Some people, some things that happen during your lifetime makes a huge impact. For us and so many others, pioneering groups like Tribe Called Quest made a huge impact. Tribe made us love this thing called hip-hop. The contributions of their members Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Phife Dawg paved the way for other groups to form. Their presence in music was major. This is why it saddens many of us that member Phife Dawg has passed away.

Reports surfaced yesterday that founding member Phife Dawg (real name Malik Taylor) died at the young age of 45. In recent years, Phife suffered from several medial complications, which even resulted in a kidney transplant in 2008. He was also very vocal about his battle with diabetes.

Phife Dawg and the contributions of Tribe Called Quest was bumping in everyone’s tape deck during the 1990’s. During this time, the group released five albums and classics like “Electric Relaxation,” “Bonita Applebum,” and “Can I Kick It?”

The Roots member Questlove and many other hip-hop friends took to social media to express their thoughts on Phife’s death. Questlove, in particular, wrote a heartfelt message on his Instagram page about how influential Phife’s talent was on his own career.

 

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

 

In memory of Phife Dawg, here is one of our favorite songs “Electric Relaxation”: