Formed in 1988 by rappers Trugoy, Posdnuous, and Maseo, De La Soul quickly emerged as a leader in the conscious hip-hop/rap movement, being one of the core members of the Native Tongues collective alongside Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, and several others. The trio released its debut album "3 Feet High and Rising" in 1989. It peaked at number one on the US Billboard R&B chart and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA, making it the band's most commercially successful album to date. It also garnered critical acclaim with the band becoming one of the core members Over the next several decades, De La Soul released another seven albums, with each album marking a significant evolution in the trio's sound. While these albums failed to gain the commercial success of "3 Feet High and Rising," the trio remains one of the most critically acclaimed alternative hip-hop groups in history. On February 12, 2023, after nearly 35 years together, Tugoy was the first member of the band to pass away.