Phife Dawg, legendary A Tribe Called Quest MC, passed away one year ago today
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertai...-one-year-anniversary-death-article-1.3005060
Rest in Paradise Phife Diggy gone but never forgotten
He wasn’t your average MC with the Joe Schmoe flow.
To the contrary, Phife Dawg was one of the most talented and influential rappers to ever grab a microphone and let his words rip.
The rapper, born Malik Taylor, died on March 22, 2016 from complications relating to diabetes. He was 45.
Phife is best remembered as one-fourth of A Tribe Called Quest, the game-changing hip-hop group composed of Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White.
In a genre dominated by posturing and hyperbolic masculinity, Phife came across through his rhymes as relatable and real.
He frequently bragged about being a “Five Foot Assassin,” a nod to his short stature, and referred to himself as a “funky diabetic.”
A Tribe Called Quest formed in Queens, N.Y. in 1985 when Phife was 15 years old. They would release five albums as a group between 1990 and 1998.
As core members of the Native Tongues, a hip-hop collective that valued jazz-influenced beats and positive, Afrocentric lyrics, Tribe heavily influenced the creative direction of hip-hop at a pivotal moment in the genre’s history.
What ATCQ brought to the table was an emphasis on consciousness and music with a message. This stood in stark contrast to gangsta rap, which relied on braggadocio and over-the-top depictions of violence.
When listening to Phife’s bars on classics like “Scenario,” “Bonita Applebum” or “Oh My God,” he doesn’t come across a construct or a caricature.
His high-pitched, spry delivery provides the perfect complement to Q-Tip’s more laid-back flow.
Their back-and-forth synergy and compelling dynamic catapulted Tribe from a Queens crew to international superstars.
Phife Dawg is not only hugely influential when it comes to the development of hip-hop’s sound, but also to future MCs and artists.
Chance the Rapper called Phife a “true legend.”
Kendrick Lamar called him a “pioneer.”
Killer Mike called him “a constant inspiration.”
“Tribe made Kanye West,” West said at Phife’s memorial service. “Made the kid with the pink Polo. Made it so I could dress funny.”
The list goes on and on and on.
And we haven’t heard the last of Phife Dawg yet.
It was announced in February that Phife's second solo studio album, posthumously titled “Forever,” will soon be released.
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertai...-one-year-anniversary-death-article-1.3005060
Rest in Paradise Phife Diggy gone but never forgotten
my bad
