that the business struggles, the emotional struggles, the times they’ve been outright played over the years business-wise, that they’re a little traumatized.”
“I do understand them wanting to distance themselves from it to a certain degree… I think the statement kinda goes a little too far though.”
He mentions that Marcus has a lot of bonafides within hip hop, and that he sees the value in writers like Marcus embarking on endeavors like this one, as well as the value in press, and that he understands why members of the music press in particular have taken issue with De La’s statement. “Me as an artist, who press has helped me a lot in my career and I understand the importance of it,” he says. “I understand the significance of a writer like Marcus writing a book like this.”
Mike also touches on the topics of financial considerations, the importance of nicely-published books like this one for hip hop in general, and he theorizes about some of the reasons why De La might be upset about the book, among other things. “I hate to see an artist I love and a writer I respect at odds,” he concludes, “when everybody’s just kinda doing their job.”
Watch the whole video below. Open Mike Eagle also just put out a new video giving his initial thoughts on GNX, the new album by Kendrick Lamar (who Marcus J. Moore also has a celebrated book on) and you can watch that below too.