De La Soul’s full music catalog will be coming to streaming services in 2023. The legendary trio expressed their anticipation of their discography becoming available in a statement reacting to the news. “We can’t believe this day is finally here,” the group said. “And we are excited to be able to share our music with fans, old and new.”
In additional posts on social media, De La revealed that their catalog will hit streaming services on March 3. The first post included a clip of an Amazon Music advertisement in New York City that read “Alexa, what’s the magic number?” while artwork from their 1989 debut 3 Feet High and Rising was emblazoned across multiple screens.
The Long Island natives then shared a Spotify ad celebrating the announcement, which featured a fan of the group chanting “I can’t stream De La Soul. I can stream De La Soul” while picking petals from a flower. The campaign, dubbed “The DE is finally here,” was one of multiple nods to the emancipation of what many fans consider their greatest works to date.
De La Soul’s music being made available for mass consumption marks the latest victory in their quest to be properly compensated for their streaming royalties in light of the draconian contract the group signed with Tommy Boy Records during the late ’80s. Their lengthy battle with Tommy Boy founder Tom Silverman included several failed renegotiations of their contract and saw the group launching a boycott against the label in 2017 amid Tommy Boy’s plans to make their music available for streaming.
However, in 2021, Tommy Boy Music was acquired by Reservoir for $100 million, opening the door for the De La to potentially strike a deal with the new owners of their first string of releases to make those albums available. Upon purchasing the rights to Tommy Boy’s music catalog, which includes the De La albums 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate, and Stakes Is High, Reservoir voiced their willingness to “work together” with the trio “to the bring the catalog and the music back to the fans.”
De La Soul’s last studio album And the Anonymous Nobody was released in 2016 on A.O.I. Records. The effort, which was funded by a Kickstarter campaign that surpassed its projected goal of $110,000, garnered critical acclaim and received a nomination for Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards.