Malik Isaac Taylor (born November 20, 1970 - Deceased March 22, 2016, Queens, New York), better known as Phife Dawg, aka the Five Foot Assassin and The Five Footer because he stood at 5 ft 3, was an American rapper, and a member of A Tribe Called Quest with high school classmates Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (and for a short time Jarobi White).
Phife was named after the fife, a small flute often used in the military and in marching bands. Q-Tip referenced the origin of the name in A Tribe Called Quest's song "Jazz": "And after the horns you can check out the fifer" (the size of the instrument is an obvious comparison to his stature). He is a playable character in the video games NBA 2K7 and NBA 2K9.
United States· St. Albans