De La Soul

David Jolicoeur, a founding member of the pioneering hip hop trio De La Soul, has died aged 54, US media have reported. No cause of death has been given for ...

It included hits The Magic Number and Me, Myself and I. "His music will allow him to live in our hearts and minds," he wrote. "But not only was he a great musician but he was a great human being.

David Jude Jolicoeur, known widely as Trugoy the Dove and one of the founding members of hip hop trio De La Soul, has died aged 54.

They followed with De La Soul Is Dead, in 1991, which was a bit darker and more divisive with critics, and Stakes Is High, in 1996. Sampling everyone from Johnny Cash and Steely Dan to Hall & Oates, De La Soul signalled the beginning of alternative hip-hop. De La Soul’s debut studio album 3 Feet High And Rising, produced by Prince Paul, was released in 1989 by Tommy Boy Records and praised for being a more light-hearted and positive counterpart to more charged rap offerings like NWA’s Straight Outta Compton and Public Enemy’s It Takes A Nation Of Millions released just one year prior.

A number of media outlets have confirmed that founding member of hip-hop trio De La Soul David 'Trugoy The Dove' Jolicoeur has died, aged 54.

In 2021, after Tommy Boy was acquired by Reservoir Media, De La Soul announced they’d come to an agreement that [enabled them to digitally release their music](https://www.nme.com/news/music/de-la-souls-full-catalogue-to-hit-streaming-services-later-this-year-3016320) (though the original timeline was for November that same year). De La Soul’s classic albums were initially withheld from streaming platforms due to a dispute with their label, Warner Records, who allegedly claimed that the samples featured on them were only cleared for physical media distribution. [‘The Magic Number’](https://www.nme.com/news/music/de-la-souls-release-1989-single-the-magic-number-on-streaming-platforms-3380199) and ‘Me Myself And I’. This just shattered me. The artistry, the creativity, the humor, the wisdom, and just the overall dopeness. But not only was he a great musician but he was a great human being. [JPEGMAFIA](https://www.nme.com/artists/jpegmafia) and [Kaytranada](https://www.nme.com/artists/KAYTRANADA) both took to Twitter to honour the rapper, with the former writing, “RIP TRUGOY of DE LA SOUL. [February 12, 2023] “I’m ready to just get back on stage,” he said in the clip. In the Details about the cause of his death have not been released, however the rapper had been suffering from several health issues in recent years. “I miss it.” In 2020, he was briefly hospitalised for the condition.

Rapper co-founded the legendary trio who changed the face of hip-hop in the late 80s and early 90s.

B Real – a rapper with the hip-hop group Cypress Hill – called Jolicoeur a “legend of hip hop music and culture … His music will allow him to live in our hearts and minds.” De La Soul forever.” “I’m ready just to get back to the stage,” he said. “A blessing we got a chance to unite again … “I miss it.”

David Jude Jolicoeur, known widely as Trugoy the Dove and one of the founding members of the Long Island hip-hop trio De La Soul, has died.

Sampling everyone from Johnny Cash and Steely Dan to Hall & Oates, De La Soul signaled the beginning of alternative hip-hop. Trugoy, Jolicoeur said, was backwards for “yogurt.” More recently he’d been going by Dave. In recent years, Jolicoeur, had said he was battling congestive heart failure, living with a LifeVest machine affixed to his person.

The music world pays tribute following the sad passing of the hugely influential De La Soul member.

"De La Soul means so much to me. Widely credited as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time, 3 Feet High… This is a huge loss." [the De La Soul J Files here](https://abclisten.page.link/Dqk4LATSHADigZZk9). Heartbroken by this one." "I love their whole body of work… A lot of what I did as an up & comer was built off of the courage they gave me to be different, to be creative, to be my authentic self. [De La Soul J Files](https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/programs/the-j-files/de-la-soul/10274756). De La Soul released several more projects in the 2010s, most notably And The Anonymous Nobody... Born David Jude Jolicoeur, Trugoy (an alias adopted from spelling 'yogurt' backwards) co-founded De La Soul in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York with high school friends Vincent Mason (Maseo) and Kelvin Mercer (Posdnous). "De La Soul are one of the top three greatest hip hop groups of all time," Chief Xcel – one half of equally revered hip hop group Blackalicious – told Double J back in 2015 for the [all-star Grammys hip hop tribute](https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/music-reads/music-news/grammys-hip-hop-50-years-beyonce-kendrick-harry-styles-ll-cool-j/101937340).

