David Jolicoeur aka Plug 2 aka Trugoy from the seminal Rap group De La Soul passed away on Sunday, February 12 at the age of 54. No cause of death has been confirmed at press time, but the MC has had congestive heart failure in the past.

When De La Soul came out into the Hip Hop world, they were unlike anything anyone had ever seen. In a land full of studio and real gangsters, De La gave a voice to rappers who wanted to be different. They had hippy clothes, different haircuts, and a totally new take on the genre which influenced everyone.

De La Soul’s Hip Hop is some of the best that music has ever been made. For years, their first three albums had been held up in sample-clearance limbo and unavailable on streaming platforms. This changed a month ago, the group announced that on March 3, all of their catalog would be available on streaming services. The group went into the studio with their producer and long-time friend Prince Paul, and got [most of] the samples cleared and redid the rest.

The Hip Hop community was overjoyed when the announcement came. Unfortunately, with the untimely passing of Plug 2, he won’t be around to enjoy the fruits of this labor, but Hip Hop will rejoice when anyone can listen to 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul is Dead, and Stakes is High on any device anywhere around the world.

RIP to one of the best to ever do it, Plug 2 from De La Soul.