The hip-hop world mourned the loss of A Tribe Called Quest founding member Phife Dawg on Wednesday and reactions to the sad news via social media from celebrities and other giants in the industry have poured in.
As we noted earlier, several media outlets reported that the rapper passed away on March 23 at the age of 45.
Phife Dawg, whose real name is Malik Isaac Taylor, was a part of one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all time. The ‘90s trio of Taylor, Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad started releasing hits in 1990 off their first album People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.
The group’s success is attributed to their unique style which was like nothing ever heard before in rap music and something that may never be matched again.
Over their more than two and half decades in existence A Tribe Called Quest split up many times, but reunited just as much. Last year, the group performed “Can I Kick It” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. That ended up being their last performance together.
RIP Phife Dawg.