De La Soul finally own the rights to their music after a long battle with Tommy Boy Records.
The group had asked fans not to stream after the label refused to pay them fairly. The label owned the rights at the time.
“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,” rapper Talib Kweli wrote.
“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…”
It’s now okay to stream their music.
“Tommy Boy says they are “not in the business of giving artists back their Masters.” We realize, there is a process in reclaiming ownership but we do not trust Tommy Boy in this process after so many years of disappointment,” the group said in part of their 2019 statement.
