Kelvin “Pos” Mercer—also known as Posdnuos or Plug One of pioneering hip-hop trio De La Soul—was flipping through television channels when he stumbled across the 1943 film Cabin in the Sky starring Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, and other jazz greats of that era. He instinctively knew that was going to be the title of the next De La Soul album.
“I immediately thought of Dave,” Pos says. “This connects me to Dave, because we were like, ‘Yo, what’s up there?’ We’ve lost so many good people and you’re thinking about your cabin, your part. ‘Where do you go? Do you get something in heaven?’”
Pos, of course, is referring to the Plug Two in De La Soul, Dave “Trugoy the Dove” Jolicoeur, who died in February of 2023. Since his passing, Pos and Vincent “Maseo” Mason have valiantly carried the torch for their fallen brother, even in the face of paralyzing grief. With the blessing of Dave’s family, Pos and Mase were able to repurpose some of Dave’s verses and beats for the new record, which was originally supposed to be produced by DJ Premier and Pete Rock. But, as Pos put it, “life was life’ing” and that particular project fell through the cracks. With some sonic restructuring, an updated version of the album materialized within a matter of months.
On November 21, the surviving members of De La Soul will drop Cabin in the Sky as part of Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It series, which has facilitated the release of five other projects by seminal hip-hop artists Slick Rick, Ghostface Killah, Mobb Deep, Raekwon, and Big L. De La Soul’s Cabin in the Sky will serve as the sixth release, while a collaborative album between Nas and DJ Premier will close out the series.
Comprised of 20 tracks, Cabin in the Sky boasts features from Killer Mike, Q-Tip, Black Thought, Little Dragon’s Yukimi, Nas, Common, Bilal, Lady Stout, Yummy, K. Butler & the Collective, and Gina Loring, with production by Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Supa Dave West, Jake One, Sam Wish, Nottz, Erik & Joshua, and De La Soul themselves.
Lyrically, the album dives into the sorrow surrounding the loss of Dave but also the hope and perseverance Pos and Mase have harnessed to get through it. There are moments sprinkled with humor (it wouldn’t be a De La Soul album otherwise) and moments that evoke strong emotions, specifically the roll call-style album intro “Cabin Talk” (voiced by Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito), “Different World,” and “A Quick 16 For Mama” featuring Killer Mike, which finds Pos and the Run the Jewels MC reflecting on the deaths of their mothers.
“I’m glad it came together in such a way where we dealt with our loss,” Maseo says. “I’m glad Pos was able to pour all of that into the concept of this album and give all of us some closure while making sure Dave’s presence will always be felt as we continue on to do this thing called De La Soul. Regardless of what we decide to do, he’s always right there. My overall opinion of the album is it’s the epitome of joy and pain. Everybody on any level can identify with loss, especially when we get around to the song with Pos talking about his mother along with Killer Mike.”
There’s no denying the common thread tying the album together is Dave. Whether sonically, lyrically, or spiritually, his presence is felt throughout the project.
“During the pandemic, we had a text chat with Dave West called ‘Two Daves and a Merce,’ where we’d share different ideas,” Pos recalls. “There was this one track that Dave had done on GarageBand and it was really cool. He just kept saying, ‘And you don’t stop.’ I wanted to add it to the album. I wanted to have this energy that Dave created, so he’s part of the process.”
That song became the second cut on the album, “YUHDONTSTOP,” in which Pos raps, “Cindy said if y’all stop…then Dave stops / And that wouldn’t be the sure shot / So we keep implementing that gift / The D.A.I.S.Y. Age lift.”
“After he passed and we gathered at his home, Dave’s sister Cindy had pulled me and Mase to the side and said, ‘Look I’m not trying to put pressure on y’all, but if y’all stop Dave stops,’” Pos says. “I hope that y’all won’t stop so he can continue to live long.”
Dave continues to pop up in the most unexpected ways. Maseo, who has been open about his grief in various interviews and on social media, believes he’s always close. Their tight bond, which they forged in Long Island as kids, has proven to be unbreakable—even in death.
“I feel like he’s still on the road with us,” Mase says. “When I’m getting up with Merce and we gotta do what we need to do, whether it be the record or a show, Dave is right there. I swear to you. It’d be odd moments when I’m in my little funk and falling behind, so it’s crazy. It’s times when I ain’t really into it and don’t wanna do it, but then I hear this little whisper like, “Come on, Maseo, hurry up. You’re going to be late. Let’s go.’ You know what I mean? I hear this motherfucker [laughs].”
Hearing Maseo’s cavernous laugh—a chuckle so deep it was immortalized in the Gorillaz’s 2005 single “Feel Good Inc.”—is noticeably comforting. Perhaps it’s an echo from the group’s collective sense of humor found on their 1989 debut, 3 Feet High and Rising. Maybe it’s knowing how much he and Pos have endured over the past two years as they continue to grapple with their missing limb. Or maybe it’s simply a reminder that we can all laugh through the pain, even when it hurts the most.
Cabin in the Sky spans a range of emotions while retaining the De La Soul sound and feel that made them trailblazers in the first place. It’s an impressive feat—36 years after their debut—that they’ve never veered too far off their creative path.
“We’ve just never thought like that, especially when it came to me and Dave writing and what we felt like we wanted to marry ourselves to,” Pos says. “We had our creative compass, where it needed to go, regardless of wherever the world was going. We made a career on that.
“This album is from some very seasoned veterans, where we are in our lives, where we needed to be, where we’re still trying to go, all the questions after Dave’s death, all the fortifying of family who love us. For myself and Mase, who can talk to Dave on our own and feel his energy, that is what is encompassed in this album.”
“The loss of life is something we can all relate to,” Mase adds. “Since Pos’ mother passed, he is the one who has truly been teaching me how to understand loss and that it’s not like they’re really gone, just transitioned. It’s been him and KRS-One letting me know there’s people on the other side looking after us, helping us carry on. My brother’s here. He’s here.”
Cabin in the Sky arrives via Mass Appeal on November 21. Pre-orders are available here and the first single, “The Package” (produced by Pete Rock) is out now.
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