Phife Dawg Says New ‘8 is Enuff’ EP Influenced by Health Issues

Last year, A Tribe Called Quest rapper Phife Dawg announced that he is planning to release a follow-up LP to his 2000 album 'Ventilation: Da LP,' and has now revealed that he will be dropping a teaser EP first, to whet fans' appetites.

"[First is] my next project, 'Songs in the Key of Phife: 8 is Enuff!" the Five Foot Assassin told Karmaloop, going on to explain the numerological meanings behind the EP's title. "Reason being, it's been eight years since I've been in the booth, eight years recording and producing, eight years total going through health issues which had me not even thinking about music, and eight songs plus bonus cuts on the EP. Being that the rap industry has A.D.D., you can't give them too much when you've been gone for a whole decade and change."

Q-Tip's spirited sidekick, who received a kidney transplant in 2008, also revealed that his first single will be called 'Sole Game,' a reference to his infatuation with fresh kicks.

"Basically, the song is my ode to sneakers, I'm just a fanatic like that," Phife said. "Growing up in New York, you had to stay fresh, and you had to earn whatever it is that you were trying to get."

Typically upbeat, yet elusive regarding the possibility of a new Tribe album, Phife continued to say that his album and EP will show a variety of his "different flavors," while remaining "vintage Tribe."

"I emcee how I feel for the moment," Phife explained. "I'll always be influenced by Tribe but my EP and LP have a lot of different flavors! I'll keep it vintage Tribe if Tribe decides to do another LP ... which, in my heart, I'd love to do for the fans. They've been loyal to us for 13 years as if we never left. You would think we had the latest, hot album out now, or that we just dropped a smash single. We get crazy love on tour, in the U.K., U.S.A., etcetera... I humbly say "thank you!"

Phife's EP 'Songs in the Key of Phife Volume 1: 8 is Enuff!' will be followed by his second LP 'Songs in the Key of Phife Volume 1: Cheryl's Big Son,' later this year.