TRIBE!!! I fell in love with ATCQ officially the summer of 1994. I mowed lawns all summer and I had Midnight Marauders playing non stop on my tape walkman while I worked. Of course I loved Bonita AppleBum, I Left My Wallet, Check The Rhime, and Scenario is one of my favorite joints of ALL TIME, but it was that album my senior year in high school that did it. From that point, I would be a Tribe head for the rest of my days!
In March of 2016, Phife Diggy passed after a long battle with diabetes. His passing really messed me up. I didn't go on social media like everyone else to voice my sorrow, I was quiet about it, it was very personal and hit home. My favorite group was never going to be quite the same, they were going to be missing the 5 foot assassin. Another album dropped and I was SO grateful to hear them all together once more time, but it made me miss him that much more.
That summer I started my Phife illustration, using Illustrator Draw. I couldn't bring it to myself to finish though, it was still too tough to come to grips that he was gone. I finally revisited the Illustration this summer as part of my quarantine series. It was therapeutic, as both a creative outlet and finishing a piece that was meant so much to me. But I knew that I couldn't stop at Phife, I needed one of Tip and Ali. It's all about the Tribe y'all!
I chose the classic pic from the Low End Theory CD open spread. I always loved the lighting, so beautiful! Inspired by those colors I took some creative license composing a cohesive color theme and illustration style. And even though I started in Draw I decided to finish in Fresco, Adobe's amazing new illustration app.
I hope you enjoy and thanks for your support!
