De La Soul's back catalogue could soon be available to stream

De La Soul’s back catalogue could soon be available to stream online.

Tommy Boy Music, the hip-hop and electronic music label which released music from De La Soul, Queen Latifah, House of Pain, Masters of Work and more, has been sold to music rights company Reservoir for £70 million ($100 million).

As reported in Variety, the sale now raises questions about the back catalogue of De La Soul, which has been under dispute due to contract negotiations between the group and Tommy Boy for some years.

A representative from Reservoir subsequently told Variety that the new label ownership wants to bring De La Soul’s back catalogue to streaming platforms.

“We have already reached out to De La Soul and will work together to the bring the catalog and the music back to the fans,” the statement said.

Back in 2019, Tommy Boy revealed plans to put De La Soul’s music online, but this was stopped after the group alleged “unbalanced, unfair terms” relating to the contract. 

The group, made up of Posdnuos, Trugoy and Maseo, took to social media in 2019 to announce that after seven months of “stalled negotiations” with Tommy Boy, they were unable to “reach an agreement and earn Tommy Boy’s respect for our music/legacy.”

“Our [catalogue] will not see the light of day by way of our involvement or consent,” they said at the time.

After the announcement was made about Reservoir buying Tommy Boy yesterday (June 3), De La Soul posted a cryptic update on Instagram, writing: “Woke up feeling a sense of greater peace of mind….”

Of the group’s nine studio albums, six were released through Tommy Boy Records, starting with their classic debut album, ‘3 Feet High and Rising’, and ending with 2001’s ‘AOI: Bionix’.