David Jolicoeur, also known as Trugoy the Dove, a member of the popular hip-hop group De La Soul, has passed away at the age of 54.

Trugoy the Dove, left, Posdnuos, center, and Maseo, right, From Long Island from one of the best rap groups in Hiphop # Delasoul #plug2 Dave has passed away you will be missed... They are pictured in 1989 From left, Kelvin Mercer, David Jude Jolicoeur, Vincent Mason, pictured in Amsterdam, Holland in 1989 This is a huge loss.' Rapper Erik Sermon posted a photo on Instagram together with the comment: 'This one hurts. 'Luke Cage' showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker wrote on Twitter that, 'You don´t understand what De La Soul means to me. Rapper Erik Sermon posted on Instagram that 'This one hurts. Rappers Posdnuos, Maseo and Trugoy the Dove of the band De La Soul perform onstage at Coachella in 2019 Smiles I love you bro. @plugwondelasoul I love you brother we are here for you. Jolicoeur was born in Brooklyn but raised in the Amityville area of Long Island, where he met Vincent Mason (Pasemaster Mase) and Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos) and the three decided to form a rap group, with each taking on distinctive names.

Twenty years after the hip-hop trio released 3 Feet High And Rising, the album was added to America's National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress ...

Their existence said to me, a black geek from Connecticut that yes, hip-hop belongs to you too, and Trugoy was the balance, McCartney to Pos Lennon, Keith to his Mick. In 2010 3 Feet High And Rising was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for its historic significance. Cheo Hodari Coker, executive producer of the TV series Luke Cage, tweeted: "You don't understand what De La Soul means to me. Smiles I love you bro. @plugwondelasoul I love you brother we are here for you. RIP."

Tributes have poured in for De La Soul's co-founder and rapper David Jude Jolicoeur - famously known as Trugoy the Dove - following his death.

[The Library of Congress added 3 Feet High and Rising to the National Recording Registry ](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/3-Feet-High-and-Rising.pdf)in 2010 for its historic significance. Jolicoeur said Trugoy was backwards for “yogurt” but he had been going by the name Dave more recently. From Long Island from one of the best rap groups in Hiphop #Delasoil Dave has passed away you will be missed…RIP.” [Young Guru added](https://www.instagram.com/p/Cok-2xRu5x3/?hl=en): “Rest in peace my brother. Following his death, tributes for the rap icon have flooded social media from both fellow rap artists and fans. Although the cause of death is still unknown, Jolicoeur had revealed he was battling congestive heart failure in recent years.

In recent years, Jolicoeur, who was one of the founding members of the Long Island hip hop trio, had said he was battling congestive heart failure.

“It’s a hip-hop masterpiece for the era in which it was released,” Jolicoeur told Billboard earlier this year. “We support each other in those ideas, but at the same time, I think the magic really happens when it’s the three of us,” he said. From Long Island from one of the best rap groups in Hiphop # Delasoul #plug2 Dave has passed away you will be missed…

David Jolicoeur, one of the founding members of the hip-hop trio De La Soul, has passed away at the age of 54.

The move follows a lengthy effort to clear the hundreds of samples that De La Soul used on their early records. Trugoy The Dove, from legendary trio De La Soul has died… David Jolicoeur, one of the founding members of the hip hop trio De La Soul, has passed away at the age of 54.

Stars of the hip hop world, including Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes and Cypress Hill, have paid tribute to Trugoy the Dove, founding member of influential ...

“His music will allow him to live in our hearts and minds as he is gone. “I’ve always loved De La Soul and always will.” Referencing a De La Soul track, he added: “Oodles and Oodles and Oodles of O’s.” He wrote: “We lost another legend of hip hop music and culture in my brother Trugoy aka Dave of De La Soul. Music producer and chart-topping vocalist Williams led the tributes, writing on Twitter: “Trugoy Dave from De La Soul has gone up to be with the day of the stars with the Master. Stars of the hip hop world, including Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes and Cypress Hill, have paid tribute to Trugoy the Dove, founding member of influential trio De La Soul.

Stars of the hip hop world, including Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes and Cypress Hill, have paid tribute to Trugoy the Dove, founding member of influential ...

