Video network Vevo teamed up with Public Enemy’s Chuck D to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop. There will be programming including “Legends In Concert,” “Hip-Hop International,” “2K Hip-Hop Legends,” and more. The world’s leading video network will also collaborate with a hefty, yet, impressive list of hip-hop artists with appearances throughout 2023 from legends such […]
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While never before heard music is always exciting, there’s nothing quite like being able to revisit an old favourite with the touch of a button. Thankfully, De La Soul is moving their full catalogue onto streaming platforms later this year. To get us excited for the impending arrival, they’ve also begun sharing singles.
Firstly, the trio made their 1989 hit “The Magic Number” available across DSPs earlier this weekend. It previously made its debut on their 3 Feet High And Rising project over three decades ago. As NME notes, it rose in popularity after landing on the Spider-Man: No Way Home film last year.
Presently, De La Soul’s three most recent albums are the only ones on streamers. The oldest of those is 2004’s The Grind Date, which was followed in 2012 by First Serve. In 2016 the trio was back with more, delivering And The Anonymous Nobody… to their fans.
Projects that will land on DSPs on March 3 include 1991’s De La Soul Is Dead as well as 1993’s Buhloone Mindstate. Additionally, the group will share Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000), and Art Official Intelligence: Bionix (2001).
The reason for many of these efforts’ absence from streamers is the group’s dispute with Warner Records. The label allegedly said that samples across the tracks had clearance for physical media distribution only.
Stream De La Soul’s “The Magic Number” on Spotify or Apple Music below. Afterward, tell us which of the group’s songs you’re most excited to have on DSPs later this year in the comments.
Quotable Lyrics:
Parents let go, ’cause there’s magic in the air
Criticizing rap shows you’re out of order
Stop, look and listen to the phrase Fred Astaires
And don’t get offended while Mase do-si-do’s your daughter
[Via]
When audiences sat through Marvel’s 2022 hit Spider-Man: No Way Home, Gen Xers, millennials, and zoomers alike were thrilled to hear De La Soul’s 3 Feet High And Rising song “The Magic Number” during the film’s closing credits. However, they were equally disappointed once they checked Spotify (or Apple Music or Tidal, depending on their individual preference) only to learn that De La’s catalog remained woefully out of circulation on DSPs (or Digital Streaming Platforms). This was, of course, due to a protracted legal battle with their former label, Tommy Boy Records, as well as the dozens — possibly hundreds — of potentially uncleared samples throughout their first six albums.
This year, though, those fans got the best news: De La Soul has not only retained their publishing for those albums, but they also sorted their sample issues, announcing that the catalog would be available for streaming this March. And today, fans got the first fruits of those efforts, fittingly, with the debut of “The Magic Number,” the group’s surprise 30-year-old hit, on DSPs. We embedded the YouTube up top, but you can check it out on the streamer of your choice.
Meanwhile, the rest of the catalog comes to streaming on 3/3/23, giving fans the chance to follow Pharrell’s advice about which two albums are must-listens (I argue that they all are).
It’s no secret that the music of the Native Tongues — consisting of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Queen Latifah — was a huge influence on Pharrell Williams. In fact, he was one in a Tribe-inspired rap trio along with Timbaland and Magoo that emulated much of that group’s early work. So, when he shares his views on which De La Soul albums will be absolutely essential to stream when they become available on DSPs this spring, it’s probably worth paying some credence.
The Virginia superproducer shared his thoughts in a new fan Q&A session via The Guardian, replying to saintpelligrino‘s inquiry, “What album, past or present, does everybody need to hear?”
Pointing out that De La Soul’s catalog is finally coming to streaming this year, Pharrell recommended, “Everybody needs to get 3 Feet High And Rising and De La Soul Is Dead.” Explaining why he thinks the trio’s first two albums are so important, he also namechecks Damon Albarn, creator of the animated band Gorillaz, with whom De La has collaborated on songs like “Feel Good Inc.”
“Even when they were going through all their stuff [a protracted dispute over the rights to their catalog], Damon [Albarn] from Blur put them on the Gorillaz albums, because he gets it,” Pharrell enthused. “He knows those guys are responsible for making so many of us misfits feel like we actually fit. The De La tribe were the forefathers and founders of the way we see things. I was nearly 16 when 3 Feet High and Rising came out. It was a total game-changer. It changed my life, period. Would I like to work with them? I would do anything for them, they know that. If they don’t, they should.”
