About the Author
Marcus J. Moore is an esteemed music journalist, editor, event curator, professor, and author of two critically-acclaimed books: High and Rising (A Book About De La Soul) and The Butterfly Effect: How Kendrick Lamar Ignited the Soul of Black America.
Moore has been a contributing writer with The Nation and a senior editor with Bandcamp Daily, a platform he helped launch. He co-leads the jazz-focused “5 Minutes That Will Make You Love…” series at The New York Times. To date, Moore has had famed musicians like Jon Batiste, Questlove, Meshell Ndegeocello, and Thundercat write about their favorite jazz compositions. Elsewhere, his music coverage can be found at NPR, Pitchfork, TIME, Entertainment Weekly, GQ, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone, and The Atlantic, among other outlets.
The Butterfly Effect explores the life of Kendrick Lamar, who is already a twenty-two-time Grammy Award-winning rapper, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People. High and Rising (A Book About De La Soul) is Moore’s latest book and it gives an illuminating look at how the hip-hop trio rebuked classification and appealed to the Black alternative. The Butterfly Effect and High and Rising were named to Rolling Stone‘s Best Music Books of 2020 and 2024, respectively.
An experienced speaker and moderator, Moore’s insightful talks explore the music business, the current state of music journalism, the process he undertook to write music biographies, and the field of curation. He also speaks on the connection between culture and music, diaspora in hip-hop, and the ever-evolving role of music in our world. Not only that, he is a sports, pop culture and film buff who talks about all three topics with the excitement of a fan and the knowledge of an expert. With his deep ties to various industries and his wide range of experience, Moore’s talks will give audiences a better understanding of music’s cultural significance and importance in our society.
Before covering music, Marcus covered business, politics, and education for the Gazette newspapers in the D.C. suburbs. He has been an editor at WTOP-FM, the region’s top-rated station for news, traffic, and weather and has released two albums – one a compilation of obscure R&B and Black Liberation Jazz; the other a collection of downtempo gospel and soul. He divides his time between Maryland and Philadelphia, and has been known to spin vinyl in Brooklyn, East Africa, and the Washington, D.C. area.
Raves and Reviews
Praise for High and Rising: A Book About De La Soul
High and Rising reads like a movie. Comprehensive, true to life, and as irreverent as De La Soul themselves. Brother Marcus sets the record(s) straight. History and memoir from the soul.”
—Leslie Odom Jr., Tony, and Grammy award-winning artist of Hamilton
High And Rising is, among other things, a love letter, but not one grounded solely in the romantics of the past. Nostalgia enriches the storytelling, the touchability of this historic group, but it is also an ode to how they touched the present, and how they will endlessly touch the future.”
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There’s Always This Year
A love letter to one of the greatest rap groups of all time, written with deep reverence and sincerity. Marcus J. Moore’s High and Rising gives new voice to a generation of Hip-Hop outcasts, much like De La’s debut did 35 years earlier. Strictly Dan Stuckie.”
—Phonte Coleman, Grammy nominated singer, rapper, producer of Little Brother and The Foreign Exchange
More than just a book about De La Soul, High and Rising is a thoroughly researched anthropological history and a compelling, deeply personal memoir. Marcus J. Moore managed to tell the story of most beloved and respected groups of all time while capturing the golden era of Hip-Hop.”
—Michael Harriot, New York Times bestselling author of Black AF History
Moore highlights De La Soul’s commitment to their artistic vision and values and encapsulates the band’s journey, triumphs, and struggles while capturing moments of turmoil and redemption. High and Rising is a must-read for music-history enthusiasts and hip-hop culture fans.”
—Sharon Wyatt, Booklist
An affecting memoir of a music journalist’s lifelong relationship with an eccentric rap trio.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Moore examines in this energetic account the legacy of hip-hop group De La Soul…The result is a boisterous ode to an important rap group.”
—Publishers Weekly
Praise for The Butterfly Effect
Kendrick Lamar is the most creatively captivating rapper of the past decade. This means inspecting and placing into context his profound legacy is nothing short of a gargantuan task. Fortunately for us, Marcus J. Moore exists. His writing has never been sharper, never been more concise, never been more insightful than it is here. This book is smart, confident, and necessary.”
Shea Serrano, New York Times bestselling author of The Rap Year Book and Movies (And Other Things)
I have a great amount of gratitude for The Butterfly Effect and the triumph of chronicling one of our great artists while they’re still here with us. Marcus J. Moore is thoughtful, incisive, and generous in this work, and will hopefully set a blueprint for how we honor the brilliant and living.”
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest
The Butterfly Effect is much more than a biographical look at the voice of hip-hop’s new generation. It’s an analytical deep dive into the life of that good kid whose m.A.A.d city raised him, and how it sparked a fire within Kendrick Lamar to change history. Through thoughtful prose, strong investigative research, and a deep passion for the subject matter, Marcus J. Moore paints a picture of Kendrick that anyone can admire.”
—Kathy Iandoli, author of God Save The Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop
Marcus J. Moore’s look at Kendrick Lamar beautifully illustrates the power of the word and the great value it holds in the community that birthed hip hop. Therein, we all better understand and appreciate why Black lives—and rhymes—matter.”
—Sacha Jenkins, Emmy-nominated director of Showtime documentary Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics And Men
In the Media
“5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Ella Fitzgerald”
“The Singer Whose Work Feels Like Prayer”
“A Prodigy of Jazz Clubs Explores Other Stages”
“Kahil El’Zabar, Spiritual Jazz’s Dapper Bandleader, Keeps Pushing Ahead”
“‘Jelly’s Last Jam’ Returns, Bringing a Jazz Tale to a New Generation”
“John Legend on the Enduring Legacy of His Debut Album Get Lifted”
“How Black Musical Artists Revolutionized the Sound of Protest in 2016”
“Julius Rodriguez, a young pianist fusing (all) the music from inside-out”
“‘Revival’ captures drummer Elvin Jones as a nascent bandleader finding his voice”
“You Can’t Understand Black Music Without Sly Stone”
“The Visions of Alice Coltrane”
“Pharoah Sanders’s Grand Return”
