Phife Dawg remembered for influence in hip-hop

This past Tuesday, hip-hop lost Malik Taylor — the original funky diabetic, the five-foot assassin, Dr. Pepper himself, also known as Phife Dawg from the group A Tribe Called Quest — died as a result of complications of diabetes. He was 45. Hip-hop lost a true legend that day, and his influence on many of the rappers and producers today range from The Beastie Boys to Pharrell Williams.

Phife took more of a background role for the first album that the group released, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, his most notable verse on the track “Can I Kick It?” which had Phife having fun over a sample of Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.” He was truly amateurish; his delivery shows his inexperience at the time, but this quick, 16-bar verse unraveled the blueprints for the icon he would soon become, as noted by his launch to popularity on the universally acclaimed record The Low End Theory.

From there on, he continued to innovate new sounds and inspire those around him, as well as gain respect as an artist in his own right. His journey as a kid from Linden Boulevard to chart-topping MC in just two studio albums is something that all artists aspire to do. Many rappers take at least twice the amount of time that Phife did to get their rhymes, timing, delivery and tone individualized. Phife was an instrumental member of the group that rocked the nation and was considered as one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time.

Known for his clever wordplay and the contrast his high-pitched rough voice had with Q-Tip’s smoother tone, he was gruff with his lyrics, not only in his delivery, but also within the lyrics themselves.

“He brought the street to A Tribe Called Quest,” said Chris Lighty, the group’s former manager, in a documentary about the group called Beats, Rhymes & Life. One minute he could be giving listeners a “funky introduction” to what a nice guy he was, and then flipped the bird to any MCs he didn’t respect.

He may have been rough around the edges, but never to the point that it compromised the sounds of his music. Songs like “Jazz (We’ve Got)” and “Check the Rhime” showcased Phife’s ability to casually stay in the pocket of the beat with just enough of an edge to keep listeners on their toes and hang on to every word he had to say. Meanwhile, he could let loose on other tracks like “Scenario” and “Buggin’ Out,” complete with a style that is more on the attack than the more mellow songs he’s on and crude but clever lyrics that prove he deserves the “Dawg” in his nickname.

Unfortunately, like with most successful groups, A Tribe Called Quest split up, and he pursued a solo career while keeping up with his love of sports. It was also during this time that his Type 1 diabetes grew worse, eventually received a kidney transplant from his wife. He also kept a rocky but friendly relationship with his former partner Q-Tip, and the two would talk about anything but music. It was easy to see that their relationship had been strained throughout the years, no longer having that child-like nature to it like they had when they first started. Despite this, they were working out their differences and still had the occasional tour every now and then.

“Malik was our loving husband, father, brother and friend,” the official statement from Taylor’s family and manager said. “His love for music and sports was only surpassed by his love of God and family.”

Taylor was a true man of great character, in and out of the studio, and, most importantly, he was Phife Dawg from the Zulu Nation.