by David Jude Jolicoeur, widely known as Trugoy the Dove and one of the founding members of Long Island hip-hop trio De La Soul, has died. He was 54.
His representative, Tony Ferguson, confirmed the reports on Sunday. Further information was not immediately available.
In recent years, Jolicoeur had said he battled congestive heart failure and lived with a LifeVest machine attached to his body. De La Soul was part of the hip-hop tribute at the Grammy Awards last week, but Trugoy didn’t share the stage with his bandmates.
Tributes poured out on social media shortly after the news broke on Sunday.
“Dave! It was an honor to share so many stages with you guys,” wrote rapper Big Daddy Kane on Instagram.
Rapper Erik Sermon posted on Instagram: “This hurts. From Long Island from one of the best rap groups in hip hop #Delasoul #plug2 Dave has passed away you will be missed…RIP.”
The young guru added: “Rest in peace my brother. you were loved @plugwondelasoul I love you brother we are here for you. Smile I love you brother. This is crazy,” and DJ Semtex wrote that it was “heartbreaking news.”
Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker wrote on Twitter: “You don’t understand what De La Soul means to me. Their existence told me, a black Connecticut geek, that hip-hop belongs to you too, and Trugoy was the balance, McCartney for Pos Lennon, Keith for his Mick. This is a great loss.”
Born in Brooklyn but raised in the Amityville area of Long Island, Jolicoeur met Vincent Mason (Pasemaster Mase) and Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos) and the three decided to start a rap group, each taking their own names . Trugoy, Jolicoeur said, was wrong for “yogurt.” He had been with Dave lately.
De La Soul’s debut studio album, 3 Feet High and Rising, produced by Prince Paul, was released by Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and was 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,” which was released just a year earlier.
From Johnny Cash and Steely Dan to Hall & Oates, De La Soul sampled the dawn of alternative hip-hop. In Rolling Stone, critic Michael Azerrad called it the first “psychedelic hip-hop record”. Some even called them a hippie group, although members didn’t entirely like it.
In 2010, “3 Feet High and Rising” was listed in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for its historical significance.
They followed with 1991’s De La Soul Is Dead, which was a bit darker and more critically divisive, and 1996’s Stakes is High.
De La Soul released eight albums and was set to make her streaming service debut on Spotify, Apple Music and more in March after a long battle with Tommy Boy Records over legal and publishing matters. Reservoir’s acquisition of Tommy Boy Records in 2021, featuring the likes of De La Soul, Queen Latifah and Naughty By Nature, helped move things forward and the full catalog was due out on March 3rd.
