De La Soul's visionary catalog finally hits streaming at a bittersweet moment for the group
Long considered a cornerstone of hip-hop history, the Long Island trio's catalog hits streaming today, just weeks after emcee Trugoy the Dove's sudden death
As hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, a new, integral piece of the genre’s history has finally landed on streaming. The early catalog of Long Island trio De La Soul, whose seminal body of work both expanded the horizons of hip-hop and highlighted the possibilities (and pitfalls) of sampling, was only available via cassette or record for decades. Now, 1989's 3 Feet High and Rising, 1991's De La Soul Is Dead, 1993's Buhloone Mindstate, 1996's Stakes Is High, 2000's Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump, and 2001's AOI: Bionix are all available for streaming.
The arrival of the group’s early albums on streaming marks a bittersweet moment for the trio. Just a few weeks ago, founding member David Jolicoeur, a.k.a. Trugoy The Dove, died suddenly at the age of 54. Ten days after his death, De La Soul’s Maseo and Posdnuos shared letters dedicated to Trugoy, with Maseo specifically highlighting the tragedy of celebrating a wider eye on their music without their bandmate and friend.
“On one end I’m happy you no longer have to suffer the pain of your condition but on the other hand I’m extremely upset at the fact that you’re not here to celebrate and enjoy what we worked and fought so hard to achieve,” Maseo, a.k.a. Vincent Mason, wrote in his letter. He also notes how emcees in a group “very rarely get mentioned” among hip-hop’s greats.
Originally released by Tommy Boy Records, uncleared samples kept De La Soul’s music off streaming for decades. In a 2019 interview, Trugoy addressed their catalog’s absence, sharing that the problem lay with Tommy Boy head honcho Tom Silverman.
“Tommy Boy—Tom Silverman, in particular—didn’t think that 3 Feet High and Rising was going to do well at all,” Trugoy said at the time. “Because of that reason, they decided not to clear stuff.”
In 2019, it appeared that the albums were finally headed for streaming—until De La Soul lamented on Instagram that they would only make “pennies” off the deal due to their contract terms. Fans were understandably pissed; the catalog’s streaming debut was postponed amid the outcry. The dispute was resolved in 2021 after Tommy Boy was acquired by Reservoir Media.