Malik Taylor, a member of the iconic hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest and better known as Phife Dawg, died Wednesday at 45.

Phife, who also went by the nicknames the Funky Diabetic and Five Foot Assassin (a play on his diminutive stature), was a masterful lyricist and rap industry pioneer. Obituaries by Rolling Stone and others noted that he and Tribe helped bring socially conscious rhymes to a mainstream audience, often with commercial success and critical acclaim.