The hip hop world lost a legend today. Phife Dawg of the legendary hip hop group, A Tribe Called Quest, passed away at the young age of 45. The reason: diabetes, as reported by Rolling Stone. I’m saddened by this news because as a fan of hip hop and as an East coast girl, A Tribe Called Quest, in my eyes, is one of the greatest hip hop groups of all time.

A few years ago, I watched the fantastic documentary Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest and learned a great deal about ATCQ, including how Phife Dawg needed, and received, a kidney transplant. I didn’t realize that his health issues and kidney problems were due to diabetes.

If you have diabetes, please take this disease seriously. It’s one disease that, unfortunately, many people ignore. I’ve taken care of too many patients who have diabetes and didn’t want to see a doctor. The ones who did have a doctor to treat their diabetes did not follow the dietary restrictions or take their medications correctly and ended up with complications that lead them to visits to the hospital.

Please, if you have diabetes, make sure to see a doctor and follow his/her recommendations. It could save your life.

If you have would like to learn more about diabetes, check out MedlinePlus’s diabetes information page. (MedlinePlus is written by the National Institute of Health and has trustworthy health information).

RIP Phife Dawg. I’ll miss your crafty rhymes.

Image courtesy of vecez.com

#RIPPhifeDawg #RIPPhife #hiphoplegend #ATCQ #diabetes #diabetesawareness #health #hiphop