RIP Phife Dawg from Tribe Called Quest
- Thread starter Mack1052
- Start date
Man this shit hit home. These dudes were the soundtrack to my life at one point.
Damn, this one really hurts. 
RIP Phife Dawg
RIP Phife Dawg
R.I.P. to a legend
damn
real talk...I appreciated them then but not as much as I do now..back as a kid I always favored "harder" shit..bootcamp, onyx, wu, M.O.P, mobb etc. But now as i became older and started listening to more jazz I developed a renewed appreciation for them
R.I.P Phife... remember he wasn't looking too good on that "Beats, rhymes and life" documentary a few years back
real talk...I appreciated them then but not as much as I do now..back as a kid I always favored "harder" shit..bootcamp, onyx, wu, M.O.P, mobb etc. But now as i became older and started listening to more jazz I developed a renewed appreciation for them
R.I.P Phife... remember he wasn't looking too good on that "Beats, rhymes and life" documentary a few years back
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/a-tribe-called-quests-phife-dawg-dead-at-45-20160323
http://time.com/4268945/a-tribe-called-quests-phife-dawg-dies-at-45-reports-say/
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7271780/phife-dawg-a-tribe-called-quest-obit
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/a-tribe-called-quests-phife-dawg-dead-at-45-w199938
http://gothamist.com/2016/03/23/a_tribe_called_quests_phife_dawg_ha.php
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35879876
http://time.com/4268945/a-tribe-called-quests-phife-dawg-dies-at-45-reports-say/
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/7271780/phife-dawg-a-tribe-called-quest-obit
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/a-tribe-called-quests-phife-dawg-dead-at-45-w199938
http://gothamist.com/2016/03/23/a_tribe_called_quests_phife_dawg_ha.php
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35879876
Last edited:
http://www.billboard.com/articles/c...mar-pay-tribute-phife-dawg-tribe-called-quest
The death of A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg yesterday (March 22) was a huge blow to hip-hop fans everywhere -- including Kendrick Lamar, who paid tribute to the self-described "five-foot assassin" soon after the news broke while onstage in Sydney.
As the packed arena's audience held their phones aloft, Lamar said,
Then, he led the massive crowd in a call-and-response "Phife Dawg" chant, before concluding that "Forever hip-hop, we gonna be alright." Watch the full tribute below.
The death of A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg yesterday (March 22) was a huge blow to hip-hop fans everywhere -- including Kendrick Lamar, who paid tribute to the self-described "five-foot assassin" soon after the news broke while onstage in Sydney.
As the packed arena's audience held their phones aloft, Lamar said,
"Today, we lost one of the pioneers in hip-hop, by the name of Phife Dawg. Right now, ain't nobody cheering about me. We're gonna give it up for him, for allowing me to do what I'm doing on this stage right here, right now, today."
Then, he led the massive crowd in a call-and-response "Phife Dawg" chant, before concluding that "Forever hip-hop, we gonna be alright." Watch the full tribute below.
Rest in Power Phife Diggy Dog.
You will be missed... But never forgotten.
You will be missed... But never forgotten.
Man this is heartbreaking. Tribe spoke to our generation in the 90's I was never into hardcore hip hop, Tribe, De La, Jungle Bros was my shit. Midnight Marauders? Classic album, I used to listen to it over and over again in the late nights I'd be up painting and drawing.
RIP Phife...
RIP Phife...
Tribe Called Quest star Phife Dawg dies aged 45
Image copyrightGetty Images
Image captionThe star was also known as The Five Foot Assassin because of his diminutive height
Rapper Phife Dawg, a member of rap pioneers A Tribe Called Quest, has died at the age of 45.
The musician had been struggling with ill health and diabetes for several years, and received a kidney transplant from his wife in 2008.
Born Malik Isaac Taylor in 1970, he co-founded the philosophically-focused rap group in 1985 with his classmates Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.
Their biggest hit came in 1991, with the single Can I Kick It?
The band recently reformed to perform the song on Jimmy Fallon's US chat show, as they marked the 25th anniversary of their debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.
