Tommy Boy Music, and the trio s discography, have been acquired by Reservoir Media for $100 million
Photo: Lindsey Blane
Published Jun 04, 2021
The future of De La Soul s catalogue has been up in the air since the trio halted negotiations with Tommy Boy Music in 2019, though it could soon arrive on digital platforms following a change in ownership of their former label home.
Variety reports that New York-based music-rights company Reservoir has acquired Tommy Boy for around $100 million USD, according to an SEC filing. The deal involves more than 6,000 master recordings, including hits such as Coolio s Gangsta s Paradise, House of Pain s Jump Around, and Afrika Bambaataa & the Soulsonic Force s Planet Rock.
Billboard is the go-to platform when it comes to seeking chart success. Artists fight for the No. 1 spot on the outlet’s various charts and there have been some controversial moments over the years that made the public question the validity of
Billboard‘s chart process.
Black music, more specifically Hip Hop, has been underrepresented on
Billboard’s charts. Black music has gone through a variation of names and artists like LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, DMX, and Wu-Tang Clan were considered R&B acts by
Billboard’s standards. As Hip Hop grew in popularity, it lapped other genres like rock and pop, but just wouldn’t be recognized by any of the major platforms.