Watch: De la Soul’s Triumphant, Bittersweet Tiny Desk Concert Tribute to Trugoy the Dove

Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, center left, and Vincent "Maseo" Mason, center right, of the pioneering hip-hop group De La Soul perform during their NPR Tiny Desk Concert in Washington on Tuesday, March 3. Backed by a nine-piece live band featuring drummer Daru Jones, back left, the duo celebrated their newly independent catalog and paid tribute to late co-founder David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur. Jolicoeur's memory was honored throughout the set, including a "Dave" nameplate resting on the desk. (Screensgrab via NPR Music)

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're a new group called De La Soul."

When DJ Maseo delivered that deadpan introduction to the crowd gathered at the NPR offices on Tuesday it drew a laugh. Humor has always been the foundational glue of the legendary Long Island trio. But behind the turntable, the joke carried a heavy, undeniable truth: the duties have been reassessed, the focus has shifted, and the architects of the D.A.I.S.Y. Age are navigating a new reality.

The highly anticipated NPR Tiny Desk concert premiered on what fans officially recognize as De La Soul Day. It was billed as a celebration of milestones, primarily marking year three of the group's classic catalog finally returning to their control and hitting streaming services after a decades-long legal battle. It also served as a showcase for their 2025 music album, "Cabin in the Sky."

But hovering above the soaring live instrumentation was the profound absence of David Jolicoeur  —known to the culture as Trugoy the Dove, or Plug Two — who passed away in February 2023 just weeks before the group's masters were finally liberated.

According to NPR's Bobby Carter, surviving members Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer and Vincent "Maseo" Mason were highly intentional during the planning process, openly discussing what their late brother would and would not approve of creatively. The result was a setlist that masterfully balanced raucous joy with open grief.

"Cindy said if y'all stop, then Dave stopped, and that wouldn't be the show," Posdnuos rapped early in the set, making it clear that their continued forward motion is the ultimate tribute to Jolicoeur's legacy. Throughout the room, the mantra was simple and repeated: "Dave always."

Backed by a sprawling, nine-piece live band directed by powerhouse drummer Daru Jones, the newly minted duo completely reimagined their sample-heavy catalog. With the addition of a horn section, a viola, and phenomenal background vocalists Yummy Bingham and Gina Loring, the group breathed expansive new life into 90s foundational texts.

The crowd was fully engaged during a towering rendition of "Stakes Is High," with Posdnuos leading the room in a call-and-response, urging the audience to shout "vibration" against the track's iconic, thumping beat. Later, Loring took center stage for a transcendent vocal performance on "Different World," cementing the live band's incredible chemistry.

Yet, amid the massive musical arrangements, the group still found time for the intimate, off-the-cuff humor that made them famous. Before launching into a heartfelt new track titled "A Quick 16 for Mama," Maseo and Pos joked about their current side hustles, with Maseo claiming he was driving Uber XL and Pos quipping that he was doing DoorDash. "Got to get it how you live," Pos laughed, before the band settled into a smooth, nostalgic groove that Maseo noted reminded him of the beats his mother used to play.

The emotional climax of the set arrived during the closing performance of their 1989 breakout hit, "Me Myself and I." As the familiar, infectious bassline rolled through the NPR offices, the lyrics took on a poignant new weight. The group demanded the audience sing along, eventually stripping the beat away to let the room chant the chorus a cappella.

Before the final notes rang out, Maseo took to the microphone to issue one last, simple instruction to the room: "Let me hear you say thank you, Dave."

Watch the full De La Soul Tiny Desk performance below.  

De la Soul Brings Classics, New Tracks to NPR Tiny Desk Concert in Honor of Trugoy the Dove

The album artwork for De La Soul's landmark 1989 debut, "3 Feet High and Rising," features group members Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, bottom left, Vincent "Maseo" Mason, top, and the late David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, right. The pioneering hip-hop group is set to perform an NPR Tiny Desk Concert on Tuesday, March 3, honoring Jolicoeur's legacy. (Courtesy of Chrysalis Records)

Legendary hip-hop trio De La Soul is set to take over the NPR offices for a highly anticipated Tiny Desk
Concert on Tuesday, March 3, promising a setlist that bridges their foundational 90s classics with their modern, grief-tinged renaissance.

NPR Music officially announced the performance on social media, noting that the set will honor the group’s decades-long legacy while paying special tribute to late founding member David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur.

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Jolicoeur, who was instrumental in defining the group's intricate, off-kilter lyrical style, passed away in February 2023 at the age of 54 following a battle with congestive heart failure.

According to the announcement, the performance will feature a mix of the group's foundational hits alongside brand-new material. De La Soul — now operating as a duo with Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer and Vincent "Maseo" Mason — recently released "Cabin in the Sky" in late 2025. The critically acclaimed project marked their latest studio music album and their first since Trugoy's passing.

However, Trugoy's presence was heavily felt on "Cabin in the Sky," with the group utilizing his previously recorded vocals and production to ensure his spirit remained central to their sound.

"This album is therapy and celebration at the same time," Posdnuos said in a statement preceding the album's release. "There's a vulnerability in these songs, because everything we've been through has brought us to this moment, to this album, honoring what we've lost and lifting up what still remains. That duality. That's life, and that's De La."

The Tiny Desk appearance marks another significant milestone in what has been an emotional few years for the pioneering Long Island group. In March 2023, just weeks after Trugoy's passing, De La Soul's first six classic albums — including their 1989 masterpiece "3 Feet High and Rising" and 1991's "De La Soul Is Dead" — finally arrived on digital streaming platforms. The release ended a years-long, highly publicized legal battle regarding sample clearances and label disputes, finally making their music accessible to a new generation.

Fans can catch the Tiny Desk performance when it premieres on Tuesday directly on NPR.org and via the official NPR Music YouTube channel.

Drowning, Psilocybin Use Cited in Accidental Death of Lil Jon’s 27-Year-Old Son

Rapper Lil Jon, left, poses with his son, Nathan Smith, following Smith's graduation from New York University in a photo posted to the late producer's social media. Smith, 27, known professionally as DJ Young Slade, was found dead in a Milton, Georgia, retention pond on Feb. 6. The Fulton County Medical Examiner recently ruled his death an accidental drowning in the setting of psilocybin use. (Courtesy of Nathan Smith/Instagram)

The Fulton County Medical Examiner has officially ruled the death of Nathan Smith, the 27-year-old son of hip-hop legend Lil Jon, as an accidental drowning "in the setting of psilocybin use."

Smith, known professionally as DJ Young Slade, was found dead on Feb. 6 in a retention pond at Mayfield Park in Milton, Georgia, following a frantic three-day search. According to the newly released autopsy report, a blood sample taken from Smith tested positive for psilocybin, the active hallucinogenic compound found in magic mushrooms.

The medical examiner officially classified the manner of death as an accident, confirming early statements from the Milton Police Department that there were no signs of foul play. The coroner's report also noted water-immersion wrinkling on Smith's hands, concluding that the drug was present at the time of his death.

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The tragic discovery earlier this month ended a massive multi-agency search that began after Smith ran out of his family's home under "unusual circumstances" on the early morning of Feb. 3. He left on foot and without his phone, prompting authorities to issue an alert that he may be disoriented and in need of assistance.

In a heartbreaking statement released on the day his son's body was recovered, Lil Jon described Nathan as "the kindest human being you would ever meet" and an "amazingly talented young man."

A graduate of New York University, Smith was an accomplished music producer, DJ, and engineer who frequently collaborated with his father. Lil Jon confirmed on social media that his son was laid to rest during a private funeral on Feb. 18, writing, "Life will never be the same without you."