Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011)

Michael Rapaport documents the inner workings and behind the scenes drama that follows this innovative and influential band to this day.

Director:

Michael Rapaport

Stars:

Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Q-Tip

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Phife Dawg	...	Himself (as Malik Izaak Taylor aka Phife Diggy)
Ali Shaheed Muhammad	...	Himself
Q-Tip	...	Himself (as Kamaal Fareed)
Jarobi White	...	Himself
Adam Horovitz	...	Himself (as Ad-Rock)
Adam Yauch	...	Himself (as MCA)
Ahmir-Khalib Thompson	...	Himself (as Amir 'Questlove' Thompson)
Andres Titus	...	Himself
Angie Martinez	...	Herself (as Angela Martibez)
Barry Weiss	...	Himself
Barbara Esmilla	...	Herself
Robert Garcia	...	Himself (as Bobbito Garcia aka Kool Bob Love aka DJ Cucumberslice aka Bobbito the Barber aka Edge Up King aka the King of Swing aka Soul Food Bob aka Boogie Bob aka Bag of Tricks aka Make It Happen)
Cheryl Taylor	...	Herself
Ludacris	...	Himself
Chris Lighty	...	Himself (as Violatest)

Storyline

Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the Queens NY collective known as 'A Tribe Called Quest' have kept a generation hungry for more of their groundbreaking music since their much publicized breakup in 1998. Michael Rapaport documents the inner workings and behind the scenes drama that follows the band to this day. He explores what's next for, what many claim, are the pioneers of alternative rap.

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Plot Keywords:

hip hop | rap

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 January 2012 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Beats, Rhymes & Life

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$111,982 (USA) (8 July 2011)

Gross:

$1,200,046 (USA) (11 November 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rival Pictures, Om Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.24 (2011)

User Reviews

A Tribe Called Quest shown as made up of complex, gifted, flawed human beings, not as flawless cardboard characters.

I'm troubled that some reviewers object to the fact that this film doesn't ignore the considerable tensions that existed within A Tribe Called Quest.

This is a documentary, not a propaganda film... the backstage dynamics between the members of ATCQ over the years (both positive and negative) are highly relevant to the film, assuming that it wasn't meant as a puff piece.

If anything, Rapaport held back a bit MORE than he should have, which is part of the reason why I don't give the film an even higher rating, as I would (for example) to the brutally revealing documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster.

Also, anyone who watches the film and doesn't get some sense of why the group meant so much to so many of us (in its artistry and in its spirit) just wasn't paying attention.

I do hope that the DVD extras spend more time on the extended Native Tongue Family... while it certainly isn't ignored in the film, the Native Tongue Family deserves at the very least its own mini- documentary.