As part of the pioneering rap group
A Tribe Called Quest and its extended
Native Tongues family,
Phife Dawg helped to usher in a whole new style of intelligent hip-hop. Born
Malik Taylor,
Phife grew up in Queens, NY, where he spent his childhood writing poetry and eventually rapping at school and in his neighborhood whenever the opportunity was available. Along with high-school classmates
Q-Tip (Jonathan Davis) and
Ali Shaheed Muhammad,
Phife founded
ATCQ, whose legendary decade-long career ended in 1998 with
The Love Movement. The Atlanta-based
Phife began flexing his new freedom in 1999 with
Bend Ova, the first single with his new U.K.-based label, Groove Attack. A full-length titled
Ventilation: Da LP, including appearances from
Phife's alter ego,
Mutty Ranks, was released the following year. ~ Wade Kergan, All Music Guide