Beats, Rhymes, & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest marks the directorial debut of famed actor Michael Rapaport. The documentary explores the history, relevance, and future of the legendary Hip Hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Blackfilm.com’s own Nasser Metcalfe delves deep to examine the film and its mission.
Dissecting Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest
By Nasser Metcalfe
Yo! Microphone Check, One, Two what is this?
Phife Dawg Check The Rhime
The year was 1998. The Source magazine has been self-described and widely acclaimed as “The Bible of Hip Hop” for over a decade now. The luminary publication, the first of its kind, had not only vividly chronicled the ascent of Hip Hop from an underground sub-genre to a multi-billion dollar global industry; it was largely responsible for creating said phenomenon. In its exalted pages careers were launched, trends were defined, and a culture was preserved. In the fall of that year, on the cover of its October issue, the world in general, the music industry as a whole, and the Hip Hop community specifically were stunned at the cover story. Accompanying the sullen expressions on the faces of its three core members the words “Exclusive Interview: BREAK UP! A Tribe Called Quest Disbands” screamed from newsstands and magazine racks from coast to coast smacking us across the face with a harsh reality that no one saw coming. The feeling of dismay amongst a diverse collective of loyal fans of the ground breaking group, that broadly spans generations as well as social and economic classes, was deep felt. The pervasive shockwave feeling would ultimately lead to one universal question. WHY? In an effort to seek out the answer, the story inside The Source’s pages opens at the scene of a now legendary farewell concert at famed New York City nightclub Tramps. By the third paragraph it is noted that amongst the adoring fans that have gathered for this sacred event were not only Hip Hop royalty like Busta Rhymes and Mos Def but also A list Hollywood types Leonardo DiCaprio and………. Michael Rapaport.
Just like Ringling Brothers, I’ll daze and astound. Captivate the mass, cause the prose is profound.
Q Tip Oh My God
The year was 2008. Michael Rapaport, a lifelong Hip Hop enthusiast and self-proclaimed die hard A Tribe Called Quest fan is on tour with his idols, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Jarobi White, and Q Tip chronicling their every move on camera for his passion project. Ten years later the pervasive question evolved from “why did they break up?” to the more hopeful “will they make more music?” As fate would have it Rapaport’s favorite group of all time had decided to reunite for a series of shows fueling speculation that they may somehow find their way back to the recording studio for at least one more A Tribe Called Quest album. After bursting on to the scene as an actor in the 1993 seminal film Zebrahead, Rapaport would now seek to follow a natural creative progression of a number of established actors and make his debut as a director. After bringing to life many memorable characters in over 40 films like True Romance, Higher Learning, Copland, Bamboozled, and Mighty Aphrodite he would embark on creating what he intends to be the definitive documentary of arguably one of the most influential Hip Hop groups of all time. In an exclusive interview with blackfilm.com he explains, “In the last ten or twelve years I’ve been wanting to direct. [I’ve been] curious about directing. I’ve always been curious about the camera. I’ve always been curious about the process. I never thought it would come in the form of a documentary. I thought it would be a narrative film.” The allure of this film’s subject matter however, would ultimately serve as the catalyst for him to take the leap of faith, “The idea of doing this movie really was brought up to A Tribe Called Quest by myself in 2006 and I never really shook that idea once I got it in my head. When they went on tour again in 2008 I approached them about doing it again and they said ‘yeah’ and we just did it. Getting started was the easiest thing.” In hopes of finally getting to the heart of not only the decade long question of why they broke up, but mainly the most currently relevant, will they record together again, his true journey as a filmmaker would of course lead him to first examine the preceding question which is why do we care so much? Why is A Tribe Called Quest bonafide legends? How did they become true cultural icons that transcend Hip Hop? Beats, Rhymes, & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest explores these questions and more. Surprisingly there is a tremendous amount of insight packed into its 98 minute running time. Although by the end of the film there may be more questions raised than answered.
