A Tribe Called Quest on Phife Dawg: 'We are devastated'

The remaining members of A Tribe Called Quest have issued a heartfelt statement mourning Phife Dawg, who died suddenly on Tuesday at age 45 after a long battle with diabetes. 

The rapper, born Malik Taylor but more commonly known as Phife or the 5 Foot Assassin, released five albums with the New York rap group between 1990 and 1998. From the group's statement.

Our hearts are heavy. We are devastated. This is something we weren’t prepared for although we all know that life is fleeting. It was no secret about his health and his fight. But the fight for his joy and happiness gave him everything he needed. The fight to keep his family happy, his soul happy and those around him happy, gave him complete and unadulterated joy… until he heeded his fathers call.

As the news spread on Wednesday, musicians inside and outside of the hip-hop world paid tribute, including Kendrick Lamar, Questlove, Mark Ronson, Mac Miller, Chuck D and Chance the Rapper. 

On Wednesday night, Lamar led the audience at Sydney's Allphones Arena in a chant -- "Phife!" "Dawg!" -- in remembrance of "one of the pioneers in hip-hop." Talib Kweli penned a touching tribute in which he remembered the profound effect Phife had on him at a young age. "It seemed to me back then that he was the anchor of ATCQ," he wrote, "ready to reel the homies in when they went too far into outer space."

In their statement, the group thanked fans for the support. 

 "His family is overwhelmed by the support, well wishes and are thankful. His music and what he’s contributed is seismic and hard to measure. He’s affected us as much as he’s affected all of you," the statement continued. "We’re inspired by his daily joy and courage. He wasn’t in pain. He was happy.We take comfort in knowing he will be beside his grandmother."

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