How Phife Dawg Inspired Q-Tip To First Pick Up The Mic And Brought The Tribe Together

"Feel compelled to share this story today and celebrate this man and his contribution. Understand, Hip Hop and all of us owe the 5 Foot Assassin a profound debt of gratitude. Here, Q-Tip tells the story of how Phife Dawg single-handedly pushed and inspired him to start rhyming, leading to the formation of the greatest hip hop group to walk the Earth. Give thanks. Rest in Power, Phife." - J. Period

These are the heavy-hearted sentiments many of us are consumed with today; how Phife Dawg, co-founder and architect of A Tribe Called Quest, could be taken from us so tragically and impossibly soon. And while the day's already seen an outpouring of salutes, musical and otherwise, J. Period has just freed up a clip of Q-Tipreminiscing over his first encounters with The Five-Footer, how neighbors turned to brothers and how those brothers went on to form one of the most influential music collectives ever. It's a short bite, but certainly words that need to be heard and you can do so by hitting the link below. Q-Tip may have been the first to catch the spark from Phife, but time will prove that spark to be everlasting.