According to Talib Kweli, the trio "now owns all the rights to their masters and is in full control of the amazing music they have created."
TeeRoy's 2 Cents:
It's about time!
Score one for the little guys.
Props to De La for sticking in there and continuing to fight the good fight. Talk about a David and Goliath battle.
You've gotta imagine it's just a matter of time before we'll be able to finally stream De La's records. It's not an if, it's when.
The influential hip-hop trio has officially won a years long battle against their former label. Talib Kweli shared the news on Instagram, where he posted, “Ladies and gentlemen I spoke to @djmaseo from the legendary @wearedelasoul today and it’s official… 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. 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.”
The move comes on the heels of Reservoir Media buying the Tommy Boy Music catalog for close to $100 million. A spokesperson for Reservoir says they would like to bring De La’s catalog, including classics like 3 Feet High and Rising and De La Soul Is Dead, to streaming platforms.