Trugoy

Maseo Got Emotional Speaking About The Late Trugoy At The Tribute Concert Celebrating De La Soul On Streaming

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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.

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.’”

Trugoy Posthumously Leads The Way On De La Soul And Gorillaz’s New Collaboration, ‘Crocadillaz’

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De La Soul member Trugoy The Dove (real name David Jolicoeur) died on February 12 at just 54 years old. The week before, De La Soul had been part of the 10-minute performance commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at the 2023 Grammys. Collective disbelief and grief permeated the internet once the news hit, from his bandmates Maseo and Posdnuos to Common and Nas.

Gorillaz honored Trugoy more formally today, February 27. The famed animated band dropped a deluxe version of their new album, Cracker Island. One of the new tracks is “Crocadillaz” featuring Dawn Penn and De La Soul, and the first voice heard is Trugoy’s.

“Send a sentiment / Taste a destruction,” he raps over an upbeat loop. Elsewhere, Trugoy intricately balances the benefits of his hard-earned position (“Life is intoxicating, I need a beer”) with the potential pitfalls (“Hypnotized by the crocodile smiles / The exchange is brief but watch for the teeth”).

Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn first acknowledged Trugoy’s passing with an Instagram video on February 13. “A loop for Dave. I love you,” he wrote in the caption.

De La Soul was previously featured on Gorillaz’s Grammy-winning, ubiquitous track “Feel Good Inc.” in 2005.

An official cause of death has not been publicly identified, but as noted in Uproxx’s obituary for Trugoy, he shared he was suffering from congestive heart failure in 2018 and was hospitalized in 2020.

Listen to “Crocadillaz” above.

Nas Paid Tribute To The Late Trugoy of De La Soul During Sold-Out Madison Square Garden Tour Stop

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Nas’ New York state of mind stretches far beyond his native Queensbridge neighborhood. While the “One Mic, One Gun” rapper recently revealed that he’d love to collaborate with Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen during his appearance on The Late Show hosted by Stephen Colbert, his love for New York musicians runs deep.

As the mogul’s tour made a stop at Madison Square Garden on Friday (February 24), Nas took a moment during his set to pay homage to Trugoy The Dove (real name David Jolicoeur) of De La Soul. The Long Island native passed away early this month.

The sold-out crowd joined us as Nas played the opening verse on De La Soul’s hit single “Buddy” before proclaiming, “Make some noise for Trugoy, De La Soul. Rest in Poetry!”

When the news first broke of Trugoy’s death, Nas took to Instagram to share a touching note. In the now archived post, Nas wrote, “‘Trugoy The Dove. You showed us it’s ok to have fun, not sad or too too deep or fight the power, tho it was very much fight the power what u did so genuis. Thank you.’”

Nas isn’t the only figure in music to pay their respect to the late rap trailblazer. Quest Love, Busta Rhymes, Common, as well as Trugoy’s surviving groupmates Maseo And Posdnuos, also broke their silence with a heartfelt message on social media, writing, “You were the heart of our group. You brought so much creativity, energy, and passion to our music, and your influence will be felt for years to come.”

De La Soul’s Maseo And Posdnuos Shared Heartfelt Posts Honoring The Late Trugoy

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Following the heartbreaking death of De La Soul’s David “Trugoy” Jolicoeur earlier this month, his bandmates have taken to Instagram to honor him.

In two separate posts on the group’s main account, Kelvin “Posdunos” Mercer and Vincent “Maseo” Mason honored Trugoy, with Posdnuos calling Trugoy “the heart of our group” and thanking him for bringing “so much creativity, energy, and passion to our music.”

“Your passing is a great loss not only to us, but also to the entire hip-hop community,”Posdnuos continued. “You were a true artist who used music to inspire and uplift others, and you will be deeply missed by all who knew you.”

Maseo shared that although he and Trugoy would butt heads from time to time, the two would always “totally come full circle and say, ‘I Love You.’”

“I want to truly thank you for having the birds eye view of our collective vision to be a group,” Maseo wrote.

Thankfully, fans who wish to listen to De La Soul’s music and carry on Trugoy’s legacy can do so beginning next month, as their entire catalog will finally be available on streaming platforms.

