David Jolicoeur was a founding member of the pioneering rap trio De La Soul. He performed under the names “Trugoy the Dove,” “Plug Two,” and simply “Dave.”
- Died: February 12, 2023 (Who else died on February 12?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 54.
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Hip-hop innovators
Jolicoeur was born in Brooklyn in 1968 before his family moved to suburban Long Island, where he formed De La Soul with high school friends Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer and Vincent “Maseo” Mason. The group’s playful tone, middle-class roots, and mellow style offered a distinctive contrast to the grittier hip hop acts of the day, and De La Soul found a broad audience through channels ranging from college radio to music television.
Beyond their alternative vibe, De La Soul was known for their then-experimental use of techniques like skits and music sampling. Copyright complications from the latter kept the group’s work out of digital distribution for decades; Jolicoeur’s death comes just as De La Soul resolved their final rights dispute and announced the upcoming release of their full classic catalog, including their beloved debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, which features their most famous track, “Me, Myself, and I.”
Recent years
Jolicoeur and De La Soul remained a vibrant part of the hip-hop community over the years; notable later works include the 2005 Gorillaz collaboration “Feel Good Inc.,” which Jolicoeur co-wrote. The groups’ 2016 album, And the Anonymous Nobody, was financed by a $600,000 Kickstarter. Around that time, Jolicouer publicly announced that he was living with congestive heart failure.
Notable quote
Jolicoeur offered these reflections on De La Soul’s cultural impact in a recent Billboard article: “I think the element of that time of what was taking place in music, hip-hop, and our culture, I think it welcomed that and opened up minds and spirits to see and try new different things.”
Tributes to David Jolicoeur
Full obituary: The New York Times
