Hip Hop Legend Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest Has Passed Away

Sad news from the hip hop world today as Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest has passed away at the young age of 45. The legendary artist had been battling numerous health issues like type 1 diabetes which he contracted in 1990. Artists like Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, Chance The Rapper, Questlove, and more have already paid tribute. A Tribe Called Quest is hip hop royalty and this is a big loss to the community. Check out their massive hit “Can I Kick It?” and see some the respects that different artists have paid below.

Matt and Alex | Facebook

Phife forever 1970-2016. 1991 in Sept I went to visit Tariq at Millersville U in the middle of PA (Lancaster). Miles Davis had just passed & I went on a binge to study his post jazz works. Went to Sound Of Market to purchase Nefertiti, In A Silent Way & Live Evil—the only non jazz purchase I made that day ironically was the most jazziest album in that collection: #TheLowEndTheory by @ATCQ. —it was raining that day so somehow the 1…2 punch of "Nefertiti"/"Fall" just had me in a trance that train trip—even though I suspected there was a possibility that Tribe could possibly have made a better album then their debut (the perfect @@@@@ mic Source rating would be on stands in a week so I was right)—but I knew I wanted to save that listening for when I got up to the campus w Riq.—so some 90mins later when I get to his dorm–we ripped that bad boy open (I can't describe the frustration that was CD packaging in 1991, just imagine the anger that environmentalists feel when all that paper packaging in Beats headphone gets wasted—it's like that)—the sign of a true classic is when a life memory is burnt in your head because of the first time you hear a song. —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. (Back then every MC's goal was to have that "rewind!!!" moment. As in to say something so incredible. Or to catch you by surprise that it makes you go "DAAAAAYUM!!!"& you listen over & over—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 (or ever again) we just kept looking at the speaker on some disbelief old timey radio Suspense episode. & also at each other "Phife is KILLIN!"–by the time we got to "Scenario" I swear to god THAT was the moment I knew I wanted to make THIS type of music when I grew up–(yeah yeah dad I know: "go to Juilliard or Curtis to make a nice living at "real music") but he didn't know that Phife & his crew already wrote my destiny. I ain't look back since. THANK YOU PHIFE!

A photo posted by Questlove Gomez (@questlove) on Mar 23, 2016 at 1:49am PDT

Me watching the big bros Bussa Buss and Phife speak, and just nodding and taking mental notes. True legends. #RIPPHIFE AYO BO KNOWS THIS & BO KNOWS THAT BUT BO DONT KNOW JACK CAUSE BO CANT RAP well what do you know

A photo posted by Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) on Mar 23, 2016 at 6:43am PDT

REST IN PEACE PHIFE

A video posted by thereallyrealelp (@thereallyrealelp) on Mar 22, 2016 at 11:51pm PDT

Hip Hop Legend Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest Has Passed Away