A Tribe Called Quest’s fan base remains some of the most loyal and enduring ever. To this day their shows have proven to sellout substantial venues around the globe from Japan to Australia to Mexico. In a phone conversation from his residence in the Bay Area where he now resides, Phife Dawg offers his thoughts on what he hopes the fans will gain from this documentary, “I hope they come away with knowing that we’re human at the end of the day. Whether it be my health issues, whether it be beef we’re human. It’s not all going to be rose petals and red carpets.” He further expounds, “It’s going to be bumps in the road and things of that nature. It’s just a matter of if you can overcome them or not. If you fall down can you get back up? I think we’ve answered that question.” Phife’s perspective on the film’s reception is of particular interest because he seems to reveal the most personally on screen. His aforementioned health challenges are at the crux of the complex interpersonal relationships between the four group members. That and his current family life are laid out in the rawest and most honest manner for all to see. “It’s kinda bugged out because I felt like at least part of that had to be done because I was always the black sheep of the group or the misunderstood one of the group. So when I hear the word documentary to me that means you gotta keep it 100% real. Once I was approached about the documentary I was like ok I’m going all out. No holds barred. Good, bad and different.”
Steady kickin styles so I can reach that other level (uh). Don’t worry about gettin gassed I push the pedal to the metal.
Phife Dawg Lyrics To Go
Context is perhaps most important when examining the gravity of A Tribe Called Quest’s legacy. In the late Eighties and early Nineties the trend within the Hip Hop landscape shifted from pro black empowerment, conscientious lyrics like those of a Public Enemy and KRS ONE to one of hardcore violent street imagery fueled by hypnotic beats personified by the likes of NWA and eventually Death Row Records. Thanks to the raw intrinsic talent of artists such as Eazy E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg this emerging sub-genre would prove to be wildly popular and move units by the millions. With the explosion of Gangsta Rap as it would come to be called, many aspiring rap artists would abandon their true identity and adopt a façade of thuggish machismo in an effort to cash in. It was against this gun toting backdrop that Tribe would dare to be different, unique, and original, proving that there was still a market for an alternative voice within the culture. Blackfilm.com was able to catch up with the legendary Fab 5 Freddy, who as one of hip hop’s pioneering figures not only lived through A Tribe Called Quest’s historical zenith but was directly involved with it. As the original host of Yo MTV Raps! It was his early interviews with the group that served as a platform to assist their initial ascension. Almost two decades later as producer of VH1’s annual Hip Hop Honors program he would personally invite the group to reunite and be honored as well as perform on television together for the first time since their break up. It was a landmark moment for the group and the fans. Fab recalls Tribe’s initial impact on the scene as true creative innovators, “A Tribe Called Quest had a big influence on Hip Hop music, popular music and culture at a very important time when hip hop was really buoyant and vibrant and really relevant. They stepped in with a new flavor, a new way to look at it, a new way to position themselves and they did it. So they had an indelible impact. [They said] you can be who you want to be and not go along with the dominant style of the time.” Also being a globally acclaimed artist and filmmaker himself, Fab 5 Freddy offers insight into his impression after viewing Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, “I go to see a movie I want to be entertained like everybody else. I’m a lover of film and the craft and the art and all of that so I want to sit in the room, turn the lights off, fire that light up on that screen baby and let me see it. I was blown away.” He offers further analysis, “I think what makes the film so good in telling the whole story of A Tribe Called Quest is that we take that ride from a front row seat. It just paints such a vivid picture. We got to see them as kids. We got to understand clearly how naturally they came together and formed this unique group at the right time. It’s like life. It’s like a relationship. We’re going to have the good and the bad.”
So raise up squire, address your attire, we have no time to wallow in the mire.
