Phife Dawg Will Have an NYC Street Named After Him

Back in March, fans of a Tribe Called Quest started a petition to name a street corner in Queens after group member Phife Dawg, who had passed away at the age of 45 due to complications resulting from diabetes just a week prior. Now, it appears that the petition hads worked, as Okayplayer reports that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is signing a bill to have Linden Blvd. and 192nd street renamed to Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor. The official announcement of the street renaming will happened on Wednesday (Aug. 3) at City Hall in lower Manhattan.

The website received a text from Phife's manager confirming the name change and announcement date and time. The intersection mentioned above represents where Phife and Q-Tip met and eventually formed Tribe.

Earlier this year, de Blasio announced that Degraw Street between Fourth and Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn would be renamed Robert PH Diaz Way after fallen undergroundand battle rapper Pumpkinhead and as well signed a new bill that renamed part of Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx to Hip-Hop Boulevard.

While the original petition had called for the street to be named after A Tribe Called Quest, de Blasio's recognition and decision to add the tribute continues his run of providing a nod toward the culture and cultural figures born in the streets of New York. The loss of these figures is no doubt a source of great pain but the tributes allow their legacy to live on just as their musical contributions will.

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