In March 2023, the iconic hip-hop trio De La Soul joined streaming platforms for the first time, marking a historic moment in music availability. A Variety report notes the event, highlighting a formal statement from the group about the streaming milestone.
The journey to online listening for De La Soul’s early work was blocked for years due to sampling rights and other legal hurdles. That barrier was removed when Reservoir Media acquired the group’s catalog, clearing the path for fans to access a complete era of the band’s music through major streaming services.
De La Soul’s debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, released in 1989, is widely regarded as a landmark in hip-hop. The album is celebrated for its inventive approach to sampling and its clever, playful lyricism. Its influence helped fuel the growth of jazz rap and alternative hip-hop, shaping how later artists approached sound, culture, and storytelling. The collaboration with Gorillaz on Feel Good Inc. in 2006 is another notable moment in the band’s prolific story, underscoring their lasting impact and continued relevance in contemporary music—the kind of cross-genre work that broadens an artist’s audience and legacy.
As the full catalog prepared for online release, fans learned that the opening track from their debut, The Magic Number, would be issued on March 3 to coincide with the 34th anniversary of the album’s release. Later, a broader rollout would bring the rest of the recordings to streaming platforms, expanding access to a catalog that helped define a generation of listeners and musicians.
In related industry news, streaming platforms have continued to evolve around the same time, with major streaming milestones and record-label partnerships shaping how audiences discover and engage with music. These shifts reflect a broader movement toward more expansive and accessible catalogs, offering listeners a chance to revisit influential work from diverse eras and styles, including the avant-garde streak that De La Soul helped pioneer, while also encouraging new generations to explore the group’s enduring artistry [Variety; Reservoir Media press materials].