Hip-hop pioneers De La Soul have made their first appearance on NPR’s Tiny Desk. The performance was released on March 3rd, also known as De La Soul Day. Watch a replay below.
The group, minus the late David Jolicoeur (aka Trugoy the Dove, aka Plug Two), was dedicated to keeping their bandmate alive through intentional moments and actions, like placing an NPR name placard that simply reads “Dave” up front and center. De La largely used this performance to share live renditions of their latest album, Cabin in the Sky, one of the Best Rap Albums of 2025.
Posdnuos and Maseo’s set opened with the intrepid “YUHDONTSTOP” and the uplifting “Will Be” from Cabin in the Sky, before moving into the 2003 B-side single “Much More” and the beloved Stakes Is High title cut. The group then folded back into their core mission with the Cabin in the Sky tracks “Sunny Storms” and “Different World.”
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The Buhloone Mindstate standout “Breakadawn” and Stakes Is High deep cut “Pony Ride” followed, before Pos dipped back into the new album for “A Quick 16 for Mama.” Worldwide crowd favorite “Me Myself and I” closed the set, which was appropriate given its enduring nature and the fact that it has come to define the group.
Throughout the performance, the surviving members of De La shouted out Dave and sprinkled in his vocals. Cabin in the Sky marked De La Soul’s first album since 2016’s and the Anonymous Nobody… It is also the group’s first full-length project since Dave’s death in 2023. The MC died just weeks before De La Soul’s music was made available on streaming platforms, after a legal battle that spanned decades.
