Update: Tommy Boy Postpones De La Soul's Catalog

Update 03/01/2019 10:35pm:

After De La Soul called out their former label, Tommy Boy, for the "unfair terms" surrounding the release of their catalog on streaming services. The group revealed that Tommy Boy would get roughly 90% of the streaming profits. They also added that the label didn't clear some of the samples on the album before releasing it, setting them up for a host of lawsuits. 

In light of the news, Tommy Boy responded to the situation in a statement to Variety, stating, "Because Tommy Boy has not had the opportunity to sit down together with De La Soul and finalize our negotiations — something we’ve wanted to do for months — we have decided to postpone the digital release of their catalog scheduled for tomorrow. We know fans are eager to hear these amazing recordings and we are hopeful for a quick resolution."

Source: Variety 

Original 02/27/2019 11:24pm:

De La Soul has been going back and forth with their former record label Tommy Boy while trying to get their back catalog on streaming services. While it's good news for fans, De La Soul detailed the "unbalanced, unfair terms" with Tommy Boy, who they say will get 90% of the profits from streaming services. 

"We are not happy about releasing our catalog under such unbalanced, unfair terms. The music WILL be released digitally. After 30 long years of good music and paying their debt to hip-hop, De La Soul unfortunately, will not taste the fruits of their labor. Your purchases will roughly go 90% Tommy Boy, 10% De La. Thank you." 

The group followed up on Instagram, revealing that Tommy Boy hadn't cleared samples on some songs in their back catalog, setting them up for lawsuits. The post stated, "We are being placed in the line of fire... De La Soul cannot afford negligent hurried business. We are fighting for our livelihood. Imagine trying to settle a #phantom2milliondollardebt and now possible lawsuits lurking??? There goes that 10%." 

After various artists spoke out against Tommy Boy online, Tidal revealed that they are standing with De La Soul and are not streaming the back catalog until the matter is resolved. 

De La Soul's Maseo explained the situation during an interview with Sway, where he stated, "Because of the fact that Tommy Boy—Tom Silverman, in particular—didn’t think that 3 Feet High and Risingwas going to do well at all. Because of that reason, they decided not to clear stuff."