De La Soul’s surviving members, Posdnuos and Maseo, have paid touching tributes to their late bandmate Trugoy the Dove.
The hip-hop legend – whose real name was David Jolicoeur – sadly passed away aged 54 on February 12, and his bandmates have shared individual tributes to Dove, with Posdnuos, 53, thanking him for helping them become a trio that will forever “remain etched in the timeline of hip hop culture” and the “fabric of music”.
Posdnuos – whose real name is Kelvin Mercer – penned on Instagram: “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.”
He also revealed the sweet way they will honour Dove’s memory during their shows.
Referring to their 1991 track ‘Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)’, he continued: “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.'”
Maseo – who was born Vincent Lamont Mason Jr. – admitted that while he and Dove didn’t always see eye to eye, their love for each other was always stronger.
He wrote: “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.”
On the origins of his nickname, he added: “I remember your mom calling you Dove, so you’ve always had wings, so go on and fly into the light, Merce and I will make sure your legacy is well preserved.”
Dove had suffered from congestive heart failure in recent years, but no cause of death is known at this time.
De La Soul’s tributes come after Damon Albarn posted a piano tribute in his collaborator’s memory.
The Blur and Gorillaz star – who co-wrote 90s classic ‘Feel Good Inc.’ with Dove – captioned the 55-second clip of him playing the moving piece: “A loop for Dave. I love you.”
The sad news of David’s death came just over a week after the highly influential group were honoured during a segment celebrating the genre at the Grammys on February 5.
What’s more, on March 3, the trio’s first six albums will be available to stream for the first time.
De La Soul faced a number of lengthy licensing issues due to the sheer number of samples they had used in the music, which stopped them from having their tunes reach new ears online.
Their hits include 1989’s ‘The Magic Number’ and ‘Me, Myself and I’.