De La Soul has, at long last, released his classic albums previously released by Tommy Boy Records on streaming platforms. The albums come just weeks after Trugoy the Dove’s death at age 54. Listen 3 feet tall and rising (1989), de la soul is dead (1991), Buhloone’s state of mind (1993), The stakes are high (nineteen ninety six), Official Art 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 hand, I am happy that you no longer have to suffer the pain of your condition, but on the other hand, I am extremely upset that you are not here to celebrate and enjoy what we worked and fought so hard to achieve.” Masseo wrote.
De La’s records were kept off streaming platforms due to sample clearance issues. In 2019, Trugoy said in an interview that his broadcast problems originated with Tom Silverman from Tommy Boy. “Tommy Boy, Tom Silverman, in particular, didn’t think that 3 feet tall and rising he was going to do well at all,” he said. “For that reason, they decided not to clean things up.”
It looked like they would finally be available in 2019, but then the group noted that they would only make “pennies” due to the terms of Tommy Boy’s contract. The stream drop was removed 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”.
