Iconic New York hip hop trio De La Soul have announced that their first six albums will be released on streaming services in March 2023. The news comes after the group reached a resolution with record label Tommy Boy, after its 2021 acquisition by Reservoir. The re-releases – which we first wrote about way back in August 2021 – will include the group’s much lauded 1989 debut 3 Feet High and Rising.
The trio of Maseo, Trugoy and Posdnuos released six albums through the Tommy Boy label between 1989 and 2001. These included the aforementioned debut, De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) and AOI: Bionix (2001).
De La Soul Announce ‘The Day is Finally Here’
Due to disagreements with Tommy Boy, the albums have never been released on streaming services. They were originally due to be uploaded in 2019, but, according to Pitchfork, the original terms of De La Soul’s agreement with Tommy Boy involved an exploitative contract that would have seen the band receive a paltry 10% in royalties, and no guarantee that samples used on the albums had been cleared.
The planned release was met with outcry after the group went public with their grievances, and the albums were eventually pulled. But the saga is finally drawing to a close, with Maseo writing in a press release, “It’s been 20 plus years overdue, but finally, we are here”.
The albums will be available on streaming and in physical formats on Friday, 3rd March.
Further Reading
De La Soul’s Full Discography Is Coming To Streaming Services This Year
Four Tet Emerges Victorious In Legal Battle Over Streaming Royalties
