It was a celebration for Hip-Hop when it was announced that De La Soul regained their music catalog, which wasn’t available for fans for over 20 years.

On March 3, the Long Island, NY group’s first six albums made its debut on streaming services after Reservoir Media acquired Tommy Boy Records, their former label, in 2021, according to a press release.

Since having their music catalog secured, De La Soul have went into further detail about the victory.

During an episode of “Drink Champs,” members Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer and Vincent “Maseo” Mason shared that the momentum to take back their music from the owners of Tommy Boy started after their first appearance on the podcast in 2019.

Mercer recalled Mason being the one that ensured that the group wasn’t going down without a fight as well as not settling.

“Yeah, we’re humble guys but I know my value,” Mason shared on the podcast. “I’ve been playing this game since high school and it’s been on the job training. And behind it all, this was the moment in time I had to really take on my leadership in the crew.”

“There were times where I almost buckled,” he added. “I almost buckled a few times.”

However, it was heavy in Mason’s spirit to keep persevering.

With the support from Mason’s wife and friends such as Reservoir Executive Vice President of A&R and Catalog Development Faith Newman, De La Soul won the battle on their own terms.

“When Reservoir acquired Tommy Boy, the first call we made was to De La Soul,” Newman shared in a press statement. “We vowed to bring their music to streaming, and it means the world to our team to make good on that promise and expose a whole new generation of listeners to one of the most important catalogs in hip-hop history.”

The major feat of De La Soul’s music being on streaming services came nearly a month after the passing of member David “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur.

Sticking to their guns ultimately worked out in their favor in more ways than one. During the “Drink Champs” episode, Mercer shared that De La Soul is “charting like they’ve never charted before.” Billboard reported that their re-releases netted 12 million U.S. streams from March 3 to March 9 alone.