Phife Dawg

Bio:
Phife Dawg (born Malik Isaac Taylor on November 20, 1970 in Queens, New York) was an American rapper. He founded the group A Tribe Called Quest with his high school classmates Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammadin 1985.  The band became a pioneering hip-hop group throughout the 90s, eventually disbanding in 1998. However, they’ve gotten together for several reunion concerts, the most recent being on The Tonight Show in 2015. Besides working with A Tribe Called Quest, Phife worked as a solo artist with other collaborators, and, before his death, planned to release an LP in 2016. Phife also loved sports in addition to music and has been featured on various sports radio shows, even making appearances on ESPN.

Best Known For:
Phife is best known as one of the founding members of A Tribe Called Quest

Personal Life:
Phife was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1990 and received a kidney transplant in 2008 after two years on a waiting list. He died on March 23, 2016, but his exact cause of death has not been revealed.