Photo Credit: AWAL
After Years of Anticipation, the Posthumous Phife Dawg Album 'Forever' Has Been Released
The first posthumous album from Phife Dawg is star-studded with features from fellow ATCQ member Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Rapsody and more.
The long-awaited posthumous Phife Dawg album, Forever, has arrived. Marking the sixth anniversary of Phife's death, the 13-track album follows his 2000 solo debut Ventilation: Da LP. Forever mixes old-school with the new, with guest appearances from Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Rapsody, Dwele, Little Brother, Redman, and more.
\u201cThis has been a long time coming. \n\nFinally, on March 22, 2022 the Estate of Malik Taylor release our beloved @phifeforever\u2019s album, \u2018Forever\u2019. \n\nFor now, enjoy the cover art work and the track listing/credits. #rootswemadeit #phifeforever\u201d— ATCQ (@ATCQ) 1647365104
On Monday, a livestream party was also held in celebration of Forever, with guests reminiscing about their memories of Phife.
With Forever co-produced by Dion Liverpool, he recently spoke with The New Yorker about becoming Phife's manager and the posthumous album being planned and recorded prior to his death.
"He left a lot of blueprints and clues,” Liverpool said. “His rap books would have, like, these intricate notes of producers he would want, features he’d want, liner notes — everything was just oddly laid out.”
Liverpool added that Phife also contrived possible titles for the album before landing on forever, including “Cheryl’s Big Son: Volume 1,” “Give Thanks,” and “Muttymorphosis.” Instead of recruiting "hot producers" for Forever, Liverpool added that “Down to the mix engineer, the photographers, everybody involved had some connection with Phife.”
“Even though the family, the estate, and myself are completing Forever, I am so proud of Phife on this one,” Liverpool said. “He always spoke about giving back to his fans, they were very important to him. I know he would want them to have this album as an extension of himself.”
In 2016, A Tribe Called Quest released their sixth and final album, We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service. The group is now nominated for a slot in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where fans can cast votes for their favorite artists as a "fan's ballot" on the Rock Hall website through April 29th. Inductees will be announced in May with an induction ceremony being held in the fall.
Listen to Forever below.
