This past Monday (March 22) marked the fifth year anniversary of Phife Dawg’s unfortunate passing. In celebration of his life, a visual has been unveiled for “Nutshell, Pt. 2,” a collaboration with Busta Rhymes and Redman that first made landfall in February. Produced by the late, great J Dilla, the track acts as a remix to “Nutshell” — which was released shortly after Phife’s death — and sees the three veterans trying their best to outrap each other:
“Peep the rebirth of the reborn as I rebuild, reconnect with this rebel, redefining raw skillI realign, readjusted, refocused, reanalyzed what’s real versus bullshit, had to refuel, reactivate to reemerge, reevaluate, recalculate, bitch, I return, redefine, re-energize, get reacquainted, Riddim Kidz Incorporated—Roots, we made it/”
Directed by Tony Reames for Memory Wedge Productions, the clip sees Phife, Busta, and Redman performing “Nutshell, Pt. 2” in front of a white background as moving shots of the city flow through their silhouettes. Elsewhere, Phife can be seen delivering his bars in a cafe with some associates, all of whom give their approval by nodding to to the music. Fellow A Tribe Called Quest members Q-Tip and Consequence, as well as Cons’ son Caiden, make cameo appearances throughout.
“Nutshell, Pt. 2” is said to be taken from Phife Dawg’s forthcoming album Forever, which is expected this year and will presumably also feature the 2014 tribute “Dear Dilla.” His last solo body of work, the debut offering Ventilation: Da LP, made landfall back in 2000 and saw 13 cuts with additional features from Hi-Tek, JUS, Christina LaForcarde, Supa Dave West, Pete Rock, Big Lo, Bay-Lloyd, and Snag. Phife also made a posthumous appearance on ATCQ’s final album, We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service, in 2016.
Press play on Phife Dawg’s “Nutshell, Pt. 2” video below.