leaders of the new school

HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Al Pereira / Getty Five years ago on this date, (March 22nd), the world of Hip-Hop lost one of its most enigmatic and lyrically versatile MC’s when it was announced that Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor) , one-fourth of the legendary A Tribe Called Quest passed away due to complications from diabetes at his home in San Francisco. Proudly representing the borough of Queens, New York, Phife Dawg had a few nicknames that spoke to his flawless capability as an MC, but the “Five Foot Assassin” tag was a calling card and a promise whenever he stepped up to the microphone. Starting out with Q-Tip (Jonathan Davis), Jarobi White and Ali Shaheed Muhammad to form A Tribe Called Quest in high school back in 1985, he helped usher in a new era in Hip-Hop and was one of the arc...