In the early ’90s, De La Soul shaped East Coast hip-hop. The trio sets itself apart from gangsta rap in terms of content – and is successful. One of the founding members has passed away.
The US rapper David Jolicoeur aka Trugoy the Dove from the hip-hop trio De La Soul is dead. This is reported by several US media, which refer to a spokesman for the musicians. Jolicoeur was 54 years old. A cause of death was not given. In recent years he had spoken publicly about heart problems.
Trugoy and school friends Posdnuos and Maseo founded De La Soul in 1988 in Amityville, Long Island, New York. Their debut album “3 Feet High and Rising” with the hit “Me, Myself and I” gave the trio their breakthrough in 1989. It set itself apart from the usual gangsta rap of the time with versatile samples, intelligent wordplay and a carefree attitude to life and had a major influence on the alternative hip-hop scene.
De La Soul’s last album was 2016’s And the Anonymous Nobody…, their first since 2004. The album featured Little Dragon, David Byrne, Damon Albarn, Usher and others. There was a documentary about it called “We’re Still Here (Now)…”.
The hip-hop trio’s music consisted of jazz and funk samples – a technique that contributed to their signature sound but also led to their songs being embroiled in legal disputes for years. The problems with the release of samples are said to have partly led to the fact that many of the group’s songs were not available on streaming services, reports Pitchfork magazine. However, it was recently announced that their song catalog will be available from March 3rd.
Following Trugoy’s death, condolences were expressed by many hip-hop stars, including Usher and Pharrell. Rapper Big Daddy Kane declared: “It was an honor to be on so many stages with you.”
