De La Soul’s Posdnuos and Trugoy the Dove live with the Gorillaz at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon
Photo: Getty Images for MTV, Getty Images. All rights reserved.
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David Jolicoeur, better known by his stage name Trugoy the Dove as the De La Soul rapper, died on February 12, 2023 at the age of 54. The cause of death has not yet been established. Recently he spoke openly about his problems with heart failure. Now the Gorillaz are honoring him by releasing a track together called “Crocadillaz”.
“Crocadillaz” features Dawn Penn and De La Soul. Trugoy the Dove contributed a verse. The song appeared on the deluxe version of their new album, CRACKER ISLAND, along with other previously unheard features. ME author André Boße wrote about the record, among other things: “Anyone who believed in the early 2000s that the Gorillaz were a short-lived cartoon fun project with which Damon Albarn bored away Britpop was wrong. Since 2017 things have even picked up speed again, CRACKER ISLAND is the fourth album in these six years. Even the visual gag with the artificial figures designed by James Hewlett has gained momentum thanks to new animation techniques. The clip for the single “Cracker Island”, staged by hip animation filmmaker Fx Goby, sets new standards.”
Listen to “Crocadillaz” in the stream here:
Most recently, Maseo and Posdnuos, the remaining members of De La Soul, commemorated their late friend themselves on Instagram. The Gorillaz and singer Damon Albarn also publicly said goodbye. Albarn also recently stated that Netflix has halted production of a planned Gorillaz film.
“On the one hand, I’m glad you’re no longer suffering the pain of your condition, but on the other hand, I’m extremely upset by the fact that you’re not here to celebrate and enjoy what we are so for worked hard and fought hard,” Maseo wrote. After a two-year dispute with Tommy Boy Records, De La Soul got their master recordings back in August 2021. In January 2023, the group announced that the first six albums would be available again on streaming platforms from March.
This posthumously released Crocadillaz collaboration isn’t the first between Trugoy the Dove and the Gorillaz. In 2005, he was featured on her hit single “Feel Good Inc.”, for which he won a Grammy.
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