De La Soul Will Fight to "Save Their Music" in the Latest Episode of 'Teen Titans GO!'
De La Soul teams up with the young Titans to get their music back from an evil alien.
De La Soul's fight for ownership over their music has gone on for years now. And it doesn't seem like we are closer to any kind of resolution.
This Saturday, Teen Titans GO! will air their latest episode, “Don’t Press Play,” on Cartoon Network. This episode will feature an appearance from legendary hip-hop group De La Soul.
Here is the synopsis of the episode:
"The Titans must help De La Soul save their music after it is stolen by an alien."
So we're assuming the alien here is Tommy Boy Records?
De La Soul's issues with Tommy Boy, their label home for years, run deep. Despite having one of the greatest catalogs in hip-hop history, you can't access the first six albums in De La's history. The reason is simple — De La and Tommy Boy can't agree on a fair deal.
In February 2019, Tommy Boy delayed plans to release De La classics like 1989’s 3 Feet High and Rising, 1991's De La Soul Is Dead, and 1993's Buhloone Mindstate to streaming services after De La Soul disputed the revenue split. According to De La, the label was only giving the group 10 percent of streaming profits.
De La officially cut ties with Tommy Boy Records after negotiations went nowhere and a boycott Tommy Boy movement start that featured figures like Questlove and Nas.
“After 30 years of profiting from our music and hard work… and after 7 long months of stalled negotiations, we are sad to say that we’ve been unable to reach an agreement and earn Tommy Boy’s respect for our music/legacy,” De La Soul wrote on Instagram.
Both sides have been relatively quiet. The last update came around this time last year. In an interview with Creative Loafing: Tampa Bay, Posdnuos said that Tommy Boy has "sort of came back to the table" in regards to discussing a streaming deal that offers the group a fair cut of the profits.
"...we are looking to sort of get it going," Posdnuos said. "At the end of the day, of course, it's money to be earned. We feel like we deserve [it], but for us it's really about the fans."
Last year, Rostrum Records owner Benjy Grimberg told HipHopDX that he would be willing to stepping in to assist with negotiations and try to get De La their masters. “De La Soul was incredibly impactful and important to my musical upbringing,” he said.
“Along with Prince Paul, they helped influence my love of Hip Hop and of creativity in general. I would love nothing more than to be able to help them in any way I possibly can, though I haven’t gotten very far with Tommy Boy. It’s an uphill battle.”
Watch the trailer for the "Don't Press Play" episode of Teen Titans GO! below.