Lovers of hip-hop and music at large are mourning the death of 45-year-old Malik Isaac Taylor, better known as Phife Dawg from the seminal group A Tribe Called Quest. He passed away yesterday after complications from his long battle with diabetes.
After helping found Tribe in the '80s, Phife made a lasting mark on hip-hop and established an alternate sonic lane for the genre. Elements of jazz, socially conscious lyrics, and genius-level sampling came together on a string of '90s records including People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, Midnight Marauders and Beats, Rhymes and Life.
If you need to get hip to Tribe's legacy and continued relevance, start with the 2011 documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, and then explore all the albums. You'll certainly discover the history-honoring, yet forward-thinking greatness of Phife and his groupmates, Q-Tip, Jarobi White and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.
But before you start the deep dive in Phife's honor, enjoy some iconic videos below, along with reactions to the rapper's passing from notable musicians and celebs out of Dallas and beyond.