“His music will allow him to live in our hearts and minds as he is gone. “I’ve always loved De La Soul and always will.” Referencing a De La Soul track, he added: “Oodles and Oodles and Oodles of O’s.” He wrote: “We lost another legend of hip hop music and culture in my brother Trugoy aka Dave of De La Soul. Music producer and chart-topping vocalist Williams led the tributes, writing on Twitter: “Trugoy Dave from De La Soul has gone up to be with the day of the stars with the Master. Stars of the hip hop world, including Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes and Cypress Hill, have paid tribute to Trugoy the Dove, founding member of influential trio De La Soul.

No cause of death has been given yet for the American musician, who went by the stage name Trugoy the Dove. However, he had been suffering ...

But not only was he a great musician but he was a great human being. “His music will allow him to live in our hearts and minds as he is gone. Taking to Twitter, JPEGMAFIA penned: “RIP TRUGOY of DE LA SOUL. The group changed the face of hip-hop in the late 80s and early 90s and was honoured at the He was one third of De La Soul, who changed the face of hip-hop in the late 80s and early 90s Cypress Hill’s B-Real also paid tribute to the rapper, writing: “We lost another legend of hip hop music and culture in my brother Trugoy aka Dave of De La Soul.

“We were all walking through Macy's to a local mall,” remembers MC and producer Dave Jolicoeur, “and I saw a Mickey-Mouse T-shirt with a big daisy on it. It ...

DAVE: We try to recapture that energy, and for a couple of old guys it’s funny, so we do it as best as we can, and it’s humorous and it’s silly. POS: As much as we appreciate and love “Me, Myself And I”, I think we’ve been very vocal about the fact we got tired of it, but “The Magic Number” really wasn’t a song like that. POS: That’s what was great about back then – we were just so open to anything because we were just so happy to be living our dream and doing what we wanted. DAVE: “The Magic Number” came out towards the end of our recording period of 3 Feet High And Rising, I don’t know if it was the very last song but I think it was towards the end of the recording process. Funnily enough, we just did a bunch of shows in the UK and Belgium and we do “The Magic Number” as one of the last songs, and the reaction to it was very fresh and genuine. So it was really simple to do with “The Magic Number”. And that’s what we did – there were probably a good 15 to 25 people in there at some points, and we’d be pulling people into the booth and saying, ‘Hey, go up and say that part.’ There was a big window by the mixing desk – the view was 36th and Broadway, and you could see the corner and everything going on. But the way we had things outlined, we always had room for more improvisational stuff, and being able to come up with some weird ideas on the spot. POS: When we came up with “The Magic Number”, we were working in Mase’s basement. There were different songs like “Three Is A Magic Number” or “The Letter A”. I actually talk about the Dugout on [1991’s] “Ring Ring Ring”: “party at the Dugout on Dixon Ave/Haven’t been to the jam in quite a while”. But for us it was a little different to how we planned on approaching it.

As one-third of De La Soul alongside Kelvin “Posdnous” Mercer and DJ Vincent “Maseo” Mason, the Haitian American musician and producer who adopted names like “ ...

