The unexpected passing of the rapper Phife Dawg has certainly caused shock and grief in the hip-hop community, and numerous well-respected hip-hop artists have come out to honor his memory.
Rolling Stone magazine recently reported that Phife Dawg – Malik Taylor in real life – died on Wednesday, March 23, of “complications resulting from diabetes.” He was 45 years old and had been struggling from Type 2 diabetes for many years, and even received a kidney transplant in 2008 courtesy of his wife.
Phife Dawg, founding member of @ATCQ, dead at 45: https://t.co/4oSvQowizw
— billboard (@billboard) March 23, 2016
Born to Trinidadian immigrants in 1970 in Queens, New York, Phife Dawg joined his former high school classmates, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad to form the iconic hip-hop group, A Tribe Called Quest. While he didn’t get as much attention as his other co-members, Phife was anything but a supporting act. Known as the “Five Foot Assassin,” he joined ATCQ during a turning point in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s when hip-hop was producing tracks that featured socially-conscious lyrics, Afrocentric ideas, and jazz sampling.
Questlove of The Roots was among the many hip-hop artists who paid their respects to the late rapper. In a lengthy tribute he posted on his Instagram page, Questlove made a touching account of how Phife Dawg influenced his music.
.@questlove remembers how Phife Dawg changed his life https://t.co/eVg5fvAxrd pic.twitter.com/XVUOAnPwHg
— SPIN (@SPINmagazine) March 23, 2016
“Riq & I had this moment a few times, but the look on our faces when we 1st heard “Buggin Out” was prolly Me & Tariq’s greatest “rewind selector!” moment in our friendship,” said Questlove of the moment he and Tariq Trotter listened to ATCQ’s The Low End Theory album.
Malik “Phife” Taylor’s verse was such a gauntlet/flag planting moment in hip hop. Every hip hop head was just…stunned HE. CAME. FOR. BLOOD & was taking NO prisoners on this album,” he continued.
Questlove Remembers Phife Dawg through This Track
Phife Dawg also featured in several classic, albeit overlooked guest appearances, including “Let the Horns Blow” by Chi-Ali, “Ghost Weed” by De La Soul, and “La Schmoove” by Fu-Schnickens.