(AllHipHop News) Hip-Hop group A Tribe Called Quest was honored by ASCAP during ASCAP’s 29th Annual Rhythm & Soul Music Awards in Los Angeles.
The group received ASCAP’s Golden Note Award, putting them in the same company as artists like Dr. Dre, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Quincy Jones, Eminem and others.
During the acceptance speech, group members Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad gracefully stepped aside to allow Phife’s mother to honor her deceased son.
Phife, born Malik Taylor, died in March of 2016 from complications relating to diabetes.
“Malik has already been my little trooper and I’ve always been so proud of him. He always had a big mouth and that came from me, so I was proud of that,” Phife Dawg’s Cheryl Boyce-Taylor said. “But tonight, I am so deeply proud of his work on this planet. I want to ask you to keep supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and The Kidney Foundation. Malik fought a good fight and he lived an incredible life. For that I am so grateful.”
For Q-Tip, accepting the award was bittersweet without the presence of Phife Dawg.
“It seems like the first part of this year, we’ve experienced a lot of loss, specifically in our music community, whether it be Maurice White and his family, David Bowie’s family, Prince and his family, PM Dawn, Muhammad Ali, George Martin, we just lost a lot of people,” Q-Tip said. “But for us and our family specifically, losing Phife was just devastating. We thank all of you in this room and around the world for supporting us.”
Check out the full clip below:
Video credit: Nathalie Gordon