Fans of De La Soul are in luck, their music will now be on all DSP’s.
The group announced Tuesday that their catalog, most of which has never been legally available on streaming services, will finally arrive on all major platforms later this year.
The news comes after the catalog of De La Soul’s original label, Tommy Boy Records, was acquired by Reservoir Music in a 100-million-dollar deal.
After Reservoir Media purchased Tommy Boy Records for $100 million, they reached out to the group to work on a deal that included the full catalog of De La Soul.
As reported earlier this week Talib Kweli shared the announcement on his Instagram.
“After years of being taken advantage 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,” Kweli wrote. “Let’s salute Plugs 1, 2 and 3 for sticking to their guns and showing us that we can all beat the system if we come together as a community. Let’s hear it for black ownership of black art! Congratulations fellas…”
This is a game changer for classic Hip-Hop enthusiast, now we can legally jam 3 Feet High and Rising at the functions.
What’s your all time favorite track from the legendary group?
Fans of De La Soul are in luck, their music will now be on all DSP’s.
The group announced Tuesday that their catalog, most of which has never been legally available on streaming services, will finally arrive on all major platforms later this year.
The news comes after the catalog of De La Soul’s original label, Tommy Boy Records, was acquired by Reservoir Music in a 100-million-dollar deal.
After Reservoir Media purchased Tommy Boy Records for $100 million, they reached out to the group to work on a deal that included the full catalog of De La Soul.
As reported earlier this week Talib Kweli shared the announcement on his Instagram.
“After years of being taken advantage 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,” Kweli wrote. “Let’s salute Plugs 1, 2 and 3 for sticking to their guns and showing us that we can all beat the system if we come together as a community. Let’s hear it for black ownership of black art! Congratulations fellas…”
This is a game changer for classic Hip-Hop enthusiast, now we can legally jam 3 Feet High and Rising at the functions.
What’s your all time favorite track from the legendary group?
Fans of De La Soul are in luck, their music will now be on all DSP’s.
The group announced Tuesday that their catalog, most of which has never been legally available on streaming services, will finally arrive on all major platforms later this year.
The news comes after the catalog of De La Soul’s original label, Tommy Boy Records, was acquired by Reservoir Music in a 100-million-dollar deal.
After Reservoir Media purchased Tommy Boy Records for $100 million, they reached out to the group to work on a deal that included the full catalog of De La Soul.
As reported earlier this week Talib Kweli shared the announcement on his Instagram.
“After years of being taken advantage 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,” Kweli wrote. “Let’s salute Plugs 1, 2 and 3 for sticking to their guns and showing us that we can all beat the system if we come together as a community. Let’s hear it for black ownership of black art! Congratulations fellas…”
This is a game changer for classic Hip-Hop enthusiast, now we can legally jam 3 Feet High and Rising at the functions.
What’s your all time favorite track from the legendary group?
Fans of De La Soul are in luck, their music will now be on all DSP’s.
The group announced Tuesday that their catalog, most of which has never been legally available on streaming services, will finally arrive on all major platforms later this year.
The news comes after the catalog of De La Soul’s original label, Tommy Boy Records, was acquired by Reservoir Music in a 100-million-dollar deal.
After Reservoir Media purchased Tommy Boy Records for $100 million, they reached out to the group to work on a deal that included the full catalog of De La Soul.
As reported earlier this week Talib Kweli shared the announcement on his Instagram.
“After years of being taken advantage 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,” Kweli wrote. “Let’s salute Plugs 1, 2 and 3 for sticking to their guns and showing us that we can all beat the system if we come together as a community. Let’s hear it for black ownership of black art! Congratulations fellas…”
This is a game changer for classic Hip-Hop enthusiast, now we can legally jam 3 Feet High and Rising at the functions.
What’s your all time favorite track from the legendary group?
