De La Soul have made their classic 1989 single ‘The Magic Number’ available on streaming services. The song’s re-emergence comes just days after the New York hip-hop trio revealed that their back catalogue would finally be making an appearance on streaming services after years of delays.
Alongside its digital reissue, the track has also been made available in a handful of physical formats, including a 7″ single and a cassingle. The track originally appeared on their influential debut album 3 Feet High And Rising and was released as the record’s sixth and final single.
De La Soul – ‘The Magic Number’
The group – which comprises Posdnuos, Trugoy and Maseo – revealed in 2019 that their six albums released while under contract with the Tommy Boy record label would be heading to streaming services. The records had not been released up until that point due to disagreements with the label, including an exploitative contract that heavily restricted royalties for the group and complicated the clearance of samples used on the albums.
In 2021, a resolution seemed to have been reached after Tommy Boy was acquired by Reservoir Media. The group said that the bulk of their catalogue – including 3 Feet High And Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) and AOI: Bionix (2001) – would make it to streaming services at long last.
On 4th January this year, the band confirmed that both streaming and physical reissues would arrive on 3rd March. “It’s been 20 plus years overdue, but finally, we are here,” Maseo said in a statement to fans.
Further Reading
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De La Soul And Little Dragon Team Up On Minimal Slow Jam ‘Drawn’
