Today, De La Soul's catalogue of full-length albums made its long-awaited arrival in the streaming world, and to mark the occasion, the formative group's surviving members gathered friends, collaborators and listeners in New York City to celebrate.
"The D.A.I.S.Y. Experience," held last night (March 2) at NYC's Webster Hall, was both a commemoration of De La Soul's long battle to control their catalogue and to celebrate the life and work of their late groupmate David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, who passed away in February.
The event, which was also livestreamed via Twitch, saw the likes of Common, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, Chuck D, Black Thought, Prince Paul, Just Blaze, Large Professor, Pharoahe Monch and Dave Chappelle join in the proceedings. You can watch clips from the evening below via HipHopDX.
"Our hearts are heavy, but our hearts are also light, with love," Mercer shared, recalling how he first met Jolicoeur after moving from the Bronx to Long Island. "By me meeting him, we forged a relationship, became brothers. Became more than brothers — became partners ... and created an energy that everyone around the world has humbled us by respecting and loving. I am truly thankful for all of you that are here. You best believe my n— Dave is looking down right now on everything."
In February 2019, De La Soul shared that a digital release of their Tommy Boy catalogue was being planned, clarifying that "your purchases will roughly go 90 percent to Tommy Boy, 10 percent to De La" in halting negotiations with the label and encouraging fans not to stream the albums.
Outside of contractual fairness, issues surrounding sample clearance have hampered De La Soul's digital arrival. While a number of samples were officially cleared for inclusion ahead of today's release, listeners well-acquainted with De La Soul's music may hear instances where specific sounds were replayed, if not omitted entirely, on some tracks.
"The D.A.I.S.Y. Experience," held last night (March 2) at NYC's Webster Hall, was both a commemoration of De La Soul's long battle to control their catalogue and to celebrate the life and work of their late groupmate David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, who passed away in February.
The event, which was also livestreamed via Twitch, saw the likes of Common, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, Chuck D, Black Thought, Prince Paul, Just Blaze, Large Professor, Pharoahe Monch and Dave Chappelle join in the proceedings. You can watch clips from the evening below via HipHopDX.
Following heartfelt tributes to Jolicoeur on social media, De La's Vincent "Maseo" Mason and Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer celebrated their late friend from the stage.
"Our hearts are heavy, but our hearts are also light, with love," Mercer shared, recalling how he first met Jolicoeur after moving from the Bronx to Long Island. "By me meeting him, we forged a relationship, became brothers. Became more than brothers — became partners ... and created an energy that everyone around the world has humbled us by respecting and loving. I am truly thankful for all of you that are here. You best believe my n— Dave is looking down right now on everything."
De La Soul first announced plans to bring their catalogue to streaming services in 2021 following the acquisition of Tommy Boy Music, the group's original label home, by music-rights company Reservoir in June of that year. The trio previously sought to liberate their art by making their catalogue available to download free of charge in February 2014.
In February 2019, De La Soul shared that a digital release of their Tommy Boy catalogue was being planned, clarifying that "your purchases will roughly go 90 percent to Tommy Boy, 10 percent to De La" in halting negotiations with the label and encouraging fans not to stream the albums.
Outside of contractual fairness, issues surrounding sample clearance have hampered De La Soul's digital arrival. While a number of samples were officially cleared for inclusion ahead of today's release, listeners well-acquainted with De La Soul's music may hear instances where specific sounds were replayed, if not omitted entirely, on some tracks.
