DaveyDave
Superstar
what time? i'm gonna listen to it all later tho
R.I.P. Phife Dawg
- Thread starter Kitsch
- Start date
what time? i'm gonna listen to it all later tho
DaveyDave
Superstar
Tribe holds a pretty big place in his heart as he tells on EVERY Juan Ep every chance he gets that he got his first kiss to Electric Relaxation when he was 14 or something. together with Dilla, being a Phife tribute to Dilla, it would have pushed him further than usual probably
Carolina Slim
Superstar
I loved ATCQ, man... especially after the combo of Tip & Phife really developed and evolved with Low End and MM. That's why it sucked to see them lose that. Phife shocked the world when he stepped up on L.E.T... then stole the show on MM. The chemistry started dying off on BRL, but had its moments. Then the Love Movement... eh. If they were really workin' on something new to drop soon, that makes his passing even sadder.
A Tribe Called Quest ™
Make Em Say Ughh ... Silk da Shocker
Late but RIP to Phife
MouseTeeth
All Star
why do people hate on the Love movement so much? that album was underrated IMO
Dave Chappelle and 12 Other Comedians on Phife Dawg, A Tribe Called Quest's Heart (and Funny Bone)
Photo by Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
THE PITCH
A Tribe Called Quest's Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor has drawn no shortage of tributes since his death at age 45 earlier this week. Kendrick Lamar, Questlove, Chuck D, and Chance the Rapper were among those weighing in from the rap world. An Atlanta TV news station went so far as to weave Phife Dawg lyrics into its traffic reports. Given the levity that Phife brought to Tribe, and his impeccable comic timing, it's only fitting that he has also received an outpouring of remembrances from the comedy world as well, with the likes of Chris Rock, Marlon Wayans, and Seth Rogen all paying their respects. "I'll never forget how I felt when Phife came in on 'Buggin' Out,'" went a typical sentiment, from a lengthy post by "Agent Carter" and "Madtv" comic actor Matt Braunger.
The late MC's introduction to that song attracted frequent references from comedians contacted by Pitchfork. Its oft-quoted lines — famously starting with "Yo, microphone check one, two, what is this? / The five-foot assassin with the roughneck business" — hint at Phife's distinctively self-deprecating, bluntly spoken, and at times obscurely referential way with not just punchy rhymes, but raw punchlines. And last night at the Hollywood Palladium, Dave Chappelle paid heartfelt homage to Phife and Garry Shandling, the comedy community's most recent loss, Chappelle's publicist confirmed to Pitchfork.
Below, see how Chappelle honored Phife at this no-phones-allowed event, and read what 12 other comedians — ranging from Cedric the Entertainer to Hari Kondabolu — told Pitchfork when asked for their reflections on Phife Dawg.
Dave Chappelle
Ohio-based comedy legend behind "Chappelle's Show" and beyond
"We lost one of the brightest stars in hip-hop," Chappelle announced from the stage last night. "I want to celebrate his life by playing one of his songs." At this point, Chappelle's DJ played "Can I Kick It?"; the crowd threw their hands in the air and a giant photo of Phife looked down from the stage.
Cedric the Entertainer
Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, and director who currently stars on “The Soul Man” and co-starred in Barbershop and on “The Steve Harvey Show”
"Phife's voice was the knife in A Tribe Called Quest, while Q-Tip's lyrics were often that food of substance. Phife Dawg's words cut through the bullshyt and gave you something you could easily digest. 'Microphone check, one two what is this? / The five-foot assassin with the roughneck business.' Rest in peace, my brother."
Michael Rapaport
Los Angeles-based actor, director, and comedian who helmed the 2011 documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
"He brought so much humor to the music. 'Height of Muggsy Bogues, complexion of a hockey puck' — self-effacing and funny. 'Bust off on your couch, now you've got Seaman's Furniture' is one of the best and funniest lines in hip-hop, from 'Electric Relaxation.' The puns and pop culture references were endless and told through this boyish voice with a genuine New York accent.
