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Trugoy The Dove, a cofounder of the legendary hip-hop trio De La Soul, has died. He was 54 years old.
The cause of death has not been released to the public. AllHipHop was the first to report Trugoy’s death. The group’s publicist, Tony Ferguson, confirmed Trugoy died.
Trugoy, born David Jude Jolicoeur along with high school friends Posdnuos (Kelvin Mercer) and Maseo (Vincent Mason) would form De La Soul in the mid-80s. The group would go on to release their groundbreaking debut “3 Feet High and Rising” in 1988. Their more conscious style of rap made them known as “Hip-Hop Hippies.” De La Soul, along with A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah and Black Sheep would be known as the “Native Tounges,” delivering more positive-minded, Afrocentric, and eclectic lyrics behind sampled beats that would inspire a generation.
Trugoy would go by many aliases including Plug Two, Dove, JD Dove or Dave.
The group recently was engaged in a battle to get their music added to streaming platforms with their former label, Tommy Boy Records. Reservoir Media would go on to acquire the catalog of the label and the group’s music will be added to all streaming platforms in March 2023.
In recent years, Trugoy would open up about serious health issues including congestive heart failure.
Jolicoeur battled health problems in recent years including sharing news of his struggles with congestive heart failure in 2018. The trio also remained an active touring act for much of their career before Jolicoeur’s health slowed the group’s output. Still, there were recent whispers that new music would be on the horizon along with the release of their back catalog.
The group’s music has largely been missing from streaming services and after a long legal battle, De La Soul obtained the rights to the album’s releases via Tommy Boy Records and are slated to drop on DSPs on March 3.
De La Soul was one of the legends featured in the Hip-Hop 50th Anniversary tribute at the 65th Grammy Awards on On Feb. 5, 2023. Still, the group’s impact on hip-hop music is understated.
During a rap era where mainstream hip-hop glorified gun and gang violence – similar to today where trap and drill music are seen as the least commercially viable subgenres – acts like De La Soul, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Run DMC and Black Sheep provided conscience commentary, different perspectives and abstract approaches to the music genre.
The late 1980s was when hip-hop acts like Public Enemy and NWA were tackling police brutality. In a hostile time of racial injustice, De La Soul’s peace-positive debut album 3 Feet High and Rising became the alternative hippie voice of reason in hip-hop, with its trippy floral designs.
The trio led a refreshing and new direction in the genre, being one of the most influential hip-hop groups of its generation with singles like “Me, Myself, And I,” “Say No Go” and “Eye Know,” only reaching as high as No. 24 on the Billboard 200 chart.
3 Feet High and Rising entered in the Library Of Congress and, according to AV Club, is one of the “best albums of the 20th century.”
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RIP Trugoy: Founding Member Of De La Soul Dies At 54 was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
