Reports: Phife Dawg Of 'A Tribe Called Quest' Dies At 45
LOS ANGELES (CBS13) – Malik Taylor, a founding member of the pioneering rap group A Tribe Called Quest, has died, according to multiple reports.
Rolling Stone reports that the rapper had been battling diabetes.
The 45-year-old rapper known as "Phife Dawg" was one of the four original members of the rap group, whose 1991 album "The Low End Theory" is credited as a major influence on alternative hip hop during the 90s.
Tributes to Phife Dawg have been pouring in Wednesday morning.
In high school, I just listened to Low End over and over and over and over and over. What an awful sad day. #RIPPhifeDawg
— Jesse Thorn ????♂️ (@JesseThorn) March 23, 2016
Today we lost one of the most influential artists and one of our own. #Queens #Mets #PhifeDawg #RIPPhife pic.twitter.com/20Y6qYfEng
— New York Mets (@Mets) March 23, 2016
Perhaps moving forward we'ill uplift & show luv to all who created sound tracks for our lives & not only rock them in death #PhifeDawg
— Davey D (@mrdaveyd) March 23, 2016
I just can't believe he's gone. Talked about doing a pod interview. Thought there'd be time. #PhifeDawg pic.twitter.com/U2wlxiBh36
— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) March 23, 2016
"I like em brown, yellow, Puero Rican or Hatian / Name is Phife Dawg from the Zulu Nation" #RIPPhifeDawg
— Marc Lamont Hill (@marclamonthill) March 23, 2016
RIP Phife Dawg. Damn. Too too young.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) March 23, 2016