You can see both Instagram posts below.

“Dear Dave,

You were the heart of our group. You brought so much creativity, energy, and passion to our music, and your influence will be felt for years to come.

Your passing is a great loss not only to us, but also to the entire hip-hop community. You were a true artist who used music to inspire and uplift others, and you will be deeply missed by all who knew you.

This is heavy on our hearts and minds but we are smiling and even laughing at all the great times we shared with you. As we attempt to navigate this world without you, we stand grateful and proud of all you accomplished on this earth.

We would like to say thank you Dave for being a big brother. Thank you for being a friend. Thank you for the wise words placed in your verses. Thank you for the music you produced that is loved by so many. Thank you for never wanting to compromise the quality of our brand. Thank you for helping us become a group that will remain etched in the timeline of hip hop culture as well as the fabric of music and for now on when we perform ‘Ring Ring Ring Ha Ha Hey’ we will say ‘2-2-2-2-222 we got an angel in heaven who can talk to you’

Love you Dave!

Sincerely,

Merce (Pos)”

“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.’ I want to truly thank you for having the birds eye view of our collective vision to be a group. Before Trugoy The Dove, I met J.D. Dove aside being called Dave in 1985. I remember your mom calling you Dove, so you’ve always had wings, so go on and fly into the light, Merce and I will make sure your legacy is well preserved. ‘We Are De La Soul’ for life and after life, but obviously, it will never be the same. On one end I’m happy you no longer have to suffer the pain of your condition but on the other hand I’m extremely upset at the fact that you’re not here to celebrate and enjoy what we worked and fought so hard to achieve. Unfortunately, emcees that are in groups very rarely get mentioned, you and Merce are top tier, your contribution as emcees and song writers have inspired many to step up there game. DAMMIT DAVE! to be writing about you in past tense is CRAZY, but at least I got to tell you a lot of this and more except for the part about being named Dove. Let me just end off by saying I am very content and more than reassured about our relationship as brothers because we discussed it thoroughly and solidified what is necessary just in case something happened to any of us, but who would’ve thought so soon when there was so much to live for. MY SOUL IS HURTING REALLY BAD, but I want to thank my brother @Plugwondelasoul for digging me out of my hole alongside my wife and children. To all the De La Fans, our peers, constituents and family, thank you for all of your support through this troubling time.

AMITYVILLE, ALL OF LONG ISLAND AND HIP HOP CULTURE, PLEASE STAND UP AND SALUTE THE LEGENDARY ICON TRUGOY THE DOVE, PLUG 2 AKA DAVE! YOU WILL BE EXTREMELY MISSED AND WAY TO DOPE TO EVER BE FORGOTTEN…I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH BIG BRO❤❤❤😭😭😭🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🍷🍷🍷💨💨💨💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💯💯💯

MASE”

Common Mourns The Death Of De La Soul’s Trugoy: ‘He Has Been One Of The Greatest Inspirations In My Life’

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Trugoy The Dove’s passing has continued to send chills throughout the hip-hop community. As one of the founding members of the legendary rap trio De La Soul, his artistry has had a significant impact on today’s newer acts as well as many of his peers. Multi-hyphenated talent Common was among his peers inspired by his lyrical abilities.

Devastated by the news of Trugoy’s passing, Common took to social media to share a touching tribute for his late friend. The activist opened the tribute by recounting their initial meeting, writing, “It was around 88’ when one of my best friends brought back a Red Alert tape from NYC. On it was a song called “Plug Tunin” from a group called De La Soul. It was one of the most innovative, fresh, unique songs & sounds I had ever heard. This group would then drop their album ‘3 Feet High And Rising,’ and it changed my life. They would become one of my favorite groups of all time and one of the greatest groups of all time. One of MCs was Trugoy, the Dove who I would get to know as Dave. All I needed to hear was his flow on Afro Connection at the Hi 5 to know he was one of our greatest innovators and stylish with a way with words MCs that hip hop had never seen or heard.”

