Reservoir Media

Mannie Fresh Sells His Catalog To Reservoir Media

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Mannie Fresh has sold his music catalog to Reservoir Media for an undisclosed amount. The deal includes both publishing and recorded music rights. The iconic New Orleans artist discussed the decision during a recent interview with the outlet, Music Business Worldwide.

“It’s great to be joining up with Faith Newman and the entire Reservoir team. I’m grateful for their support, and I know they’ll take care of my music,” he said regarding the deal. Mannie has released two studio albums over the course of his career, including 2004’s The Mind of Mannie Fresh and 2009’s Return of the Ballin‘. Additionally, he appeared on many hit songs such as Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up,” Lil Wayne’s “Go DJ,” and more. He also worked with 2 Chainz, T-Pain, Big K.R.I.T., and Young Jeezy, among others. While at Cash Money Records, Mannie helped produce some of the label’s biggest hits.

Mannie Fresh In Louisiana In 2022

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 19: DJ Mannie Fresh performs during Shorty Gras at Mardi Gras World on February 19, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 2021 Mardi Gras parades were canceled in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images)

As of the end of 2022, Reservoir Media had spent $695 million on catalog acquisitions since its 2007 launch. “I was born and raised in Louisiana and witnessed Mannie’s meteoric rise from a local DJ in New Orleans to a globally acclaimed producer, writer, and performer who helped break some of the genre’s biggest talents,” said Rell Lafargue, Reservoir President and Chief Operating Officer. “It means a lot to me to continue to build Reservoir’s connection to creators like Mannie, who represents the highest caliber of contemporary music from New Orleans, and we’re pleased to be the new stewards of his hit music.”

Reservoir Executive Vice President of A&R and Catalog Development Faith Newman also commented: “Mannie’s clever production cultivated a powerful moment for Southern hip-hop, and his distinctive sound helped pave the way for other producers for years to come. I have personally been a fan of his for decades, and it’s a pleasure to bring him into the Reservoir family.”

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Why Were De La Soul’s First Six Albums Not On Streaming Services?

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de la soul
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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 Roadblocks, De La Soul’s Music Is Finally Coming To Streaming Services In 2023

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De La Soul Sway In The Morning SiriusXM 2019
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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.

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.