Synopsis
Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the Queens NY collective known as 'A Tribe Called Quest' have kept a generation hungry for more of their groundbreaking music since their much publicized breakup in 1998. Michael Rapaport documents the inner workings and behind the scenes drama that follows the band to this day. He explores what's next for, what many claim, are the pioneers of alternative rap.
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Cast
- Mary J. BligeSelf
- CommonSelf
- Q-TipSelf
- Michael RapaportSelf
- Phife DawgSelf
- Yasiin BeySelf
- Ali Shaheed MuhammadSelf
- Adam HorovitzSelf
- Michael DiamondSelf
- LudacrisSelf
Recommendations
- 90
Village Voice
Despite the passive-aggressive bickering, Beats, Rhymes & Life is not, thankfully, hip-hop's "Some Kind of Monster." - 83
Entertainment Weekly
Beats is a welcome blast of '90s nostalgia, taking us back to a time - and a sound - that pulsates with optimism. - 83
IndieWire
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 with Q-Tip, who has refused to plug the movie. - 80
Los Angeles Times
It is at its most vibrant when re-creating the energy of Tribe's original moment in the late '80s and early '90s, when the musicians brought a spirited, playful artfulness to the sometimes drearily self-serious world of hip-hop. - 80
New York Daily News
Even those who never joined the cult of A Tribe Called Quest will find this clear-eyed chronicle of their career irresistible. - 80
The New York Times
The actor Michael Rapaport (Brad Pitt's roommate in "True Romance"), in his feature directorial debut, does an admirable job recounting the group's formation and dissecting its dissolution. - 65
NPR
Perhaps because he's an actor, Rapaport prefers drama to analysis. And this story has plenty of conflict. - 63
Slant Magazine
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.