News of Phife Dawg's death emerged on Twitter, where producer and broadcaster DJ Chuck Chillout posted an RIP message in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Rolling Stone magazine later confirmed his death, although an official statement has yet to be released.
Image copyrightGetty Images
Image captionPhife (left) reunited with A Tribe Called Quest several times after their initial dissolution in 1998
Rapper Chuck D was among those paying tribute to the star, calling him "a true fire social narrator".
BBC 6 Music DJ Gilles Peterson said Phife and Q-Tip "complimented [sic] each other like Lennon and McCartney", adding "their albums changed my life".
EL-P from rap group Run The Jewels simply posted: "Rest In Peace Phife" alongside a video of fans chanting along to the rapper's verse in Buggin' Out.
Five Foot Assassin
A native New Yorker, Phife appeared on all five of A Tribe Called Quest's albums, acting as a punchy foil to the more mellifluous Q-Tip on tracks like Check The Rhime and Scenario.
He nicknamed himself the Funky Diabetic and the Five Foot Assassin - a reference to his diminutive stature - and his self-deprecating swagger became one of the band's trademarks.
Along with acts like De La Soul and Queen Latifah, the band were part of an overall movement that challenged the macho posturing of rap in the '80s and '90s. Their lyrics addressed issues like date rape and the use of the N-word in the track Sucker Niga, and avoided the hip-hop cliches of gunplay and expletives.
Musically, they fused jazz with hip-hop, often rapping over a drum loop and an upright bass - while 1991's complex, atmospheric The Low End Theory has often been ranked among the best hip-hop albums of all time.
Image copyrightGetty Images
Image captionThe band's hits included Bonita Applebum, Award Tour, Jazz (We've Got) and Scenario
Can I Kick It? was one of the band's more atypical songs - a gleeful barrage of nonsensical wordplay, based around a sample from Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side.
Despite the song's enduring appeal, Phife was not a fan. "It's hard for me to get into Can I Kick It? for the simple fact that I hated my voice back then," he told Rolling Stone. "It was high-pitched.... and I couldn't stand it."
Disagreements between Q-Tip and Phife eventually derailed the group and in 1998 they announced their fifth album, The Love Movement, would be their last.
"It's a strain on me as far as going where I want to go, doing what I want to do," he said. "When I was on dialysis the first time, my stepson was playing basketball [and] I couldn't practice with him. I wanted to go out and run with him and things of that nature, but I didn't feel good."
"It's really a sickness," he added in Beats, Rhymes & Life, Michael Rapaport's candid 2011 documentary on the group. "Like straight-up drugs. I'm just addicted to sugar."
At the time of his death, Phife was working on a solo record, Muttymorphosis, which he described as "basically my life story".
A clip from the first single, Nutshell, was released last September, but the full track has yet to surface.
Reflecting on his career last year, the rapper said: "It's odd in a good way. I never expected it to be this big. I just thought we were going to be celebs in the hood. Like, honestly, within 25 years, when you go to places like Australia and Japan and Amsterdam and London and Germany and these people know [the songs] word-for-word, it's crazy."
Image captionThe star was also known as The Five Foot Assassin because of his diminutive height
Rapper Phife Dawg, a member of rap pioneers A Tribe Called Quest, has died at the age of 45.
The musician had been struggling with ill health and diabetes for several years, and received a kidney transplant from his wife in 2008.
Born Malik Isaac Taylor in 1970, he co-founded the philosophically-focused rap group in 1985 with his classmates Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.
Their biggest hit came in 1991, with the single Can I Kick It?
The band recently reformed to perform the song on Jimmy Fallon's US chat show, as they marked the 25th anniversary of their debut album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.
News of Phife Dawg's death emerged on Twitter, where producer and broadcaster DJ Chuck Chillout posted an RIP message in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Rolling Stone magazine later confirmed his death, although an official statement has yet to be released.
Image captionPhife (left) reunited with A Tribe Called Quest several times after their initial dissolution in 1998
Rapper Chuck D was among those paying tribute to the star, calling him "a true fire social narrator".
