Rapper Trugoy the Dove from De La Soul dies at 54

Jolicoeur's death was confirmed by his representative on Sunday night (February 12). No cause was disclosed.

However, the musician had suffered from congestive heart failure in recent years and spoke openly about his health condition.

'We lost another legend of hip hop music'

In response to the news of his death, tributes poured in on social media.

"We lost another legend of hip hop music and culture in my brother Trugoy aka Dave of De La Soul," wrote Cypress Hill's lead rapper, Be Real. "His music will allow him to live in our hearts and minds as he is gone. But not only was he a great musician but he was a great human being. He meant a lot to us."

"This one hurts," rapper Erik Sermon posted on Instagram, adding that De La Soul were "one of the best rap groups in Hiphop."

"You don't understand what De La Soul means to me," tweeted "Luke Cage'' showrunner Cheo Hodari Coke. "Their existence said to me, a black geek from Connecticut that yes, hip-hop belongs to you too, and Trugoy was the balance," he added. "This is a huge loss.''

Trugoy helped create a 'hip-hop masterpiece'

Jolicoeur was born in 1968 in Brooklyn, New York and was raised in Long Island, where he met Vincent Mason (Pasemaster Mase) and Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos). In 1988, the three formed a rap group, with each taking on distinctive names. Trugoy, Jolicoeur said, was backwards for yogurt.

The trio set themselves apart from the gansta rap of the time with signature jazz and funk samples, intelligent wordplay and a quirky style, and would soon have a huge influence on the alternative hip-hop scene.

De La Soul's debut studio album "3 Feet High and Rising," produced by Prince Paul, was released in 1989 by Tommy Boy Records.

The upbeat album enjoyed both commercial and critical success, the distinctive sound again contrasting with the politically-charged charged rap records of the time such as N.W.A's "Straight Outta Compton,'' and Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions.''

In 2010, "3 Feet High and Rising'' was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for its historic significance.

"It's a hip-hop masterpiece for the era in which it was released," Jolicoeur told Billboard earlier this year. "I think the innocence that we had back then was brave, but we were in a time where innocence was so cool.''

Back catalogue available to stream for first time

De La Soul released eight studio albums and the group was nominated for six Grammy Awards, winning one for Best Pop Vocal Collaboration for the Gorillaz song "Feel Good Inc.''

At this year's Grammy ceremony, De La Soul was honored in a star-studded hip-hop tribute covering five decades of the genre. Jolicoeur, however, was not on stage with his fellow bandmates.

In March 2023, De La Soul's back catalog will finally be available on streaming services after years of legal disputes with Tommy Boy Records.

sl/sb (AP, dpa)