Phife Dawg

• Name — Phife Dawg • Birth Name — Malik Izaak Taylor • Alias — * Phife • The Phifer • The Five Foot Assassin • Born — 20 November 1970 • Birthplace — Queens, New York City, U.S. • Died — 22 March 2016 • Place of death — Oakley, California, U.S. • Genre — East Coast hip hop • Occupation — * Rapper • songwriter • Years Active — 1985–2016 • Label — * Jive • Groove Attack • Past Member Of — A Tribe Called Quest

Phife Dawg was born Malik Izaak Taylor on November 20, 1970, in Queens, New York City, the son of Trinidadian immigrant parents Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, a poet, and Walt Taylor. His mother settled in the St. Albans neighborhood of Queens when she was 13 years old, and Phife Dawg was raised in the same neighborhood. Born prematurely, his twin brother Mikal died shortly after birth. He was a cousin of writer Zinzi Clemmons. He first met his friend Q-Tip at the age of two. At nine years old, Phife Dawg suggested that they should rap, after hearing "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang for the first time. He attended Pine Forge Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist boarding school near Philadelphia, for his freshman year of high school, later transferring to Springfield Gardens High School in Queens.

• Illustration — Phife Dawg in 2012 Phife Dawg formed A Tribe Called Quest, then simply named Quest, with Q-Tip and DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad in 1985; the group was later expanded with the addition of Jarobi White. A Tribe Called Quest were closely associated with fellow hip-hop acts De La Soul and Jungle Brothers, with the groups collectively known as the Native Tongues. A Tribe Called Quest was initially offered a demo deal by Geffen Records in 1989, but signed to Jive Records to release its 1990 début People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. Phife Dawg's contributions to the group increased on its second album, 1991's The Low End Theory, which saw Phife—often calling himself "the Five-Foot Assassin"—rapping about social and political issues; the record has since been acclaimed by critics and musicians. The group released three more albums that decade—Midnight Marauders in 1993, Beats, Rhymes and Life in 1996, and The Love Movement in 1998—before disbanding as a result of conflict both with their record label and internally. The group's troubles, especially the sometimes tense relationship between Phife and Q-Tip, were featured in the 2011 documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, directed by Michael Rapaport. Phife also performed with other artists. He was featured on the Fu-Schnickens song "La Schmoove", Diamond D's "Painz & Strife" with Pete Rock, and Chi-Ali's "Let the Horns Blow" with Dres, Al' Tariq and Trugoy. In 2000, he released his debut solo album, Ventilation: Da LP. In 2013, it was reported that Phife was working on another solo album, MUTTYmorPHosis. A single, "Sole Men," was released one day after Phife's death (March 23, 2016) along with a posthumously released video. Another single, "Nutshell", was released online in April 2016 along with a posthumously released video. On November 13, 2015, A Tribe Called Quest reunited for a performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm. That night, Phife and Q-Tip decided to put aside their differences and record a new group album, We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service, in secrecy. Phife spent four months working on the album before his death; it was completed by the surviving members and released on November 11, 2016. In February 2017, it was announced that Phife's second studio album would be released later in the year. The single "Wanna Dance" was released that month and features Dwele and Mike City. Phife Dawg's second solo album, Forever, was released on March 22, 2022, the sixth anniversary of his death.

Taylor was married to Deisha Head-Taylor. He was a fan of the New York Knicks, and was a playable character in the video games NBA 2K7 and NBA 2K9.

Taylor was diagnosed with diabetes in 1990. Conflicting reports indicated it as type 1, while other sources reported it as type 2. He described himself as a "funky diabetic" in the single "Oh My God" from A Tribe Called Quest's 1993 album Midnight Marauders. After the group disbanded, he continued playing live shows to help cover medical costs, and revealed in the 2011 documentary film Beats, Rhymes & Life that he was "just addicted to sugar... it's really a sickness." In 2008, Taylor developed renal failure and received a kidney transplant from his wife, but it was unsuccessful, and by 2012 he again required a transplant. On March 22, 2016, Taylor died at age 45 in his Oakley, California home due to complications of diabetes.

• Ventilation: Da LP (2000) • Forever (2022)

List of guest appearances • Title — Year — Other performer(s) — Album • "La Schmoove" — 1992 — Fu-Schnickens — F.U. Don't Take It Personal • "Let the Horns Blow" — Chi-Ali, Dres, Fashion, Trugoy the Dove — The Fabulous Chi-Ali • "Where Ya At?" — 1993 — Shaquille O'Neal — Shaq Diesel • "Giggin' on 'Em" • "Intro-lude" — 1994 — TLC — CrazySexyCool • "Who Got the Funk" — 1995 — Science of Sound — Kaleidoscope Phonetics • "Artical" — Whitey Don, Chip Fu — Artical (VLS) • "Game Day" — 1996 — Rodney Hampton — NFL Jams • "Painz & Strife" — 1997 — Diamond D, Pete Rock — Hatred, Passions and Infidelity • "Let Me Be the One (Ummah Remix) — Mint Condition — Let Me Be the One (VLS) • "All I Do (Jay Dee's Shit! Mix)" — Somethin' for the People — All I Do (CDS) • "Never Say Goodbye" — 1998 — Adriana Evans — Ride (soundtrack) • "Ghost Weed Skit 2" — 2000 — De La Soul — Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump • "Phife's Speech" — Ambivalence — Electric Treatment • "Committed" • "What's da Deal" • "In My Music (Dodge's Main Mix)" — 2001 — Al Jarreau — Tomorrow Today (Reissue) • "In My Music (Dodge's Melodic Mix)" • "Solo Movement" — K-Mel — Reflexions Vol. 1 • "Take You There" — 2002 — AK1200 — Shoot to Kill • "It's Only Right" — Next Evidence — Thrills • "You Know You Want It" — 2003 — Slick & Rose — Objects in the Mirror • "Nah Mean" — will.i.am — Must B 21 • "How It's Gonna Be" — 2004 — Truth Enola — 6 O'Clock Straight • "How It's Gonna Be (Remix)" — Ten Past 6 • "Scheming" — 2010 — Slum Village, Posdnuos — Villa Manifesto • "Tell the Whole City" — 2011 — Consequence — Movies on Demand 2 • "They Say (Legendary Remix)" — T3, Rapper Big Pooh — 3illa Madness • "Dues n Donts" — 2012 — Oh No, José James — Ohnomite • "What Profit (Remix)" — Dwele • "Seek Well" — 2013 — CJ Fly, A La Sole — Thee Way Eye See It • "Push It Along" — 2015 — Slum Village — Yes! • "All Around the World" — 2018 — Black Eyed Peas, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Posdnuos — Masters of the Sun Vol. 1 • "No Place Like Home" — 2019 — Consequence

• 1993: Who's the Man? – Gerald • 1998: The Rugrats Movie – Newborn Baby • 2007: NBA 2K8 – Himself • 2011: Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest – Himself • 2017: NBA 2K18 - Himself

Phife Dawg was recorded at birth as Malik Izaak Taylor. He also worked under the name Phife Dawg. The authorities additionally record the headings Malik Taylor and Malik Isaac Taylor. His recorded language was English.