Last Saturday night (January 25), Diddy made an impassioned speech ahead of the 62nd annual Grammy Awards. The Bad Boy Records founder and veteran artist/producer threatened to boycott the televised event if things do not change in the next 365 days. He asked others to do the same. “In the great words of Erykah Badu, ‘we are artists; we are sensitive about our sh*t.’ We are passionate. For most of us, this is all we got. This is our only hope. Truth be told, Hip-Hop has never been respected by the Grammys. Black music has never been respected by the Grammys,” declared the speaker, who received the Icon Award at an official pre-Grammy gala event. Diddy Blasts The Grammys For Not Respecting Hip-Hop & Calls For A Boycott (Video) A few moments later, Puff stated, “I’m officially starting the clock: y’all got 365 days to get this sh*t together. We need the artists to take back the control. We need transparency. We need diversity. This is the room that has the power to make a change that needs to be made. They have to make the changes for us. [The Recording Academy] is a non-profit organization that is supposed to protect the welfare of the musical community. That [is] the mission statement.” Suggesting an organized boycott on the horizon, Puffy reminded those in the crowd of their ability to prompt change. “We have the power. We decide what’s hot. If we don’t go, nobody goes. If we don’t support, nobody supports. We control what’s cool, we control what’s hot, we control what your kids listen to, what they dance to, we control what’s in video games, we control how they wear their pants.” JAY-Z, Swizz Beatz, and others in attendance gave Puff Daddy a standing ovation during and after his remarks at Beverly Hills, California. Ma$e, one of Bad Boy’s former stars and a onetime protege of Diddy, was among the performers at the same event. Today (January 31), Mason Betha has publicly reacted to the newsworthy speech. He did so by calling out Diddy and asking for a different kind of action. In an Instagram post the Harlem MC accused Puff on “unfair” business practices. Tagging Puff in the post, Ma$e writes, “I heard your Grammy speech about how you are now for the artist, and about how the artist must take back control. So I will be the first to take that initiative. Also, before we ask of other ethnicities to do us right, we should do us, as Black people, better—especially the creators.” The Harlem World creator urged Diddy to walk it like he is talking it.
De La Soul Are Fighting To Own The Music They Created (Video) Ma$e argues that Puffy gave him $20,000 for his publishing 24 years ago, in 1996. That was the same year that Murda Ma$e’s career started to boom, following an appearance alongside The Notorious B.I.G. on 112’s “Only You” remix. Ma$e wrote, who likened the deal to robbery, called it “a horrendous business model.” The onetime pastor added that he felt “forced” to perform. In recent years, he joined 112, The LOX, and others on a Bad Boy reunion tour. Ma$e feels as though the ’90s and 2000s business messed up several careers. “So many great moments and [artists’] lives in music were lost. But again, I rode with you in the face of death, without flinching, and you still wouldn’t do right. I never said anything, because I wanted to wait until I was financially great.” The rapper continues, “To add insult, you keep screaming ‘Black Excellence,’ and ‘love,’ but I know love isn’t free.” Ma$e adds that he recently tried to acquire his publishing with a seven-figure offer on the table. “So I offered you [$2 million] in cash just a few days ago to sell me back my publishing.” Bad Boy’s Hitmen Justify Taking Hits From The ‘80s & Making ‘Em Feel So Good (Audio)Calling himself Bad Boy’s biggest living artist, Ma$e says it was a tribute to the opportunity. “[I wanted to] show you respect for you giving me an opportunity at 19 years old.” Ma$e alleges that Puffy asked the former artist to increase his offer to match another interested party, reportedly a European man. He also says that the publishing will revert back to him in approximately 30 more years. “You bought it for about [$20,000] and I offered you [$2 million] in cash. This is not Black Excellence at all when your own race is enslaving you.” He ended the post with a resolution: “Give your artists back their [so] that they can take care of their families.” As an image to the Instagram post, Ma$e used Philadelphia, Pennsylvania rapper Meek Mill. In a quote, Meek brought up “slave contracts” offered to Black artists in the music business by people of other races. The rapper also cited Roc Nation and his Dreamchasers imprint as companies that combat that trend. Ma$e is not the first Bad Boy artist to call out the label’s founder. In the mid-2000s, The LOX appeared on The Angie Martinez Show. As Jadakiss, Styles P, and Sheek Louch vented their frustrations with the trio’s former label, Diddy called in. The two parties argued on air. As recently as this month, Jada’ has insisted that he and Puffy are on great terms today. LL Cool J Discusses The Importance Of Owning All Of His Music (Video) Another trio, De La Soul, has been battling with former label Tommy Boy Entertainment over the publishing and masters to the group’s first six albums. Using social media, De La called for a boycott in 2019. Negotiation attempts have reportedly ended in a stalemate. Those six albums remain unreleased to popular streaming platforms. This week, veteran Brooklyn, New York MCSauce Money also responded to Diddy’s remark as well as JAY-Z. Having worked with both mogul, the former Priority Records artist criticized Puff and Jay:
Just watched @Diddy Icon acceptance speech at the @RecordingAcad and I can honestly say I respect the message, just not coming from him. He practices the same backdoor politics against his own people. Him and his friend Jay Z. If the Grammys on the clock, then y’all are too!
