Celebrate Phife Dawg’s brilliance with a playlist

Hip-hop has lost an icon that will never be replaced. Rapper Malik Taylor, also known as Phife Dawg, passed away this past Tuesday at the age of 45. When music loses a visionary like this, every artist knows that their brilliance will never grace music again, and Taylor is certainly no exception.

For those who are unfamiliar with Taylor, he goes by many names — the five-foot assassin and the funky diabetic, just to name a few. He was part of the legendary hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, which featured the talents of rapper/MC Phife Dawg, rapper/MC Q-Tip, DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad and rapper/MC Jarobi White, who left in 1991. A Tribe Called Quest was a New York-based group that quickly rose to prominence in the late ’80s, but Taylor wouldn’t get the spotlight until later.

People in the underground circles of hip-hop began to take note of his name after a few verses on the group’s first album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Path’s of Rhythm, most notably on the song “Can I Kick It?” He was certainly new to rapping, since his lyrics and delivery were all very undeveloped in the 16-bar verse, but impressive nonetheless for someone as young as him. Make no mistake; he was just warming up.

What followed after was Taylor’s rise to one of the kings of rap in the ’90s with the release of the group’s universally acclaimed album, The Low End Theory. Taylor had matured, not only in age, but in his craft as well. His lyrics were tighter, wittier and more thoughtful, while his delivery was well-developed, perfectly timed and precise. He showed a new level of confidence that truly made him an equal to the other hip-hop titan of the group, Q-Tip.

The two created a sound that would separate them from the rest of the competition. Taylor’s voice was high-pitched and gruff, and his delivery leaned toward an assertive style with rough lyrics, characteristics that served as the perfect contrast to Q-Tip’s mellow voice that flowed like no other. Taylor never compromised the smoother sound of the songs he was on, and he was able to keep the yin and yang between him and Q-Tip consistent while still managing to put just enough edge in the songs to keep listeners interested.

Songs like “Check the Rhime,” “Vibes and Stuff” and “Jazz (We’ve Got)” are key examples of Taylor showcasing his range on calmer songs. It’s impossible not to bob your head to “Jazz (We’ve Got)” when Taylor lays down his rhymes. The call and response of “You on point Phife?/All the time Tip” in “Check the Rhime” is one of the most iconic moments of not just the group’s discography, but hip-hop as a whole.

In some cases, Taylor manages to outshine Q-Tip, something that was long overdue on some songs. His solo songs — “Butter” from The Low End Theory, “8 Million Stories” from Midnight Marauders and “Baby Phife’s Return” from the group’s album Beats, Rhymes & Life — prove that Phife has enough skills to branch off on his own. He also upstages Q-Tip a few times on shared songs on their albums. On The Low End Theory, Taylor has the best verse on “Scenario,” including a very crude but witty line that proves he shouldn’t be taken lightly. On Midnight Marauders, Taylor makes good use of his evolved talents on “Keep it Rollin’,” which includes a Barney reference, is miles ahead of Q-Tip on “Lyrics to Go” and does a great job of coasting on the beat of “God Lives Through.” He makes it known to other MCs that he’s the baddest of them all on the song “The Pressure” off of Beats, Rhymes and Life, and on the group’s final album, The Love Movement, he goes out with a bang with a couple of great verses in the songs “Find a Way” and “Busta’s Lament.”

Taylor’s legacy will not be forgotten, since he’s influenced so many rappers and producers ahead of his time that are icons in their own right. Taylor had a great impact on the careers of big name artists such as The Roots and Pharrell Williams. He’s had an incredible career that has cemented him as one of hip-hop’s greatest MCs with a reputation will live for a long time.

Wherever the five-foot assassin with the roughneck business is, may he rest in beats.