One third of the legendary rap trio De La Soul, Trugoy the Dove, has died. He had been complaining about congestive heart issues over the last few years and declining health. He was 54.
Trugoy, born David Jude Jolicoeur, along with high school friends known as Posdnuos and Maseo were raised in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. Their first album 3 Feet High and Rising was released on the Tommy Boy label after producer Prince Paul caught wind of the act in the late 80s. The first album was their most successful. AllHipHop broke the story today of Dave’s passing.
In recent years the group fought hard to get ownership of their masters and stated they had missed massive earnings for their work as their Tommy Boy Records catalog was not available on streaming service providers. The group scored a victory when they garnered their masters for their seven albums when Tommy Boy sold to Reservoir Media. Dave’s voice was leading in the complaints against Tommy Boy founder Tom Silverman for the alleged poor negotiations for steaming royalties for De La Soul’s work. Developing story