BBC 6 Music DJ Gilles Peterson said Phife and Q-Tip "complimented [sic] each other like Lennon and McCartney", adding "their albums changed my life".
EL-P from rap group Run The Jewels simply posted: "Rest In Peace Phife" alongside a video of fans chanting along to the rapper's verse in Buggin' Out.
Five Foot Assassin
A native New Yorker, Phife appeared on all five of A Tribe Called Quest's albums, acting as a punchy foil to the more mellifluous Q-Tip on tracks like Check The Rhime and Scenario.
He nicknamed himself the Funky Diabetic and the Five Foot Assassin - a reference to his diminutive stature - and his self-deprecating swagger became one of the band's trademarks.
Along with acts like De La Soul and Queen Latifah, the band were part of an overall movement that challenged the macho posturing of rap in the '80s and '90s. Their lyrics addressed issues like date rape and the use of the N-word in the track Sucker Niga, and avoided the hip-hop cliches of gunplay and expletives.
Musically, they fused jazz with hip-hop, often rapping over a drum loop and an upright bass - while 1991's complex, atmospheric The Low End Theory has often been ranked among the best hip-hop albums of all time.
Image captionThe band's hits included Bonita Applebum, Award Tour, Jazz (We've Got) and Scenario
Can I Kick It? was one of the band's more atypical songs - a gleeful barrage of nonsensical wordplay, based around a sample from Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side.
Despite the song's enduring appeal, Phife was not a fan. "It's hard for me to get into Can I Kick It? for the simple fact that I hated my voice back then," he told Rolling Stone. "It was high-pitched.... and I couldn't stand it."
Disagreements between Q-Tip and Phife eventually derailed the group and in 1998 they announced their fifth album, The Love Movement, would be their last.
Following the group's dissolution, Phife continued to battle diabetes, reuniting with the group for occasional live shows - partly to help cover the medical costs of his type 2 diabetes (often mis-reported as type 1).
He suffered renal failure in 2008 and received a transplant from his wife - but was back on the waiting list for a kidney four years later.
He suffered renal failure in 2008 and received a transplant from his wife - but was back on the waiting list for a kidney four years later.
"It's a strain on me as far as going where I want to go, doing what I want to do," he said. "When I was on dialysis the first time, my stepson was playing basketball [and] I couldn't practice with him. I wanted to go out and run with him and things of that nature, but I didn't feel good."
"It's really a sickness," he added in Beats, Rhymes & Life, Michael Rapaport's candid 2011 documentary on the group. "Like straight-up drugs. I'm just addicted to sugar."
At the time of his death, Phife was working on a solo record, Muttymorphosis, which he described as "basically my life story".
A clip from the first single, Nutshell, was released last September, but the full track has yet to surface.
Reflecting on his career last year, the rapper said: "It's odd in a good way. I never expected it to be this big. I just thought we were going to be celebs in the hood. Like, honestly, within 25 years, when you go to places like Australia and Japan and Amsterdam and London and Germany and these people know [the songs] word-for-word, it's crazy."
http://www.okayplayer.com/news/phife-teases-new-j-dilla-produced-track-nutshell-atcq-fallon.html
OKP Exclusive: Phife Teases New J Dilla-Produced Track “Nutshell” + More
Phife has always been the under-rated underdawg of A Tribe Called Quest–one of the most important groups in hip-hop history–even as Q-Tip was acknowledged as the group’s ambassador and charismatic frontman. If ATCQ is rap’s Clash or Rolling Stones then Phife and Tip are the genre’s Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, (or if you prefer Mick Jones and Joe Strummer); their undeniable creative chemistry and on-again, off-again sibling rivalry the engine that drove the only rap-band that ever mattered. Theirs is a Mutty-and-Jeff tale for the ages, a tension that’s been explored everywhere fromMichael Rapaport‘s Tribe-umentary Beats, Rhymes & Life to yesterday’s interview with Hot97. Like many classic groups, they have been musically handcuffed together by the love and demand of ATCQ fans, even as each has moved on to focus on their respective solo projects and careers.
