DJ Jazzy Jeff has opened up about his “brotherhood” with De La Soul and his conversation with Posdnuos and Maseo following the recent passing of David “Trugoy The Dove” Jolicoeur.
During an interview with HipHopDX, the legendary Philly DJ/producer reflected on the loss of Trugoy, who tragically died age 54 on February 12, and his close relationship with the Long Island trio.
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“Ah, man. Anytime we lose somebody in the Hip Hop community, it hits,” he said. “Dave hit really hard, especially because I was with Pos a week earlier at the Grammys. Mase has come to the house and streamed and hung out.
“I’m really close with them guys. I know as much as it hurt me, I was really hurt at how much I know it hurt them.”
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Jazzy Jeff spoke about his phone call with Posdnuos and Maseo, who despite grieving the loss of their longtime groupmate, took it upon themselves to reach out to close friends and collaborators to express their condolences.
“I was very happy that Tuesday,” he explained. “I got a call from Pos and Mase that it almost felt like they were calling people almost to console them because they knew how much this hurt everybody else.
“It was just a call to express condolences and anything that you need and all this, we will always have a brotherhood.”
Trugoy The Dove’s passing also made DJ Jazzy Jeff reflect on his partnership with Will Smith (a.k.a. The Fresh Prince) and how he would feel if anything were to happen to his partner-in-rhyme.
“I understood because the first thing that came to my mind is, ‘How would I feel if something happened to Will?'” he said. “Being in a group is like being in a marriage.
“To be able to look at your marriage and see all of the fruits of the labor of your marriage and the fan base that you acquired because of your marriage, it really hits different when you realize that there’s no way that this marriage can continue. Divorce is one thing. Death is final.”
He added: “My heart definitely goes out. Dave was my guy.”
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Following long-running sample clearance issues and a contractual dispute with their former label Tommy Boy, De La Soul’s back catalog was finally released on streaming platforms on Friday (March 3), including classic albums such as 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate and Stakes Is High.
The group honored the life and legacy of Trugoy The Dove with a special tribute concert at Webster Hall in New York City on Thursday night (March 2), while also celebrating their music hitting DSPs.
