Malik Taylor, aka Phife Dawg, aka “The Funky Diabetic” and “The Five Foot Assassin” has died at the age of 45 from complications deriving from diabetes. He was a member of A Tribe Called Quest from their inception in 1985 through the “Love Movement” and split in 1998. Tribe saw an insurgence in 2006 with a few sporadic reunions and a 2011 critically acclaimed documentary entitled Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, directed by Michael Rapaport. At the time of Malik Taylor’s, death, he was working on a solo LP entitled Muttymorphosis. Hip Hop has lost a true legend and pioneer and he will without a doubt be missed.
Image via allhiphop.com