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

dir: Michael Rapaport

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.

Cast:

Beastie Boys Themselves
Mary J. Blige Herself
Common Common Himself
Mike D Himself
Phife Dawg Himself
Soul De La Themselves
Mos Def Himself
Adam Horovitz Himself
Ghostface Killah Himself
Ludacris Ludacris Himself
Angie Martinez Herself
Ali Shaheed Muhammad Himself
Q-Tip Q-Tip Himself
Michael Rapaport Himself
Pete Rock Himself
Ahmir-Khalib Thompson Himself
Jarobi White Himself
Pharrell Williams Himself
Adam Yauch Himself

stoker rated Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

5 stars

stokes rated Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

5 stars

Ben rated Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

4 stars

pagowe2 rated Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

7 stars

mike-scott added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

It continuously feels less like straight-up reportage and more like a fan film, one built on equal parts idol worship and wishful thinking. Read the review

kevin-c-johnson added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Despite accusations of nearly succumbing to spotlighting beefs over beats, the film comes off as an honest representation of a great group that's not to be forgotten. Read the review

jennie-punter added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

A combination of timing, access, a visual aesthetic that reflects ATCQ's Afrocentric "surface philosophy" (as the crew's look is described) and, most importantly, story-conscious editing ... Read the review

kimberley-jones added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

White couldn't stay away, and neither can the band's legions of fans, who bop up and down in sold-out arenas at the reunion tour that provides the film's hopeful coda. Read the review

wesley-morris-boston-globe added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

On the one hand, welcome to the music business. On the other, if A Tribe Called Quest can't stay together who can? It's a worry that eventually gets at the eccentricity of both the music ... Read the review

peter-hartlaub added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Tribe superfan Rapaport doesn't fawn, but he juggles too much, and the ending feels pat. It's still an outstanding effort, and one of the more honest band biopics in recent years. Read the review

michael-phillips added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

The best material, however, keeps returning to the unstable power dynamic between Q-Tip and Dawg. Read the review

nathan-rabin added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Poignant and powerful, complex and melancholy, the film ends with rehearsals for yet another money-grubbing comeback tour. Read the review

va-musetto added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

A must for hip-hop heads. Others will either be won over or left wondering what all the fuss is about. Read the review

mark-jenkins added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Perhaps because he's an actor, Rapaport prefers drama to analysis. And this story has plenty of conflict. Read the review

joe-neumaier added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Even those who never joined the cult of A Tribe Called Quest will find this clear-eyed chronicle of their career irresistible. Read the review

andrew-schenker added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Even as an "18 months later" epilogue ensures us that everything's hunky dory, this is one surprisingly grim celebration of a group Rapaport obviously loves. Read the review

owen-gleiberman added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Beats is a welcome blast of '90s nostalgia, taking us back to a time - and a sound - that pulsates with optimism. Read the review

eric-kohn added a review of Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

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 wi... Read the review