Phife Dawg Made His Grand Entrance in ‘The Low End Theory’

Known for his charismatic rhymes and free-spirited attitude, Phife Dawg was A Tribe Called Quest’s (ATCQ) most animated member. His playfulness was met with detail and intellect, complementing Q-Tip‘s poetic approach and adding a bit of edge to the Golden Era group.

Despite breaking into the industry in 1990 with People’s Indistinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, hip-hop heads didn’t really get a taste of who Phife Dawg was until Tribe’s second album, The Low End Theory.

Unlike its predecessor, The Low End Theory gave Phife more air time. Spitting on almost every track, the “Five Foot Assassin” made it known when it was his turn to rhyme. Before destroying a verse, Phife Dawg started with humor, which would clear the air for him to lay down his “I’m Phife and I’m the greatest” elevator pitch.

“Heyo, Bo knows this, (What?)
And Bo knows that (What?)
But Bo don’t know jack, cause Bo can’t rap
Well what do you know, the Di-Dawg, is first up to bat
No batteries included, and no strings attached” – “Scenario“

When he wasn’t schooling hip-hop heads on how nice he rhymes, Phife rattled off tales that everyone could relate to. In his solo piece “Butter,” he explained his run ins with a girl that beat him at his own game.

“Cause when it came to honeys I would go on a stroll
Until I met my match – her name was Flo
Yeah, I messed around with the one called Flo
All the troopers round the way used to call her a ho
But deep down in my heart I knew that Flo was good to go
Cause I thought it was me like Bell Biv Devoe
But little did I know that she was playing with my mind” – “Butter“

Equipped with Dr. Seuss-esque wordplay, Phife Dawg’s lyrics read like a child’s book. His way of meshing two words into a single bar left fans speechless. Although his most praised line was featured on Midnight Marauders, Phife’s verse in “Buggin’ Out” showcased his arsenal of analogies.

“Got more rhymes than the Winans got family
No need to sweat Arsenio to gain some type of fame…

You wanna diss the Phifer but you still don’t know the half
I sport New Balance sneakers to avoid a narrow path
Mess around with this you catch a size eight up your {ass}” – “Buggin’ Out“

Although his style was made in Queens, Phife Dawg’s Trinidadian roots added a bit of edginess to his flow. Like a light switch, Phife was able to easily switch from a New York rapper to a patois-spitting lyricist, highlighting his versatility.

“Competition dem try fe come side way
But competition they must come straight way
Competition dem try fe come side way
But competition they must come straight way …

Strictly hardcore tracks, not a new jack swing
I grew up as a Christian so to Jah I give thanks” – “ Jazz (We’ve Got)“

Despite the tragedy of his death, Phife’s legacy lives on through his music. The “Funky Diabetic” will always be remembered for liveliness of his words and the versatility of his flow.

Rest up Phife Dawg.