A Tribe Called Quest rapper Phife Dawg dead at 45

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Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest dies at age 45.
(Image credit: Chris McKay/Getty Images for BET)

A Tribe Called Quest rapper Phife Dawg has died at the age of 45, The Telegraph reports based on news from the hip-hop community. Phife suffered from diabetes and had recently been in ill health, receiving a kidney transplant from his wife in 2008. The exact cause of death is not yet known.

A native of Queens, New York, Phife — who was born Malik Isaac Taylor — co-founded the influential rap group A Tribe Called Quest in 1985 with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

While the music certainly speaks for itself, watch Phife talk about his career with I Am Hip-Hop below. Jeva Lange

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Jeva Lange
Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.