RIP Phife Dawg
My love for Hip Hop, like many other peoples, grew originally for my love of Tribe Called Quest. While pop culture rappers drew in myself and many other self proclaimed hip hop heads, it was artists like ATCQ that helped the appreciation for the art grow. With a passion for rhyming and a spirit of positivity, Phife Dawg embodied the spirit of east coast hip hop.
Since I was very small I found characters on TV shows, in movies, and in music that I would borrow from to create a better me. I was always aware of what I was doing as I did it. Phife was, at the time, the only rapper I had heard rapping without a chip on his shoulder. After first hearing Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders I began to emulate Phife's ability to make fun of himself and at the very least not take himself too seriously. His ability to go between jokester and preacher was something I appreciated. It reminded me that aggression isn't necessarily what people need to feel in order to hear you. It just needs to be genuine. Phife was always that.
Thank you, Phife. Thank you for the flows. Thank you for the lyrics that I will play for my future son. Thank you for the music we have all danced to for years. You will never ever be forgotten.
Straight outta Jamaica, seen? Jamaica, Queens
But you could find me out in Georgia, or anywhere in between
Now if my partners don't look good, Malik won't look good
If Malik don't look good, then Quest won't look good
If the Quest don't look good, then Queens won't look good
But since the sounds are universal, New York won't look good
Picture Phife losing a battle, come on, get off it
Put down the microphone son, surrender, forfeit