Posdnuos & Maseo Remember Their De La Soul Brother Dave
Ten days after the music world lost a legend in the passing of David Jude Jolicoeur, his two De La Soul band-mates have used social media to honor their fallen brother—known to the Hip-Hop world by Dave, Trugoy The Dove, and Plug 2. The surviving two-thirds of the Grammy Award-winning collective combined the mournful with some humor, in true De La fashion.
Online today (February 22), Posdnuous spoke of his band-mate, and Dave’s impact on the group and his life. He also spoke of a De La Soul Is Dead song, and vowed that it takes on new meaning after February 12. Pos’ posted a black-and-white photo of Dave, along with other images of their group.
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“You were the heart of our group. You brought so much creativity, energy, and passion to our music, and your influence will be felt for years to come. Your passing is a great loss not only to us, but also to the entire Hip-Hop community. You were a true artist who used music to inspire and uplift others, and you will be deeply missed by all who knew you. This is heavy on our hearts and minds but we are smiling and even laughing at all the great times we shared with you. As we attempt to navigate this world without you, we stand grateful and proud of all you accomplished on this earth.
We would like to say thank you Dave for being a big brother. Thank you for being a friend. Thank you for the wise words placed in your verses. Thank you for the music you produced that is loved by so many. Thank you for never wanting to compromise the quality of our brand. Thank you for helping us become a group that will remain etched in the timeline of Hip-Hop culture as well as the fabric of music and for now on when we perform ‘Ring Ring Ring Ha Ha Hey,’ we will say ‘2-2-2-2-222 we got an angel in heaven who can talk to you‘
Love you Dave!
Sincerely,
Merce (Pos)”
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Maseo, De La Soul’s DJ and longtime producer, posted several photos—including one of De La Soul signing to Tommy Boy Records in the 1980s. Label founder Tom Silverman, and then president Monica Lynch appear in the vintage photo. Others in the IG slide feature the trio, and Dave alone.
Maseo spoke candidly about his brotherhood, and Jolicoeur‘s leadership within De La. “Dave, thank you so much for being in my life. Although you and I would argue like hell, we would both admit when we were wrong and totally come full circle and say, ‘I Love You.’ I want to truly thank you for having the bird’s eye view of our collective vision to be a group.”
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Maseo adds, “I remember your mom calling you Dove, so you’ve always had wings, so go on and fly into the light, Merc’e and I will make sure your legacy is well preserved. ‘We Are De La Soul’ for life and after life, but obviously, it will never be the same. On one end I’m happy you no longer have to suffer the pain of your condition, but on the other hand, I’m extremely upset at the fact that you’re not here to celebrate and enjoy what we worked and fought so hard to achieve. Unfortunately, MCs that are in groups very rarely get mentioned. You and Merce are top-tier. Your contribution as MCs and songwriters have inspired many to step up there game.”
He adds, “Damn it, Dave! To be writing about you in past tense is crazy, but at least I got to tell you a lot of this and more—except for the part about being named Dove. Let me just end off by saying I am very content and more than reassured about our relationship as brothers, because we discussed it thoroughly and solidified what is necessary just in case something happened to any of us, but who would’ve thought so soon when there was so much to live for.”
Maseo closes in saying, “My soul is hurting really bad, but I want to thank my brother [Posdnuos] for digging me out of my hole alongside my wife and children. To all the De La Fans, our peers, constituents and family, thank you for all of your support through this troubling time.” Maseo also shout-outs Amityville, Long Island and reminds all that Dave’s contributions cannot be forgotten.
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On the latest episode of the What’s The Headline podcast (embedded in video and audio below), the Ambrosia For Heads team echoes the point that groups sometimes cause great individual MCs and songwriters to go overlooked. The episode analyzes Dave’s impact, his uniqueness, and some of his greatest verses.
On March 3, De La Soul’s first six albums will be made available for authorized streaming for the first time in history. During 2021, the group acquired ownership of their early catalog after a long and personal battle with Tommy Boy. After the label was acquired by a new owner, Reservoir Media, that company gave those works to their artistic creators. Since the early January announcement, the trio began re-releasing several songs from these albums online.
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Earlier this month, Pos’ appeared at Grammy Awards to perform during a special concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. Another Native Tongues member, Queen Latifah, also appeared in a mega-medley that featured LL Cool J, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Run-D.M.C., and Missy Elliott, among others.
#BonusBeat: On Posdnuos’ page, he posted this video of Dave: