Nadeem SalaamConsider it’s been almost 20 years since A Tribe Called Quest first laid their sound into the ethos bedrock of New York Hip hop. While this city has honestly failed to pay equal tribute in return to the genre born in the streets of NYC, it’s certainly touching to drive down Linden Blvd (where I’ve personally lived minutes from) to see Phife Dawg’s name eteched into the very neighboorhood he came from.
The late rapper from the group A Tribe Called Quest was honored last Saturday at the intersection of 192nd Street and Linden Boulevard in St. Albans neighborhood in Queens, now named the Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor Way. Malik died earlier this year at only 45, following complications from diabetes to the shock of family, friends, and the music world.
The rapper’s bandmates, Q-Tip and Jarobi White, were present along with many associated with the super group. Last week, A Tribe Called Quest released their final album with Phife Dawg, We Got It From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service, while a solo record is slated to come out some time in 2017 from the late Queens rapper. While New York doesn’t always have a cozy relationship with hip hop, it’s certainly nice to see that name hover over the community next to the Adam Yauch’s and Jam Master’s.