De La Soul suffered an enormous loss on February 12 when Trugoy The Dove—one-third of the trailblazing Hip Hop group—unexpecteldly passed away. The timing of his death was undeniably cruel. Just weeks later, De La Soul's first six albums—3 Feet High & Rising, De La Soul Is Dead, Buhloone Mindstate, Stakes Is High, AOI: The Mosaic Thump and AOI: Bionix—were finally made available on digital streaming platforms after years of stalled negotiations. The surviving members, Posdnuos and Maseo, could've folded right there, burdened by the grief they were suddenly forced to confront. But, as they say, the show must go on.
De La Soul celebrated Trugoy's life along with dozens of their peers at Webster Hall in New York City on March 3, the same day the music was uploaded to DSPs. With the future of the group uncertain, it appears they'll be touring—at least for now. On Thursday (April 13), De La Soul announced they were joining Nas and the Wu-Tang Clan on the second run of the N.Y. State of Mind Tour.
The tour kicks off on September 20 in Nashville, Tennessee, winds through Florida and the East Coast before hopping to the West Coast for dates in Portland, Seattle and Highland, California. Tickets are on sale here. For a taste of what De La Soul will sound like as a duo, watch their recent performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon below.
