David Jude Jolicoeur
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David Jude Jolicoeur (born 21 September 1968, in Brooklyn, New York) is a rapper, producer, and one third of groundbreaking hip hop trio De La Soul.
Jolicoeur, Vincent Mason and Kelvin Mercer were friends who attended the same high school in the Amityville area of Long Island during the 1980s. After they decided to form a rap group, each member re-christened themselves with an outlandish name (Trugoy the Dove, P.A. Pasemaster Mase and Posdnuos, respectively). Early on, Jolicoeur sported a unique style of African medallions, peace signs and uneven dreadlocks (known as the "De La Do"). Paired with the positive messages of the group's debut effort, 3 Feet High and Rising, the image led to critics and journalists labelling the members as "the hippies of hip hop" (a title that the group was quick to refute with the release of the 1991 sophomore album De La Soul Is Dead).
Although not as often celebrated as Posdnuos, Jolicoeur has been equally acclaimed for his lyricism which, for the most part, avoids profanity in favor of complex, and sometimes abstract wordplay. For example, in the intro to 1996's Stakes Is High, Dave raps (in a frenetic manner): "Hey, how ya doin' / Now, meet in front of Big Lou's fighting / Hey, y'all reminisce, six streets, little miles / Straight to my avenue (Aaaah... aaaggh) / Six streets, went miles straight to my avenue / I'm headed for the bigger E, for the bitter OE, not me / Here's my Malibu, child, here's my Malibu / Buckshot honeys, dig a gun and go aaaahhhhh..."
In "Itzsoweezee (HOT)", from the same album, Jolicoeur directed some words towards mafioso rappers: "See them Cubans don't care what y'all niggaz do / Colombians ain't never ran with your crew / Why you acting all spicy and sheisty? / The only Italians you knew was icees"
Jolicoeur is also a member of the Spitkicker collective.
[edit] Aliases
All three members of De La Soul have a variety of known aliases and nicknames used throughout the group's career. The following are the most significant:
- Trugoy the Dove - "Trugoy" was Jolicoeur's earliest nickname, dating back to 3 Feet High and Rising. The name is backwards for "yogurt", a food that Jolicoeur is admittedly fond of. "Dove" is a nickname for "Dave".
- Plug Two - An early concept for 3 Feet High and Rising involved music being transmitted from Mars by three microphone plugs (each one representing a member of the group). Though this idea was abandoned, the titles "Plug One", "Plug Two" and "Plug Three" still became relevant on the album.
- Dave - The least elaborate of Jolicoeur's nicknames, "Dave" is simply a popular nickname for the first name "David". Dave is currently Jolicoeur's most widely used alias.
| De La Soul |
|---|
| Posdnuos | Dave | Maseo |
| Studio albums |
| 3 Feet High and Rising (1989) | De La Soul Is Dead (1991) | Buhloone Mindstate (1993) | Clear Lake Audiotorium (EP) (1994) | Stakes Is High (1996) | Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000) | AOI: Bionix (2001) | Live at Tramps, NYC, 1996 (2004) | The Grind Date (2004) | The Impossible: Mission TV Series - Pt. 1 (2006) |
| Singles |
| Potholes in My Lawn| Plug Tunin'| Buddy| Eye Know| Me Myself And I| Say No Go| The Magic Number| Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)| A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays"| Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa / Keepin' The Faith| Breakadawn| Ego Trippin' (Part Two)| Fallin'| Stakes Is High| Itzsoweezee (HOT)| 4 More| Oooh.| All Good?| Thru Ya City| Baby Phat| Shoomp| Shopping Bags (She Got From You)| Rock Co.Kane Flow|Feel Good Inc. |
| Related articles |
| Native Tongues | Prince Paul | Spitkicker |
