Today (March 3) is a big day for hip-hop: De La Soul’s beloved catalog is finally available on streaming services. Right now is of course a bittersweet time for the group, though, because in the midst of this, De La Soul and the hip-hop community at large are still reeling over the recent death of group member Trugoy. Well, last night, the surviving De La Soul members hosted a tribute concert to commemorate their big streaming moment, and naturally, there was some emotion at play.
Towards the end of the evening, Maseo addressed the crowd to speak about his journey. He got emotional talking about Trugoy, saying, “I usually have a lot of words to say, but I’m at a loss for words, y’all. My emotions are very displaced. My man is gone. But I appreciate all of y’all for all these years of supporting us.”
At the end of his speech, he was fighting back tears as he again thanked De La Soul fans for their support.
De La Soul’s Maseo got emotional speaking about Trugoy The Dove
@DeLaSoulsDugout https://t.co/52WCdDsvQr pic.twitter.com/U9xAecnYzE
— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) March 3, 2023
powerful words from Maseo at the end of the De La Soul Daisy Experience at Webster Hall, bless these guys forever, RIP Dave
— recede
BLOOM OUT NOW!
(@rec3de) March 3, 2023
In a lengthy post shared after Trugoy’s death, Maseo wrote in part, “Dave – thank you so much for being in my life. Although you and I would argue like hell, we would both admit when we were wrong and totally come full circle and say, ‘I Love You.’”