De La Soul’s first six albums are finally available across digital platforms.

Coinciding with the reissue of their iconic debut album ‘3 Feet High And Rising’ (1989), the hip-hop collective also released ‘De La Soul Is Dead’ (1991), ‘Buhloone Mindstate’ (1993), ‘Stakes Is High’ (1996), ‘Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump’ (2000) and ‘Art Official Intelligence: Bionix’ (2001) on streaming and download sites on Friday, March 3.

Previously, only the group’s three most recent albums were on Spotify, with their earlier works having initially been withheld due to a dispute with their label, Warner Records, owing to samples on the recordings only being cleared for physical media distribution.

In 2017, the catalogue was purchased by Tommy Boy Records and two years later the group first announced a move to streaming. However, it was once again delayed before Tommy Boy was acquired by Reservoir Media, after which rapper Talib Kweli confirmed De La Soul now owns the rights to the masters. 

The release follows the death of De La Soul founding member Trugoy the Dove, who passed away aged 54 last month. The musician – real name David Jolicoeur – is believed to have died following a battle with congestive heart failure in recent years.