"Check this from Beats, Rhymes & Life:
"'The Funky Diabetic' says it all. He was very honest, also. When he said, 'My aura's positive, I don't promote no junk,' on 'Check the Rhime,' that was real. He was a positive person and a sweet person and very nice guy from a nice family, and you could tell that right away. There was no false advertising with him or anything regarding A Tribe Called Quest — not the norm in hip-hop. 'Believe that if you wanna but I tell you this much/ Riding on the train with no dough, sucks.' That was a big line. That's honest shyt."
Hari Kondabolu
New York-based comedian whose debut album, Waiting for 2042, is out on Kill Rock Stars
"I felt Phife Dawg's loss both as a comedian and as someone born and raised in Queens in the 1990s. A Tribe Called Quest was part of the local music of my youth. Even if I didn't know who they were until my teens, I recognized Q-Tip and Phife's voices from my childhood and knew they were talking about our neighborhoods and that their existence meant that Queens existed outside of our sheltered worlds. As a comedian, Phife really solidified the connection hip-hop has with comedy. Phife was doing spoken word with punchlines. That's standup. And he was great at it."
Ron Funches
Los Angeles-based comedian and writer who stars on "Undateable"
"Phife and A Tribe Called Quest taught me that you be yourself and still demand respect. You don't have to pretend to be tough, you don't have to sell drugs or shoot a gun to have a story worth telling. I will always appreciate the five-foot assassin."
Brian Posehn
Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, and musician whose best-known roles include parts on "The Sarah Silverman Program" and "Mission Hill"
"Ugh, the loss of Phife Dawg is huge. The funky diabetic. Been a fan since 'Buddy.' Tribe changed me, my perspective, my musical taste. Phife was the perfect yin to Q-Tip. And the dude was funny. Just listen. His rhymes had punchlines. I love punchlines, and I love Phife."
Deon Cole
Chicago-native comedian whose credits include writing for “Conan” and acting on “Black-ish”
"Phife is the epitome of a real MC. He's one that's no holds barred and he's going to give it to you like it is. He has always been funny. He has affected me in so many ways. To this day, there's a word that I use in my standup set that I got from Phife Dawg, and it's 'moist.' He said it on 'Pad & Pen,' about all these 'moist' MCs, and when he said that, I was just like (laughs), 'Yo.' When I first heard Phife and A Tribe Called Quest was 'Bonita Applebum,' on People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. I love Tip, Tip's voice is nice. Phife was cool to me. He was just a good counterpunch for Q-Tip. But when Low End Theory came out, I don't know who kicked Phife in his ass, but Phife just went to a whole 'nother level lyrically. It was crazy how he went. And I think that was when I was like, 'Hey, we got a problem, Phife just stepped it up!' He's always been just a true MC, and we don't have no more of those.”
Moshe Kasher
Los Angeles-based comedian, author, and actor
"Here's a funky introduction to how sad I am: Garry Shandling died yesterday and for comedians it's a rough day. Shandling was a genius, a once-in-a-generation visionary. Comics everywhere are mourning the loss of a legend. But for me, a comedian who was raised on hip-hop, the loss of Phife Dawg is the loss of an even bigger influence. 'Larry Sanders' and 'The Gary Shandling Show' shattered the tired format of sitcoms, but The Low End Theory shattered hip-hop and then, my mind. Shandling was a comic virtuoso but Malik, the five foot freak, was a lyrical master with jokes to boot — with the uncomplex uttering of 'Microphone check one, two what is this?' he ushered in a new era of radio ready, conscious and most importantly funny, hip-hop.
"Q-Tip was smooth, but Phife Dawg was rough-voiced, and cracked wise. I was never a smooth operator. I was a bumbling fool. And Phife seemed like that, too. He had troubles with ladies, so his song 'Butter' read like a polemic on my own failed teenage love life. His 'Flo' was my Brittanny. He walked me through heartbreak. See, I didn't fukk with comedy when I was a teen. We couldn't afford cable. Sure, Shandling. Shandling was a Jew, a member of my tribe but as a white teen who wished more than anything I was an African-American teen, Tribe was my tribe.
"It wasn't until adulthood and beginning to do comedy myself that I realized what a mastermind Shandling was. But I got Phife's brilliance intrinsically. Because he was like me. In a world of bustling bravado and impenetrable ego, Phife was a self-deprecating egoist. Just like me. Vacillating between being drunk on his own legend and assured of his own unfixable weakness. That's not an MC, that's a comic.
