"I Like 'Em Brown, Yellow, Puerto Rican and Hatian"

One of my fondest memories of back when I was way cooler- actually, whenever I am deciding between wearing a blazer or a cardigan to work, I think about these moments.
Moments that define an era and have defined me.  Experiences I cherish and reinforce the magic of life.
Back when New York City was somewhat cool I wound up at this party in Soho.  You knew it was a cool party because you had to scurry down some stairs, and go through a nondescript door to a nondescript club and had to go through the bouncer that looked he was straight from a movie...where he is playing a bouncer.  I think I even had to say a password or something.  It was that serious!
The party was the typical cool NYC party- dark, celeb filled, people ACTUALLY danced and you knew if you were there you either knew the right people or looked good.  Or both.  I was there with friends yet I circled the room by myself at times.  During one of my lone wolf missions I came upon an area where Phife Dawg, QTip and a few others were standing in a cipher (check your hip hop dictionary if you don't know the meaning).  Lemme just say- Mark Ronson was throwing this party and when he wasn't DJing then Kid Rock was, and then DJ Red Alert was...and then Ali Shaheed Muhammad was!
While Ali Shaeed Muhammad was spinning 'Electric Relaxation', I found myself real close to this cipher as Phife and QTip were rapping along to their parts!  I felt butterflies in my tummy.  This would be a moment I would NEVER forget.  I knew I was blessed to be standing where I was at that very moment.  I mean A Tribe Called Quest is one of my favorite groups of all time (Top 5) and this was one of my favorite songs ever!!!!!!!

Phife Dawg died today and I feel that loss like I really knew him.  The sadness of getting older and therefore becoming more aware of your own mortality.  The inevitability of knowing nothing ever being the same. He'll live on in Tribe's amazing list of classic songs.  Songs that can almost be a reference guide to my youth.  Songs that if you have any type of soul you bop along to no matter WHAT!  Songs that are universal yet still so New York!

"You on point Phife? 
  All the time Tip"

RIP Phife