De La Soul appears to bring the battle for their catalog to the small screen in a rare animated adventure. Posdnuos, Dave, and DJ Maseo launch their attack on a monster who steals their music with help from the Teen Titans.
On Saturday (Feb. 20), a special episode of Cartoon Network’s “Teen Titans Go!” guest-starring De La Soul premiered on the beloved cartoon channel. In the episode, De La takes on a ginormous, mutated octopus-type alien who steals their music from the group’s studio. During their battle, the Teen Titans pull up to the scene and offer their assistance to help defeat the alien.
The episode has plenty of references to the “Remove 45” group’s iconic discography along with the totally subtle, metaphorical representation of their real-life legal battle to retain the rights to their music. Back in 2019, the group shed light on their ongoing battle with their former label Tommy Boy Records to release their classic discography on digital streaming services. Due to unclear language in their contract, it’s difficult for the group to release their sample-heavy music on digital streaming platforms.
After numerous attempts to negotiate with the now-defunct label, De La Soul revealed that they were not successful in convincing Tommy Boy Records to release them from the contract. This means that even if their music does ever reach digital streaming platforms, Posdnuos, Dave, and DJ Maseo will not profit from any of the streams.
“We realize, there is a process in reclaiming ownership but we do not trust Tommy Boy in this process after so many years of disappointment,” the rap trio said in an Instagram post in 2019. “Therefore, our catalog will not see the light of day by way of our involvement or consent.”
De La Soul’s special episode of “Teen Titans Go!” is available now. Watch a clip from the episode below.