A Tribe Called Quest - whose founder member Phife Dawg died earlier this week following a long struggle with diabetes - were known broadly for their intelligent, Afrocentric lyrics and the pioneering use of jazz in their music. But Phife's mischievous jabs, self-deprecating humour, and throwaway sports and pop culture references were an essential counterbalance to fellow rapper Q-Tip's abstract, philosophical lyrics and often bookish persona. To borrow one of Phife's own lines from the group's hit 'Can I Kick It?', follow him for the funky behaviour (Or, as he'd later put it: “Knicks and Lakers was my favourite basketball teams/Underground emcee, but I can bring it mainstream.”)
This unique vocal chemistry - backed by the group's trademark seductive sonics - ensured a remarkable run in the Nineties, during which Tip, Phife and producer/deejay Ali Shaheed Muhammad delivered three bona fide classic LPs: 'People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm' (1990), 'The Low End Theory' (1991), and 'Midnight Marauders' (1993). Truthfully, Tribe didn't just make great rap albums. They - along with a small handful of others, like Public Enemy, De La Soul, the Wu-Tang Clan and Outkast - completely reimagined and redefined the genre.
Two more solid albums - 1996's 'Beats, Rhymes & Life' and 1998's 'The Love Movement' - followed before the group dissolved in 1998. Phife dropped a solo album, 'Ventilation: Da LP', in 2000 which yielded a pair of club bangers in 'Flawless' and 'Ben Dova', the latter produced by J. Dilla. But it was during his time with A Tribe Called Quest - one of hip-hop's genuinely groundbreaking and enduringly influential (not to mention perennially popular) units - that Phife cemented his legendary status and, ultimately, when he recorded his best work.
Here, then, are seven quintessential lines from the self-styled “5 ft assassin” that best capture the playful spirit of the great man himself.
- - -
1. 'Buggin' Out'
“Microphone check one-two, what is this?/The five ft assassin with the roughneck business…”
Spotlighted in rap magazine The Source's essential rhyme-of-the-month column 'Hip-Hop Quotable' (back when that still meant something), this sees the Queens-born emcee drop the first of many references to his diminutive stature, with nods to New Balance sneakers, Dr Pepper and Arsenio Hall bundled in for good measure. For the finale, he subtly weaves in one of the finest low-key rap boasts ever committed to tape: “I never walk the street thinking it's all about me/Even though deep in my heart, it really could be.” One of his most celebrated verses.
2. 'Check The Rhime'
“Now here's a funky introduction of how nice I am/Tell your mother, tell your father, send a telegram...”
There can't have been many rappers - either before or since - who have dropped words like “tidbit” or “smidgen” into their lyrics. Phife used both within the same verse, before extolling the virtues of the telegram and explaining how “my aura's positive, I don't promote no junk.” A couple of years later '8 Million Stories' (from the 'Midnight Marauders' LP) demonstrated he could also write fine storytelling raps, but it's his trademark upbeat irreverence - perfectly set out here - for which he's best known.
3. 'Jazz (We've Got)'
“How's about that? It seems like it's my turn again/All through the years my mic has been my best friend/I know some brothers wonder, 'Can Phife really kick it?'/Some even wanna diss me - but why sweat it?”
He's often mistakenly considered the 'lesser' rapper in A Tribe Called Quest, somehow secondary to Q-Tip - a wide-of-the-mark assumption that perhaps stems from his lack of presence on their first LP. But more than simply the jocular flipside to Q-Tip's conscious Afrocentricity, he is in truth one of the most quotable rappers ever, not least when he's seeing off the haters.
4. 'Scenario' feat. Leader Of The New School
“I'm all that and then some/Short, dark and handsome/Bust a nut inside ya eye, to show you where I come from…”
Hip-hop's greatest ever posse cut? Quite possibly. While it's best known for Busta Rhymes' rocket-fuelled “rambunction”, the raucous get-together of the kids from Queens and Long Island's Leaders Of The New School also found Phife Dawg kicking one of '90s rap's landmark standalone punchlines.
5. 'Steve Biko (Stir It Up)'
“Linden Boulevard, represent represent-sent/Tribe Called Quest represent represent-sent/When the mic is in my hand I'm never hesitant/My favourite jam back in the day was 'Eric B For President'…”
By saluting his home turf, paying homage to his crew, reaffirming that urge to grab a microphone, and acknowledging rap's old school pioneers, Phife encapsulates the very essence of hip-hop itself.
6. 'Butter'; 'Electric Relaxation'
“1988 Senior Year, Garvey High/Where all the guys were corny but the girls were mad fly/Lounging with the Tipster, cooling with Sha/Scoping out the honeys - they know who they are…”
“I like 'em brown, yellow, Puerto Rican or Haitian/Name is Phife Dawg from the Zulu Nation…”
Sure, his countless pop culture reference and close-to-the-bone gags were certainly a draw ('The Hop', from 1996's 'Beats, Rhymes & Life' LP featured the choice lines: “Your career is done like Johnny Carson's/Get me vexed, I do like Left Eye, start an arson/Now that I got that out my system/Watch me stab up the track as if my name was OJ Simpson…”). But Phife also excelled when rapping about the ladies in his life and relationship woes, as both 'Butter' and the floor-filler 'Electric Relaxation' aptly demonstrate.
7. 'The Chase Pt. II'
“'93 means skills are a must, so never lack…”
After the best use of the word “calisthenics” in a rap song ever, and some amusing jibes towards honorary fourth Tribe member Jarobi's apparent interest in phone sex, avid sports fan Phife compares his detractors to inconsistent NFL players (“Your styles are incomplete, same as Vinny Testaverde”). 'The Chase Pt. II' may not be an obvious pick given Tribe's hit-laden catalogue, but with a bouncy, hazy groove built around a stuttering Biz Markie vocal clip and a masterful loop of Steve Arrington's 'Beddie-Biey' underpinning proceedings, this is music - hip-hop or otherwise - at its most sublime and beguiling best. Thanks Phife.
- - -
Words: Hugh Leask (@HughSnoozeULose)