The reason behind De La Soul’s rap names
De La Soul’s place in the culture was as a legendary trio who, in their short but sweet time in the limelight, impacted the rap music culture. Although the collective didn’t have a lengthy run, that’s not to undermine their importance in developing the epic East Coast Jazz-Hop subgenre.
The Long Island collective was a critical force in promoting alternative hip-hop during the 1980s. Comprised of three individuals, Posdnuos, the late Trugoy The Dove and Mase, the New York collective, used his ingenuity to produce music that broke the boundaries of hip-hop and encouraged sonic fusion.
Primarily known for their 1989 debut album, 3 Feet High And Rising, it is impossible to deny De La Soul’s impact on rap music. However, some may argue that they were undervalued and even unappreciated during their tenure. Moreover, many may even state the obvious, which is that they were truly ahead of their time.
The trio brought a multitude of strange and compelling musical creations to the airwaves. De La Soul used eclectic samples within their productions, utilised quirky lyrics and cadences and brought a colourful, less threatening aesthetic to the culture.
However, they never set out to be “different”. In a 1989 promo run for their debut album, Trugoy the Dove explained, “It wasn’t an idea of being completely different what it was was that our backgrounds influenced us to be different. My background influence was my parents listened to a lot of old western, some jazz, reggae. Mase’s parents listened to a lot of calypso and a lot of R&B and Pos’ parents listened to a lot of jazz!”
Although they never inytened to be different, they were, and one strange thing that De La Soul brough to the game was their names. Although that sounds like a strange thing, their stage names were far from normal and, to the naked ear they sound nonsensical. That said, they were asked on many occasions to explain the meaning behind their monikers.
With most MCs it’s clear to see their progression. Jay-Z for example. The Brooklyn native was under the wing of Jaz-O, so he called himself Jazzy. However, wanting to be like his mentor, he split it into two and, after a little rearranging, landed on Jay-Z. But Trugoy The Dove, Posdnuos, and Mase sound alien to most people.
That said, in that same interview, the three members explained how they decided their musical pseudonyms. Pos began explaining, “Pos is backwards for ‘Sop’ and Dnuos is is backwards for ‘Sound’. Sop Sound.”
Trugoy the Dove revealed the origin of his pseudonym, detailing, “Trugoy is ‘Yogurt’ backwards. Yogurt I enjoy to eat and I eat it a lot!” Mase then explained “Mase actually stands for ‘Making A Soul Effort.’” It’s a reminder that De La Soul put thought into absolutely everything they did as a group.