Rapper Phife Dawg’s (real name Malik Taylor) long fight with diabetes recently took a new turn for the better, as the Queens native finally received a kidney transplant. The new kidney comes after a waiting period of over two years, which saw Phife endure problems performing live and a dramatic weight loss through his dialysis treatment. Originally diagnosed with diabetes in May of 1990, Phife admitted to not taking care of himself by eating the worst types of food for someone with his condition: fats, sweets, and alcohol. The fight finally came to a head with Phife being put on dialysis in 2000. In 2002, he was hospitalized after the condition continued to worsen. Now with a new kidney, Phife’s illness will hopefully improve dramatically, giving the legendary Tribe member renewed physical energy. Bandmate Q-Tip, fast approaching the release of his second solo LP The Renaissance, was ecstatic to report to AllHipHop.com that Phife is already showing improvement right after the surgery. “He’s doing great!” Q-Tip exclaims. “He just had a successful kidney transplant so shouts out to Phife diggity dog! That’s my n***a right there.” Source

When I saw photographs of Phife at the 2007 VH1 Hip Hop Honors event, I thought he was about to leave us, so this is brilliant news.

Wishing you a speedy recovering Phife.