"Today, as a comic and a hip-hop head, it's like two parts of my heart are broken. The outer exoskeleton belongs to my current self — comedian, writer, Shandling-fan adult. The inner sanctum belongs to Phife. To the kid who smoked blunts and listed to Midnight Marauders… to the guy who taught the mic to be my best friend, to the last time we will ever hear a funky diabetic. Garry and Malik — you will both be missed. The world is a less funny and less funky place."
Ian Karmel
Los Angeles-based comedian
"First of all, I gotta say most rappers are funny. It isn't fukking fair. They drop punchlines into their rhymes and still get to come off looking cool. Eddie Murphy is the only comedian who's ever actually been cool. I think if Vince Staples wanted to become a stand-up comedian, he'd have an HBO special within the next couple years. Rappers are funny. Even Eminem was funny in that late '90s 'South Park' kind of way. Phife was uniquely funny, though. Phife was funny the way a stand-up comedian is funny. Dude was self-deprecating and owned his shortcomings (his height, his diabetes) and skewered that shyt before you could clown him on it, and THEN he peppered in the requisite hip-hop braggadocio. He didn't pretend to be invulnerable and he wasn't schoolyard bully funny the way a lot of rappers are.
"People have been passing around Phife verses since he passed, so I'm gonna try to add something new to the conversation. In the Tribe documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life, Phife is talking about his diabetes. He's describing his insulin regimen, and he says something like, 'Don't mess with this stuff too hard, or you might bottom out and play yourself.' That's a fukking funny, whimsical way to describe that shyt, and that's him talking about his own eventual death. That's a comedian, man."
Elsa Waithe
New York-based comedian and Cinder Block Comedy Festival co-organizer
"I found The Low End Theory in a cassette player on an abandoned boat me and my high school friends used to smoke pot in. Anything on cassette was a rare find and even harder to find something to play it on. When I finally did find a cassette player I was so amped that the tape played perfectly. I wasn't new to A Tribe Called Quest but being able to consume their music in such a natural way was everything. Phife Dawg's style grabbed my ears first because I'd already heard so much from Q-Tip. Phife's flow and lyrics always painted vivid pictures in my mind and it always felt so natural like I was listening to a best friend chat about their day. I related to him as a short dark-skinned black person who was comfortable in himself. I learned every line to 'Scenario' and it will be on repeat for the rest of the week.”
Josh Gondelman
New York-based comedian and writer for "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver"
"Phife provided a perfect counterpoint to Q-Tip ('The Abstract') and his canonical smoothness. Where Tip brought gentle confidence and winking allusion to his rhymes, Phife was playfully direct and self-deprecating. He was short (self-described as the five-foot assassin and the five-foot freak), but that wasn't a problem for him. He drank a lot of soda, so they called him Dr. Pepper. That's an A-B connection so direct it's practically A-A. It's the moniker of someone you went to high school with and who has the best stories. And while Tip wanted women to relax themselves and settle down, Phife was up front about his desire to bust off on their couches (so they'd have Seaman's Furniture, of course). He had the MC's gift for rhyme and a comic's knack for getting to the point more quickly and directly than the audience expects."
Affion Crockett
Los Angeles-based comedian, dancer, actor, and hip-hop impressionist
"Phife is a staple in hip-hop. Tribe is easily in my top five rap groups of all time. While Q-Tip is the jazzy, eclectic MC, Phife had the straight-to-the-point, relatable street flow. Too many quotable rhymes to name. My fellow Trini brother will be truly missed."
John Hodgman
New York-based humorist, actor, and author
"His was a very meaningful voice in a group that was very meaningful to me, and I hate that he was so young. It's very sad."
Photo by Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
THE PITCH
- by Marc Hogan
Senior Staff Writer
A Tribe Called Quest's Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor has drawn no shortage of tributes since his death at age 45 earlier this week. Kendrick Lamar, Questlove, Chuck D, and Chance the Rapper were among those weighing in from the rap world. An Atlanta TV news station went so far as to weave Phife Dawg lyrics into its traffic reports. Given the levity that Phife brought to Tribe, and his impeccable comic timing, it's only fitting that he has also received an outpouring of remembrances from the comedy world as well, with the likes of Chris Rock, Marlon Wayans, and Seth Rogen all paying their respects. "I'll never forget how I felt when Phife came in on 'Buggin' Out,'" went a typical sentiment, from a lengthy post by "Agent Carter" and "Madtv" comic actor Matt Braunger.
