Hip-hop has lost one of its great emcees: Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest.
Phife (real name Malik Taylor) had been battling diabetes for some time and underwent a kidney transplant in 2008. He passed away Wednesday at the age of 45.
Instead of mourning, we would like to remember Phife like the true hip-hop legend he was. Back in 2011, we sat down with Michael Rapaport – the director of the Tribe documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life – who said of Q-Tip and Phife:
“He’s an icon! He and Phife Dawg are like superheroes to people who grew up listening to hip-hop. They mean a lot to all of us.”
He’s the type of hero who used his first big check to pay his grandmother’s rent. During an interview, Phife recalled: “My grandmother definitely needed the help, so I would pay her rent back home back in Queens.”
He also went on to reveal how he knew he made it: “When you can take care of your people is the key to success to me, but you have to work hard in order to obtain all of that.”
Spoken like a true superhero.
Take a look back at the life of Malik, the 5 Foot Assassin. Rest In Peace.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
Phife Dawg Through The Years
Phife Dawg Through The Years
1. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest perform as part of the Smokin Grooves Tour at Shoreline Amphitheatre on September 1, 1996.
Source:Getty
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2. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest perform as part of Lollapalooza 1994 at Shoreline Amphitheatre.
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3. Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest during Rock the Bells Concert - August 6, 2006 at Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord, California.
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4. Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest performs as part of Rock the Bells 2010 at Shoreline Amphitheatre on August 22, 2010 in Mountain View, California.
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5. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest perform during the 7th Annual Rock The Bells festival on Governors Island.
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6. Phife at the 'Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest' Premiere at the Temple Theater during the 2011 Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2011 in Park City, Utah.
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7. Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest attends SPiN Decision Makers Panel With Hype Williams presented by Bing on January 23, 2011 in Park City, Utah.
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8. Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest visits the Tribeca Film Festival 2011 portrait studio on April 27, 2011.
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9. Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White attend the Los Angeles Premiere of 'Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest' After Party on June 24, 2011.
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10. Phife Dawg and Q-Tip perform onstage at the 2012 BET Hip-Hop Awards at Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center on September 29, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia.
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11. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest perform on the main stage on day 3 of the Yahoo! Wireless Festival at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on July 14, 2013 in London.
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12. Phife of A Tribe Called Quest performs at 2013 H2O Music Festival at Los Angeles Historical Park on August 17, 2013 in Los Angeles, California.
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13. Phife Dawg and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest perform at Univision Radio's H2O music festival at Los Angeles state historic park on August 17, 2013.
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14. Phife Dawg performs for the #BigTicket showcase at Tattoo on February 6, 2015 in Toronto, Canada.
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15. Phife Dawg and Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest perform during Hot 97's 'Busta Rhymes And Friends: Hot For The Holidays' concert at Prudential Center on December 5, 2015 in Newark, New Jersey.
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Continue reading Phife Dawg Through The Years
Phife Dawg Through The Years
The Life Of Phife Dawg: A Hip-Hop Superhero was originally published on globalgrind.com
