Maseo of De La Soul Makes First Public Statement Since Trugoy the Dove's Death

Maseo of De La Soul went to Instagram on Tuesday to publicly mourn the death of member Trugoy the Dove, who passed on February 12.

De La Soul's Maseo went to Instagram on Monday (February 20) to mourn the death of member David Jude Jolicoeur aka Trugoy the Dove. As De La Soul's sole DJ, or Plug Three, Maseo posted a throwback photo of the Long Island hip-hop trio – including Posdnuos – on the day the group signed to Tommy Boy Records. Those also seen in the picture are DJ Prince Paul, who produced the group's first three albums, along with music executive and former Tommy Boy Records president, Monica Lynch.

“This is the day we signed our contract with Tommy Boy… Much Love And Respect To Monica Lynch,” Maseo, legal name Vincent Mason, wrote in his caption.

Offering their condolences in the comments section were DJ Premier, Busta Rhymes, A-Track, Diamond D and more. Mason followed-up with an image of De La Soul's black medallion dedicated to their 1989 debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising.

“Since 1988,” he wrote in the caption, referencing the group's 35 years of existence, which was briefly highlighted during the all-star Grammys tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. Although Trugoy and Mason were noticeably amiss from the segement, Posdnous held it down, performing a snippet of their 1989 single "Buddy."

Mason's acknowledgment on Instagram comes a little over a week after news broke of Trugoy's death. Artists including Nas, Pharrell Williams, LL Cool J, Common, Queen Latifah and more commemorated the late emcee, who died just weeks before the March 3 release of De La Soul's back catalog on streaming services. In January, the group announced that their first six albums will be digitally distributed after years of legal issues with Tommy Boy Records.

“We can’t believe this day is finally here, and we are excited to be able to share our music with fans, old and new,” De La said in a statement at the time. “Golnar [Khosrowshahi], Rell [Lafargue], Faith [Newman] and the Reservoir team have been great partners in this entire process. We’re grateful that our relationship with them all has enabled this to happen.”