After taking essentially their whole careers to do so, the entire catalog of De La Soul‘s is finally back in their possession. And, finally, the legendary trio’s first six albums — 3 Feet High and Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000), and AOI: Bionix (2001) — have hit the DSPs today (March 3).
Trugoy the Dove, along with Vincent “Pasemaster Mase” Manson and Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer, formed De La Soul as high school classmates and friends in Long Island, New York in 1988. They would then released their debut album as members of the Native Tongues collective, which also included the likes of Queen Latifah, Jungle Brothers, and A Tribe Called Quest.
The group would release nine total albums, earn one platinum and two gold records, and win one Grammy Award in 2006 for their collaboration with Gorillaz, “Feel Good Inc.” Their 3 Feet High song, “The Magic Number,” was even featured as the end-credit song in 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The group have sold over 5 million albums, but for decades were hampered due to legal complications related to sample clearances with their former label Tommy Boy Records. In 2021, however, Reservoir Media acquired the group’s catalog and — true to their word — cleared the way for the group’s first six albums to finally hit the streaming platforms.
Tragically, Dave would pass away on Feb. 12. At the time of this piece, a cause of death is not known, but Dave had been battling congestive heart failure for several years.
Reintroduce yourself to De La Soul, below.
