De La Rue had been regarded as the leading banknote paper manufacturer in the world, having manufactured banknote paper for the Bank of England since 1724. In 1997, De La Rue acquired Harrison and Sons, the stamp and banknote printers based in High Wycombe. The factory closed permanently in 2003. In early 2002, De La Rue took over ownership from Smurfit Diamond Packaging Corporation of Sequoia Voting Systems, a California-based company that was a large provider of electronic voting systems in the U.S., for U.S. $23 million. After losing money for three years in a business way out of the company's traditional lines,
Les Sages Poètes de la Rue choosing an old-school approach on jazzy vibes, released their first album, "Qu’est ce qui fait marcher les Sages" in 1995. Jimmy Jay and MC Solaar are the executive producer of this album, while Les Sages Poètes de la Rue sign their own beats and lyrics. The same year they collaborated with Sinclair for the remix of "Tranquille". With the success of their first album, Les Sages Poètes de la Rue formed their own structure, Beat de Boul, in order to help the groups of their area to make it into the hip hop industry. Amongst these groups are the famous