On the eve of their reunion for Sony Legacy’s reissue of the group’s groundbreaking debut album–being celebrated with a NYC release event at Santos Partyhouse tomorrow night and slated to kick off with a reunion on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight, Okayplayer writer Scott Heins got the immortal Mutty Ranks on the phone to get his feelings on the reissue as he looks back at his youthful debut verses. In the process he got a hell of an exclusive preview of Phife’s next solo project, and best believe it’s J Dilla involved! Read on to learn more and scroll all the way down to get a sneak peek at the video for Phife’s next single, the J Dilla-produced banger “Nutshell,” which we’re told will be dropping sometime in early 2016, and that’s all we can say. Except this: undeniable.
OKP: How do you feel about these new remix tracks that have dropped off of thePeople’s Instinctive Travels & The Paths Of Rhythm reissue—the joints from CeeLo andPharrell?
Phife: I haven’t even heard them yet.
OKP: Really? They’ve gotten pretty strong receptions, especially CeeLo’s flip of “Footprints”—have you been going out of your way to avoid them? How do you feel about the whole thing?
Phife: I haven’t avoided them. I actually did hear the “Bonita” that Pharrell did, but I haven’t heard the other ones. It’s cool, but it’s kind of difficult, I mean I can imagine doing a remix like that. It’s kind of difficult being that everybody’s so used to what they have been already after 25 years. It’s just kind of tough—I think people are going to cater to what it was.
OKP: There was a bit of a backlash —people saying these songs are such classics after 25 years…and that they should just remain untouched.
Phife: Right, right. It’s like somebody trying to redo a Luther record or a Stevie Wonder record. There’s just certain things that I can imagine you’d be scared to do.
OKP: I’m conflicted about it as well. I don’t think it necessarily hurt the originals or anyone. It’s not like it’s trampling on your guys’ legacy…
Phife: I don’t see that at all, being that the original is always going to be there. But those guys are like the cream of the crop right now, and I thought it as definitely a cool idea.
OKP: Can you take us back to when you guys were working on that album and what you were thinking about lyrically, or production-wise? Why do you think people keep coming back to that album?
Phife: To be honest I really wasn’t a part of that album. I’m on like four songs out of fifteen and none of hose lyrics were written by me. I vaguely remember different sections, but that was definitely Q-Tip’s baby.
OKP: The last remix that came out is J. Cole’s remix of “Can I Kick It?” Have you heard that one at all?
Phife: Nah, I haven’t heard it yet.
OKP: That’s one of the more prominent Phife tracks on the album! Do you feel any protective instinct over it and your verse?
Phife: Nah…other than I hated my voice back then. That’s really it. I hated it, and “Can I Kick It?” is one of my least-favorite Tribe records to be honest. But people love it, so it’s like something that you can’t avoid or run around. It has to be performed, it has to be done.
We’re doing Jimmy Fallon the day that it comes out [that’s tonight – ed.] and that’s probably one of the songs we’re gonna do. You can’t really avoid it.
OKP: Do you have a favorite song on ‘People’s’ then?
Phife: Yeah, it’s a toss-up between “Bonita”; “Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts” and “Youthful Expression. It’s like a three-way tie. Oh, I’m tripping. “Footprints” is my favorite record on that album.
OKP: Let me ask, for this Fallon performance, do you know if you’ll be performing withThe Roots?
Phife: I’m not sure what’s going to fit, but I imagine we’ll probably end up performing with The Roots, being as they’re the band. I’m just assuming…
OKP: You said you’re kind of lukewarm on “Can I Kick It,” so what would be your ideal Tribe setlist?
Phife: I don’t have a problem with doing “Can I Kick It?” Because I know the people like that record a lot. You have to give the people what they want, so I’m cool with it. I just don’t like it because I hated my voice.
OKP: Back when you guys were active with Native Tongues and the Zulu Nation, and still today, there was sort of a group-effort mentality or spirit to a conveying a conscious message and carrying the torch from artists that had come before you. Do you feel there are current artists that are really following in your footsteps today?
