Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd — "Joe and Jada: De La Soul on ‘Cabin In The Sky’ w/ Nas & Mass Appeal, Q-Tip & SHADY rap labels"
Original Air Date: November 20, 2025

Episode Overview

This high-energy, deeply respectful episode of "The Joe and Jada Show" (within The Herd) spotlights hip hop pioneers De La Soul. The episode is a vibrant, heartfelt conversation honoring De La’s legacy, their late member Dave, and their resilience through music industry pitfalls. Hosts Fat Joe and Jadakiss (‘Joe & Jada’) create a casual, humorous, and celebratory environment, discussing the making of De La’s new album "Cabin In The Sky” (executive produced by Pete Rock, released via Mass Appeal & Nas), memories of Native Tongues, epic collaborative moments, industry challenges with record labels, and much more.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. De La Soul’s Legacy and Respect in Hip Hop

• Immediate Acceptance: Fat Joe and Jada both underscore how De La Soul’s presence on the show was never in question (“the whole room was like, YES”), recognizing their influence across generations.
• First ‘Nice Guys’ in Rap: Joe credits De La for bringing positivity when much of rap celebrated bravado and aggression.

  “You guys are probably not really older than me, but you came in the game before me. So I look up to you guys. Like, you guys paved the way for all of us. Like, y'all beyond royalty. You're actually the first nice guys I ever listened to.” (Fat Joe, 07:40)

2. Loss and Outpouring for Dave (“Trugoy”)

• Global Love: Fat Joe is moved by the sincere wave of industry and fan love after Dave’s passing.
• Therapeutic Album: De La express how making "Cabin In The Sky" became a way to process grief, keep Dave present, and achieve closure.

  “The record is therapeutic for everybody. It’s closure for a lot of us. And you can feel him throughout the record. The whole ‘Cabin of the Sky’ idea to me is like, he working on the record from up there, you know?” (De La Soul, 16:32)

• Process After Loss: They emphasize not just tacking on old vocals or "Frankensteining" a posthumous album, but preserving authenticity.

  “We didn’t want to just take Dave’s verses off and add it to some other made up shit. It’s the hard shit.” (De La Soul, 15:35)

3. The Making of “Cabin In The Sky”

• History of the Album: Originally, "Premium Soul on the Rocks" was planned with Pete Rock and DJ Premier; various materials from those sessions and other collaborations (e.g. Super Dave West, Jake One) make it into the new project.
• Mass Appeal Involvement: Nas and Mass Appeal approach De La for their “Legend Series,” which brings urgency and renewed focus.
• Dave’s ‘Presence’ in Creation: De La detail keeping Dave’s advice and standards in mind during recording.

  “When we was making this shit, he was right there with me… Like, Dave would always be like, ‘Yo, Merce, man, what you wrote is dope, but you could put more of that bullshit on it. Like he would say, like, you know, put that personality.’” (De La Soul, 16:08)

4. The Ethics of Posthumous Releases

• Quality over Quantity: The group discusses frustration with how some posthumous albums are handled—using outtakes to maximize cash grabs (“Biggie Christmas Eve…”), preferring instead to honor the artist’s true voice.

5. Native Tongues Memoir

• Origin Story: De La recounts the creation of the Native Tongues collective—unity and mutual respect among groups like Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, and Monie Love.

  “When we make music, why don’t we put our name on the one name and call it Native Tongues?... Like, we too dope, we talk… our language is the same. We have this native kinship.” (De La Soul, 35:19)

• Monie Love’s Underappreciated Status: The group and hosts lament how Monie Love could have been a much bigger star.

6. Industry Economics & Shady Record Labels

• Tommy Boy Saga: The hosts and group break down their struggles with the now-defunct Tommy Boy Records, unfair contracts, and how knowledge and power structures worked against them for decades.

  “You never had anything, so you really don’t know. Like, what they're giving you is like this little piece of bacon from a table that got fucking 7,000 pigs you can slaughter in half of your own.” (De La Soul, 70:24)

• Learning the Business: They emphasize the progression from naivety, to understanding “everyone eats,” to fighting for fairness, and the cycle of being kept behind as contracts are constantly renegotiated to the label’s advantage.
• Sharing vs. Oppression: Fat Joe shares his own experience with letting artists go, contrasting himself (“not the oppressor”) with the label bosses.

