Trugoy the Dove dies

Why it matters

David Jude Jolicoeur, who recorded as Trugoy the Dove (and later just Dave) in De La Soul, died on February 12, 2023, of congestive heart failure. He was 54. He had been openly managing a heart condition for several years. Trugoy was one of the three voices of De La Soul (with Posdnuos and Maseo) from the group's formation in 1987 through his death. The De La catalog (3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate, Stakes Is High, plus everything after) is foundational to the Native Tongues movement and to alternative-rap as a broader category. Trugoy's specific voice on those records (the slightly higher register, the more melodic phrasing, the slightly more conceptual writing register than Pos's) was one of the most-imitated MC voices of the late-80s and early-90s alternative-rap scene. The group's catalog had finally returned to streaming services on March 3, 2023, three weeks after Trugoy's death, after a decades-long sample-clearance dispute. He missed it by three weeks. You can hear the De La records on streaming now. You should. He earned getting them back.