In 1998, Redman was among the guests on A Tribe Called Quest’s The Love Movement album. He appeared alongside Busta Rhymes on The Ummah-produced “Steppin’ It Up.” For nearly 20 years, Heads perceived the gold-certified, Grammy-nomimated Jive Records LP would be the last from Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

2016 proved otherwise. Tribe released We Got It From Here…Thank You 4 Your Service. The #1 charting LP was recorded in secret but arrived after Phife’s March 22 death from kidney failure.

Appearing on The Combat Jack Show, Red revealed that he is part of the sophomore solo LP that the 5 Foot Assassin was also recording at the time of his passing. “Rest in peace Phife Dawg. I was blessed to be in his last days before he died. Me, him, and Busta shot a video,” Redman says at 28:00, of the second Phife, Bus’, and Funk Doc collabo. “When I tell you this new Phife Dawg album is ridiculous, yo!” Red’ adds that Phife was label-shopping at the time of his death. While Tribe had longstanding ties to Jive, and currently Epic Records, he remained an independent. “We got a video…me, Busta, and Phife Dawg! His album is like some ol’ back-in-the-day…yo, his album is ridiculous. Yo, that’s what I’m really looking for!” Redman delivers the info as hosts Just Blaze and A-King ask him about what 2017 artists excite him. “I hope they find the right deal for that, and it gets platformed the right way. We can all help push that sh*t and make Phife happy. Because I’d never seen Phife as happy as he was on his last days, seeing me and Busta in a video with him. He was so pleased, and I seen it in his eyes. I could see the pain of what he was goin’ through, as far as what he was goin’ through internally. But he was happy, and he kinda knew. It was at-peace, bruh. That’s what I’m really lookin’ forward to: him releasing that album, so he can really rest in peace the right way.”

In his last days, outside of A.T.C.Q., Phife was working with Illa J. He had made a 2014 video tribute to Illa’s late brother, J Dilla. In 2013, the 5 footer claimed to be fast at work on an LP called MUTTYmopPHosis.

Just weeks after Phife’s death, single “Nutshell” was released on Smokin Needles Records. In February, a music video was released.

In 2000, the Queens, New Yorker released Ventilation: Da LP. The Groove Attack Records release boasted production from Pete Rock, Dilla, and DJ Hi-Tek, along with Rick Rock. It debuted on the Top 200. It followed Tip’s Amplified in 1999, and Ali’s self-titled debut with Lucy Pearl in May of Y2K.

Last week, Redman appeared on Ebro On The Morning to discuss why he resides in the famed Staten Island, New York home from the 2001 MTV Cribs episode. He also defended Eminem’s 2017 BET Hip Hop Awards cypher verse in its political intent.

Combat Jack (Reggie Osse) is not present on this latest episode’s interview. At the top of the interview, the veteran music industry lawyer, journalist, host, and culture curator speaks to reveal that he has recently been diagnosed with colon cancer.

Ambrosia For Heads has Reggie in our thoughts and concerns at this time, as well as his family and colleagues. We wish for a full recovery, and more great work for the culture.