Hear KRS-One's Lyrical Salute to Phife Dawg, 'The Phife Tribute'

KRS-One has dropped a fitting lyrical tribute to A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg and will donate the proceeds from the track to the late MC's family. "The Phife Tribute" is available to purchase on Bandcamp for a minimum $5 donation, though fans can name their own price if they want to give more.

Over a bruising DJ Static beat spliced with the occasional choral swell, KRS-One honored Phife's life and career, and dedicated the song to his wife, Deisha Head Taylor, who donated a kidney to her ailing husband.

<a href="http://ift.tt/1SZoYui" data-mce-href="http://ift.tt/1SZoYui">The Phife Tribute (Prod. DJ Static) by KRS-one</a>

KRS also recounted sharing the stage with Tribe, recreated Phife's famous opening lines to "Scenario" and proclaimed the group's greatness with the closing lines, "Midnight Marauders classic, track after track / Low End Theory, boom bip, boom bap / Hip-hop moved ahead, and it never moved back."

KRS also encouraged MCs to record their own 16-bar tributes to Phife, leaving ample room at the end of "The Phife Tribute" to do so.

Phife Dawg — real name Malik Taylor — died last month at the age of 45 due to complications from diabetes. His passing elicited an outpouring of grief and tributes from fans and members of the hip-hop community, culminating in a memorial service at New York's Apollo Theater April 5th.

The event featured remembrances from Busta Rhymes, Kanye West, Chuck D and Andre 3000, as well as performances from the Roots, D'Angelo and Kelly Price. KRS-One also took the stage alongside hip-hop pioneers Kid Capri, Grandmaster Flash, Teddy Ted and Special K, honoring Phife with Boogie Down Productions' "I'm Still #1" and a freestyle.