Now this is pretty fly. Earlier this week we all received the tragic news that legendary Queens-bred emcee Phife Dawg, a founding member of the legendary A Tribe Called Quest crew, passed away due to complications stemming from his diabetes. The entire Hip Hop community came together to mourn and celebrate the life of a rap pioneer, and several artists took to the studio to release their respective tributes to the man that influenced many of their styles.
Wiz Khalifa, who probably attributes parts of his laid back, in-pocket flow and delivery to his own studies of the late Phife, is the latest to do so, and has released a remix of an ATCQ classic, “Electric Relaxation.” Listen to the Pittsburgh native’s version of one of the great Hip Hop songs of all-time, and may you never ignore the lasting impact the gone-too-soon emcee left on the genre.
(Incidentally, Wiz is the second rapper from Pittsburgh this week to pay tribute to Phife; his labelmate and frequent collaborator Mac Miller dropped a Larry Fisherman tribute the very day Phife passed away.)
