Phife Dawg (born Malik Isaac Taylor) was an American rapper who is known for his involvement in the classic hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Phife was born on November 20, 1970 and lived to age 45 before passing away on March 23, 2016.

Phife Dawg initially created the group A Tribe Called Quest back in 1985 with fellow rapper and high school classmate Q-Tip. Jarobi White and Ali Shaheed Muhammad joining the group later on.

He released his first and only studio album Ventilation: Da LP in 2000, but was not able to break into the rap scene as a solo act. However, he did have many notable guest appearances on tracks like “La Schmoove” by Fu-Schnickens and Diamond D’s “Painz & Strife.”

In May of 1990, Phife was diagnosed with type one diabetes, which resulted in him needing a kidney transplant in 2008. He was very open about his battle with diabetes, even calling himself a “funky diabetic” on the hit Tribe Called Quest song “Oh My God.” He proved to be very influential in the diabetic community, promoting his message that “when you learn you have diabetes, the first word you have to learn is acceptance.”

Unfortunately, Phife succumbed to his long battle with diabetes, passing away on March 23rd, 2016. Fans and hip hop artists alike were devastated by the news. Many hip hop artists, including Common, Jay Electronica, and Ghostface Killah have credited Phife for being an honorable and influential force in the hip hop genre.