The late MC's introduction to that song attracted frequent references from comedians contacted by Pitchfork. Its oft-quoted lines — famously starting with "Yo, microphone check one, two, what is this? / The five-foot assassin with the roughneck business" — hint at Phife's distinctively self-deprecating, bluntly spoken, and at times obscurely referential way with not just punchy rhymes, but raw punchlines. And last night at the Hollywood Palladium, Dave Chappelle paid heartfelt homage to Phife and Garry Shandling, the comedy community's most recent loss, Chappelle's publicist confirmed to Pitchfork.
Below, see how Chappelle honored Phife at this no-phones-allowed event, and read what 12 other comedians — ranging from Cedric the Entertainer to Hari Kondabolu — told Pitchfork when asked for their reflections on Phife Dawg.
Dave Chappelle
Ohio-based comedy legend behind "Chappelle's Show" and beyond
"We lost one of the brightest stars in hip-hop," Chappelle announced from the stage last night. "I want to celebrate his life by playing one of his songs." At this point, Chappelle's DJ played "Can I Kick It?"; the crowd threw their hands in the air and a giant photo of Phife looked down from the stage.
Cedric the Entertainer
Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, and director who currently stars on “The Soul Man” and co-starred in Barbershop and on “The Steve Harvey Show”
"Phife's voice was the knife in A Tribe Called Quest, while Q-Tip's lyrics were often that food of substance. Phife Dawg's words cut through the bullshyt and gave you something you could easily digest. 'Microphone check, one two what is this? / The five-foot assassin with the roughneck business.' Rest in peace, my brother."
Michael Rapaport
Los Angeles-based actor, director, and comedian who helmed the 2011 documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
"He brought so much humor to the music. 'Height of Muggsy Bogues, complexion of a hockey puck' — self-effacing and funny. 'Bust off on your couch, now you've got Seaman's Furniture' is one of the best and funniest lines in hip-hop, from 'Electric Relaxation.' The puns and pop culture references were endless and told through this boyish voice with a genuine New York accent.
"Check this from Beats, Rhymes & Life:
"'The Funky Diabetic' says it all. He was very honest, also. When he said, 'My aura's positive, I don't promote no junk,' on 'Check the Rhime,' that was real. He was a positive person and a sweet person and very nice guy from a nice family, and you could tell that right away. There was no false advertising with him or anything regarding A Tribe Called Quest — not the norm in hip-hop. 'Believe that if you wanna but I tell you this much/ Riding on the train with no dough, sucks.' That was a big line. That's honest shyt."
Hari Kondabolu
New York-based comedian whose debut album, Waiting for 2042, is out on Kill Rock Stars
"I felt Phife Dawg's loss both as a comedian and as someone born and raised in Queens in the 1990s. A Tribe Called Quest was part of the local music of my youth. Even if I didn't know who they were until my teens, I recognized Q-Tip and Phife's voices from my childhood and knew they were talking about our neighborhoods and that their existence meant that Queens existed outside of our sheltered worlds. As a comedian, Phife really solidified the connection hip-hop has with comedy. Phife was doing spoken word with punchlines. That's standup. And he was great at it."
Ron Funches
Los Angeles-based comedian and writer who stars on "Undateable"
"Phife and A Tribe Called Quest taught me that you be yourself and still demand respect. You don't have to pretend to be tough, you don't have to sell drugs or shoot a gun to have a story worth telling. I will always appreciate the five-foot assassin."
Brian Posehn
Los Angeles-based comedian, actor, and musician whose best-known roles include parts on "The Sarah Silverman Program" and "Mission Hill"
"Ugh, the loss of Phife Dawg is huge. The funky diabetic. Been a fan since 'Buddy.' Tribe changed me, my perspective, my musical taste. Phife was the perfect yin to Q-Tip. And the dude was funny. Just listen. His rhymes had punchlines. I love punchlines, and I love Phife."