In the last two weeks, the three members of De La Soul have been at the center of a discussion surrounding ownership of catalog and the fairness of record label contracts. That discourse stems from the trio of Dave, Maseo, and Posdnuos notifying fans on social media that they are unhappy with former label, Tommy Boy Music. The home of De La Soul from the late 1980s into the early 2000s planned to release the trio’s first six albums digitally, for the first time. That celebratory news was marred with dissatisfaction from the group. The artists alleged that they were told that they would receive 10% of the royalties from streams and digital sales. Several social media posts, along with a revealing Sway In The Morning interview rallied peers and fans. JAY-Z, Nas, Questlove, Jarobi White, and Masta Ace are just some of the artists who called for action against the nearly 40-year-old label. Tidal responded by declining to host the six albums until a satisfying contract was in place. Subsequently, Tommy Boy responded by postponing its plans, in hopes to reach such an agreement. Joe Budden Breaks Down In Tears Discussing De La Soul’s Economic Plight (Video) As of March 9, no settlement has been reached. 1989’s 3 Feet High AndRising, 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 all remain off of digital retailers and streaming platforms. However, all three members of De La Soul appeared on Drink Champs to discuss the matters with hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN. Notably, N.O.R.E. has firsthand experience with Tommy Boy and its namesake founder, Tom Silverman. In a partnership with Penalty Records, Tommy Boy released Capone-N-Noreaga’s seminal debut, 1997’s The War Report as well as the host’s solo debut, 1998’s N.O.R.E. Both efforts are certified gold. However, N.O.R.E. alleges that he was always told that neither album recouped from its budget. Last month, De La Soul spoke about a “phantom $2 million debt” that their former label has cited. Like De La, N.O.R.E. said that he unsuccessfully tried to buy back his early releases in years past. Tommy Boy Has Agreed To Negotiate Better Terms With De La Soul For Their Music In an exclusive segment of De La’s Drink Champs episode, the group spoke about where they are right now. Together, two former Tommy Boy acts discuss the renewed focus of ownership in 2019. “We had a few record exec people reach out behind the scenes,” Posdnuos reveals, surrounding the status of De La Soul’s Tommy Boy catalog. “Big up to Steve Stoute; he reached out,” Maseo adds ahead of the 7:00 mark, referring to a veteran manager and UnitedMasters founder whose career is closely tied to Nas, JAY-Z, and Will Smith. De La Soul Speak In Detail About What Went Wrong With Their Record Company N.O.R.E. responds, “It’s kinda fly now to own your masters. Like back [when we signed our first contracts], we wasn’t really thinkin’ like that. I’m speaking for myself, not you guys—like I was thinking about an advance, gettin’ some jewelry [and other material goods]. Now, it’s fly to actually own your material because we want to leave something to [our] children. You ever seen a person that lives in the projects for 30 years? They don’t own [the apartment], but it’s their house! That’s what it feels like!” The group affirms the statement as N.O.R.E. says he has family members who can relate to that declaration. “A good thing for [the housing authority] to do is to say, ‘You know what? You should own that.’ Tom Silverman, if you’re listening—’cause I know you are—this is the best time for you to lead the pack! You lead the way and say, you know what, I’m gonna stop doin’ business in this way. You could take this, Tom, and you could flip this whole sh*t, and you could be the winner! You could say, you know what? I’ma give them 50% of their sh*t so everybody [can make money].” N.O.R.E. adds that other former acts from Tommy Boy’s legendary run such as Queen Latifah, Naughty By Nature could benefit and celebrate. Maseo responds claiming that he wants to give people the opportunity to “change because we have been given the opportunity to change.” “I think he has an opportunity to lead the way,” N.O.R.E. echoes at 27:00. “‘Cause there’s a lot of people who need these albums—beyond wanting, need these albums. That is a part of Hip-Hop [and this] is a piece missing in Hip-Hop. You can’t tell the story of Hip-Hop and then not have that there,” the host charges. “There’s