The wait is finally over, as De La Soul has announced that the group’s first six albums will arrive on streaming platforms on March 3rd, 2023. The upload years in the making will take place on the 34th anniversary of the luminary hip-hop trio’s debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising.
De La Soul’s music has been kept off streaming for a multitude of reasons, chief among them the myriad samples that formed the group’s early sound. The group attempted to combat this in 2014 by making its music available for free for a brief period.
The trio of Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo has also run into issues with record labels. Back in 2019, De La Soul’s first label Tommy Boy re-acquired the rights to the group’s pre-2004 catalog from Warner Records and intended to finally make the albums available online. Though things looked promising, negotiations ultimately broke down after De La Soul revealed the group would only receive 10% of the profits.
Then in June 2021, Reservoir Media acquired Tommy Boy for $100 million and by August of that year, De La Soul had regained control of its master recordings. De La Soul soon announced on Instagram Live that its full discography would be available on streaming services by the end of the year. Though it took a little longer than expected, it appears the struggle will finally end on March 3rd.
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 also come out as physical releases on vinyl, cassette, and CD. Pre-orders for 3 Feet High and Rising are open now with the rest of the albums to follow.
View this post on Instagram