Photo: Jm3 (talk) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Phife Dawg was listed as a musician, actor and rapper. Born on November 20, 1970, Phife Dawg was from Brooklyn, New York, United States. Death is recorded on March 22, 2016, at the age of 45. Education on record includes Springfield Gardens High School.
My Take
Phife Dawg is one of those artists I value far more than chart numbers ever captured. Within A Tribe Called Quest he was the scrappy counterweight to Q-Tip's cool, and that contrast is exactly what made the group feel human. The "Five-Foot Assassin" nickname says it all: small in stature, enormous in personality. What moves me most is that he kept rhyming while quietly battling diabetes, and his Brooklyn-bred wit never dulled. His death in 2016 at 45 felt premature, yet his verses still crackle with life. To me he remains an underrated heartbeat of golden-age hip-hop.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Phife Dawg
- Name (Japanese)
- ファイフ・ドッグ
- Reading
- ふぁいふ・どっぐ
- Born
- November 20, 1970 – March 22, 2016
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Dog
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Occupation
- musician / actor / rapper / composer
2. Background
- High school
- Springfield Gardens High School
3. Links
- Xhttps://x.com/IamthePHIFER
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phife%20Dawg
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1370892
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Phife Dawg born?
Born November 20, 1970.
When did Phife Dawg die?
Died March 22, 2016, aged 45.
Where was Phife Dawg from?
Phife Dawg was from Brooklyn, New York, United States.
What did Phife Dawg do?
Phife Dawg worked as musician, actor, rapper, composer.
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