One of the most revered groups in Hip Hop history, A Tribe Called Quest. Q-Tip, the late Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and (sometimes) Jarobi formed the legendary collective that delivered several classic albums in the 1990s, including The Low End Theory (1991) and Midnight Marauders (1993).
Sadly, Phife Dawg passed away from complications stemming from diabetes in 2016, just as Tribe was finishing their sixth studio album We got it from here...Thank You 4 Your service. Phife Dawg Estate released the Five-Foot Assassin's first posthumous album, Forever, on the sixth anniversary of his death.
Redman, Rapsody, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, De La Soul/Native Tongue members Maseo and Pos, Lyric Jones, Little Brother and Illa J contribute to the 13-track project. The "Nutshell Part 2" and "French Kiss Trois" lead singles evoke an era when rhymes were lyrically precise and beats were the best boom bap had to offer.
Phife Dawg died at the age of 45, leaving a gaping hole that nobody could fill. In an interview with HipHopDX last March, longtime friend and DJ Rasta Root (who executive produced the project) explained why he chose March 22 as the perfect date to release the video for "Nutshell Part 2" and now, Forever.
“I think what was important to the family is that on March 22, 2021 we celebrated Phife’s life and legacy,” Rasta Root said at the time. “This song and video were very special to him so I know he is looking down and smiling now.”
Deisha Head-Taylor, Phife's widow, echoed Roots' sentiments, telling DX, “March 22 resonates with all of us, as it represents a day where our beloved, Malik Izaak Taylor, transitioned. He meant the world to his family and we knew one of the best ways to celebrate his life and legacy was to release a video that he felt so strongly about, ‘Nutshell Pt. 2.’”
“He was excited to be collaborating with brothers that he highly respected and ranked very high on his Top MCs list.”
Additionally, Phife Dawg's mother, Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, makes a special appearance in Forever, as she continues to celebrate his life every day. Check out the album above.