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| Photo by Arno |
A Tribe Called Quest will probably always embody, to me, what I love about Hip-Hop: grooves and cuts sampled from the classics of the day, jazzy east-coast flavor, raps that flow...their music just makes you feel good. People's Instinctive Travels still feels relevant today, even though it was released over 20 years ago. Eminem can't even say that about his last record.
Last Thursday Chole and I went to a Sundance screening of the new documentary by actor Michael Rapaport about Tribe, titled Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest. Michael started out just wanting to do a history of the band and get some interviews from Tribe as they played the Rock the Bells tour in '08, but he stumbled upon an opportune moment (for a documentarian) while the group was coursing headlong into the fan that Old Shit was about to hit. This film shows you a lot about the people that Q-Tip and Phife are. Ali and Jarobi are there too, but definitely to a lesser degree.
Stylistically the doc doesn't break any new ground, and that's okay. The people and situation are interesting enough, and not just for fans. Chole only knows about Tribe from what I've made her listen to (including heavy rotation on a month-long road trip), and she really enjoyed watching. The film follows the chronology of the group, from rapping together in high school right up to where they stopped filming last year. Interviewees like the head of Jive Records and De La Soul talk about the genesis of Tribe, and The Roots and Common talk about the importance of Tribe's music in making hip-hop what it was and is.
There has been some drama around the release of the doc as Q-Tip spat some poison at it shortly before its premiere here at Sundance. Turns out some of the included footage was a little too real or was put together in a way that put a less than flattering light on what happened towards the end. Michael Rapaport gave a Q&A at the end of our showing and was cautious not to reveal any specifics about Tip's disapproval. Phife attended the premiere and gave some emotional commentary.
You probably won't be able to see this film for a while. They don't have distribution yet, but I have no doubts it will come. Some critics are even calling for a short theatrical run. I just wanted everyone to know about this film and get hyped. Go sign up for updates on their website and tell your friends. The more buzz there is around this movie the sooner you'll see it.
