Hip Hop, ATCQ, A Tribe Called Quest Jon Pierce / da wiseguy
RIP Phife Diggy Tribute Mix

Plenty of love has been going out to Phife Dawg AKA Malik Taylor, who passed away on March 23rd, 2016, and rightly so. His passing sparked an outpouring of emotion not only from the Hip-Hop community, but right across the world - such was the reach of A Tribe Called Quest. Their path touched so many, and Phife, as a founding member of ATCQ, was held on high as part of rap royalty - his lyrics were profound, his style, unique. They were ground breaking - true pioneers by bringing down barriers and helping unite people through socially conscious lyrics, wit, and bending the genre by bringing in elements of jazz for example which in turn inspired an entire generation of not only Hip-Hop heads, but spreading their love further - across boundaries, bridging races, religions, sexes and creeds.

As such, they were a huge part of my youth, and still are to this day. I remember vividly when 'People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm' was released 25 years ago - it changed my life and inspired me greatly. I loved Hip-Hop of course, but instead of it being more of an exclusive type of affair with their hardcore gangter rap bretheren or the more left-wing conscious acts, ATCQ along with De La Soul, the Jungle Brothers and the rest of the Native Tongue posse, they were inclusive - their playfulness and more light-hearted approach immediately made you feel part of their family. They told stories you could relate to - their down-to-earth attitude was infectious and helped to pave my own path through life.

So anyways - Phife's passing really hit home in a big way. He was part of my musical upbringing. He was part of my life - I felt like I was on a journey with him for 25 years. He helped provide the soundtrack to my life, and in turn, as a DJ, I passed that on to others. So of course I was compelled to do that once (or rather, 1nce) again in his honour - there have already been countless mixes, remixes, edits, tracks, memes and more as a tribute to the legend but this is my own take on what he and his tribe family meant and still mean to me. So many people were quick off the bat to get tributes out there, but I took a little time to go through their catalogue and pick out the choice cuts in my own humble opinion that mean the most to me. The tracklist could have gone any number of ways, but this is how it turned out and I hope I have done him the justice he deserves for inspiring me for the last quarter of a century. You may have heard some of these tracks, there might be some surprises but this was done for no other reason that to spread the love that he helped to give me - big love back atcha Phife Dawg...RIP.

1) "Butter" (Hip Hop Mix)
2) "Jazz (We've Got)"
3) "Vibes and Stuff"
4) "Jam"
5) "Find A Way" (Timeless Remix)
6) "Electric Relaxation"
7) "Mind Power"
8) "1nce Again" (Evill Remix)
9) "Award Tour" (LP Version)
10) "Buggin Out"
11) "Scenario"
12) "Busta's Lament"
13) "The Hop"
14) "Check the Rhime"
15) "Pad & Pen"
16) "Can I Kick It" (King Most Redirection)