Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011)
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.
Directors
Cast
Trailer
Reviews
90
Village Voice
Despite the passive-aggressive bickering, Beats, Rhymes & Life is not, thankfully, hip-hop's "Some Kind of Monster."
83
Beats is a welcome blast of '90s nostalgia, taking us back to a time - and a sound - that pulsates with optimism.
83
Showing the uneasiness of a first-time documentarian, Rapaport has a difficult time exploring the drama. That has extended beyond the movie itself and into a long-running media dispute with Q-Tip, who has refused to plug the movie.
80
It is at its most vibrant when re-creating the energy of Tribe's original moment in the late '80s and early '90s, when the musicians brought a spirited, playful artfulness to the sometimes drearily self-serious world of hip-hop.
80
Even those who never joined the cult of A Tribe Called Quest will find this clear-eyed chronicle of their career irresistible.
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