New York Daily News/AP
After Phife Dawg passed away last week, fans have decided to get a street named after the rapper’s group, A Tribe Called Quest.
Followers of the iconic hip-hop trio have rallied to get two streets in Queens, New York renamed to honor the late rapper, who was born Malik Isaac Taylor. The Change.org petition was started by members of the online community Hip Hop Discussion Group and LeRoy McCarthy. It asks that Council member I. Daneek Miller and Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito “support our new proposed co-naming of Linden Boulevard between 192 Street and 193 Street to A Tribe Called Quest Boulevard.” The group’s official website states all members of Tribe are from New York. Phife Dawg was from Queens and so is Q-Tip. Ali Shaheed Muhammad is from Brooklyn.
The petition currently has over 5,000 signatures and is asking for 7,500 total.
In an update posted Monday, Tee Smif from HHDG said, “I fully support the idea of preserving a piece of hip-hop history for our future generations through a street co-naming.”
The Grio reports that once the petition reaches its goal, it will be brought to Council member Miller and Mark-Viverito for their decision on renaming the streets.
Another petition about the Five Foot Assasin is also picking up steam. Monday, A Tribe Called Quest founder and honorary member Jarobi White posted a link on his Facebook page to a petition to rename a New York park. Noelle Ross is asking for 4,000 signatures for the renaming of St. Albans Park to Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor Park. St. Albans “nurtured and entertained the spirit of Phife Dawg,” according to the request. It also called for Sayres Avenue from 180 Street to Merrick Boulevard to be renamed Malik “Phife Dawg” Taylor Avenue, according to Pigeons and Planes. The Care2 petition currently has more than 3,000 supporters. It will be presented to the Department of Recreation once it reaches the 4,000 mark.
