(Gossip-Grind) Phife Dawg Of A Tribe Called Quest Dead At 45:
Phife Dawg, a founding member of the pioneering hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, has died at 45. The rapper, whose real name is Malik Taylor, has had health issues for years.
Phife (born Malik Taylor), who famously labeled himself “the Funky Diabetic” in several Tribe songs, had battled with ill health in recent years and underwent a kidney transplant in 2008, following renal failure due to diabetes complications. He went on to become a diabetes advocate and shared his story in the 2012 documentary Beats, Rhymes and Life.
A Tribe Called Quest was formed in the late 1980s by Phife, Q-Tip (born Jonathan Davis), DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White (who would leave the group at the height of its success). The act signed to Jive Records and released the first album of five studio albums, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, in 1990. (Billboard)
Rest in peace Phife Dawg.