Phife Dawg, member of the legendary hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, unfortunately lost his life two weeks ago after a lengthy struggle with diabetes, at the age of 45. Taken before his time, musicians everywhere have been paying their respects with tributes and more, in honor of the late great and truly influential artist.
Today, Phife Dawg’s family has revealed that Phife was hard at work on a solo album before his untimely passing. Titled Give Thanks, the family has decided to share one of the singles from the album. Titled “Nutshell,” the track was produced by the late J Dilla and features the patented wordplay that fans of Phife knew and loved.
Phife Dawg’s wife Deisha said in a statement, “Phife loved his fans, and was so excited for them to hear his new music. I feel like he would have wanted it this way.”
While the track isn’t set to be released until tomorrow, April 5th (via Beats 1 Radio), you can stream a teaser clip below:
Proceeds from the single and album sales will go to benefit the American Diabetes Association and the National Kidney Foundation. “Malik had always wanted to use his voice to raise awareness and formally educate young people about diabetes, so we think this is the perfect way to honor him and contribute. This will be an ongoing relationship with these two great organizations,” said his family in a statement.
RIP Phife Dawg.