Earlier this year, De La Soul member David Jolicoeur died at the age of 54. The rapper, who went by the stage name Trugoy the Dove, was an integral part of the rise of alternative hip-hop during the 1980 and was one of the most beloved members of the New York Collective. However, his counterpart Kelvin ‘Posdnuos’ Mercer has recently paid tribute to on his latest track, ‘Round Trip (For Dave).’
Formed in the 1980s, the iconic trio was comprised of three individuals, Posdnuos, the late Trugoy The Dove and Maseo. Along with collectives such as A Tribe Called Quest and The Roots, De La Soul were part of the rise of jazz-hop and alternative hip-hop in the late-’80s and impacted the genre heavily.
Primarily known for their 1989 debut album, 3 Feet High And Rising, the trio brought many unique and compelling musical creations to the airwaves. The group utilised obscure samples within their productions, had quirky lyrics and cadences and brought a colourful, less threatening aesthetic to the culture.
The group were also part of the Native Tongues, a larger collective Comprised of Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love, Queen Latifah, Black Sheep and Chi-Ali. In an interview with Medium magazine shortly before his passing, Jolicoeur explained the ethos of De La Soul and Native Tongues, disclosing, We don’t allow the industry or the lights or glamour or whatever it may be to get in the way of our focus. Our focus is simply making good music.
Speaking on the importance of musical integrity to De La and Native Tongues, Jolicoeur elaborated, “We weren’t running to do commercials and movies and running to be in L.A. and hang out in Hollywood or whatever the case may be. A lot of our peers were running around because it seemed bigger than life!”
Jolicoeur sadly passed away on February 12th. However, his crewmate Posdnuos has spoken about his legacy on Statik Selektah’s latest album. With lyrics such as, “My brother left on his return ticket so the pieces of our heart / I guess some were left to picket / His round trip journey returned him to the source,” the song entitled ‘Round Trip (For Dave)’ is a highly spiritual song.
The album of the same name from the Boston producer also features Logic, Joey Bada$$ and several Wu-Tang Clan members. You can listen to the song from the De La Soul member in the video below.
