For years, fans have been clamouring for the early work of iconic NYC hip-hop trio De La Soul to be put on streaming services. Due to issues over rights, sample clearance and royalties, foundational albums such as 1989’s 3 Feet High and Rising and 1991’s De La Soul Is Dead have been absent from the internet for years, much to the chagrin of anyone with even the slightest interest in golden-age rap music. All of that changes this March, when the band’s celebrated first six records will finally be released for streaming.
It’s sure to be a watershed moment in a career that’s already been filled with them. A smash hit upon release, 3 Feet High and Rising instantly cemented rappers Posdnuos, Trugoy and Maseo as three of the wittiest and most innovative MCs working, and provided an effervescent, unique counterpoint to the gangsta rap dominating hip-hop culture at the time. Sampling artists as disparate as Johnny Cash, Funkadelic and Steely Dan, 3 Feet High and Rising has been acknowledged as a huge influence on many artists who came after.
