De La SoulÔÇÖs Sample Clearance Issues Remain A Huge Roadblock For Group And Their Fans

De La Soul is back! After twelve years from their last release, The Grind Date, the trio will be releasing a new album on August 26th. The new album, And the Anonymous Nobody, comes from their Kickstarter campaign which began in March. The campaign raised $600,000 with over $200,000 raised in the first eight hours of availability.

And the Anonymous Nobody┬ágot its title from the way the album was created. “This is about a person selflessly giving everything they could to make something cool or new or fun or better happen,ÔÇØ Dave (aka Trugoy the Dove) said. The last time the group made a splash this big was back on Valentine’s Day 2014. It was then that that group, frustrated from their lack of digital presence, decided to give all of their albums away for free.

“WeÔÇÖre in the Library of Congress, but weÔÇÖre not on iTunes,ÔÇØ group member Posdnuos said, adding that when the group interacts with fans in person or online, they always ask the same question: ÔÇ£Yo, whereÔÇÖs the old stuff?ÔÇØ

Because rap music was still in its infancy, there weren’t many rules and regulations when it came to sampling material. The group’s old albums were made during a time when obtaining the permission of musical copyright holders was an “afterthought.” That’s part of why Warner Music has kept the group’s catalog off streaming services.

ÔÇ£My understanding is that due to allegedly uncleared samples, Warners has been uncomfortable or unwilling to license a lot of the De La Soul stuff,ÔÇØ sample-clearance agent] Ms. Mannis-Gardner told said. ÔÇ£It becomes difficult opening these cans of worms ÔÇö were things possibly cleared with a handshake?ÔÇØ

Warner made a statement regarding the lack of digital availability for the group’s music.

“De La Soul is one of hip-hopÔÇÖs seminal acts, and weÔÇÖd love for their music to reach audiences on digital platforms around the world, but we donÔÇÖt believe it is possible to clear all of the samples for digital use, and we wouldnÔÇÖt want to release the albums other than in their complete, original forms.”

It’s disappointing that the group’s old catalog isn’t available, but on the flip side, at least there’s new music to be had. Check out the group’s new song “Drawn” featuring Little Dragon below.

De La SoulÔÇÖs Sample Clearance Issues Remain A Huge Roadblock For Group And Their Fans : UPROXX