Phife Dawg will never be forgotten on “the boulevard of Linden."
The intersection of Linden Boulevard and 192nd Street will be renamed “Malik ‘Phife Dawg’ Taylor Way” this Saturday, one day before what would have been the late rapper's 46th birthday, officials said.
The co-founder of A Tribe Called Quest, considered one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all time, died unexpectedly in March at age 45 due to diabetes-related complications.
The group shot the video for their 1991 classic “Check The Rhime” — which opens with the lyrics, "Back in the days on the boulevard of Linden, we used to kick routines and presence was fittin'" — at that intersection, in front of Nu-Clear Cleaners.
A Tribe Called Quest - Check The Rhyme - 1991 - Jive from DJ Upperkuts on Vimeo.
The ceremony, scheduled for 1 p.m., will include fans, family members, fellow artists, and hip-hop historians, who will be speaking about Phife Dawg and the group's impact, according to Councilman Daneek Miller, who sponsored the co-naming.
A Tribe Called Quest was formed in St. Albans in 1985 and initially consisted of the late Phife Dawg, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad as well as Jarobi White, who, left the group in the early 1990s.
Earlier this year, muralist Vince Ballentine painted a mural depicting the faces of the rappers and featuring the words, “A Tribe Called Quest. Represent, Represent,” on the side of the laundromat to honor the group.
