NEW YORK, Jan. 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As announced by the Grammy-winning hip-hop trio De La Soul today, the group’s iconic catalog will be released on digital streaming services for the first time ever on March 3, 2023, with support from Reservoir Media, Inc. (NASDAQ: RSVR) (“Reservoir” or the “Company”) and distributed by Reservoir-owned Chrysalis Records.
In 2021, Reservoir secured De La Soul’s back catalog through the Company’s acquisition of legendary independent hip-hop label Tommy Boy Music. The Reservoir and Chrysalis teams have since worked with De La Soul, and their record label, AOI, to bring their music to digital streaming services. Reservoir is pleased to share that De La Soul’s first six albums, 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000), and AOI: Bionix (2001), will be available to fans everywhere March 3, 2023, on the 34th anniversary of the release of their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising.
To celebrate the momentous initiative, De La Soul will digitally release their hit single “The Magic Number” on January 13, 2023. The Chrysalis team, led by Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Lascelles, devoted comprehensive marketing support to the group with a robust release campaign that, among key events and activations, includes the release of exclusive merchandise, vinyl, CDs, and cassettes, all distributed by Chrysalis Records, with additional albums from their discography available on vinyl, CD, and cassettes later in 2023. These items are now available for pre-order on wearedelasoul.com.
De La Soul said, “We can’t believe this day is finally here, and we are excited to be able to share our music with fans, old and new. Golnar, Rell, Faith and the Reservoir team have been great partners in this entire process. We’re grateful that our relationship with them all has enabled this to happen.”
Faith Newman, Reservoir Executive Vice President of A&R and Catalog Development, added, “As someone who has devoted my life to hip-hop for over 30 years, my relationship with the guys in De La Soul dates back to my early days in the industry, and I can attest to how influential their catalog is to the genre.” She added, “When Reservoir acquired Tommy Boy, the first call we made was to De La Soul. We vowed to bring their music to streaming, and it means the world to our team to make good on that promise and expose a whole new generation of listeners to one of the most important catalogs in hip-hop history.”
Reservoir President and Chief Operating Officer Rell Lafargue also commented, “Bringing De La Soul’s music to streaming services is a big moment for Reservoir, Chrysalis, and fans everywhere. We identified this opportunity when we were in the preliminary stages of acquiring Tommy Boy. Over the past 18 months, we have worked tirelessly with De La Soul, maintaining a heightened attention to honoring the group’s original musical details, including bringing Prince Paul and the original team to the studio to prepare the catalog for streaming.” He added, “It is a real testament to our team and the group that we are able to execute these plans together. We couldn’t be prouder to embrace De La Soul’s historic artistry and support them in sharing their music with the world.”
Comprised of Posdnuos (Kelvin Mercer), Trugoy (David Jude Jolicoeur), and Maseo (Vincent Lamont Mason Jr.), De La Soul formed in Long Island, New York in high school when they caught the attention of producer Prince Paul. On March 3, 1989, they released their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, which reached #1 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and is consistently placed on lists of the greatest albums of all time by critics and noted publications. The album was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry, a list of sound recordings deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." 3 Feet High and Rising features some of De La Soul’s most beloved tracks, including “Me Myself and I,” “The Magic Number,” “Buddy,” and “Eye Know.” In 2021, “The Magic Number” gained new recognition when it was featured in the closing credits of Marvel’s blockbuster film Spiderman: No Way Home, a synch placement secured by Reservoir’s team.
De La Soul subsequently released eight albums, including Gold-selling De La Soul is Dead and And the Anonymous Nobody… (2016). The group has been nominated for several Grammy awards, including Best Rap Performance in 1990 for #1, Gold-selling hit “Me Myself and I” and Best Rap Album in 2017 for And the Anonymous Nobody… In 2006, the trio won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for their collaboration with Gorillaz on “Feel Good Inc,” which also received nominations for Record of the Year and Best Short Form Music Video.
ABOUT RESERVOIR
Reservoir is an independent music company based in New York City and with offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, Toronto, London, and Abu Dhabi. Reservoir is the first female-founded and led publicly traded independent music company in the U.S. Founded as a family-owned music publisher in 2007, Reservoir has grown to represent over 140,000 copyrights and 36,000 master recordings with titles dating as far back as 1900 and hundreds of #1 releases worldwide. Reservoir frequently holds a Top 10 U.S. Market Share according to Billboard’s Publishers Quarterly, was twice named Publisher of the Year by Music Business Worldwide’s The A&R Awards and won Independent Publisher of the Year at the 2020 and 2022 Music Week Awards.
Reservoir also represents a multitude of recorded music through Chrysalis Records, Tommy Boy Records, and Philly Groove Records and manages artists through its ventures with Blue Raincoat Music and Big Life Management.
Source: Reservoir Media, Inc.
