De La Soul have announced that their classic albums will be available for streaming on 3rd March.
The albums, which range from 1989’s ‘3 Feet High and Rising’ to 2001’s ‘AOI: Bionix’, will be released digitally via band member Maseo’s label AOI in partnership with Reservoir and the distribution wing of Chrysalis. Physical reissues are also set for the same date.
The announcement follows a previous false start in 2019 when the group suggested that Tommy Boy’s plans to bring their records to streaming services involved an exploitative contract. After a public outcry, the release was cancelled, but the dispute was eventually resolved after Reservoir acquired Tommy Boy.
De La Soul’s last album was ‘2016’s And the Anonymous Nobody…’, which was their first release since 2004’s ‘The Grind Date’. The 2016 album featured some big names including Little Dragon, David Byrne, Damon Albarn, Usher, and others. It also came with a documentary called We’re Still Here (Now)… In 2017, De La Soul appeared on Gorillaz’s ‘Humanz’ track “Momentz”.