Prince Paul On Working With De La Soul Again: “I’ve Only Been Waiting 30 Years For This Reunion”

Producer and DJ Prince Paul has returned to working with legendary hip-hop trio De La Soul, 30 years after producing their first three albums.

New music from Prince Paul and De La Soulis coming. On Wednesday (December 7), the hip-hop producer posted an image of a composition book with "De La 2022" written on the cover, teasing a new release from the iconic trio.

"This might have been one of the most eventful years I've had in some time," Paul wrote as the caption. "An unexpected highlight was was the opportunity to revisit and work with De La Soul once again. I really want to thank them for believing in me once more to get the job done."

The producer then added a list of thank-yous, including a posthumous shoutout to late producer and musician Don Newkirk, who died in late November.

Prince Paul executive produced De La Soul's first three albums; 1989's 3 Feet High and Rising, 1991's De La Soul is Dead and 1993's Buhloone Mindstate.  For their 1996 album Stakes Is High, the group opted to self-produce with additional production from J Dilla, Spearhead X and Skeff Anslem.

News of Paul and De La Soul's reconnection went public in August, when Dres of Black Sheep posted a candid with them, along with studio engineer Scotty Hard.

In 2021, independent music company Reservoir Media acquired De La Soul’s former label Tommy Boy Records for $100 million, providing De La with masters to their catalog, although their previous material has not been released to DSPs.