Trugoy

A De La Soul legend whose voice from the Plastic Beach vaults helped shape Gorillaz's meditation on mortality.

Trugoy the Dove (David Jolicoeur) was a member of the hip-hop group De La Soul and a frequent collaborator with Gorillaz. He contributed to the band's ninth studio album, The Mountain, through an unreleased song from the Plastic Beach sessions called "Float Tropics." His vocals appear on the track "The Moon Cave," which was recorded using material from that unused session. Jolicoeur is one of several past Gorillaz collaborators whose posthumous contributions appear on the album, in keeping with its themes of death and the afterlife. The album's liner notes dedicate the work to Jolicoeur alongside other late collaborators.

Quick Facts

Other names

Trugoy the Dove
Plug Two
Dave

Birth name

David Jude Jolicoeur

Born

21 September 1968

Birthplace

New York City, U.S.

Education

Amityville Memorial High School

Occupation

Rapper
songwriter
record producer

Years active

1988–2023

Died

12 February 2023

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

David Jolicoeur, known as Trugoy the Dove, was a member of De La Soul and a longtime Gorillaz collaborator. For The Mountain, Damon Albarn included unused vocal takes from Jolicoeur, taken from an unreleased song from the band's third album Plastic Beach called "Float Tropics." These contributions appear on the track "The Moon Cave." The album's liner notes list Jolicoeur among the past Gorillaz collaborators to whom the album is dedicated, alongside Bobby Womack, Dennis Hopper, Tony Allen, and others. Albarn's decision to include these unused takes was driven by the album's thematic focus on death and grief: "I just thought, if we're going to talk about the subject of death, I need some people who are dead to help me talk about it."

Reader's Guide

Trugoy's appearance on The Mountain is a posthumous one, using an unreleased vocal take from the Plastic Beach sessions. The track "The Moon Cave" features his contributions alongside those of the late Bobby Womack, whose vocals came from an outtake of a conversation with Albarn. The song also includes Asha Puthli, whose involvement was suggested by producer James Ford. The album was released on 27 February 2026 through Kong Records, distributed by Sony Music subsidiary the Orchard. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and number seven on the US Billboard 200.