Trugoy

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Trugoy, in full Trugoy the Dove, was the stage name of David Jolicoeur, an American rapper best known as one third of the hip hop group De La Soul. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1968, to Haitian-American parents, and grew up in East Massapequa on Long Island. At secondary school he became friends with Vincent Mason, Kelvin Mercer and Paul Huston. Mason, Mercer and he formed De La Soul, under the names Maseo, Posdnuos and Trugoy. He later explained that the first half of his name is simply the word yogurt spelled backwards. Huston, known as Prince Paul, remained the trio's producer.

Music and breakthrough

The debut album 3 Feet High and Rising matched their quirky clothes and positive message, which led critics to call them the hippies of hip hop. With their second album, De La Soul Is Dead (1991), they pointedly shook off that label. The group was also part of the Native Tongues collective. Jolicoeur co-wrote Feel Good Inc. by Gorillaz, a song featuring De La Soul that won a Grammy in 2006 for best pop collaboration with vocals.

Influence

In his last years he suffered from heart failure and wore a portable defibrillator, which meant he could not always perform. He died on 12 February 2023, aged 54.

Listening