New York City Co-Names Street After Phife Dawg Of A Tribe Called Quest
Phife Dawg photographed by Shayan Asgharnia for Okayplayer.
Phife Dawg's voice will live forever as a member of A Tribe Called Quest, and now everyone who passes an intersection in his stomping grounds of Queens, New York City will see his name.
On Saturday afternoon, Linden Blvd. - at the intersection with 192 St. in the Saint Albans neighborhood of Queens -has been co-named Malik 'Phife Dawg' Taylor Way in honor of the rapper/producer. Taylor died in March from complications from diabetes.
Okayplayer reported the news of the street renaming several months ago, but Saturday was the official ceremony. The intersection has significance for A Tribe Called Quest: they shot the video for "Check The Rhime" on the Nu-Clear dry cleaners at the corner, and Phife and Q-Tip grew up on the block.
A mural dedicated to the group was completed earlier this summer on the side of Nu-Clear, showing all four members' faces imposed on a red, black and green canvas that duplicates the iconic The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders album covers.
Attendees at the ceremony included Phife's parents, his widow, other family members, A Tribe Called Quest cohorts Q-Tip and Jarobi, and extended Tribe family Busta Rhymes and Consequence.
The event comes a week after the group released their final album, We Got It From here... Thank You 4 Your Service, and performed on Saturday Night Live in an episode hosted by Dave Chappelle. Sunday, November 20, would have been Phife Dawg's 46th birthday.
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