A Tribe Called Quest and OutKast collaborative album was discussed prior to Phife Dawg’s death last month, reveals Andre 3000 at event held in the late rapper’s honour.
Kanye West, D’Angelo, Chuck D, KRS-One, Andre 3000 and more paid tribute to A Tribe Called Quest’s Phife Dawg at a memorial at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre last night, following the rapper’s diabetes-related death last month.
Lauryn Hill, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes were also in attendance, with the latter brought to tears as he explained how A Tribe Called Quest – who featured the rapper on 1992’s ‘Scenario’ – impacted his life and career. “I just want to thank my man Malik Taylor, Phife Dawg, the Five-Foot Assassin, for being the big brother I needed when I was at a crossroads in my life,” he told a packed room of well-wishers.
D’Angelo teamed with The Roots to perform Carole King classic ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ while Kanye West gave a speech, telling the crowd: “Anything I ever did wrong, blame Tip and Phife because y’all raised me.”
Andre 3000 also took to the stage to explain “OutKast would not be OutKast” without the late rapper’s influence at the event, also letting slip that A Tribe Called Quest and Outkast were in talks to make an album together in recent years. Watch all the footage below, as well as the video for new, posthumous Phife Dawg single ‘Nutshell’, which premiered at the event.
