Just heard that Trugoy The Dove aka David Jude Jolicoeur from De La Soul has died…54 is WAY too young. De La Soul along with Eric B & Rakim and Tribe Called Quest (still miss ya, Phife Dawg) and PM Dawn were my introduction to hiphop. I loved the eclectic sampling, the catchy raps, the cheekily stolen hooks, the daisy/bright graphics, the silliness and the serious conscious messages.
It comes at a terrible time, because after 3 decades, De La Soul’s music is finally coming to streaming services in March, those millions of samples on 3 Foot High And Rising have been cleared (see the ‘ft Otis Redding’ on the recently uploaded video for Eye Know for instance) and I assume arguments with Tommy Boy settled. (Edit just read Tommy Boy sold their catalogue, so yeah, sort of! New owners who want to do this…). Nearly 10 years ago De La gave away their catalogue online for free in desperation because of strife and delays with their former record label.
Finally this is sorted…and now Trugoy is gone. *sigh* Can De La catch a break?
Daisy Age rap got much derided by the comical gangster rappers than came after (and got gunned down quickly, you don’t pretend to be a G to real gangsters when you’re a middle class kid!) but I think it was important, intelligent and fun, and I’ve always thought all that West Coast stuff was a step backwards creatively. Less word play, more crap about ‘guns, bitches and bling’ (as Scroobius said, those never will be the four elements). This time was indeed a golden age.
Peace out, Trugoy, definitely one of the GOATs. Daisy Age forever!
And after me, Sprinkler, Mr Sprinkler..Zip-a-de-doo-dah, let’s zip on by…Trugoy might have had a very little part of ‘…Saturdays’ but his part was arguably the best and most memorable.
via Lee Spoons, very appropriately since he does a 80’s hiphop/dance mix on Noisebox 6pm UK time on Fridays called Megablast…
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