Common then went on to talk about the first time working with the group, “In 96, De La would give me one of the greatest gifts of my life when they featured me on their song the ‘Bizness’ (which I believe Dave produced). They changed my life again! They took me in to live with them in Long Island (forever Love to Maseo and Tina).”

The actor then closed with how over the years, the pair had become more than just collaborators but family, “The way Pos, Maseo, Dave treated me was like a brother. They took me on tour with them. It was my first trip to London. Just being on a song with De La gave me a stamp of the highest level. And during that process, I formed a real friendship and brotherhood with each member, including Dave, who would show me dope indie movies like ‘kids’ and take me to get the Jamaican patties out in Long Island,” adding, “I studied Dave and his creativity and how he worked and functioned. I actually bit one of his nicknames and made it a song. The Sun God. The truth is he has been one of the greatest influences and inspirations in my life. I will miss you, brother. You are loved beyond words, and I am praying for all of your family, which is our family. Love you, Dave! GOD Bless your Soul.”

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Common wasn’t the only musician to take to social media after discovering the news. Pharrell, Quest Love, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Chuck D, Erick Sermon, 9th Wonder, Redman, and more have also shared posts honoring Trugoy.

Questlove, Busta Rhymes, And Many, Many More Mourn De La Soul’s Trugoy The Dove

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David Jude Jolicoeur, aka Trugoy The Dove, aka Plug Two of De La Soul, was a true pioneer of hip-hop. The news of his passing yesterday — just days after De La Soul was celebrated as part of the Grammys’ 50 Years Of Hip-Hop presentation and weeks before the iconic trio’s music becomes available on streaming services for the first time ever — shook the hip-hop community, who flooded social media with expressions of dismay, grief, and condolences for Dave’s family and bandmates.

Dave’s influence was such that there almost isn’t a single rapper from the ’90s that his music didn’t inspire in some way, as seen by the online outpouring of love for him from alt-rappers, gangsta rappers, and pop rappers alike. Questlove, who is often among the most eloquent in sharing his thoughts about musician friends who have passed away, summed it up:

“thank David Jolicoeur, Kelvin Mercer & Vincent Mason (Paul Houston too) for everything. All too often we have to wait for tragedy to strike before we express how much someone means to us.

As eager as I am to educate & teach a lesson. I decided to erase it & not mask the sadness with brainiac smarts about why #DeLaSoul was one of the most amazing beautiful products of this culture of hip hop.

I just wanna thank them for the decades of zaniness, the fun memories of my teen years, the blueprint laid out that eventually brought Tariq & i together. The freedom of expression, those crazy skits, the fresh new ideas, the blatant honesty (especially in a time period in which it was frowned upon——listen to that “Stakes” verse….what a legacy to leave behind!!) psssssh that #Senyah flip on “Pony Ride” you told me about, i LOST MY MIND!!!!!!!!! when I heard that) —-so many creative gems.”

He also implored fans to stream De La’s music — and purchase it — when it again becomes available on March 3.

Meanwhile, dozens of rap luminaries including Busta Rhymes, Chuck D, Erick Sermon, LL Cool J, 9th Wonder, Pharrell, Redman, and many, many more shared posts honoring Trugoy. See more below.

Legendary Member Of Rap Trio De La Soul, Trugoy The Dove, Has Died At 54

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Legendary rap trio De La Soul has been making a musical comeback in a major way. Not only has the group managed to work through its legal dispute with its former label, Tommy Boy Records, but fans were enjoying the possibility of potential new music. Unfortunately, it has been revealed that founding member, Trugoy The Dove (real name David Jolicoeur) has died at the age of 54.

A representative close to the group has confirmed the news with several outlets, including The Grio and AllHipHop.com.

Although the details of his passing have not yet been released, in the past has been public about his health battles. Back in 2018, he opened up about his fight with congestive heart failure on social media confessing to his group member that he was struggling with being sidelined while they made professional progress relating to touring.

Saying, “I’m ready just to get back to the stage. I miss that. I love traveling. I love being around my guys, and I want that back.”

Jolicoeur was again hospitalized in 2020, but following a live stream with Posdnous and Maseo (also of De La Soul), it seemed that he was making progress.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jolicoeur’s family, close friends, and his fans currently mourning the news.