So there you have it. Check out 3 Feet High — which he’s right about, by the way — and De La Soul Is Dead to learn why they are such an important piece of hip-hop history. But, don’t overlook their latter works, though; Stakes Is High was one of the albums that first introduced the late-90s unofficial second wave of Native Tongues acts like Mos Def, Common, and J Dilla, while the production on the two Art Official Intelligence projects, Mosaic Thump and Bionix sounds as fresh today as it did futuristic in its time.
Old-school rap fans got a great belated Christmas gift to start the new year with the news that De La Soul’s catalog would finally be available for streaming this spring. The announcement ended a decade-long wait marked by ownership struggles, compensation disputes, and numerous false starts which frustrated fans who couldn’t listen to Golden Era rap staples like “Me Myself & I” or “Stakes Is High.” Starting on March 3, though, those songs and all many, many others will finally be available to stream for the first time.
In a new interview with Billboard, the pioneering rap trio explained why it took so long to get their catalog to DSPs, even after they reacquired their masters, and how they’ve remained relevant all this time. As group member Posdnuos put it, “Once [the masters] got into our hands, along with Reservoir assisting us, once again, there were a lot of samples and things that needed to be taken care of. It was long, but it wasn’t grueling.”
However, he said, it helped that “a lot of these owners, writers, and publishers were De La Soul fans,” and they were willing to work with the group to help clear those samples. Dave, meanwhile, highlighted how the group’s partnership with Reservoir, the label that bought their catalog from original owner Tommy Boy Records, saved the group a lot of work.
“If we didn’t have the help of Reservoir, who picked up the project and is collaborating with us to do this release, I don’t know where we would turn to,” he said. “It would have been even more work. So you do need collaborators, you do need help, you do need to rework back into the system and not necessarily be the lone commissioner of this project. You need allies, you need companies to work with, you need people to hire, and we learned a big lesson from that. It definitely wasn’t just, ‘We got our masters back!’ It ain’t that.”
Iconic hip-hop trio De La Soul’s entire discography will finally be available across streaming platforms this spring. But, with the catalog dating back to 1989, what took the group’s music so long to reach digital streaming platforms? After several failed attempts behind the scenes to agree with their former record label, Tommy Boy, emcees Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo took to social media to air their grievances.
The legal battle began back in 2018. Then, the Long Island natives began planning to release their first six albums on streaming servers in 2019 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising. Still, they weren’t pleased with the terms Tommy Boy brought to the negotiating table.
On February 26, 2019, the group took to Instagram to reveal the details behind the meeting, writing, “the music will be released digitally,” by Tommy Boy. Still, the group would not be paid fairly, “your purchases will roughly go 90% Tommy Boy, 10% De La,” as the trio allegedly still owed the label 2 million dollars in unrecovered debt.
Quickly fans were outraged by the label’s plans to move forward without the group being onboard, sparking the hashtag #BoycottToyboyRecords. Fellow rapper Jay Z shared in this anger. As the owner of the streaming platform, Tidal, his company refused to upload the albums to its server until De La Soul was satisfied with the financial terms.
The label even attempted to enforce a confidential agreement to restrict the group from speaking on a deal if one had been reached with the public.
Fast-forward to August 8, 2019, the group shared an update on the matter, writing, “After 30 years of profiting from our music and hard work and after seven long months of stalled negotiations, we are sad to say that we’ve been unable to reach an agreement and earn Tommy Boy’s respect for our music/legacy.”
The label shot down the group’s attempt to gain control over their master recordings. The group wrote on Instagram, “Tommy Boy says they are ‘not in the business of giving artists back their masters,’” adding, “Be aware, all parties involved will profit, but De La Soul will not benefit or earn deservedly/fairly. We really tried.”
With the public’s support, the group continued to fight for their music back, even appearing in the animated show Teen Titans Go! in February 2021. The episode featured De La Soul fighting an octopus trying to steal their music (a metaphor for Tommy Boy Records).
Then in August 2021, Talib Kweli revealed the group had reached an agreement with Tommy Boy in an Instagram post captioned, “After years of being taken advantage of by the recording industry in the worst possible ways, De La Soul now owns all the rights to their masters and is in full control of the amazing music they have created.”
