If you were listening to music in the late 1980s, there’s every chance you were frequently singing and bouncing along to
De La Soul. Formed in 1988 on Long Island, New York by high school friends Kelvin “Posdnuos” Mercer, David “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur, and Vincent “Maseo” Mason,
the group brought a new brand of rap to the world, combining it with eclectic sampling, playful word-play, jazz, funk, pop and psychedelia. Their 1989 debut album
3 Feet High And Rising and their massive hit
Me, Myself And I instantly made a splash, followed by second single
Say No Go and albums such as
La Soul Is Dead. Together with Queen Latifah and A Tribe Called Quest, among others, the band became part of the Native Tongues collective, committed to positive-minded rap lyrics – as opposed to the much-heard gangsta rap around that time. The unfortunate passing of Trugoy the Dove in 2023 was a shock to De La Soul and the hip-hop world, but the group decided to carry on with his spirit in mind. Their latest album, 2025’s
Cabin In The Sky, was their first in nine years and serves as a tribute to Trugoy.
