De La Soul celebrated Valentine’s Day and the 25th anniversary of their seminal album, 3 Feet High and Rising, by releasing their entire library of music for free on their website today. Beginning at 11 a.m. EST, the full discography of one of the most iconic and progressive rap groups of all time for 25 hours. It’s an unprecedented dumping of music by the NYC trio and a furtherance of major artist’s use of the Internet to market their music and keep their names in the news cycle. In December of last year, Beyonce dropped her latest album, a 14-track ‘visual’ album by surprise on the web without any prior marketing or advertising around it. That project went on to shatter sales numbers for the year.
With this move, De La Soul really isn’t tearing down too many borders (their discography is easily available via illegal torrent sites), although it could go a long way in re-introducing what many consider a ‘golden age’ of hip-hop music to a new generation. It’s crazy that De La is celebrating a 25 year anniversary, and it would be a fitting homage to their first project if the re-release of their initial offering to fans causes a resurgence in younger listeners. Click here to pick it up for yourself.