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De La Soul continues to celebrate the release of their catalog and the legacy of the group's fallen brethren with a special performance.
On Thursday night, March 16, Posdnuos and DJ Maseo connected with The Roots on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Questlove held down the drums while Maseo ripped the turntables while both Pos and Black Thought performed De La's 1996 single "Stakes Is High." Black Thought was an ample substitute for the late Trugoy The Dove, who passed away last month before their catalog debuted on streaming services. At the end of their set, Plug Two's voice echoed throughout the studio as they honored his memory.
“It’s a moment in our lives that was really important,” Dave said while video of him played behind Posdnuos and Black Thought, who bowed their heads. “It guided us in a direction that made us who we are today. Fighting for our music, fighting for our legacy.”
In addition to the tear-jerking performance, Pos and Maseo sat down with Fallon to talk about the end of their years-long battle to get their historic catalog on digital streaming platforms, which Pos believes is "bittersweet" due to the circumstances. During their conversation, the guys also touch on Trugoy, born Dave Jolicoeur, and the legacy he left behind. Questlove also revealed how much of an impact the group had on him.
“For the first time, we just saw ourselves," Quest explained. "This is how the group bonded, Tariq and I. We saw three friends just having fun with each other, practical jokes and all that stuff, and we’d never seen that in Hip-Hop before.”
De La Soul's latest tribute to Dave comes a couple of weeks after the group counted down the minutes until their catalog's release at a massive show at Webster Hall. During "The D.A.I.S.Y. Experience," numerous legends and fans alike packed out the venue to see De La perform along with Queen Latifah and Monie Love. Other special guests like Common, Pete Rock, Black Thought, Talib Kweli and Dave Chappelle were also in the building to turn up with them.
Watch De La Soul's interview with Jimmy Fallon below.