Album of the Week: De La Soul honour Trugoy with ‘Cabin in the Sky’
Hip-hop lost one of its most iconic figures with the passing of Trugoy the Dove, also known as Dave and Plug Two, in 2023. As one-third of De La Soul, he helped shape the sound of rap in the 1990s with classic albums such as 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead, and Buhloone Mindstate. Without him, Posdnuos and Maseo are continuing the group’s legacy by honouring their late friend and collaborator.
On November 21st, they returned with their long-awaited new album titled Cabin in the Sky. The follow-up to 2016’s Grammy-nominated And the Anonymous Nobody comes with a title and cover that pays tribute to Trugoy. The project contains 20 tracks with features from the biggest and best in the business, including Nas, Q-Tip, Black Thought, Common, Slick Rick, Killer Mike, Bilal, and Little Dragon’s Yukimi.
As well as high-profile guests, the project boasts multiple production credits from DJ Premier and Pete Rock, as well as Nottz, Jake One, and Supa Dave West. Together, they blend seamlessly into De La Soul’s bright and expansive world, with songs like ‘Sunny Storms’ and ‘Palm of His Hands’ forming the core of the album.
Speaking on the meaning behind the title, Pos told Billboard, “It plays off our own partner who has transitioned and where he is,” he said. “You know, as I explained in the title track, ‘Does he have his cabin? How many acres did he get?’ If you did really well, took care of yourself, helped others, do you get more acreage with his cabin? So it’s like, your mansion or your home in the sky in heaven.”
He continued, “But as Mace would say, joy and pain, there’s a lot of therapy in that album. How we touched on Dave and what we feel and how we feel he should feel and also just this album in general, man. It felt like Dave was working with us from heaven. So that’s how it is. It’s like, I could speak about him and you know the next song is him. He’s very much a part of this album and I think it’s just beautiful.”
Cabin in the Sky was released on Mass Appeal Records as part of a series of legendary rappers dropping projects on the label in 2025, with De La Soul joining the company of Slick Rick, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, Big L, and, by the end of the year, Nas and DJ Premier. It’s narrated by actor Giancarlo Esposito, who is best known for his role as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Some of the standout moments on the album find them flexing their lyrical prowess alongside hip-hop royalty, whether it’s Nas on ‘Run It Back!!’, A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip on ‘Day in the Sun (Gettin’ wit U)’, or The Roots’ Black Thought on ‘EN EFF’. While this many stellar features can sometimes feel forced on a project, they fit right in and form an important part of the puzzle.
Rather than being down in the dumps, Cabin in the Sky feels like a true celebration of life. De La Soul are a prime example of a group that continues to evolve, despite losing one of their founding members, while holding on to the key elements of their sound that fans have known and loved for over 30 years.