The legendary emcee Phife Dawg died on March 22, 2016 at the age of 45 due to complications of diabetes. During his career with the seminal Hip Hop group A Tribe Called Quest he would bless the world many times over with memorable moments on and off the mic that would endear him to us in a way that not many rappers achieve.
The Funky Diabetic received his diagnosis in 1990, the same year Tribe would release their debut People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. Although he did not rap on that project too much he would go on to frequently raise awareness to the condition. “I was being ignorant on that album. That’s why I was only on a couple tracks. I was hardly around” he would say in a later interview.
Tribes next four albums would see the Five Foot Assassin in the studio making the magic that we loved him for. He was an emcees emcee, always witty with his childlike raspy voice. Whether he was rhyming about chasing girls in high school or the stress one feels from life’s everyday problems, he always brought a fresh perspective to things everyone goes through.
Quest would break up in 1998 before reuniting in 2003. During that time, Phife Diggy continued working on music releasing his solo debut, Ventilation: Da LP featuring production from heavy hitters Pete Rock, Rick Rock, Dilla and Hi-Tek. Now a recording industry veteran, Phife yielded a strong influence in Hip Hop culture but sadly, Ventilation would be his only full solo release during his lifetime. It was announced that the last project he worked on would be released early this year but no date was given.
The Trini-Gladiator was a pioneer in the rapper-sports fan category, peppering his lyrics with references to every major sport known. He could be seen on ESPN and numerous sports journalists have referenced or written dedicated articles about his fandom and was featured as a playable character in the games NBA 2K7 and NBA 2K9.
The influence of Phife Dawg cannot justly be put into words. However in February 2021, his mother, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, published Mama Phife Represents, a beautiful collection of poems and writings that she completed during the first two years after losing her son. The collection also includes material created by Phife to his parents.
We will never forget The impact of what Dynomutt brought to the world. After his death in 2016, the intersection of Linden Boulevard and 192nd Street in Queens, New York was officially named Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor Way in his honor. A fitting gesture to the neighborhood he frequently mentioned so fondly in his music so if you ever find yourself there, take a moment to remember the greatness of Phife Dawg.