Deon Cole
Chicago-native comedian whose credits include writing for “Conan” and acting on “Black-ish”
"Phife is the epitome of a real MC. He's one that's no holds barred and he's going to give it to you like it is. He has always been funny. He has affected me in so many ways. To this day, there's a word that I use in my standup set that I got from Phife Dawg, and it's 'moist.' He said it on 'Pad & Pen,' about all these 'moist' MCs, and when he said that, I was just like (laughs), 'Yo.' When I first heard Phife and A Tribe Called Quest was 'Bonita Applebum,' on People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. I love Tip, Tip's voice is nice. Phife was cool to me. He was just a good counterpunch for Q-Tip. But when Low End Theory came out, I don't know who kicked Phife in his ass, but Phife just went to a whole 'nother level lyrically. It was crazy how he went. And I think that was when I was like, 'Hey, we got a problem, Phife just stepped it up!' He's always been just a true MC, and we don't have no more of those.”
Moshe Kasher
Los Angeles-based comedian, author, and actor
"Here's a funky introduction to how sad I am: Garry Shandling died yesterday and for comedians it's a rough day. Shandling was a genius, a once-in-a-generation visionary. Comics everywhere are mourning the loss of a legend. But for me, a comedian who was raised on hip-hop, the loss of Phife Dawg is the loss of an even bigger influence. 'Larry Sanders' and 'The Gary Shandling Show' shattered the tired format of sitcoms, but The Low End Theory shattered hip-hop and then, my mind. Shandling was a comic virtuoso but Malik, the five foot freak, was a lyrical master with jokes to boot — with the uncomplex uttering of 'Microphone check one, two what is this?' he ushered in a new era of radio ready, conscious and most importantly funny, hip-hop.
"Q-Tip was smooth, but Phife Dawg was rough-voiced, and cracked wise. I was never a smooth operator. I was a bumbling fool. And Phife seemed like that, too. He had troubles with ladies, so his song 'Butter' read like a polemic on my own failed teenage love life. His 'Flo' was my Brittanny. He walked me through heartbreak. See, I didn't fukk with comedy when I was a teen. We couldn't afford cable. Sure, Shandling. Shandling was a Jew, a member of my tribe but as a white teen who wished more than anything I was an African-American teen, Tribe was my tribe.
"It wasn't until adulthood and beginning to do comedy myself that I realized what a mastermind Shandling was. But I got Phife's brilliance intrinsically. Because he was like me. In a world of bustling bravado and impenetrable ego, Phife was a self-deprecating egoist. Just like me. Vacillating between being drunk on his own legend and assured of his own unfixable weakness. That's not an MC, that's a comic.
"Today, as a comic and a hip-hop head, it's like two parts of my heart are broken. The outer exoskeleton belongs to my current self — comedian, writer, Shandling-fan adult. The inner sanctum belongs to Phife. To the kid who smoked blunts and listed to Midnight Marauders… to the guy who taught the mic to be my best friend, to the last time we will ever hear a funky diabetic. Garry and Malik — you will both be missed. The world is a less funny and less funky place."
Ian Karmel
Los Angeles-based comedian
"First of all, I gotta say most rappers are funny. It isn't fukking fair. They drop punchlines into their rhymes and still get to come off looking cool. Eddie Murphy is the only comedian who's ever actually been cool. I think if Vince Staples wanted to become a stand-up comedian, he'd have an HBO special within the next couple years. Rappers are funny. Even Eminem was funny in that late '90s 'South Park' kind of way. Phife was uniquely funny, though. Phife was funny the way a stand-up comedian is funny. Dude was self-deprecating and owned his shortcomings (his height, his diabetes) and skewered that shyt before you could clown him on it, and THEN he peppered in the requisite hip-hop braggadocio. He didn't pretend to be invulnerable and he wasn't schoolyard bully funny the way a lot of rappers are.
"People have been passing around Phife verses since he passed, so I'm gonna try to add something new to the conversation. In the Tribe documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life, Phife is talking about his diabetes. He's describing his insulin regimen, and he says something like, 'Don't mess with this stuff too hard, or you might bottom out and play yourself.' That's a fukking funny, whimsical way to describe that shyt, and that's him talking about his own eventual death. That's a comedian, man."
