Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor), a founding member of the groundbreaking, socially sophisticated hiphop crew A Tribe Called Quest, is dead at 45. Anyone who watched the documentary Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest learned, one, that the "“funky diabetic” had a long history of kidney-related health problems and, two, that he never really wanted to be a rapper (a sports agent was his calling). Nevertheless, Phife left the hiphop world with some of the most memorable lines and rhymes.

Q-Tip, the leader of the group was dreamy and a perfectionist; Phife Dawg was the exact opposite. He was often rude, often messy, occasionally vulgar, but always on point (he had a stronger swing than Tip). Phife will be missed.