Legendary rap group, De La Soul, aired some grievances about their relationship with their former record label on a recent episode of the animated Cartoon Network series, such as the rapper Lil Yachty.
A recent episode of Teen Titans Go! featured Trugoy, Posdnuos, and Maseo, aka, the of the highly influential rap group, De La Soul. De La Soul—who rose to prominence in the late 80s and is credited for creating lauded hip-hop classics that incorporated the style of heavy sampling, among other things—has been in a legal battle with their former record label, Tommy Boy, for decades. The disagreement between the rap group and their label—which involves acquiring the rights to the samples used and, now, how those rights hinder the legality of the group’s work being released on streaming platforms—is storied and complex, with decades of back and forth statements, acquisitions and reacquisitions, and even lawsuits.
royalties and intellectual property.
There is also a defense for why De La Soul would be using a children’s cartoon to spread this message, which, in addition to noting hip-hop’s lengthy background in the world of comics, cartoons, and animation, points out that De La Soul’s appearance on the show could widen the scope of their fanbase as well as give them an opportunity to make more points regarding their situation in clearer and more explanative . Although, the depth of the easter eggs and references makes the episode highly enticing to adults as well, who may be more familiar with De La Soul’s music and complicated journey to make that music accessible to fans.
While fans of both De La Soul and Teen Titans Go! were treated with this episode, the future of De La Soul’s legal mess is, ultimately, a sad one. In this current age of streaming, remastering, and re-releasing, many music legends get to have their day, with big celebrations and re-releases on historic anniversaries of their most beloved bodies of work. Unfortunately, for one of the most critically acclaimed and well-respected groups in the genre, this has not been possible. But hopefully, with a greater reach to various fan-bases like the one Teen Titans Go! provides, the matter can be settled soon.
Source: Slate