De La Soul is one of the most enduring rap groups in Hip-Hop. They have had a little problem though their songs were so densely sampled that they were unable to put old albums out out in recent times because it would result in mass lawsuits. Those of a certain age know that Pos, Dave and Maseo were hit hard when the previous generation began feasting on rappers.
Recently, the group announced that all of their work would be released on streaming services, and that got people’s ears peaked. After we celebrated, we were curious as to what was the arrangement that was made to allow this to happen. Remember, they were embroiled in a fierce and terrible legal situation with their former label, Tommy Boy Records, and owner Tom Silverman.
Now, I believe we know what happened. On the low, group producer Prince Paul and others have worked steadfastly to create, or should I say re-create, samples from the original works. So basically they replayed or re-created the original music to make it less samples or sample free. What’s going to be really interesting is that people that reportedly worked on these older albums say WE will not be able to tell the difference. And to me that’s crazy!
Why? Because fans of De La Soul are hardcore, and they respect the Long Island geniuses for their artistry and creativity. And, Public Enemy, they also were beasts on the sample. So we’re definitely celebrating De La Soul‘s return because it is a return like Halley’s Comet! And I think this will also lead to other opportunities for The Three, including money! Because they need money! I need money! But the truth is, we want to see our pioneers and greats do well.
Here is some stuff from YouTube!