Last week, Phife Dawg, aka Malik Izaak Taylor, passed away following complications from diabetes. He was 45. He’d been in poor health for some time, having received a kidney transplant in 2008. It was a sad end to a fantastic musician, part of the ultra-iconic trio, A Tribe Called Quest, an east coast rap group that had created the soundtrack to many first-generation Internet users’ lives. And accordingly, their music decorated the background of more than a few action sports web edits over the years (including this classic, Destroyer, from Kingpin Productions see 27:35, and this more recent power surfing throwback from Dusty Payne).
This particular skiing edit from Nimbus in 2011 is a fitting tribute to Phife with Pep Fujas, Chris Benchetler, Andy Mahre, Christian Sirianni, Sean Logan and Eric Pollard in the Nevada and California Backcountry. Lou Reed leads us into to the super-smooth hook “Can I Kick It?,” a Tribe remix with Phife at his best.
“Talkin’ ’bout I need a Phillie right before I get loose / Poor excuse, money please, I get loose off of orange juice.” — Beats Rhymes and Life. #RIP #FiveFootAssassin
