Last week on the 22nd of March 2016 the hip hop community lost a key member of the emcee fraternity, Phife Dawg. Phife was a part of the legendary rap group A Tribe Called Quest alongside Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Mohammed, and sporadic member Jarobi White. In its heyday the group, which was known for its artistic and intelligent raps, made a huge impact on the hip hop scene and is considered one of the most influential rap groups of all time. Phife also enjoyed a solo career after the group disbanded. He released an album titled Ventilation: Da LP which peaked at the 175th position on the US Billboard 200, as well as the 31st, 35th, and 8th position on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Independent Albums, and Top Heatseekers charts respectively.
The rapper’s death came as a shock to many. He died at the age of 45 due to diabetes-related complications. News of his death was met with mourning and an outpouring of support for his family and remaining Tribe Called Quest members.
Just a few days after his death it was announced that fans have initiated a petition to co-name Linden Blvd in Queens, New York to A Tribe Called Quest Boulevard in honor of Phife and the entire group. According to TMZ, Councilman Daneek Miller is in support of the initiative as he acknowledges that Tribe played an important role in the history of Queens. It’s also reported that Phife’s family is in support of this initiative and has already signed off on it.
While that petition has been going on Jarobi White also initiated an online petition to have Albans Park specifically named after Phife Dawg. The park played an important role to the group before they gained notoriety as they frequently visited it to hangout, freestyle, and sharpen their rap skills. The proposed name of the park is Malik "Phife Dawg" Taylor Park.
The goal of the petition is to obtain 4,000 signatures and so as at the time of writing this article it had almost been reached (3,994 at the time of publishing with about 23% of the signatures coming from New York residents).
It will be a great honor if the park is indeed renamed after the deceased, influential emcee. A Tribe Called Quest has had the type of global impact that very few artists have come close to replicating. It’s indeed a welcome development to name parts of a city after public figures other than politicians. Fellow rappers and musicians including Wiz Khalifa, Busta Rhymes, and Kendrick Lamar to name a few have paid their respect to Phife by releasing songs, public addresses, and holding shows in memory of the fallen emcee.
Phife will be remembered for many years to come. He was truly an original emcee. RIP.
