The album, mostly recorded one year before his untimely passing, captures Phife’s last verses on wax. Working side-by-side with his ATCQ bandmate Q-Tip for four months to record the project, the Queens emcee left behind one last masterpiece with The Tribe, adding to his illustrious catalog. But it wasn't the last fans would hear from the Phifer.

The new Phife Dawg album Forever arrives on the sixth anniversary of the Queens rapper’s death. According to former manager and musical collaborator Dion Liverpool, Phife had about two-thirds of the album finished, leaving “a lot of blueprints and clues” on song titles, structures, and features. Collaborators, old and new, add their contributions to the posthumous album, dedicated to the life of the Five-Foot Assassin, featuring appearances from Q-Tip, Rapsody, Maseo of De La Soul, Dwele, Little Brother, Redman, and more.

The album features production from 9th Wonder, V Rich, Rasta Root, Nottz, Khrysis, UL.TMT., Bobby Ozuna, G-Koop, Potatohead People, The Roux, Luke Austin, Angela Winbush, and J. Dilla. The latter’s presence is felt just as much as Phife’s, as the Detroit producer (who died in 2006) crafted the album’s lead single “Nutshell”  and memorialized on the track “Dear Dilla,”  while Q-Tip uses the chorus to eulogize his deceased friend and collaborator.

The album finds Phife Dawg at his most mature yet, working as somewhat of a time capsule, Phife displaying immeasurable growth as an emcee, tackling topics of fatherhood, marriage, aging, and grief,  all while sticking to his playful flow and self-deprecating sense of humor.   

Phife Dawg raps on “Fallback,” the same track where he claims to be a “Family Guy” like Peter Griffin. On the track, Phife flexes his Mercedez-Benz, multiple real estate properties, and family trips to Disney World, appreciating the life he was able to provide for his family, a sentiment repeated throughout the album. 

On “Only a Coward,” Phife condemns deadbeat parents, challenging them to step up to the plate and get their shit together for their kids. The album’s fifth track, “Sorry,” is the emcee’s apology letter to his wife for his infidelity, rapping, “Knowing good and well, this ain’t the way to live, yeah I back slipped, but I took care of my kids.” 

The project ends with the chilling title track, recorded just three days before his death, chronicling his history with A Tribe Called Quest, rapping  “four brothers with the mic and a dream,” reaching out an olive branch to the group despite their tumultuous relationship over the years: “I love you muhfuckers, true spit, all facts/Deep in my soul, I believe what will be shall be/Requiem for a Tribe.”

Put together by Phife’s closest collaborators, friends, and family, Forever comes together as a heartfelt salute to the late Phife Dawg. Six years later, he remains one of hip-hop’s most celebrated acts, leaving behind a legacy of timeless, classic hip-hop music.