{"id":14988,"date":"2016-03-23T18:25:14","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T18:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mytrendybuzz.com\/blog\/?p=14988"},"modified":"2016-03-23T18:32:37","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T18:32:37","slug":"phife-dawg-from-a-tribe-called-quest-dies-at-45","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mytrendybuzz.com\/blog\/2016\/03\/23\/phife-dawg-from-a-tribe-called-quest-dies-at-45\/","title":{"rendered":"Phife Dawg From A Tribe Called Quest Dies at 45"},"content":{"rendered":"

2016 is officially the year that is eroding with the loss of the legends of our time. The losses only add to the mystery of what life truly offers.<\/p>\n

Being an artist is subjective but being able to leave behind a legacy – a gift to the world or the sampling of what encompassed your total inspiration is a specific calling that only very few accomplish.<\/p>\n

A Tribe Called Quest \u2013 the hip-hop group rooted from the streets of Queens, New York always enjoyed the reputation of being an experimental hub that conducted an infectious blend of lyrical freedom with the ease of impeccably strewn beats that highlighted the base of their delivery.<\/p>\n

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A seamless effort, that became the blueprint for artists that were comfortably dominating the scene in the eighties and nineties \u2013 a time when the genre of hip-hop took shape through the cultural renderings of its messengers.<\/p>\n

Phife Dawg \u2013 born Malik Taylor, who along with childhood friend Q-Tip founded A Tribe Called Quest died Tuesday after years of battling diabetes. He was 45 years old.<\/p>\n

The lyrical wonder of the group and perfect compliment to Q-Tip\u2019s smooth flowing stance \u2013 Phife was vocal about the reality of his health challenges. He shared his struggles with actor Michael Rapaport who produced a cohesive piece about the group back in 2011, \u201cLike straight-up drugs. I\u2019m just addicted to sugar\u201d.<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s rise began with gems like Can I Kick It,<\/em> I Left My Wallet in El Segundo<\/em>, and Push It Along<\/em> from their much-heralded debut album \u2013 People\u2019s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The cultural impact of their first offering set the tone for the thematic freestyle hooks accompanied with consciously driven verses contrived from the social climate and the shift towards the soulful mandate of exploring the genres of music and the coding of remaining reliably futuristic.<\/p>\n

Phife\u2019s solo ventures were limited due to bad health, forcing him to remain under the radar while he dedicated his time and efforts to his ongoing project \u2013 his follow up album, Songs In The Key of Phife: Volume 1 (Cheryl\u2019s Big Son)<\/em>. His only other solo effort prior was 2000\u2019s Ventilation: Da LP<\/em>, which proved to be a source of strife between him and Q-Tip after Phife seemingly dissed his longtime road dog. But they both eventually patched things up.<\/p>\n

Phife Dawg’s death is a huge loss to the hip-hop community that received him and the future generations that will delightfully re-discover his profound mastery.<\/p>\n

Shortly after his passing was made public \u2013 his family released the following statement: \u201cMalik was our loving husband, father, brother and friend. We love him dearly. How he impacted all our lives will never be forgotten. His love for music and sports was only surpassed by his love of God and family\u201d.<\/p>\n