De La Soul’s catalogue will be released on streaming services for the first time on March 3, 2023.
The hip-hop trio had been destined for DSPs in 2019 but ended up falling out with label Tommy Boy. The company has since been acquired by Reservoir, and the group’s catalogue will be distributed by Reservoir-owned Chrysalis Records.
Following the Tommy Boy acquisition in 2021, the Reservoir and Chrysalis teams have worked with De La Soul, and their record label, AOI, to bring their music to digital streaming services.
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 on March 3, 2023. The date marks the 34th anniversary of the release of their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising.
To celebrate the initiative, De La Soul will digitally release their hit single The Magic Number on January 13, 2023. In 2021, The Magic Number featured in the closing credits of Marvel’s Spiderman: No Way Home, a sync placement secured by Reservoir’s team.
The Chrysalis team, led by chief executive officer Jeremy Lascelles, will devote comprehensive marketing support to the group with a release campaign that, among key events and activations, includes exclusive merchandise, vinyl, CDs and cassettes, all distributed by Chrysalis Records. Additional albums from their discography will be available on vinyl, CD and cassettes later in 2023.
De La Soul said: “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.”
We can’t believe this day is finally here
De La Soul
Faith Newman, Reservoir executive vice president of A&R and catalogue development, added: “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 catalogue is to the genre.
“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 catalogues in hip-hop history.”
Reservoir president and chief operating officer Rell Lafargue said: “Bringing De La Soul’s music to streaming services is a big moment for Reservoir, Chrysalis, and fans everywhere. We identified this opportunity when we were in the preliminary stages of acquiring Tommy Boy. Over the past 18 months, we have worked tirelessly with De La Soul, maintaining a heightened attention to honouring the group’s original musical details, including bringing Prince Paul and the original team to the studio to prepare the catalogue for streaming.”
He added: “It is a real testament to our team and the group that we are able to execute these plans together. We couldn’t be prouder to embrace De La Soul’s historic artistry and support them in sharing their music with the world.”
De La Soul have been nominated for several Grammy awards. In 2006, the trio won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for their collaboration with Gorillaz on Feel Good Inc, which also received nominations for Record of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video.
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