De La Soul rapper and DJ David Jude Jolicoeur has died, he was 54 years old. No cause of death has been given at this time, but the rapper did not appear alongside his bandmates at last week’s Grammy tribute to hip-hop.
Jolicoeur, who performed under the pseudonym Trugoy the Dove, and more recently just Dave, formed the group in 1987 with friends Vincent Mason and Kelvin Mercer. They became known as Maceo and Posdnous respectively. Trugoy is yogurt spelt backwards.
The trio are widely regarded as pioneers of alternative hip hop. De La Soul’s music is characterised by its eclectic mix of jazz, funk, and soul samples, as well as their humorous and introspective lyrics.
De La Soul’s debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, was released in 1989 and is widely considered a classic of the genre. The album was a departure from the more hardcore, street-oriented sounds that dominated hip hop at the time, and instead showcased the group’s creative and playful approach to the genre.
3 Feet High and Rising was a critical and commercial success and is widely credited with helping to popularise alternative hip hop. It included the singles Eye Know, The Magic Number, Me Myself and I, and Say No Go.
Over the course of their career, De La Soul has released a number of critically acclaimed albums, including De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), and And the Anonymous Nobody (2016).
Jolicoeur also featured on Feel Good Inc, the mega-hit from cartoon band The Gorillaz. His distinctive laugh can be heard at the start of the song, and he raps the second verse.
Despite being one of the most acclaimed bands in the hip-hop genre, De La Soul’s music has been absent from streaming services. The band have attributed this to Warner Bros not wanting to renegotiate legal clearances for the wide number of samples used in their work.
It was recently announced that the band’s six albums would be added to streaming services in March 2023 and a series of re-releases of their initial singles has been underway.
OIP Staff
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