Elsa Waithe
New York-based comedian and Cinder Block Comedy Festival co-organizer
"I found The Low End Theory in a cassette player on an abandoned boat me and my high school friends used to smoke pot in. Anything on cassette was a rare find and even harder to find something to play it on. When I finally did find a cassette player I was so amped that the tape played perfectly. I wasn't new to A Tribe Called Quest but being able to consume their music in such a natural way was everything. Phife Dawg's style grabbed my ears first because I'd already heard so much from Q-Tip. Phife's flow and lyrics always painted vivid pictures in my mind and it always felt so natural like I was listening to a best friend chat about their day. I related to him as a short dark-skinned black person who was comfortable in himself. I learned every line to 'Scenario' and it will be on repeat for the rest of the week.”
Josh Gondelman
New York-based comedian and writer for "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver"
"Phife provided a perfect counterpoint to Q-Tip ('The Abstract') and his canonical smoothness. Where Tip brought gentle confidence and winking allusion to his rhymes, Phife was playfully direct and self-deprecating. He was short (self-described as the five-foot assassin and the five-foot freak), but that wasn't a problem for him. He drank a lot of soda, so they called him Dr. Pepper. That's an A-B connection so direct it's practically A-A. It's the moniker of someone you went to high school with and who has the best stories. And while Tip wanted women to relax themselves and settle down, Phife was up front about his desire to bust off on their couches (so they'd have Seaman's Furniture, of course). He had the MC's gift for rhyme and a comic's knack for getting to the point more quickly and directly than the audience expects."
Affion Crockett
Los Angeles-based comedian, dancer, actor, and hip-hop impressionist
"Phife is a staple in hip-hop. Tribe is easily in my top five rap groups of all time. While Q-Tip is the jazzy, eclectic MC, Phife had the straight-to-the-point, relatable street flow. Too many quotable rhymes to name. My fellow Trini brother will be truly missed."
John Hodgman
New York-based humorist, actor, and author
"His was a very meaningful voice in a group that was very meaningful to me, and I hate that he was so young. It's very sad."
erker
All Star
So play the resurrector, and give the dead soms life
Inside The Apollo: A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West, Andre 3000 & More Honor Phife Dawg
4/6/2016 by Eric Diep
The atmosphere at the funeral of Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest at The Apollo Theater on April 5, 2016 in New York City.
JAMEL JOHNSON / MEDIA PUNCH/IPX
On Tuesday afternoon (April 5), the same fans that stood in the rain 24 hours prior at St. Albans Park in Queens, New York to honor A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg sported their “Phife Diggy” shirts for the "Celebration of Phife Dawg" at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Hundreds of supporters, as well as Phife's family and friends and several hip-hop VIPs, made the trek to W. 125th Street to salute their hip-hop hero.
Hosted by Quest Green, the four-hour memorial service was packed with artists paying tribute to the “Five Foot Assassin,” special performances, and sentimental dedications from the remaining members of A Tribe Called Quest: Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White. Phife Dawg, born Malik Izaak Boyce-Taylor, was honored by a Who’s Who of hip-hop, past and present as Chuck D, Busta Rhymes, Consequence, Kanye West, Andre 3000, KRS-One, Grandmaster Flash, Kid Capri and many more paid their respects to the 45-year-old rhymer, who passed away on March 22 due to complications from diabetes. The audience included the likes of Barry Weiss, L.A. Reid, Lyor Cohen, LL Cool J, DJ Kool Herc, DJ Red Alert and Dave Chappelle -- a mix of music industry veterans and celebrities with a special connection to the self-proclaimed "funky diabetic."
A Tribe Called Quest Fans Gather in Queens for Phife Dawg Memorial
The service also served as a tribute concert as Kelly Price sang “Because He Lives,” Angela Winbush and The Roots performed “Angel" and D’Angelo belted a gospel/soul rendition of Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend.” The Roots’ Black Thought rapped a freestyle incorporating Phife Dawg’s most iconic lines; KRS-One played Boogie Down Productions’ "I’m Still #1" and followed up with some free-associative rhymes backed by Kid Capri on drums.
