De La Soul

Six Original Studies for the De La Soul '3 Feet High and Rising' Debut Album Artwork, 1988/89

Six Original Studies for the De La Soul '3 Feet High and Rising' Debut Album Artwork, 1988/89
designed by Grey Organisation/Toby Mott, original hand-drawn mock ups for the 12inch vinyl album record sleeve, comprising: black and white photographic print with Posca paint pen art work on acetate overlay bearing the band and album name with floral design motifs, adhered with small pieces of tape to each side, stamped Grey Organisation along lower right margin; D.A.I.S.Y. Age flower studies (x2), Posca paint pen on yellow painted A4 paper and stamped Grey Organisation 1988 in black ink along lower margin; D.A.I.S.Y. Age text studies (x2), Posca paint pen on yellow painted A4 paper and stamped Grey Organisation 1988 in black ink along lower margin; and text artwork, Posca paint pen on acetate overlay bearing the band name, stamped Grey Organisation along lower right margin, the larger 32.5 x 32.5cm (12 3/4 x 12 3/4in) each; the smaller 20 x 25.5cm (8 x 10in) each,

In 1988, Tommy Boy Records contracted the Grey Organization to create a visual graphic identity for the hip hop group, De La Soul, comprising Kelvin 'Posdnous' Mercer, Dave 'Trugoy the Dove' Jolicoeur, and Vincent 'Pasemaster Mase' Mason, including art direction for their debut album, 3 Feet High And Rising. Released on March 3, 1989, the album became a critical and commercial landmark of late 20th century pop culture, selling millions of copies worldwide and expanding the vocabulary of hip hop as an emerging art form.

In 1998, 3 Feet High And Rising was named as one of 'The Source' magazine's '100 Best Rap Albums' of all time. In 2010, the US Library Of Congress selected the album for inclusion in the National Recording Registry, which identifies American sound recordings 'that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.'

In an article for 'The Guardian' newspaper on the occasion of the album's 25th anniversary, Toby Mott recounted his collaboration with the group. Their starting point was De La Soul's psychedelic 'D.A.I.S.Y. age' concept (according to Posdnous, "...we coined the term 'the daisy age' after we noticed a nightgown in a store that had a picture of Minnie Mouse holding a daisy on it. Although the daisy stood for 'Da Inner Sound Y'All', it was also about suggesting a sunnier style of rap.") and Grey Organization developed a visual concept that incorporated the now iconic dayglo flower motifs associated with the group's early period.

For the album cover photo shoot, De La Soul visited the Grey Organization's loft, where Mott asked Posdnuos, Trugoy and Mase to lie down on the floor, facing up, so their heads would form a triangle. "We [Mott and photographer Marie Hennechart] photographed them precariously from the top of a step ladder, one idea being that the cover would not have a right way up." Since compact discs had not yet become the dominant musical format, the design process centered on production for the album's 12inch LP record sleeve. Working at scale, Mott layered brightly colored hand-drawn flower designs made with Posca paint pens on acetate as an overlay for Hennechart's black and white portrait of the group. "This was well before the time of Apple Macs and scanning," Mott recalls. "Our intent was to be new and bright, with the overlaying of the fluorescent flowers and text reflecting a synthetic pop cartoon look. For De La Soul, it was a self-conscious move away from the prevailing macho hip hop visual codes of the era, which continue to dominate today." [Note: The final album cover layout based on this artwork is credited to graphic designer Steven Migilo]. Grey Organization provided tour support and directed two videos for the group, Potholes On My Lawn and Say No Go, 1988 and 1989 respectively.

Toby Mott's relationship with music started when he was a teenager. Mott was 13 in 1977, when Punk exploded in London. His career encompasses co-founding East London art group, the Grey Organisation, in the early 1980s, creating the cover artwork offered here and designing the fashion line, Toby Pimlico.

'Not only do I love this album, I also love the playful element of the design and the vibrancy of the colours. I have strong memories of seeing this album in the record stores when it was released and it was so incredibly eye-catching. I think the childlike illustrations really match the story telling style of De La Soul's music. So much joy!' - Camille Walala

Click for an instant shipping quote