Phife: Not too many, I have to say. But I do enjoy listening to the J. Cole record. I likeJoey Bada$$ and that whole Pro Era unit. Kendrick is amazing and there’s definitely a few out there doing their thing, but I wouldn’t say it’s reminiscent of Tribe. It’s just them doing them.
OKP: Do you have a favorite album that you’ve been blown away by and having fun with?
Phife: Yeah I like the J. Cole album and the Kendrick album.
OKP: Did you get a chance to listen to the new Dillatronic release? It just dropped..
Phife: I haven’t heard it, I didn’t even know it was out but I will definitely get my hands on that.
OKP: We’ve had some debate in the office of if it’s proper to be releasing rough draft material from Dilla that he didn’t necessarily want to come out. Do you think it’s good for it to be out, or should it stay in the vaults?
Phife: I really don’t know how to feel about it, but I know I’m a Dilla fan and I’m definitely going to listen.
OKP: There’s no such thing as having too much Dilla to listen to…
Phife: Exactly.
OKP: How about you own music—have you been writing?
Phife: I have a new EP coming out early next year and a new single as well. There will be an EP and the single is called “Nutshell,” so I’ve been working on that. And then following that I’ll release an album called Muttymorphosis.
OKP: We actually have been talking with Rasta Root about possibly premiering a video for “Nutshell.” We won’t spill too many details, but if you wanted to give people a heads up, how would you describe the sound?
Phife: Basically, the track is done by the late great J Dilla. And it’s hip-hop the way it should always be.
OKP Exclusive: Phife Teases New J Dilla-Produced Track “Nutshell” + More
Phife has always been the under-rated underdawg of A Tribe Called Quest–one of the most important groups in hip-hop history–even as Q-Tip was acknowledged as the group’s ambassador and charismatic frontman. If ATCQ is rap’s Clash or Rolling Stones then Phife and Tip are the genre’s Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, (or if you prefer Mick Jones and Joe Strummer); their undeniable creative chemistry and on-again, off-again sibling rivalry the engine that drove the only rap-band that ever mattered. Theirs is a Mutty-and-Jeff tale for the ages, a tension that’s been explored everywhere fromMichael Rapaport‘s Tribe-umentary Beats, Rhymes & Life to yesterday’s interview with Hot97. Like many classic groups, they have been musically handcuffed together by the love and demand of ATCQ fans, even as each has moved on to focus on their respective solo projects and careers.
On the eve of their reunion for Sony Legacy’s reissue of the group’s groundbreaking debut album–being celebrated with a NYC release event at Santos Partyhouse tomorrow night and slated to kick off with a reunion on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight, Okayplayer writer Scott Heins got the immortal Mutty Ranks on the phone to get his feelings on the reissue as he looks back at his youthful debut verses. In the process he got a hell of an exclusive preview of Phife’s next solo project, and best believe it’s J Dilla involved! Read on to learn more and scroll all the way down to get a sneak peek at the video for Phife’s next single, the J Dilla-produced banger “Nutshell,” which we’re told will be dropping sometime in early 2016, and that’s all we can say. Except this: undeniable.
OKP: How do you feel about these new remix tracks that have dropped off of thePeople’s Instinctive Travels & The Paths Of Rhythm reissue—the joints from CeeLo andPharrell?
Phife: I haven’t even heard them yet.
OKP: Really? They’ve gotten pretty strong receptions, especially CeeLo’s flip of “Footprints”—have you been going out of your way to avoid them? How do you feel about the whole thing?
Phife: I haven’t avoided them. I actually did hear the “Bonita” that Pharrell did, but I haven’t heard the other ones. It’s cool, but it’s kind of difficult, I mean I can imagine doing a remix like that. It’s kind of difficult being that everybody’s so used to what they have been already after 25 years. It’s just kind of tough—I think people are going to cater to what it was.
OKP: There was a bit of a backlash —people saying these songs are such classics after 25 years…and that they should just remain untouched.
Phife: Right, right. It’s like somebody trying to redo a Luther record or a Stevie Wonder record. There’s just certain things that I can imagine you’d be scared to do.
