Rest In Power: Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest

The legendary MC was 45. Watch him in Tribe's circa-1995 freestyle session with The Roots.
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Malik Isaac Taylor aka Phife Dawg posing with members of A Tribe Called Quest for a portrait at Sirius XM studios on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, in New York.

Malik Isaac Taylor aka Phife Dawg posing with members of A Tribe Called Quest for a portrait at Sirius XM studios on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, in New York.

Okayplayer is reporting the passing of Phife Dawg, legendary MC of the legendary NYC hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Born Malik Taylor, Phife was known for his clever, funny (sometimes ribald) lyrics and impressive collection of sports gear. Together with fellow MC Q-Tip and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad, he put out some of smartest, most fun music of the ’90s. The most positive, too.

I found this video on YouTube of Tribe with The Roots circa 1995, just freestyling on Hartford hip-hop TV show Lorna’s Corner. That’s Phife in the Yankees gear, name-dropping the Spectrum and giving a quick, inspirational last word.

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