2023 has already been a bittersweet year for De La Soul.
The legendary Hip Hop group lost founding member David “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur on February 12. A few weeks later, De La Soul’s music catalog finally became available on streaming services.
Fans of the East Coast-based emcees can now listen to classic albums such as 1989’s 3 Feet High and Rising and 1996’s Stakes Is High on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Tidal, and other digital service providers.
In response to De La Soul’s music becoming streamable, Apple Music 1 released a never-before-aired conversation with the trio from February 2018. Ebro Darden sat down with Maseo, Posdnuos, and the late Trugoy the Dove. The discussion included Darden asking De La Soul if they communicate with younger Hip Hop artists.
“It’s funny you mentioned that it was a serious question that came from one artist that approached us when we were on the road and we were running into him very often, just in passing. And that was A$AP Rocky,” recalled Maseo.
The rapper also known as Plug Three continued, “And he came into the dressing room and he was like, ‘Yo, I see y’all everywhere, everywhere. Ever since I came out, I still see De La Soul. I need to know how y’all still doing it.’ He said, ‘Because I’m in a little longer now and I’m going through upsets and I’m considered to be old-school now. And I’ve only been in the game maybe about six, seven years.’ This was what, five years ago? He wanted to know.”
Trugoy the Dove also mentioned meeting Earl Sweatshirt of Odd Future. The multi-member Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All rose to prominence as an alternative Hip Hop collective in the early 2010s. Tyler, The Creator, Frank Ocean, and The Internet came from OFWGKTA.
“They are young folks too. And yet some of them aren’t aware of what we’ve done just naturally because they’re younger. I remember when we bumped into Earl Sweatshirt,” said Trugoy the Dove in the Apple Music interview before his passing.
Trugoy also added, “It was funny because I think far as far back as he goes is Stakes Is High. But it was nice to see that when we look at it, we’re like, these guys remind us of ourselves. And for him to see us and give us accolades, it was like, ‘Okay, the connection is there. We know it’s there.'”