OKP: I’m conflicted about it as well. I don’t think it necessarily hurt the originals or anyone. It’s not like it’s trampling on your guys’ legacy…
Phife: I don’t see that at all, being that the original is always going to be there. But those guys are like the cream of the crop right now, and I thought it as definitely a cool idea.
OKP: Can you take us back to when you guys were working on that album and what you were thinking about lyrically, or production-wise? Why do you think people keep coming back to that album?
Phife: To be honest I really wasn’t a part of that album. I’m on like four songs out of fifteen and none of hose lyrics were written by me. I vaguely remember different sections, but that was definitely Q-Tip’s baby.
OKP: The last remix that came out is J. Cole’s remix of “Can I Kick It?” Have you heard that one at all?
Phife: Nah, I haven’t heard it yet.
OKP: That’s one of the more prominent Phife tracks on the album! Do you feel any protective instinct over it and your verse?
Phife: Nah…other than I hated my voice back then. That’s really it. I hated it, and “Can I Kick It?” is one of my least-favorite Tribe records to be honest. But people love it, so it’s like something that you can’t avoid or run around. It has to be performed, it has to be done.
We’re doing Jimmy Fallon the day that it comes out [that’s tonight – ed.] and that’s probably one of the songs we’re gonna do. You can’t really avoid it.
OKP: Do you have a favorite song on ‘People’s’ then?
Phife: Yeah, it’s a toss-up between “Bonita”; “Devoted to the Art of Moving Butts” and “Youthful Expression. It’s like a three-way tie. Oh, I’m tripping. “Footprints” is my favorite record on that album.
OKP: Let me ask, for this Fallon performance, do you know if you’ll be performing withThe Roots?
Phife: I’m not sure what’s going to fit, but I imagine we’ll probably end up performing with The Roots, being as they’re the band. I’m just assuming…
OKP: You said you’re kind of lukewarm on “Can I Kick It,” so what would be your ideal Tribe setlist?
Phife: I don’t have a problem with doing “Can I Kick It?” Because I know the people like that record a lot. You have to give the people what they want, so I’m cool with it. I just don’t like it because I hated my voice.
OKP: Back when you guys were active with Native Tongues and the Zulu Nation, and still today, there was sort of a group-effort mentality or spirit to a conveying a conscious message and carrying the torch from artists that had come before you. Do you feel there are current artists that are really following in your footsteps today?
Phife: Not too many, I have to say. But I do enjoy listening to the J. Cole record. I likeJoey Bada$$ and that whole Pro Era unit. Kendrick is amazing and there’s definitely a few out there doing their thing, but I wouldn’t say it’s reminiscent of Tribe. It’s just them doing them.
OKP: Do you have a favorite album that you’ve been blown away by and having fun with?
Phife: Yeah I like the J. Cole album and the Kendrick album.
OKP: Did you get a chance to listen to the new Dillatronic release? It just dropped..
Phife: I haven’t heard it, I didn’t even know it was out but I will definitely get my hands on that.
OKP: We’ve had some debate in the office of if it’s proper to be releasing rough draft material from Dilla that he didn’t necessarily want to come out. Do you think it’s good for it to be out, or should it stay in the vaults?
Phife: I really don’t know how to feel about it, but I know I’m a Dilla fan and I’m definitely going to listen.
OKP: There’s no such thing as having too much Dilla to listen to…
Phife: Exactly.
OKP: How about you own music—have you been writing?
Phife: I have a new EP coming out early next year and a new single as well. There will be an EP and the single is called “Nutshell,” so I’ve been working on that. And then following that I’ll release an album called Muttymorphosis.
OKP: We actually have been talking with Rasta Root about possibly premiering a video for “Nutshell.” We won’t spill too many details, but if you wanted to give people a heads up, how would you describe the sound?
Phife: Basically, the track is done by the late great J Dilla. And it’s hip-hop the way it should always be.
Dam Phife rip
Shit that Midnight marauders stays in my heavy rotation!
