De La Soul have, at long last, released their classic albums previously released by Tommy Boy Records on streaming platforms. The albums arrive just weeks following the death of Trugoy the Dove at age 54. Listen to 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) below.
Ten days after Trugoy’s death, Maseo and Posdnuos wrote letters to their late 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 wrote.
De La Soul’s records were kept off streaming platforms due to sample clearance issues. In 2019, Trugoy the Dove said in an interview that their streaming troubles originated with Tommy Boy’s Tom Silverman. “Tommy Boy—Tom Silverman, in particular—didn’t think that 3 Feet High and Rising was going to do well at all,” he said. “Because of that reason, they decided not to clear stuff.”
It appeared that music would finally become available in 2019, but then De La Soul noted they would only earn “pennies” due to Tommy Boy’s contract terms. The streaming drop was scrapped after a public outcry. The dispute was resolved, the band revealed in 2021, after Reservoir acquired Tommy Boy.
Read “Remembering De La Soul’s Trugoy the Dove With 6 Essential Tracks.”