I was awoken this morning to news that sadly we all probably knew would come one day sooner than we hoped. Phife Dawg of a Tribe Called Quest passed away last night. Several years back a couple of friends of mine and myself were at a boat party in Long Beach sponsored by Myspace Music and hosted by Phife. As special invited guests we had access to him. We all knew he was a funky diabetic. But, this was the first time I noticed just how sick dude was. That night even with the oversized jersey we could all see how frail he was and he moved around sheepishly the entire evening. When in front of everyone he would pool all his energy to give the crowd everything he had. Then when he was not on the mic, he was sitting on a chair by himself off to the side with his head down. My only interaction that evening with him was a dap and a smile. At a later date, I had a chance to tell him how much his music meant to me and I took it. This was something I’m sure he heard a million times before and after me, but, his reaction was one of genuine appreciation. You could tell that he loved what he did and the way people felt about it. As the years went by I was fortunate to have a few stories regarding the 5 Foot Assassin aka Dynomutt. I cherish those memories. Few people have the impact on their genre of music the way that he did. While I am saddened by the transition of Malik Taylor, I choose to continue to celebrate his life through his music.