Chuck D and Busta Rhymes offered some of the first opening remarks on Phife. “His rhymes were honest. He had to be honest. He was honest since 1992,” Chuck D said. “We all rode with Phife and his struggle -- all his fans, 100 times over -- because he let everybody know, 'This is what I am going through.' He kept it real, and he kept it in rhyme.”
Rhymes was brought to tears when he spoke about spending his teenage years with Tribe, sitting in nearly every studio session with the pioneering rap group, even when he wasn’t supposed to. “That’s why I ended up on so many Tribe songs,” he said. A frontman for Leaders of the New School, Rhymes explained why appearing on “Scenario” off ATCQ's 1991 The Low End Theory elevated his career. “That song changed my money. That song changed my ability to provide for my family. It allowed me to be a good father, a great son -- taking on the responsibility of securing the well-being of my house. Many others directly and indirectly. I’m forever in debt to Tribe.”
'Long Live the Phifer': Hip-Hop Writers Reflect on Phife Dawg, the Lyrical Genius & Relatable Rapper
Phife was a well-known sports fanatic, too. Michael Rapaport, the director of the 2011 documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, played a montage of Phife’s career moments and showed him waxing poetic about sports. Another video featured prominent basketball players in the NBA—Jamal Crawford, Damien Lillard, Draymond Green and Chris Webber—talking about what Phife and his music meant to them. Hot 97 radio host Peter Rosenberg (who introduced a touching video from ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt) said it best about Tribe: “A Tribe Called Quest is Led Zeppelin, and by that, I mean they are timeless music.”
Kanye West also made an appearance, delivering an impromptu speech where he discussed Phife’s legacy and how Tribe influenced his own personality and worldview. A common theme in each Phife-centric sermon was a love note to hip-hop. Out of respect, ‘Ye pointed out that he didn’t want Zeppelin to be mentioned at Phife’s funeral, which made the crowd laugh. West continued to be unapologetic about his outspoken behavior because “Tribe made Kanye West. Made the kid with the pink Polo. Made it so I could dress funny. I'm not sorry if I said something wrong.”
Intro to Phife Dawg: 8 Songs You Need to Know
Andre 3000, another longtime Tribe fan, revealed there was once a joint project withOutKast and A Tribe Called Quest in the works that never materialized. His speech, like many others, touched on not letting time passing you by (a nod to Tribe’s “Excursion” lyrics) and asked every hip-hop OG to pay it forward to the new MCs instead of hating on them. To put it simply, OutKast would not be OutKast without Tribe.
The final hour was reserved for ATCQ members to say their piece on Phife Dawg and thank everyone who came to show love to their friend. Jarobi, Ali and Q-Tip all shared heartfelt memories about Phife, but spent a good amount of time acknowledging Phife's wife Deisha Head Taylor, who received a kidney transplant to help extend the life of her beloved husband. While they did not speak on Tribe's future, the group was inspired by everyone’s words.
Phife Dawg's Posthumous 'Nutshell' Video Drops: Watch
“When we look around and we hear [these speeches], whether it be Andre or Kanye or Consequence. Grand Puba is here. KRS. All of our hip-hop family is here and a lot of that has extended into beautiful friendships and brotherhoods,” Q-Tip said. “We need to continue that. When we think about Tribe, Tribe is not just the three of us standing [here] or the four of us. We are all the Tribe.”
4/6/2016 by Eric Diep
- EMAIL ME
The atmosphere at the funeral of Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest at The Apollo Theater on April 5, 2016 in New York City.
JAMEL JOHNSON / MEDIA PUNCH/IPX
On Tuesday afternoon (April 5), the same fans that stood in the rain 24 hours prior at St. Albans Park in Queens, New York to honor A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg sported their “Phife Diggy” shirts for the "Celebration of Phife Dawg" at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Hundreds of supporters, as well as Phife's family and friends and several hip-hop VIPs, made the trek to W. 125th Street to salute their hip-hop hero.