Q Tip Jazz (We’ve Got)
Perhaps what makes Beats, Rhymes, & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest such a compelling piece of work is that even someone with no frame of reference for the group and the weight of their significance would be drawn in by the sheer honesty and raw truth of the narrative that is their journey. Traditionally the marriage of film and music is a powerful and blissful one. Yet the relationship is at the same time somewhat complex. A film with absolutely no music will typically feel incomplete in form. However music predates the visual art form by centuries and can easily stand on its own. So when approaching the usage of film and film technique to tell a story of music and its creators many possibilities emerge. Where Rapaport got it right was to not celebrate the merits of the music to the point of compromising the humanity of the story. So it is quite engaging when the cameras follow Q Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad as they return to visit their old high school as rock star status music gods who somehow instantly transform back to the spirit of impressionable teen aged youth when back in the halls they once roamed trying to gain some understanding of this thing called life. The moment comes full circle when Tip takes to the stage in the auditorium and demonstrates the virtues of how to pound a desk with staccato rhythmic patterns that when no books are inside provide an acoustic friendly break beat that the fledgling MCs would use to hone their craft in the early days. It is this type of demonstrative honesty that drives Beats, Rhymes, & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest to distinguish itself from a standard VH1 Rock Doc or an episode of TV One’s Unsung. Whereas those televised efforts adroitly and entertainingly tell the story of their subject in 60 minutes including commercials, they have pressures due to deadlines and time constraints that preclude them from the next layer of exploration of a subject’s lifeblood that a film enjoys the freedom to explore. So when, after 20 years, we finally get to know Jarobi White, the prodigal fourth member of ATCQ, years of mystique surrounding the specter of his presence or lack thereof, is finally punctured. His brotherly relationship with Phife is the type of revelatory fodder for the ages. Yet, Q Tip’s comments on exactly what role Jarobi plays in the group may surprise you. It is these moments of peeking behind the curtain to observe the little man who is actually behind the grandiose Oz that keeps us intrigued throughout.
By the time the final frames of the film were shot when the group reunited in the summer of 2010 for the Rock The Bells tour, a lot of water was under the bridge. By nature the documentary format is in search of its narrative rather than creating it. Within A Tribe Called Quest’s storied travels there is the drama of internal differences, health challenges, triumph over adversity, and perhaps most compellingly the dedication. The film provides unprecedented insights into a number of these areas, further lending credence to the notion of Rapaport as director. As one of the first people to collaborate with Rapaport in this capacity Phife provides his insight on the fledgling auteur’s passion as well as speculation on his future behind the lens, “I think he’ll be fine. I really do because he took a group that he loved and I saw him [shed] blood, sweat, and tears, face turning red. I mean beet red if there was the slightest glitch because he wanted to come out with the best thing that he could possibly come out with. He’ll be ok in the long run.” For his own take on his future in the director’s chair Michael Rapaport reveals, “I’m always gonna act. I don’t want to [completely] transition. I’m always gonna be an actor. It’s always gonna be what comes most natural to me. I would love to direct again. I would love to do another documentary at some point. The next thing I direct I want it to be a narrative film. I want to get to a point where I can do both at a high level.” Among other directors whose work has influenced him he showers the most praise on none other than Spike Lee. “Spike definitely. I love Spike Lee’s documentaries. I think that [his] documentary filmmaking, his body of work he’s done as a documentary filmmaker is at this point is on par with what he’s done as a narrative filmmaker.”
I’m vexed, I’m fumin’ I’ve had it up to here. My days of paying dues are over, acknowledge we is in here (YEAH!)
