Contrary to the name of their second album, De La Soul is not dead. But, due to their classic albums not being available on streaming, it sometimes felt like the group was definitely MIA. It seems that 2023 will put an end to that as the crew took to their social media pages to announce that their catalog would finally be available on digital service providers this March.
It's been quite the road to get to this point. The group's early catalog — including seminal albums 3 Feet High And Rising, De La Soul Is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate, Stakes Is High, Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump and AOI: Bionix — was tied up in issues with their original label Tommy Boy and them dealing with sample clearance hell. As a result, the only De La releases available for streaming have been their 2004 effort The Grind Date, their 2016 Kickstarter-funded set And The Anonymous Nobody... and a handful of collaborations.
That changes on March 3rd, when the aforementioned early catalog albums will make their way onto streaming along with the group offering them on vinyl, CD and cassette. To celebrate the occasion, The Plugs are kicking things off by offering their track "The Magic Number" (which made an appearance in 2021's Spider-Man: No Way Home) for purchase as a digital single, cassingle and 7-inch vinyl now via their webstore alongside pre-orders for the re-released version of 3 Feet High And Rising and other merch.
It looks like the D.A.I.S.Y. Age is back in full swing! Which De La Soul project will you be bumping first on March 3rd? Contemplate that while you watch the official announcement video below.
