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And the Anonymous Nobody...

by De La Soul

Released: August 26, 2016

Hip hop

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Why This Album Matters

The central hook and its causal development are established directly by Dave in a first-hand LAist/The Frame interview: he said the sessions did not begin as a sampling workaround, that Vox Studios’ boards made them sound like old records De La Soul would sample, and that this prompted the group to continue jamming before mining more than 200 hours for samples. ([laist.com](https://laist.com/shows/the-frame/de-la-soul-previews-its-kickstarter-funded-album-and-the-anonymous-nobody)) A separate first-hand Observer interview independently confirms that the musicians jammed for hours and De La Soul later mined, chopped, sampled and looped the recordings; Dave also described the album as roughly 95 percent live instrumentation. ([observer.com](https://observer.com/2016/06/buffoon-mind-state-de-la-soul-and-the-killing-of-sacred-cows/)) Fast Company corroborates the Rhythm Roots All-Stars sessions and the large archive of improvisations. ([fastcompany.com](https://www.fastcompany.com/3063157/de-la-soul-is-not-dead-how-they-stayed-innovative-on-their-first-album-in-12-ye?utm_source=openai)) Posdnuos separately confirmed the approximately $200,000 personal investment, the $110,000 goal being reached in nine hours, the eventual $600,000-plus total and the desire to avoid label interference. ([leftlion.co.uk](https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2017/02/de-la-soul/)) Kickstarter’s own retrospective corroborates more than $600,000 from over 11,000 backers. ([updates.kickstarter.com](https://updates.kickstarter.com/fundraising-for-musicians-why-kickstarter-is-a-great-choice-for-musicians-seeking-funding/))

The Album

"And the Anonymous Nobody..." is the eighth studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul, and their first full-length release since The Grind Date. The album features guest appearances from 2 Chainz, Damon Albarn, David Byrne, Estelle, Little Dragon, Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, Justin Hawkins, Pete Rock, and Roc Marciano. In early 2015, De La Soul launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their album And the Anonymous Nobody....

Inside the Recording

It was released on August 26, 2016, on A.O.I. Records, with Jordan Katz serving as executive producer.

Stories and details

Interesting Facts

The campaign quickly exceeded its goal of $110,000…

The campaign quickly exceeded its goal of $110,000, achieving this in under ten hours.

Initially, the album was set for release on…

Initially, the album was set for release on April 29, 2016.

However, after releasing an EP titled For Your…

However, after releasing an EP titled For Your Pain & Suffering on that date, the album's release was rescheduled to August 26, 2016.

The first single from the album, "Pain," featuring…

The first single from the album, "Pain," featuring Snoop Dogg, was released on June 1, 2016.

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Explore the Album

De La Soul - And the Anonymous Nobody...

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Reception

It received positive reviews from critics and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200. The album was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

Full background

The Complete Album Story

"And the Anonymous Nobody..." is the eighth studio album by American hip hop group De La Soul, and their first full-length release since The Grind Date. It was released on August 26, 2016, on A.O.I. Records, with Jordan Katz serving as executive producer. The album features guest appearances from 2 Chainz, Damon Albarn, David Byrne, Estelle, Little Dragon, Snoop Dogg, Jill Scott, Justin Hawkins, Pete Rock, and Roc Marciano. It received positive reviews from critics and peaked at number 12 on the Billboard 200. The album was also nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards.

In early 2015, De La Soul launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their album And the Anonymous Nobody.... The campaign quickly exceeded its goal of $110,000, achieving this in under ten hours. Initially, the album was set for release on April 29, 2016. However, after releasing an EP titled For Your Pain & Suffering on that date, the album's release was rescheduled to August 26, 2016. The first single from the album, "Pain," featuring Snoop Dogg, was released on June 1, 2016.