Phife Dawg – “French Kiss Deux” (Feat. Illa J)
The late Phife Dawg already made one great posthumous contribution. In 2016, Phife died of complications from diabetes at the age of 45. Before his death, Phife recorded his parts from A Tribe Called Quest’s excellent final album We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service, which came out later that year. Phife was also working on a solo debut before his death, too, and another track from it has just come out.
Shortly after Phife’s death came the release of “Nutshell,” a single that featured a beat from the late J Dilla. Earlier this year, we also got the remix “Nutshell Part 2,” which had verses from Busta Rhymes and Redman. Today, Phife’s estate has shared a track called “French Kiss Deux,” a lovely and low-stakes ode to the women of Montreal.
“French Kiss Deux” is a collaboration with Illa J, J Dilla’s brother and a fellow member of Slum Village. The beat comes from producers Potatohead People, but it’s definitely Dilla-influenced. On the track, Phife and Illa J rhapsodize over a slow-burble bassline and some hazy jazz horns. It’s a remix of “French Kiss,” a track that Illa J released in 2015. Check it out below.