De La Soul Finally End Relationship with Tommy Boy Records, Urge Fans Not to Stream Their Music

Photo Credit: Vickey Ford of Sneakshot Photography

"That old enslaved record label contract dinosaur is long dead and gone, but unfortunately still stinks."

After 30 years with Tommy Boy Records, De La Soul has officially ended their relationship with the label.

Back in February, plans to release their Tommy Boy back catalog were derailed by both sample clearances and the trio's advocacy for a better split on streaming royalties, hoping they could finally secure the masters to six revered studio albums -- 3 Feet High and Rising, Buhloone Mindstate, De La Soul is Dead, Stakes is High, and both AOI tapes --  in the process. At the time of the initial hold, the trio claimed it was slated to receive only 10% of streaming profits with Tommy Boy retaining the rest.

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And earlier this week, the group announced on Instagram that seven months of battling with the label over their streaming rights had amounted to little if anything at all. In a subsequent post (see it below,) De La urged fans to avoid streaming the albums should Tommy Boy release them without their consent. They also offered a shortlist of their projects with profit structures that are actually favorable.

"As frustrating as it is and as crazy as it may sound, your act of NOT purchasing or streaming anything musically De La Soul, falling under the Tommy Boy banner (until further notice) helps us immensely and can possibly aid others experiencing these similar woes."

Read the full statement below.