What's happening folks! I'm not going to lie to you. Twenty four hours removed and I'm still at a profound loss for words. This was something none of us saw coming. One member of arguably the most important hip-hop group not named Run-DMC of all-time dead at the age of 46. Malik Isaac Taylor, otherwise known as Phife Dawg, passed from complications his over twenty year fight with diabetes overnight Tuesday. This one has fully sent the hip-hop world into mourning, reflection, and tears. Keep in mind, we still are trying to move past the passing of the great Sean Price in August. We were, and still are, so in love with Tribe, in spite of their much publicized break up back in '98. We always wished and hoped for one last Tribe album, a reunion just for hip-hop sake. Those dreams will sadly never come to fruition now. As a young thirty-six year old guy that lives, breathes, sleeps, eats, walks, talks, and bathes in hip-hop, this one truly hurts my feelings and shakes me to the core.
We first peeped the self-professed "Five Foot Assassin" on Tribe's stellar debut, Peoples Instinctive Travels In The Paths Of Rhythm. This was an album that was very different than anything else upon its release in '90. This was very bohemian in nature, stressing musicianship and lyricism, but other than Q-Tip, for the most part Phife and Jairobi took the backseat. Considered an "alternative" hip-hop album for its time, this was far from the N.W.A., Geto Boys, and Ice-T music were becoming accustomed to. This was different, yet beautiful, music and was lyrically very promising. I remember buying it some three months after it came out because I was deep into EPMD, De La Soul (another "alternative" hip-hop trio that have earned the status of icons), Heavy D, and D.O.C. Although I didn't become a huge fan of "Left My Wallet In El Segundo" at first, I, like many, was an enormous fan of "Bonita Applebum", and I was intrigued to buy it at some point. Then came "Can I Kick It". Yes sir!! When I bought it, I was pleasantly surprised, as this was a play-through from beginning to end.
It was '91, however, when my mind was blown. Tribe quickly crushed any notions of a sophomore jinx with The Low End Theory, which up until Illmatic was my absolute favorite album in the game. This album saw them fusing more jazz into their melodic structure, and it was more groove centric than their debut. This album, on the other hand, was when we started to fully know how strong Phife was lyrically. This was the album he officially saw Phife as a star. Aside from his monster performance on my all-time personal fave from them "Buggin' Out", his solo cut of "Butter" and other lyrically holding it down on other impeccable cuts like the anthemic first single "Check The Rhime", their follow-up "Jazz" and "Everything Is Fair". Of course who can deny his performance along with everyone on one of the greatest posse records ever heard in hip-hop "Scenario" with Leaders Of the New School. Yeah, I know. Busta beasted the track at the end, but who didn't hold their own all through that cut. The point is, Phife arrived and for me, this remains my all-time fave from Tribe.
Just when you thought he couldn't get any more dope, Tribe dropped their third epic piece, Midnight Marauders, which although more accessible, they didn't stray far at all from what brought them to the table. With their phenomenal singles of "Award Tour" and "Electric Relaxation", this took Tribe into higher stratospheres, but this also continued Phife's momentum as a more than capable emcee compared to Tip. This was yet another monument for them, as they wrapped up the single most acclaimed triple threat in albums ever heard in hip-hop. Described as the three most "Perfect" albums by close friend, Busta Rhymes this was clearly the best group in the world besides a group that consisted of nine emcees from Staten Island at the time and five young cats from Cleveland.
In '96, they dropped arguably their darkest effort with Beats, Rhymes, and Life. Although still a very dope release, it was clear they were trying to go a different route, but the music was reflective of the turmoil going on within the group, as Phife started beefing with Tip around this time. Regardless, Phife still didn't come short, with strong showings on cuts like "The Hop", "Keep It Moving" and "Baby Phife's Return". I thought it was a good release, but even I noticed something was off and different with this album compared to their CLASSIC prior three. Then came their swan song in '98, The Love Movement. Again, good album, and although there were traces of old Tribe, it just wasn't the same. This was the end of one of the best groups not just in hip-hop, but all of popular music.
We tend to forget that Muddy Ranks had a solo album back in 2000, called Ventilation: Da LP. Blessed by the likes of Dilla, Pete Rock, and Hi-Tek (who brought a funky and dope sound to his first single "Flawless"), this was severely slept, and we saw him at his lyrical strength all album long. Barely sold anything, this was a tragedy, while Tip was beginning his solo ventures with albums Amplified, his SPECTACULAR Renaissance, and Kamaal Tha Abstract. He stopped recording, and remained low-key. He ended up coaching and remained an avid sports fan. However, we publicly saw his fight with Diabetes on the Michael Rappaport documentary, Beats, Rhymes, and Life, where he not only documented his struggles with it, but we even see going into the hospital about to undergo a kidney transplant, which was given to him by his wife.
Over the last couple of years, we've heard him do a Dilla tribute cut called "Dear Dilla", which was quite dope by the way, and he showed up on Slum Village's Dilla-flavored album from 2015, YES, on the track "Push It Along", which ended up being the last time we heard fresh vocals from Muddy Ranks. Sadly, we wish there were more. While many consider Q-Tip the face of Tribe, Phife was clearly the lyrical b-boy of the group. We will greatly miss this trailblazing emcee who bathed in hip-hop all day, everyday. God Bless the Five Foot Assassin. We will NEVER forget you brother. Salute!
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