But when Posdnous appeared alone to rap “Buddy” during [the “Hip-Hop 50” tribute on the 2023 Grammy Awards](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grammy-awards-hip-hop-anniversary-tribute-rappers-list-1234674419/), something seemed amiss. [he discusses suffering from congestive heart failure](https://www.okayplayer.com/music/de-la-soul-royalty-capes-video.html), which limited his ability to tour and perform.) Occasionally he and De La reminded the world of their massive cultural influence, like starring on Gorillaz’ 2005 global hit “Feel Good Inc.,” which memorably centers on Dave’s cackling laughter; and that “Magic Number” drop on Into the Spider-Verse. During a 1989 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show, they segued from their Top 40 hit “Me Myself and I” to the B-side cut “It Ain’t Hip to Be Labeled a Hippie.” Two years later, they released the sarcastic and cynical 1991 masterwork De La Soul Is Dead, effectively dismembering their image as friendly prophets of the D.A.I.S.Y. Yet to label the trio as “nerds,” whether pejoratively or as a badge of honor, is to limit the scope of their Black expression. “I got questions about your life if you’re so ready to die,” he rapped on 1996’s “Long Island Degrees.” They memorably complained about “rap and bullshit,” yet also collaborated with R&B singer Vinia Mojica on the delightful single “A Rollerskating Jam Named ‘Saturdays.’” On Buhloone Mindstate, they chanted, “It might blow up, but it won’t go pop,” struggling to define success on everchanging terms. 12](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/de-la-soul-trugoy-the-dove-dead-obit-1234678463/) at the age of 54, helped revolutionize [hip-hop](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/hip-hop/) and change the course of popular music. As one-third of [De La Soul](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/de-la-soul/), alongside Kelvin “Posdnous” Mercer and DJ Vincent “Maseo” Mason, the Haitian American musician and producer who adopted names like “Jude,” “ [Trugoy](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/trugoy/) the Dove,” “Plug 2,” and, finally, just “Dave” expanded the art form in ways not seen before or since. He delivered masterclasses of dense, metaphorically rich lyrics, whether it’s the meditative deep-cut classic “I Am I Be” on Buhloone Mindstate, or the punchy conscious chants of “Church” from 2004’s The Grind Date. The concept of “alternative hip-hop” remains a subject of heated debate. “The early bird gets the worm in this Rotten Apple/But explore deeper, you’ll find a seed/Plant more, even get your mind free,” he rapped on the latter. They didn’t sound as cool and stylized as Rakim and KRS-One or boom with authority like LL Cool J and Run-DMC (the latter a huge influence). Meanwhile, Dave maintained the same leisurely “Plug 2” gait, even as he refined his cadences and words.

While De La Soul will always be defined by 3 Feet High and Rising, Trugoy and his fellow bandmates were constantly pushing the boundaries of rap throughout ...

Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump, released in 2000, which was the first part of a projected trilogy of albums supposed to be released within a year, did a little better commercially, although that might have had more to do with its plethora of guest stars than its faintly weary and uninspired contents. It wasn’t all bleak and bitter – the single A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday was a mood-lifting joy – but it was enough of a left turn from 3 Feet High and Rising to confuse critics and the public alike, although it’s subsequently earned a reputation as the De La Soul connoisseur’s album of choice. It wasn’t just that 3 Feet High and Rising was vastly successful and earned the immediate respect of De La Soul’s peers, although it was and it did: a transatlantic platinum seller, it spawned four hit singles, while KRS One claimed: “not even my album is as dope as this,” which – given that KRS One had just released the epochal By All Means Necessary – was pretty much the highest of praise. “I came in for U2,” ran the headline, “I came out with De La Soul.” Underneath, there was a quote from the LA Times, calling 3 Feet High and Rising “The Sergeant Peppers’ [sic] of the Eighties”. De La Soul certainly weren’t the first black hip-hop act to be promoted to a white audience, but there was something noticeably different about the way 3 Feet High and Rising was marketed: not as an accoutrement to parent-scaring adolescent rebellion but as something you might conceivably play to your parents, who might well recognise many of its samples – Steely Dan, the Turtles, Billy Joel – before you did. Thirty five years after its release, De La Soul’s debut album is firmly ensconced in the pantheon of unimpeachable classics, and Me Myself And I is a fixture on mainstream classic radio.

Now Albarn, who collaborated with the trio on Gorillaz's 2005 single 'Feel Good Inc.', has shared a short solo piano instrumental in tribute to Trugoy. “A loop ...

[Gorillaz](https://www.nme.com/artists/gorillaz)‘s 2005 single ‘Feel Good Inc.’, has shared a short solo piano instrumental in tribute to Trugoy. “A loop for Dave. Details about the cause of his death have not yet been released, however the rapper had been suffering from several health issues in recent years. [Cypress Hill](https://www.nme.com/artists/cypress-hill)‘s B-Real, [Public Enemy](https://www.nme.com/artists/public-enemy)‘s [Chuck D](https://www.nme.com/artists/chuck-d), [JPEGMAFIA](https://www.nme.com/artists/jpegmafia) and [Kaytranada](https://www.nme.com/artists/KAYTRANADA) following his death. [Damon Albarn](https://www.nme.com/artists/damon-albarn) has shared a musical tribute to [De La Soul](https://www.nme.com/artists/de-la-soul)‘s David “Trugoy The Dove” Jolicoeur. [ hip-hop trio died at the age of 54 yesterday](https://www.nme.com/news/music/david-trugoy-the-dove-jolicoeur-from-de-la-soul-has-died-aged-54-3397051) (February 12).