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

 

Story:

Named for the fourth album of the title band “A Tribe Called Quest,” this feature length documentary depicts a chronology of four musicians from Queens, New York and the influence they have had over the past several decades on the music industry, on the genres of rap and hip-hop, and quite frankly, on one another.

Review:

Beats-Rhymes-And-Life-The-Travels-Of-A-Tribe-Called-Quest-Movie-Poster.jpgThe film starts in 2008 at the band’s final performance of the Rock the Bells Tour.  Director Michael Rapaport pulls no punches, Q-Tip confirms in the opening five minutes that, indeed, this is the end of the line.  What follows is 90 minutes of fun, clever, and most of all reverent retrospective.  All four original group members graciously recount their history - starting from the beginning when Q-Tip and Phife Dawg met in elementary school.  Lest you think this is a self-congratulatory type of film, Rapaport incorporates the voices and faces of the likes of de la soul, Beastie Boys, Mos Def, Mary J. Blige, DJ Red Alert, and Common -- just to name a few. 

Say what you will about memorial-style retrospectives, at the end of the day this film is a truly enjoyable walk down memory lane to a time when full windbreaker suits were trendy, bling was bigger and unemployment was lower.  Beats, Rhymes & Life capitalizes on our collective nostalgia for the old days of MTV and shows like I Love the 80’s.  It does help that the group is made up of traditional good guys, not the superstars who end up dying of cocaine overdoses, but the kind who support one another through legitimate health issues and actually work themselves to the bone in order to do what they love.  

The use of stock footage, including early music videos, is simply irresistible. The lightheartedness with which the contemporary camera work is done actually creates a logical visual space for the neon kaleidoscope of mid-90’s imagery.  None of the technical work of this film stands out, but that is the sign of a subject that speaks beautifully for itself.

Reviewed by Emily Comisar for Documentary Film Online on August 22, 2011

In Conclusion: