RIP Trugoy the Dove

David Jolicoeur (known as Trugoy the Dove) of De La Soul died on Sunday - he was 54 years old.

The rap trio expanded the stylistic vocabulary of hip-hop in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. I can remember watching Yo! MTV Raps in college and being blown away by De La Soul, their music incorporating jazz, their lyrics were poetry. The song “Me Myself and I” was all over the airwaves. It was David’s voice you heard first: “Mirror mirror on the wall/Tell me mirror, what is wrong?” he rapped. “Can it be my De La clothes/Or is it just my De La song?”

He was not the forceful emcee that you found back in the time when they were huge. Bandmade Posdnuos was the face of De La Soul, but don’t be fooled by Trugoy hanging back in the shadows of success. His lyrics and voice were a force.

De La Soul flipped hip-hop at a time when acts like Public Enemy and many others were confrontational and in your face (for good reason). De La Soul was angsty but hopeful, playful yet mindful and almost meditative. They were slackers. They created the D.A.I.S.Y. age (Da Inner Sound Y’all).

Their debut, 3 Feet High and Rising, was groundbreaking and I loved it. I still have the cassette somewhere in storage. Then came the difficult second album. How do you follow it up? You put out De La Soul Is Dead.

Produced by Prince Paul (who also produced their debut), the album was phenomenal. It was considered at the time as one of the best rap albums of the ‘90s. The album’s title is a reference to the death of the D.A.I.S.Y. age or a distancing itself from several cultures including hippies and mainstream hip-hop.

The band changed direction again with future releases including the outstanding Stakes Is High released in 1996. There was a more direct approach to their lyrics and style. Later on, Trugoy would co-write and contribute vocals to the huge hit by Gorillaz, “Feel Good Inc.”.

There is a bittersweet note here. The early catalog from De La Soul has not been available on streaming platforms because of legal issues. The group worked to rescue their early work and next month, we’ll finally be able to dive into De La’s full catalog.

De La Soul Is Dead. Long Live De La Soul.