Phife Dawg Scenario
In addition to the on screen drama and infighting the film has also not been without it’s off screen controversy as well. It has been widely reported through various media outlets that some of the group’s members, particularly Q Tip have been very vocal about their displeasure with how certain things were handled when the film was complete and on its way to being screened for audiences. Among the reported issues was that upon the film’s final edit the group members and their managers asked to be listed in the credits as producers. A request that Rapaport insists he had to draw the line at. One of the most scathing reports was about a certain mass email amongst the producers that Q Tip was accidentally included on that seemed to disparage the group members and reveal a proposed plan to rush the print to The Sundance Film Festival where it was due to screen publicly for the first time, without the requested producer credits and the intent to “Fuck em on the everything else”. The negative feelings and accusations would eventually spill out into the public forum via Twitter. When addressing the overall current dissent between himself and Q Tip, Michael Rapaport is very up front yet chooses his words carefully, “You know it’s been disappointing and frustrating. I know that the last I heard him saying about the film was that he supports it and wants everybody to see it. I haven’t spoken to him. I’m not really looking for his validation or approval on the film. It’s unfortunate that it happened and I think it kinda tarnishes a little bit of Tribe’s legacy with the fact that they’re such a classy group. There’s nothing that I can do about it now.” Obviously the concern is that the fans won’t view this project through a jaundiced eye as a result of the conflict. For his part the controversy seems to have Phife stuck somewhere in the middle of wanting to support the film that he loves and loves him back yet not betray the united front between himself and his brother. When asked about Tip’s current stance on things he’s reluctant to get in the crossfire “I’m really not going to comment on it because I feel like I’m on the other side of the spectrum as far as that goes. So that’s really a Q Tip question. I really can’t answer that. I don’t even know where to start or end or anything.” However, he will make sure that one thing is clear, “I will say this from a universal standpoint and speaking generally. A Tribe Called Quest holds the brand really close to they’re heart. And we have a tendency to get kind of shook when we feel like there’s a possibility that the brand could get tarnished for whatever reason, obviously no group wants that to happen to their brand. So he’s really protective of it. That’s really what it is at the end of the day. So I totally get that part of it.” The film vividly highlights some very deep and personal differences between Phife and Q Tip at times. As far as the state of their relationship today is concerned Phife maintains that all is well and harmonious, “Its cool [between us]. We had all our bumps in the road but we’re straight. We’re cool. We’re definitely cool. I’m out here on the west [coast] he’s out there on the east [coast] and when I come to New York I go check him and it’s whatever. We’re family and family fights and family argues. Family will make up and be boys again too. It’s no different from any other relationship, kinship or whatever you want to call it.”
I learned how to build mics in my workshop class, so give me this award and let’s not make it the last.
Q Tip Award Tour
Will A Tribe Called Quest make more music? This is the original question that Beats, Rhymes, and Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest originally set out to answer. As much as their fans would love for the answer to be a resounding “YES!”, the question remains unanswered and perhaps more complex now than ever before. At this point it seems that all anyone can do is hope and speculate. When pondering said question Fab 5 Freddy offers, “I don’t think it’s relevant whether they get back together again. If they do it would be great. If they do [reunite] and don’t make great music ok that’s a problem. Sometimes the magic is created and it’s there for us and I’m happy with that. Particularly in this genre we call Hip Hop we’ve had people make one song that’s incredible. We’ve had people make 2 songs that are incredible and that we’ll love every time they’re played. It was really dope that it happened when it happened. If they could come back out and make another record that’s phenomenal, come on, we’re going to be happy.” When Michael Rapaport is posed with the question he responds. “If I was gonna take a guess I would probably say no they’re not gonna make more music. I’m sure they’ll tour and do shows. But right now I can’t see it happening based on everything I’ve heard and seen.” He continues, “I think for them obviously the standards are very high. I think it’s about them being in sync with each other and the chemistry being right and them really wanting to do an album, all four of them. They all have to be on the same page in order to do it and to do it right. I think that’s what it all comes down to.” For Phife, who along with the rest of the group, the question holds the highest stakes for personally, he echoes many of his director’s thoughts and remains optimistically realistic, “I hope that it happens for us and the fans. I really hope it happens but I don’t know if it will. Everybody’s not on the same page as far as that goes right now. We don’t wanna just force anything out there because that’s going to show in the music and we definitely don’t want to disappoint the fans. So if we’re going to do it, it has to be done right.”
By Nasser Metcalfe
Beats, Rhymes, & Life: the Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest opens in New York and Los Angeles July 8th with subsequent release dates in various major cities around the country to follow in the coming months.
Nasser Metcalfe is an actor, writer, and producer living in New York City.
