Mac Miller Releases ‘5 Foot Assassin’ in Tribute to Phife Dawg

Mac Miller was moved to craft "5 Foot Assassin" in tribute to the late Phife Dawg, as hip-hop heads are in mourning over his passing late yesterday (March 22).

Since the news hit that the clever rhymer from A Tribe Called Quest is no longer with us, many fans have been sharing their thoughts about and tributes to the man born Malik Taylor. Miller decided to head to the studio to share his love for "Malik, the five-foot freak."

Over a slow piano-driven beat, Miller crafts a melancholy and nostalgic vibe as he remixes one of Q-Tip and Phife Dawg's famous lines.

"You on point, Phife?" Q-Tip famously asks, with Phife's response: "Once again, Tip," Phife replies. The exchange was originally featured in the group's classic single "Check the Rhime" and is one of the most popular lines in A Tribe Called Quest's discography. (The version quoted here is as it appears in Tribe's later hit "1nce Again.")

Afterwards, Phife Dawg's voice is heard kicking a freestyle from an appearance on Arsenio Hall in the 90s. The mix was dropped under Miller's producing moniker, Larry Fisherman.

It seems the passing hit Miller hard. Before he dropped the mix, he's been making references to Phife Dawg's infamous liners. At the end he tweeted: "I dont even know what to do right now. this is crazy." We agree.

Many other hip-hop artists have decided to for Phife Dawg in their own way. Kendrick Lamar had a crowd in Australia shouting Phife's name earlier today and countless others have been tweeting about their experience with ATCQ. We're glad "Malik, the five-foot freak," is getting his due.

RIP Phife Dawg.

Listen to Larry Fisherman's "5 Foot Assassin"