De La Soul isn't the first hip-hop act we associate with being rich, and perhaps it's because of business plans like this: The trio announced on Thursday that the group's entire discography will be available for free download on its website.
Okay, so there are a couple of legitimate reasons for the giveaway, none of which have anything to do with Valentine's Day. It partially has something to do with the group's classic 1989 album 3 Feet High and Rising turning 25 on March 3. The album is a legitimate classic and is well-worth celebrating, but the true reason for the release revolves around copyright law.
3 Feet High and Rising features a number of unlicensed samples from the era when rappers didn't need to worry as much about such things. The existence of said-samples on the group's tracks means De La Soul can't sell its wares on iTunes, or post them on streaming services such as Spotify for fear of legal action (some newer music from the group is featured on both services, as it was handled a tad more legally).
"Its been too long where our fans haven't had access to everything," said emcee Posdnuos in an interview with SPIN. "It's been a trying journey. We've been blessed to be in the Library of Congress, but we can't even have our music on iTunes. We've been working very hard to get that solved."
Take heed however: This deal will be good for one day only. The download will become available at 11 AM EST and run until the same time Saturday. Get it while it's hot, and let's be honest, De La Soul's raps have always been hot.
