De La Soul Celebrated The Life and Legacy of Trugoy The Dove with Rap Royalty in NYC

On the eve of their streaming debut proper, De La Soul put one up for the late Trugoy The Dove with an all-star roster of friends, family, and peers at NYC's Webster Hall.

After decades of legal battles over uncleared samples, De La Soul is officially a part of the modern digital music landscape. Today, the group's first four albums - 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate, and Stakes is High- finally landed on streamers. It's a hard-fought and bittersweet milestone for the Long Island rap legends, who lost founding member, David Jolicoeur, just a few weeks back. Jolicoeur, who was known as Trugoy The Dove, Dave, and Plug 2, died on February 12th, 2023 at the age of 54.

To celebrate Jolicoeur's life and legacy alongside the group's long path to a streaming entry, De La Soul put one up for Trugoy at The DA.I.S.Y Experience. Held at NYC's Webster Hall on Thursday, March 2nd, the eve of their DSP debut proper, the event was presented in partnership with Amazon Music and featured DJ sets from Stretch Armstrong, Rich Medina, D Nice, Clark Kent, and Tony Touch. But the guest list was brimming with friends, family, and peers, eager to toast Trugoy and a watershed moment long overdue. Dave Chappelle and Q-Tip were early and welcome drop-ins, warming up the crowd with some light and riling words. Later in the evening, Chuck D, Talib Kweli, and Black Thought, each went a round on the mic. Queen Latifah and Monie Love stormed in from the wings to perform "U.N.I.T.Y." and "Ladies First."

And as the night pushed on, the stage continued to swell with rap royalty --  including Kid Capri, Just Blaze, Common, Pete Rock, Diamond D, DJ Premier, Busta Rhymes, Large Professor, and too many more to accurately recall -- until Posdenous and Maseo themselves arrived. Flanked by dozens of their comrades, Pos and Mase carried the night to a heart-filling close, performing selections from their nearly liberated back catalog, pausing for a few moments just ahead of midnight only to commence a Chappelle-led countdown. When the clock hit 12, daisy-shaped balloons cascaded from the ceiling as the remaining members of De La Soul put one up for the late Jolicoeur.

You can flip through the sights and sounds from The DA.I.S.Y Experience below. Stream the entirety of the De La Soul catalog (finally) on your streamer of choice today.