Now, Tommy Boy Records has been acquired by Reservoir Media. In a statement, Reservoir’s Executive Vice President of A&R and Catalog Development, Faith Newman, addressed the matter, saying, “As someone who has devoted my life to hip-hop for over 30 years, my relationship with the guys in De La Soul dates back to my early days in the industry, and I can attest to how influential their catalog is to the genre.”
Newman added, “When Reservoir acquired Tommy Boy, the first call we made was to De La Soul. We vowed to bring their music to streaming, and it means the world to our team to make good on that promise and expose a whole new generation of listeners to one of the most important catalogs in hip-hop history.”
De La Soul’s first albums will be available on streaming platforms on March 3.
After years of legal battles with their former record label Tommy Boy, iconic rap trio De La Soul’s catalog is finally coming to streaming services.
The Long Island natives took to Twitter to share that to mark the 34th anniversary of the release of De La Soul’s N0. 1 debut album, 3 Feet High And Rising, their catalog will be uploaded to streaming platforms on Friday, March 3.
Alexa, what’s the magic number. Full catalog release 3.3.2023 #delasoul @amazonmusic pic.twitter.com/657U845cwf
— De La Soul (@WeAreDeLaSoul) January 3, 2023
The members (emcees Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo) are relieved that they were able to strike a deal with Reservoir Media after they acquired Tommy Boy. “We can’t believe this day is finally here, and we are excited to be able to share our music with fans, old and new. Golnar, Rell, Faith, and the Reservoir team have been great partners in this entire process. We’re grateful that our relationship with them all has enabled this to happen,” the group said.
Although their music will be available across platforms, Spotify was the first streamer to share the news with their subscribers, tweeting a promotional video announcing the catalog will be accessible on its platform.
https://twitter.com/Spotify/status/1610274066044424192/video/1
Reservoir Media, excited about the news, released a statement, “[we are] pleased to share that De La Soul’s first six albums, ‘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), will be available to fans everywhere.”
With a platinum plaque, two gold records, and a Grammy Award to their names, you would think rap trio De La Soul’s catalog would be available for enjoyment across streaming platforms. But, unfortunately for the Library Of Congress inductees, due to several legal issues — including potential earning disputes with their record label, Tommy Boy — emcees Posdnuos (real name Kelvin Mercer), Trugoy (real name David Jude Jolicoeur), and Maseo (real name Vincent Lamont Mason Jr.) never signed off on the agreement.
Now that Reservoir Media has acquired the label, the pioneer posse’s music will be uploaded to streaming services this spring thanks to distribution from its subsidiary Chrysalis Records.
In a joint statement, the Long Island natives spoke on the news, saying, “We can’t believe this day is finally here, and we are excited to be able to share our music with fans, old and new. Golnar, Rell, Faith, and the Reservoir team have been great partners in this entire process. We’re grateful that our relationship with them all has enabled this to happen.”
Streaming giant Spotify took to Twitter to let their subscribers know De La Soul’s catalog will be accessible on its platform on Friday, March 3, to mark the 34th anniversary of the release of De La Soul’s N0. 1 debut album, 3 Feet High And Rising.
Mark your calendars! De La Soul is coming to Spotify
pic.twitter.com/mkSLhz4Yeh
— Spotify (@Spotify) January 3, 2023
As for what music will be uploaded, a statement shared from Reservoir Media shared, “[we are] pleased to share that De La Soul’s first six albums, ‘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), will be available to fans everywhere.”
Reservoir’s Executive Vice President of A&R and Catalog Development, Faith Newman, who is also a fan of the group, shared how important this news is to the greater music community, saying, “As someone who has devoted my life to hip-hop for over 30 years, my relationship with the guys in De La Soul dates back to my early days in the industry, and I can attest to how influential their catalog is to the genre.”
Newman later added, “When Reservoir acquired Tommy Boy, the first call we made was to De La Soul. We vowed to bring their music to streaming, and it means the world to our team to make good on that promise and expose a whole new generation of listeners to one of the most important catalogs in hip-hop history.”
As a treat, De La Soul will release their hit single “The Magic Number” earlier (on January 13) to hold their fans over until their entire discography is made available.
