As football fans around the country get ready for Super Bowl LVII, the Hip-Hop community is mourning the death of Trugoy the Dove. The De La Soul luminary passed away over the weekend at the age of 54 AllHipHop confirmed with his team.
While the news begins to travel on social media, a plethora of Hip-Hop artists are in apparent shock over his passing. From Evidence and Big Daddy Kane to Royce Da 5’9 and R.A. Rugged Man, there’s no shortage of condolences pouring in on Twitter and Instagram.
After all, this was a big year for De La Soul. The trio’s first six albums—3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate, Stakes Is High and Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump and AOI: Bionix—will finally be available on streaming platforms beginning March 3. It was a long, arduous road to get there and Maseo, Dave and Posdnuos had to endure years of unsuccessful negotiations with their former label, Tommy Boy Records.
Over the last few weeks, De La Soul has been ramping up promo in anticipation of March 3. De La fans have been eagerly awaiting the albums to be uploaded after all this time and it’s undoubtedly a gut punch to them as well. Meanwhile, the tributes continue to pour in; check some of them out below.