Kendrick Lamar, Questlove, Chuck D, Chance the Rapper, More Pay Tribute to A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg

Questlove on hearing "Scenario": "THAT was the moment I knew I wanted to make THIS type of music when I grew up"
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This morning, it was reported that A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg died at the age of 45Update (3/23 1:08 p.m.): Phife Dog died from "complications resulting from diabetes," according to his family and manager. Artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Questlove, Chuck D, Chris Rock, Chance the Rapper, and more have begun to pay tribute to the late rapper. Find some of their tributes below. Mac Miller also shared "5 Foot Assassin," a freestyle of Phife's set to a Miller-produced instrumental. Listen to that above.

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Update (3/23, 3:00 p.m.): Atlanta news station WSB-TV paid tribute to Phife Dawg this morning by inserting some of his most well-known lines into their traffic reports, Pigeons and Planes points out. While detailing a highway crash, for example, traffic anchor Mark Arum quoted a bit of “Check The Rhime,” instructing viewers to “tell your mother, tell your father, send a telegram." Watch some highlights below.

Update (4:13 p.m.): Talib Kweli has penned an essay for Billboard paying tribute to Phife Dawg. In it, he details Phife's career highlights, as well as the artist's influence on both himself and hip-hop at large. Kweli also declares A Tribe Called Quest's 1993 LP Midnight Marauders "a flawless piece of work," arguing that it's " the album responsible for getting more people into hip-hop than any album before and after it." He concludes:

The most exciting thing about Phife was watching him grow as an artist in front of us. He went from Tip’s homie to Phife Dawg to the Funky Diabetic to the Five Foot Assassin. He utilized his Trinidadian roots to add a Caribbean favor to his verses and commanded the respect of a giant even though he was smaller than most. When ATCQ broke up, Phife never stopped, recording great music with producers like Hi-Tek and J Dilla, and starting a business with DJ Rasta Root in Atlanta. He reinvented himself as a sports analysts and regularly appeared on sports programs.

Phife Dawg was authenticity in the flesh. Loyal to a fault and fiercely protective of this culture we call hip-hop, Phife embodies the very best of us. The Trini gladiator, the anti-hesitator -- Phife will forever be a part of the reason for the music I love and make a living from. And for that, I owe him the world.

Update (3/25, 3:02 p.m.): On the newest episode of their Beats 1 show, Run the Jewels spoke about Phife's influence. "Everybody loves that dude," El-P said. "Everybody knows what he's gone for music; everybody grew up feeling like this guy was someone you wanted to know, and that he represented something for us that was sort of innocent, in a way." Meanwhile, Killer Mike said: "He is—not was—but is a constant inspiration to me, on just how to be a cool motherfucker and drop dope-ass rhymes." Listen to their discussion below.

Update (3/25, 10:27 p.m.): Busta Rhymes has written a tribute to Phife Dawg on his Instagram. In it, he recalls performing "Scenario" with Tribe last December. He writes that Phife has his hand on his back in the photo because he was "crying tears of joy because of how proud of a moment that was for [him] being able to end a 4 hour set with brothers who put [him] in a position where [he] was able to tell [his] mother she will not have to work for anyone over 20 [years] ago." Read the full thing below.

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