Ring, Ring, Ring! De La Soul’s Back Catalogue (Finally) Hits Streaming Services.

De La Soul. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Out with the old, in with oldheads. Hip-hop trio De La Soul is ringing in the new year with the release of their entire music catalogue on all streaming services. The music hit streaming today, March 3, the 34th anniversary of their 1989 debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising. The digital release is years in the making. A little over a year ago, member Trugoy promised to drop the catalogue by the end of 2021 after the dissolution of the group’s calamitous relationship with Tommy Boy Records. The group previously claimed their former label offered the hip-hop pioneers a deal to stream their back catalogue under “unbalanced, unfair” terms, saying the split would be roughly “90% Tommy Boy, 10% De La.” Now De La Soul have officially retained control of the rights to the master recordings, according to a press release, through their new deal with Reservoir and Chrysalis Records. “It’s been 20 plus years overdue, but finally, we are here,” DJ Maseo said in a statement. Newly available albums include 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000), and AOI: Bionix (2001). For fans who waited years for the drop, there was light at the end of the tunnel. “The Magic Number” hit streamers January 13, ahead of the full release.

This post has been updated throughout. An earlier version of this post misstated the release date for “The Magic Number.”