De La Soul returned to the Billboard charts thanks to the long-awaited release of their first six albums on digital streaming platforms.
The group’s debut album 3 Feet High and Rising sold 26,000 equivalent album units after becoming available on digital retail stores and streaming services. 3 Feet High and Rising re-emerged on the Billboard 200 at No. 15.
De La Soul’s first album resurfaced on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums at No. 8. More than 30 years ago, 3 Feet High and Rising spent five weeks at No. 1 on the chart.
3 Feet High and Rising also debuted at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums. The chart wasn’t created until 2004.
De La Soul’s classic catalog hit DSPs on March 3. It marked the end of a lengthy battle with Tommy Boy Records to get the trio’s music on streaming services.
The streaming release turned out to be bittersweet. Dave Jolicoeur a.k.a. Trugoy the Dove passed away a few weeks before the group’s catalog arrived on Apple Music, Spotify and other platforms.
Earlier this month, Posdnuos and Maseo celebrated Trugoy’s life at New York’s Webster Hall. Black Thought, Common and Queen Latifah were among the many stars who joined De La Soul’s surviving members to pay tribute to Trugoy.
Read more about the event here.
