De La Soul suffered an incomparable loss in February 2023, when founding member Trugoy the Dove died at the age of 54.
As one-third of the group alongside Posdnuos and Maseo, Trugoy was instrumental in shaping De La Soul’s groundbreaking sound. His death came after years of battling health issues, including congestive heart failure and diabetes, but it was still a shock. As they say, however, the show must go on.
Roughly two weeks after Trugoy’s death, De La Soul’s first six albums—3 Feet High and Rising (1989), De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) and AOI: Bionix (2001)—were released on DSPs following a contentious, years-long battle with their former label, Tommy Boy Records.
What was meant to be an all-out celebration at Webster Hall in New York City turned into a somber (yet healing) memorial for one of Hip-Hop’s greats. Needless to say, the immense grief Mase and Pos are feeling doesn’t go away and affects them every day.
“It’s crazy,” Mase tells AllHipHop. “I used to be outside more. It’s been hard to come outside. I mean, I come out enough to deal with the responsibility of what we need to live up to, but then I like to go back home really quick.”
In the wake of Trugoy’s death, De La Soul has continued to honor his legacy while moving forward as a group. Last Friday (March 7), Pos and Mase re-issued the rare Clear Lake Audiotorium EP that De La Soul recorded in 1994 amid the Bulhoone Mindstate era. Considered the “Holy Grail” of De La Soul’s catalog, the project was initially limited to just 500 copies and initially boasted four tracks, including one featuring a verse from the late Phife Dawg.
But that’s only the beginning. A third installment of Art Official Intelligence has been in the works for years and although it’s getting closer to seeing the light of day, Maseo wants it to be properly presented.
“As fast as I would love for it to come out, I can’t really rush the creative process, because I want that s### to be fire,” he says. “I’m really excited about the music we’ve been creating. There’s a lot on our plate. We kind of got a lot of good problems here lately. We’re just trying to keep up with all these great opportunities. Right at the helm is creating music.”
And Posdnuos is raring to go. Mase adds, “I talked to Pos yesterday, because there’s been a few great things coming up and that people are in support of, but he’s like, ‘Mase, man, you handle that s### ’cause I just wanna rap right now.’ He’s like, ‘I just wanna rap.’”
There’s also a Mass Appeal “legends” project De La Soul is expected to show up on, but Maseo says it’s “still in the works.” Features tentatively include Slick Rick, Raekwon, Pete Rock, Chuck D, Flavor Flav and DJ Premier.
“There are a lot of great people involved, and it’s something I think we should be a part of,” he notes. “We’ve been asked to be a part of it, so I’m kind of looking forward to that. But definitely AOI:3.”
But for hardcore De La Soul fans, their upcoming record with Prince Paul is likely among the most exciting updates. Prince Paul produced the first three De La albums, and helped define an era.
“I’m dead ass,” he says with a chuckle. “That was some New York s### right here [laughs]. We are working with Prince Paul again. It feels right.”
The blessings just keep coming. Pos and Maseo had a recent performance in Switzerland and in January, they performed at the Lincoln Center in New York City, where they headlined David Geffen Hall for the first time. Pos earned a Grammy Award nomination for his verse on Common and Pete Rock’s single “When the Sun Shines Again,” which appeared on the duo’s collaborative album The Auditorium Vol. 1.
De La Soul’s music was also featured in the Peloton Artist Series and on February 6, Pos and Maseo released a remastered collection of “Say No Go” remixes featuring the original version of the track alongside the “House of Love” remix, the dance-infused “New Keys Vocal” and an infectious “Say No Dope Mix,” among others.
It’s hard not to imagine Trugoy is somewhere orchestrating all of this. Like the song “Here In After” from De La Soul’s 2016 masterpiece, …And the Anonymous Nobody, goes, “I hear your voice/With me/With the way/Gone for now but here to stay/But here to stay/I will always place your memory.”
They could’ve never predicted that they would lose Trugoy so soon after the song was written, but Maseo and Posdnuos will carry a piece of Trugoy with them for the rest of their lives—and after. His absence is deeply felt, but his influence endures as a cornerstone of Hip-Hop culture.
