It feels like a perfect final act from one of rap music's all-time greats.Īs always, Prince's posthumous legacy is something that's difficult to wrestle with. "Thought I'd chop you out, son, see how you're doin'," he says to the late J Dilla on "Dear Dilla", "Come back to earth, homie / Hip-hop is in ruins." There's smart samples, funky beats, and even some light orchestration to give buoyancy to Phife Dawg's rhymes. Featuring a rogue's gallery of producers (9th Wonder, J Dilla, the always-underrated Potatohead People) and superstar guests (Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Little Brother, Redman, Dwele), the sepia-toned memories of "Forever" point to an era of rap music that simply doesn't exist anymore. Given his only other solo offering came in 2000 and seemed to take not-so-thinly-veiled shots at bandmate Q-Tip, it's a delight to hear the two work again on "Forever", which is filled with warm vibes and a love of old-school beats. ![]() Yet while working with his old crew, he was also working on what would be his second-ever solo album, "Forever", which would finally see the light of day in 2022. ![]() Prior to his passing in March 2016, the great Phife Dawg managed to complete his contributions to A Tribe Called Quest's final album, the instant classic that was "We Got It from Here.
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