dual value; The value is in the culture and the history, as well as your pocket. And if you’ve only got a concept of one [idea], that’s where the problem lies,” Dave responds. T.I. Joins Roc Nation, Announces Part Ownership In Tidal While N.O.R.E. suggests a 50% partnership, the group says, in no uncertain terms, that they seek ownership. The host asks the Native Tongues co-founders, “what is your [desired] end result?” At 11:30, Plug 3 says, “At this point, ownership. Owning my catalog, that would make a world of difference. That’d make it easy to show up for work and do what we need to do.” N.O.R.E. embraces the DJ/producer as the live studio audience applauds. The Queens, New York MC-turned-host proclaims, “It’s time to make that right. I feel y’all so much.” Maseo adds that since 2002, De La Soul has exclusively done partnerships. That includes releases with Sanctuary Urban, Nike, a crowd-sourced album, and an upcoming DJ Premier and Pete Rock-produced release in conjunction with Nas’ Mass Appeal Records imprint. Maseo adds that following a Super Bowl Halftime performance, he understands that Missy Elliott sold more than a million downloads of catalog hit “Work It.” Thus, he feels that following President Obama’s 2016 personal request to perform on The White House lawn, De La Soul could have made significant revenue from the now-30-year-old “Me, Myself & I.” However, the song was digitally unavailable. Despite hurdles such as this, 3 Feet High… has reached The Library Of Congress archives and achieved other esteemed feats. Xzibit Explains Why Pimp My Ride Was Profitable For Everyone But Him At 13:30, the interview broaches what De La Soul seeks in negotiation. “What can the fans do?” DJ EFN asks the Grammy Award-winning trio. “I would sincerely ask in support of the fans and the culture, yo, don’t press play. If [the catalog] actually comes up online, don’t press play until we give it a go—’til we actually say, ‘Yo, we’re happy. Thumbs up, guys. Let’s rock. We kissed; we made up.’ Until we say [that], do not press play. If anything, you can get The Grind Date [as well as] and the Anonymous Nobody…; you can get those two [albums].” DJ EFN suggests that fans are still hungry to hear the music. “At the end of the day, it’s your choice,” responds Mase’. “I want [fans] to have it; I really do. But sh*t ain’t right. Period. So let’s get it right. And if you want to support, don’t press play.” N.O.R.E. likens the fans’ struggle with the NFL boycott surrounding Colin Kaepernick’s protests. Maseo, whose son, Tre Mason, was in the NFL for several years, agrees. “Absolutely. Because you’re a fan of players out there, you know people out there that’s playin’, you’re connected to the game your whole life, it’s America’s thing. Just like Hip-Hop. It’s America’s thing, the world’s thing, an international thing. Yeah, and we ain’t really still playin’ it fair.” The Man Who Guided Nas’ Career Has $70 Million To Help Hip-Hop Artists Keep Their Masters At 26:30, N.O.R.E. reveals that through a third-party, Tom Silverman was invited to participate in the episode discussion. Silverman, who founded his label in the early 1980s, reportedly declined in effort to progress with negotiations. “That’s all we’re trying to do: We just want to find a happy place with all this, man” Dave notes, after acknowledging that reported decision. Pos’ adds that many people have had a constructive dialogue with the group during the last two weeks. He suggests people that know Tom Silverman and the label staff do the same in hopes of reaching an agreement or understanding. N.O.R.E. speaks about his former employer near the close of the clip. “It’s his chance to say, you know what? These are kids that I signed, these are kids that I was part of their career, and now they’re grown men. Let me do business with them as such.” The group harmonizes the last two words in the statement with the Drink Champs host. “This is your turn to do that, and you can lead the way.” DJ EFN adds that such a move would “revamp the way business is done.” N.O.R.E. interjects, “You can rectify the situation and say, [let us] be business partners from here on out. ‘Partners’ is the keyword.” The host asserts that in addition to De La Soul and Tommy Boy, Hip-Hop is now at the negotiation table. Kendrick Lamar Is Now A Part Owner Of His Record Company
The full De La SoulDrink Champs episode premieres on March 28 on Revolt and March 29 digitally.