7. Collaborations and Features on the Album

• Legend-packed Lineup: Features include Nas, Black Thought, Common, Killer Mike.
• No “Feature Chasing": They only collaborate when it fits creatively—“not just to do it.”

  “We always had the mantra of, like, yo, all you could do is say is no… Like, say no. How could it be on to the next, you know what I’m saying?" (De La Soul, 62:22)

8. Stories & Memories: Q-Tip, Fife, and Hip Hop Culture

• Q-Tip Friendship: Fat Joe and De La trade stories about deep, sometimes unexpected friendships, and the mutual inspiration between Native Tongue artists.
• Studio Envy: Joe marvels at Q-Tip’s “real” home studio, joking how it eclipses D-Block’s setup.

9. Touring, Longevity, and the Spirit of Live Performances

• Generational Impact: De La, Joe, and Jada reflect on seeing generations of fans at live shows, and joke about never truly retiring (“I can rock until it’s over. Like Rolling Stones…”).
• Group Tours Dream: Discussion about the rarity and excitement of multi-group hip hop tours.

10. Memorable, Funny Anecdotes and Moments

• Mistaken Identity: Fat Joe recounts thinking he met "Andre the Giant" when it was actually Fat Joe.
• Fat Man Scoop Story: Fat Man Scoop apparently believed Joe was someone else for years, with both letting it ride for decades.

  “To the day he died, he told me this story. It was not me.” (Fat Joe, 105:45)

11. Live Song Premiere – De La Soul ft. Nas

• Track "Run It Back": Debuted on air—lively reactions, mutual praise, and audience excitement for the project.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Dave’s Impact:

  “He had one of the most outpouring of sincere love that I had seen in the industry myself.”
  (De La Soul on Trugoy, 11:38)

• On Posthumous Albums:

  “I never heard Biggie say a whack verse in my life… Then they started playing with them. Biggie Christmas Eve. They was just pimping that on another level…”
  (Fat Joe, 20:40)

• On Collaboration Philosophy:

  “Quality for us, always over quantity, you know, that’s been y’all your whole life. We tried our best, trust.”
  (De La Soul, 24:04)

• On Label Deals:

  “Why would I go back into an ‘89 deal? Why would he even present me a deal like that? It was already disrespectful...”
  (De La Soul, 73:18)

• On Fat Joe’s Business Approach:

  “I’m not the oppressor. I never understood the guy who was like, yo, you can’t go nowhere… It never been my style.”
  (Fat Joe, 79:05)

• On Their Enduring Tours:

  “I can rock until it’s over. Like Rolling Stones in autumn. Like, I love just going to our shows. We got generations there.”
  (De La Soul, 97:53)

• On Streaming vs. Buying:

  “Make sure you get it on all platforms, don’t stream it, buy it.”
  (Fat Joe, 122:44)

Highlighted Timestamps

• De La Soul’s Outpouring of Love for Dave: 11:00 – 14:20
• Making ‘Cabin In The Sky’ and Dave’s Spiritual Presence: 15:00 – 18:00
• The Art of Posthumous Releases/Quality Control: 20:00 – 24:00
• Native Tongues Origin Story: 35:19 – 40:30
• Tommy Boy, Contracts & Label Trouble: 70:24 – 81:19
• Live “Run It Back” Track Feature: 122:44 – 126:40
• Touring, Longevity, and Generational Fans: 97:53 – 101:33

Overall Tone & Takeaways

This episode buzzes with genuine respect, laughs, and deep reflections. Joe and Jada provide space for De La Soul—not only to celebrate their new work but to educate on business, honor lost friends, and reminisce about the era that defined hip hop’s golden age. Anyone listening walks away inspired by De La’s principles, resilience, and the love that hip hop’s best can still project across time and genre.

For fans of hip hop culture, business lessons, and behind-the-scenes stories, this conversation offers both entertainment and education—true to the spirit of the guests and hosts alike.