Hosted by Quest Green, the four-hour memorial service was packed with artists paying tribute to the “Five Foot Assassin,” special performances, and sentimental dedications from the remaining members of A Tribe Called Quest: Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White. Phife Dawg, born Malik Izaak Boyce-Taylor, was honored by a Who’s Who of hip-hop, past and present as Chuck D, Busta Rhymes, Consequence, Kanye West, Andre 3000, KRS-One, Grandmaster Flash, Kid Capri and many more paid their respects to the 45-year-old rhymer, who passed away on March 22 due to complications from diabetes. The audience included the likes of Barry Weiss, L.A. Reid, Lyor Cohen, LL Cool J, DJ Kool Herc, DJ Red Alert and Dave Chappelle -- a mix of music industry veterans and celebrities with a special connection to the self-proclaimed "funky diabetic."
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The service also served as a tribute concert as Kelly Price sang “Because He Lives,” Angela Winbush and The Roots performed “Angel" and D’Angelo belted a gospel/soul rendition of Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend.” The Roots’ Black Thought rapped a freestyle incorporating Phife Dawg’s most iconic lines; KRS-One played Boogie Down Productions’ "I’m Still #1" and followed up with some free-associative rhymes backed by Kid Capri on drums.
Chuck D and Busta Rhymes offered some of the first opening remarks on Phife. “His rhymes were honest. He had to be honest. He was honest since 1992,” Chuck D said. “We all rode with Phife and his struggle -- all his fans, 100 times over -- because he let everybody know, 'This is what I am going through.' He kept it real, and he kept it in rhyme.”
Rhymes was brought to tears when he spoke about spending his teenage years with Tribe, sitting in nearly every studio session with the pioneering rap group, even when he wasn’t supposed to. “That’s why I ended up on so many Tribe songs,” he said. A frontman for Leaders of the New School, Rhymes explained why appearing on “Scenario” off ATCQ's 1991 The Low End Theory elevated his career. “That song changed my money. That song changed my ability to provide for my family. It allowed me to be a good father, a great son -- taking on the responsibility of securing the well-being of my house. Many others directly and indirectly. I’m forever in debt to Tribe.”
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Phife was a well-known sports fanatic, too. Michael Rapaport, the director of the 2011 documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, played a montage of Phife’s career moments and showed him waxing poetic about sports. Another video featured prominent basketball players in the NBA—Jamal Crawford, Damien Lillard, Draymond Green and Chris Webber—talking about what Phife and his music meant to them. Hot 97 radio host Peter Rosenberg (who introduced a touching video from ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt) said it best about Tribe: “A Tribe Called Quest is Led Zeppelin, and by that, I mean they are timeless music.”
Kanye West also made an appearance, delivering an impromptu speech where he discussed Phife’s legacy and how Tribe influenced his own personality and worldview. A common theme in each Phife-centric sermon was a love note to hip-hop. Out of respect, ‘Ye pointed out that he didn’t want Zeppelin to be mentioned at Phife’s funeral, which made the crowd laugh. West continued to be unapologetic about his outspoken behavior because “Tribe made Kanye West. Made the kid with the pink Polo. Made it so I could dress funny. I'm not sorry if I said something wrong.”
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Andre 3000, another longtime Tribe fan, revealed there was once a joint project withOutKast and A Tribe Called Quest in the works that never materialized. His speech, like many others, touched on not letting time passing you by (a nod to Tribe’s “Excursion” lyrics) and asked every hip-hop OG to pay it forward to the new MCs instead of hating on them. To put it simply, OutKast would not be OutKast without Tribe.
The final hour was reserved for ATCQ members to say their piece on Phife Dawg and thank everyone who came to show love to their friend. Jarobi, Ali and Q-Tip all shared heartfelt memories about Phife, but spent a good amount of time acknowledging Phife's wife Deisha Head Taylor, who received a kidney transplant to help extend the life of her beloved husband. While they did not speak on Tribe's future, the group was inspired by everyone’s words.
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“When we look around and we hear [these speeches], whether it be Andre or Kanye or Consequence. Grand Puba is here. KRS. All of our hip-hop family is here and a lot of that has extended into beautiful friendships and brotherhoods,” Q-Tip said. “We need to continue that. When we think about Tribe, Tribe is not just the three of us standing [here] or the four of us. We are all the Tribe.”