‘Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest’ – 3.5 out of 5 stars
Director Michael Rapaport’s documentary, “Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest,” is a story that is definitely worth telling. It documents the history of hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest and their rise and fall of success in the 1990s. Their music helped shape modern-day hip-hop, and to this day, they are considered one of the most influential groups in the history of the genre.
The film is a chronological look at the music and events that shaped the group, and includes a fascinating history of how the group was formed. The footage is engaging and interesting, but there were definitely some editing and storyline issues that could have easily been avoided. Rapaport’s style is not quite spot on—which is to be expected, due to his fairly recent career as a director. Fortunately, the transitions from album to album are pretty effortless with the interviews and collection of stories he was able to piece together. Rapaport is a hip-hop fan, which is made obvious by the way he directs the film with his fresh angle, and that gives it a great edge and allows the audience to connect with the film.
With several clips from backstage at the 2008 reunion show, the audience is able to see the tension between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg firsthand and gain insight as to what exactly happened to the group. This intimate look into their lives is intriguing, but also a little disheartening.
Overall, it is a pretty solid film in terms of content and insight. However, it is weak in several instances, especially with the editing. The aforementioned transitions are well done, but the story seemed to have a few holes in it and I found myself struggling at a few points in the film over how exactly it was organized and at what point in time some of the events were occurring. It became a little confusing and frustrating for a viewer.
Regardless of the slight issues, this is a great film that is definitely worth watching. It tells an amazing story about a great group who influenced music in a groundbreaking way.