Phife Dawg has been honoured by a who’s who of music at a tribute concert Celebration Of Phife at the Apollo Theatre in Queens.
Speaking and musical tributes were offered from the remaining members of A Tribe Called Quest, as well as the likes of Kanye West, Andre 3000, The Roots, Busta Rhymes, D’Angelo, Grandmaster Flash, Awesome Two, Kid Capri and KRS-One. A multitude of past and present NBA players paid tribute themselves via pre-recorded videos.
Kanye West spoke about Phife Dawg as a mentor, saying “Anything I ever did wrong, blame Tip and Phife because y’all raised me”.
Andre 3000 similarly praised Phife’s influence on music, and on himself and Big Boi, declaring that without Phife “Outkast would not be Outkast”.
Phife Dawg was 45 when he passed away as a result of complications from his ongoing diabetes. He had been working on a new album at the time, and the first song from it Nutshell premiered earlier today.
Watch fan footage of a handful of the tributes, here below.
Andre 3000 Tribute to Phife. . Apollo Theater
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