Phife Dawg In A ‘Nutshell’ The Unfiltered, Undeniable
It's all about Phife, in a 'Nutshell'.
Inspiring beyond time itself, Phife has gifted us with some of his finest wordplay in a final record from New Yorks illest 5 ft rapper, that debuted yesterday as a posthumous project following his passing on March 22nd. Phife said everything and more in a ‘Nutshell’ over beats produced by the late J Dilla, passing on more music and positivity. While we re-energise and get reacquainted with the legacy of Phife, Phife’s new single ‘Nutshell’ gives us another dose of consciousness. Available exclusively on iTunes ‘Nutshell’ features on the forthcoming EP ‘Give Thanks’ on Smokin Needles Records.
Leaving us with new music in his wake, Phife Dawg passed away last month from complications related to diabetes, Deisha Taylor his widow said in a statement, “Phife loved his fans, and was so excited for them to hear his new music.” 50% of the proceeds from the song’s sale will be donated to the American Diabetes Association and the National Kidney Foundation.
Live Stream the Tribute '
Watch last nights live stream below with the emotional words and performances in dedication to Phife aka Malik the small and mighty one;
Ali Shaheed Muhammed & Q-Tip Speak
Ali Shaheed Muhammed and Q-Tip made a tearful speech recalling the positivity, love and life of Phife;
Andre 3000 Talks About Phife's Influence
Andre 3000 put in a heartfelt recollection about the influence and impact of Tribe, from his label wanting Outkast to be Tribe ‘so bad’, to learning words from their lyrics, to the influence and legacy of hip-hop from them into the future – “All this old niggas hatin on the young niggas, that shit got to stop. It’s all music. It’s all influence. It’ll keep going because we’re all connected. I don’t have no big message or speech or nothing but just, “Keep that shit going.” And Tribe meant everything to me. They are everything. It’s always, “Who are the greatest groups?” Fuck that shit. [Points to Tribe Called Quest.] This dude [Q-Tip] taught me what kind of rapper I wanted to be.”
Kanye Had Something To Say
And of course Kanye, he had something to say – “Anything I ever did wrong, blame [Q-Tip] and Phife, because y’all raised me.”
'A Celebration of Phife' Memorial Tribute
The video for ‘Nutshell’ debuted at the memorial tribute event last night at the Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, as many Hip-Hop luminaries added their words to “The Celebration of Phife,” with personal tributes from Chuck D, KRS-One, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, Q-Tip, Kanye West, Kelly Price, D’Angelo, Andre 3000 and many more in attendance.
Download the ‘A Celebration of Phife’ Memorial program from the special tribute here.