The De La Soul and Tommy Boy Records saga is at an end — at least for now.
After the legendary Hip Hop trio revealed both parties were unable to come to an agreement earlier this week, Pos, Dave and Maseo have shared another Instagram post thanking their fans and explaining why streaming anything De La under the Tommy Boy umbrella is detrimental to them.
“Thank you friends and fans,” the caption begins. “Your kind positive words mean a lot and your support goes even farther. As frustrating as it is and as crazy as it may sound, your act of NOT purchasing or streaming anything musically De La Soul, falling under the Tommy Boy banner (until further notice) helps us immensely and can possibly aid others experiencing these similar woes.
“Thank you @nas …thanks Pete @bittenbender and @massappeal for your committed support and promising business relationship. We’re in the stew working on new music and will continue to celebrate this wonderful journey we’ve been blessed to experience. Thank you @djpremier and @realpeterock for your diligence and support.”
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Elsewhere in the caption, De La revealed a special 30-year commemorative release in on the way and issued an ominous warning for future or current Tommy Boy artists.
“30 years is a helluva milestone,” they continued. “We’re so proud to be able to share our celebration with you all. Look out for our 30 year commemorative release coming very soon #delacoinz Your support will directly fund future endeavors and projects.
“Just to put the final nail in the coffin.We wish Tommy Boy no ills but we do call for a boycott of anything bearing the name. Karma will do the rest… that old enslaved record label contract dinosaur is long dead and gone, but unfortunately still stinks. For those who may not have had a similar experience with Tommy Boy, be thankful, be wise and stay alert… the devil does not rest and is never satisfied.”
The group ended their caption with a list of music they consider safe to stream, including 2016’s And The Anonymous Nobody and the recent DJ Shadow collaboration “Rocket Fuel.”
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“Seek and check out these De La Soul releases: Impossible Mission mixtape #grinddate De La Soul: Are You In? Nike + Original run #smelltheda.i.s.y.#andtheanonymousnobody. Tom Misch feat. De La Soul ‘It Runs Through Me’ @djshadow feat. De La Soul ‘Rocket Fuel.'”
De La and Tommy Boy’s negotiations started months ago. In an interview with HipHopDX, Maseo admitted the whole situation has caused “a lot of pain and suffering.”
But as their most recent post states in all caps: “POSITIVE ENERGY AND CONSTRUCTIVE ATTITUDE WILL YIELD SO MUCH REWARD.”
