De La Soul's Vincent "Maseo" Mason and Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer have shared tributes to their late group mate David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, one third of the influential trio who passed away earlier this month.
Both Mason and Mercer have penned respective tributes to Jolicoeur, shared via De La Soul's official Instagram account this afternoon.
"Dave - thank you so much for being in my life," Mercer begins. "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.' I want to truly thank you for having the birds eye view of our collective vision to be a group."
Mercer recalls meeting Jolicoeur in 1985, writing, "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. "We Are De La Soul" for life and after life, but obviously, it will never be the same. On one end I'm happy you no longer have to suffer the pain of your condition but on the other hand I'm extremely upset at the fact that you're not here to celebrate and enjoy what we worked and fought so hard to achieve."
Mason writes, in part, "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," continuing, "We would like to say thank you Dave for being a big brother. Thank you for being a friend. Thank you for the wise words placed in your verses. Thank you for the music you produced that is loved by so many. Thank you for never wanting to compromise the quality of our brand.
"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'."
Jolicoeur had spoken about challenges faced in recent years from heart-related health issues, and discussed how his condition had impacted his career in clip that appeared in De La Soul's music video for 2016 track "Royalty Capes."
De La Soul's first six full-length albums — 1989's 3 Feet High and Rising, 1991's De La Soul Is Dead, 1993's Buhloone Mindstate, 1996's Stakes Is High, 2000's Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump and 2001's AOI: Bionix — will arrive on streaming services March 3 following years of negotiations to regain control of their catalogue.
Find Mason and Mercer's complete tributes below.
Frequent collaborator Damon Albarn, who won a Grammy alongside De La Soul for their work on Gorillaz hit "Feel Good Inc.", paid musical tribute to Jolicoeur shortly after his passing.
Both Mason and Mercer have penned respective tributes to Jolicoeur, shared via De La Soul's official Instagram account this afternoon.
"Dave - thank you so much for being in my life," Mercer begins. "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.' I want to truly thank you for having the birds eye view of our collective vision to be a group."
Mercer recalls meeting Jolicoeur in 1985, writing, "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. "We Are De La Soul" for life and after life, but obviously, it will never be the same. On one end I'm happy you no longer have to suffer the pain of your condition but on the other hand I'm extremely upset at the fact that you're not here to celebrate and enjoy what we worked and fought so hard to achieve."
Mason writes, in part, "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," continuing, "We would like to say thank you Dave for being a big brother. Thank you for being a friend. Thank you for the wise words placed in your verses. Thank you for the music you produced that is loved by so many. Thank you for never wanting to compromise the quality of our brand.
"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'."
Jolicoeur had spoken about challenges faced in recent years from heart-related health issues, and discussed how his condition had impacted his career in clip that appeared in De La Soul's music video for 2016 track "Royalty Capes."
De La Soul's first six full-length albums — 1989's 3 Feet High and Rising, 1991's De La Soul Is Dead, 1993's Buhloone Mindstate, 1996's Stakes Is High, 2000's Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump and 2001's AOI: Bionix — will arrive on streaming services March 3 following years of negotiations to regain control of their catalogue.
Find Mason and Mercer's complete tributes below.
Frequent collaborator Damon Albarn, who won a Grammy alongside De La Soul for their work on Gorillaz hit "Feel Good Inc.", paid musical tribute to Jolicoeur shortly after his passing.
