Trugoy the Dove of the legendary hip-hop group De La Soul has passed away at age 54, the group’s publicist confirmed. David Jude Jolicoeur previously opened up concerning his congestive heart failure since 2018. Moreover, the Haitan-American MC revealed more about his condition in 2020, on an IG livestream with fellow Soul members Posnodous and Maseo. What’s more is that he ran the De La Instagram account as well, and he thanked fans for their support. De La Soul, and Trugoy as a lyricist, storyteller, and artist, changed the course of hip-hop in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Recently, the trio’s social media posts celebrated the upcoming rerelease of their first six studio albums on streaming services. Furthermore, on January 3rd, De La announced the March 3rd release of much of their early catalog. These include 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate, Stakes Is High, Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump, and AOI: Bionix. Moreover, they announced the return of these classic projects via their social media pages and official website.
Trugoy the Dove’s Legacy
“3 Feet High and Rising was inspired, maybe just the state that we were in as kids, just not afraid to say, ‘This is me.’ At the same time, it also gave birth to an era, a sound, a style in Hip Hop,” Trugory said during an interview with Ebro Darden. While their music hasn’t reached streaming because of sample clearance issues and shady contract deals, things smoothed out. Following an acquisition of their catalog in 2021, the group’s work will now properly compensate them for their greatness.
Given tracks like “The Magic Number,” “Me Myself and I,” and “Plug Tunin,” Trugoy’s impact on East Coast hip-hop and beyond is indelible. Along with the rest of the Native Tongues collective, they embraced idiosyncrasy, creativity, introspection, and social change in rap. Dave’s work with De La shot the group into the hip-hop hall of fame, with 3 Feet recently inducted into the Library of Congress. While their legacy as a group will forever mark the genre, Trugoy’s voice will continue to resonate with the hearts of so many.
Rest In Peace David Jude Jolicoeur, also known as Trugoy the Dove.