Hip-Hop’s elite gathered at New York’s Apollo Theater on to remember the life and art of Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor who passed away at the age of 45 last month.
A Tribe Called Quest members Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White attended the four-hour memorial service on Tuesday night with the likes of Kanye West, Andre 3000, KRS-One, Busta Rhymes, Chuck D and many others.
West spoke during the service and admit that Tribe’s Low End Theory was the first album he ever purchased.
“I was sitting here thinking about how much these people inspire me and how powerful the influence of the music was and how it made that walk to study hall so short. How it meant everything. It is everything,” West said on Tuesday. “Music was stolen from us and corporatised and anybody that spoke up was demonised. Anything I ever did wrong, blame Tip and Phife, ’cause y’all raised me.”
“Y’all made it okay in a city of Al Capone, number one murder capital city, for me to be me,” West continued. “Tribe made Kanye West. Made the kid with the pink Polo. Made it so I could dress funny. I’m not sorry if I said something wrong.”
The event also featured performances from The Roots, Kelly Price, D’Angelo and KRS-One. At the end of the service, Phife Dawg's single was released.
