Photo by Todd Owyoung
Last night, American hip-hop group De La Soul stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to honor their late crew member David “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur–who died last month at the age of 54–with a performance of the title track of “Stakes Is High” from their classic 1996 LP.
For the performance, the iconic group were backed by The Tonight Show‘s house band, The Roots and rapper Black Thought stood in for the late De La Soul member, dishing out his verses on the track to a tee.
Over the six-minute track, the ensemble–which was formed in 1988–shared a demonstration of the style and content that turned many heads back in the mid-’90s. Posdnuos showcased his keen lyrics that criticized the commercialized culture of mainstream hip-hop back in their heyday, and The Roots gave perfect support until the end of the song when Posdnuos flowed a capella for the final vivid verse.
Before the musical performance, De La Soul’s surviving members Posdunos and Maseo spoke about the 15-year process that finally resulted in bringing their catalog to streaming services, their home of Long Island and the recording process of their debut LP 3 Feet High and Rising. The Root’s Questlove also opened but about how De La Soul’s brotherhood and dynamic helped him connect with Black Thought, and at the end, Maseo led the audience through a chant of “Thank You, Dave!”
Watch De La Soul and The Roots’ performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon below.
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