Queens Street To Be Named After A Tribe Called Quest Rapper Phife Dawg

Rapper Phife Dawg will soon be immortalized on the streets where he got his start.

New York City will co-name a portion of Linden Boulevard at 192nd St. in St. Albans, Queens, "Malik (Phife Dawg) Taylor Way" after the beloved A Tribe Called Quest rapper who died in March.

Phife Dawg — who started the group with fellow Queens-native Kamaal Fareed a.k.a. Q-Tip — unexpectedly died on March from complications from diabetes.

He was 45 years old.

Linden Boulevard held much meaning to the Five Foot Assassin, as he referenced it on raps like "Check the Rhime" and "Steve Biko." He also recalled learning to rap on the boulevard in the 2011 documentary, "Beats, Ryhmes & Life."

Following his funeral, his family led a precession through the neighborhood and past St. Albans Park.

“Malik Taylor and the members of A Tribe Called Quest helped to bring hip-hop into the mainstream and used their talent to reach heights they themselves never thought possible," Councilman I. Daneek Miller said in a statement. "But in this time, they never forgot where they came from, inspiring others from Southeast Queens. His passing is a loss for all of us but his impact on our community and popular culture will be remembered for generations to come.”

A bill to move forward with the addition is scheduled to be signed by Mayor de Blasio at City Hall on Aug. 3 at 10 a.m.

The street naming comes just one month after another tribute was made in memory of the late rapper.

A mural bearing the words, "A Tribe Called Quest. Represent, Represent," was completed in St. Albans earlier this summer near the same intersection where the street sign will be unveiled.

SOURCE