Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
97 mins.
Documentary, Music
July 8, 2011
Rated R for language. (MPAA)
“Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest” is a 2011 documentary directed by actor Michael Rapaport (a die-hard Tribe fan). It’s a love poem for music through the prism of hip-hop with a New York sensibility. It’s also a meditation on loss.
The images shuffle among intimate hand-held photography, concert footage, photos, and still photography that’s manipulated into a filmic pop-up book (not a new technique, but an effective one). This documentary chronicles the rise and disintegration of hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Along the way, we are treated to a bit of the history of hip-hop from the ‘80s to the ‘90s. The use of Tribe’s story to tell the larger story of classic hip-hop is this film’s strength.
The first half of “Beats, Rhymes & Life” tells that story with style and substance. It’s light on its feet and intriguing at the same time. From the beginning, we know that this won’t end on a high, though. Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor) begins the film by noting his love-hate relationship with Q-Tip (Kamaal Fareed, born Jonathan Davis): a theme that Rapaport returns to at the end of the film. The story of that relationship is the through-line here. At times, it’s hard to watch, especially for fans of the group.
In a way, Rapaport has captured Tribe’s (i.e. Phife’s and Q-Tip’s) divorce. As a result, by the end of the film, there’s a bitter pill to swallow. But the group doesn’t seem to be destroyed. It just seems to be in an unfortunate holding pattern. The joy of their beginning (and of the film’s beginning, as a result) has been lost, but that’s appropriate.
Unfortunately, the honesty on display takes some of the life out of the film. Along with that is the chronicling of Phife’s battle with type 1 diabetes, Jarobi White’s devotion to him during his ill-health, Ali Shaheed Muhammad’s placid demeanor in the face of turmoil, and Q-Tip’s assertion that Phife is the one who has a problem with him and not the other way around.
If there’s a flaw in “Beats, Rhymes & Life,” it’s a minor one: There’s a brief bit about Phife’s passion for sports that didn’t seem to be integrated into the larger narrative as everything else was. But I understand its inclusion, especially since Rapaport is a huge sports fan and since Phife constantly wears sports attire (Lakers’ attire for the most part). I just wish that Rapaport would’ve put that small part of this film into context a little better. But, again, that’s a minor gripe.
Overall, “Beats, Rhymes & Life” reminded me of my childhood and of my brother. It felt familiar and revelatory at the same time. This is a must watch for anyone who appreciates this kind of hip-hop or just music in general.
Verdict: Very Good
About: (Source: beatsrhymesandlife)
BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST is a documentary film directed by Michael Rapaport about one of the most influential and groundbreaking musical groups in hip-hop history. Having released five gold and platinum selling albums within eight years, A Tribe Called Quest has been one of the most commercially successful and artistically significant musical groups in recent history, and regarded as iconic pioneers of hip hop. The band’s sudden break-up in 1998 shocked the industry and saddened the scores of fans, whose appetite for the group’s innovative musical stylings never seems to diminish.
A hard-core fan himself, Rapaport sets out on tour with A Tribe Called Quest in 2008, when they reunited to perform sold-out concerts across the country, almost ten years after the release of their last album, The Love Movement. As he travels with the band members (Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White), Rapaport captures the story of how tenuous their relationship has become; how their personal differences and unresolved conflicts continue to be a threat to their creative cohesion. When mounting tensions erupt backstage during a show in San Francisco, we get a behind-the-scenes look at their journey and contributions as a band and what currently is at stake for these long-time friends and collaborators.
Rarely heard stories from New York’s legendary DJ Red Alert, Native Tongues members like Monie Love, the Jungle Brothers, Busta Rhymes, and De La Soul bring an intimacy to the days when young artists discovered the freedom of artistic expression, while rejecting the confines of gangster rap and negative stereotypes. Chronicles of songs like “Scenario” and “Check the Rhime” paint a vivid picture of growing up in Queens, and how the band’s unique approach to hip hop helped transform and influence the genre for years to come.
A New York native, Rapaport’s lifelong love for hip hop helps achieve intimate, all-access interviews and cinéma vérité-style filmmaking, fostering a conversation for A Tribe Called Quest to determine if there is a possibility to mend the wounds from over the years.
In addition to chronicling the past, present and uncertain future of the band, the film includes interviews from the Beastie Boys, Kanye West, Pharrell, Mos Def, Santigold, Monie Love, Pete Rock, Large Professor, De La Soul, The Jungle Brothers and Common, all of whom attribute some combination of love, respect, and inspiration drawn from the legacy of A Tribe Called Quest.
