Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (2011)
Average Rating: 7.4/10
Reviews Counted: 57
Fresh: 52 | Rotten: 5
This documentary focuses less on the music and more on the personality clashes and in-group tensions to great, compelling effect.
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Critic Reviews: 21
Fresh: 21 | Rotten: 0
This documentary focuses less on the music and more on the personality clashes and in-group tensions to great, compelling effect.
liked it
Average Rating: 4.2/5
User Ratings: 3,504
My Rating
Movie Info
A documentary film directed by Michael Rapaport about one of the most influential and groundbreaking musical groups in hip-hop history. Having released five gold and platinum selling albums within eight years, A Tribe Called Quest has been one of the most commercially successful and artistically significant musical groups in recent history, and regarded as iconic pioneers of hip hop. The band's sudden break-up in 1998 shocked the industry and saddened the scores of fans, whose appetite for the
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Q-Tip
Q-Tip -
Phife Dawg
Phife Dawg -
Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Ali Shaheed Muhammad -
Jarobi White
Jarobi White -
Adam Yauch
Adam Yauch -
Mike D
Mike D -
Adam Horowitz
Adam Horowitz -
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams -
DJ Red Alert
DJ Red Alert -
Prince Paul
Prince Paul -
Large Professor
Large Professor -
Pete Rock and CL Smooth
Pete Rock and CL Smooth -
Barry Weiss
Barry Weiss -
Common
Common -
Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes -
Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (21) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (5)
This authorized documentary is more of a celebration of the legendary Queens quartet than a serious exploration of their art. But considering how brilliant they were at their peak, it's hard to disagree with the general sentiment.
Top CriticRapaport gets at the dynamics of a group that struggles even now to get along well enough to get paid - again.
A combination of timing, access, a visual aesthetic that reflects ATCQ's Afrocentric "surface philosophy" (as the crew's look is described) and, most importantly, story-conscious editing elevates the doc above the norm.
Thanks to a particularly even-handed job by director Michael Rapaport, the story emerges as compelling, even for non-fans in the audience.
The movie gets the beats and rhymes down pat, but the life part is a little messy. Oh well, two out of three ain't bad.
There are scenes toward the end of the movie that hint at a fuzzier tomorrow for Tribe, but you leave appreciating the music as it was, not hoping for anything else.
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest is a marvelous and unapologetic look at the rise and fall of arguably one of the most influential hip hop groups of our time.
Rappaport covers a huge spectrum of voices and opinions, and the themes he explores get into personal relationships -- something everyone can relate to.
Rapaport, clearly a fan, is able to capture both the ongoing love and the tension within the band.
Warning: The bassline Ron Carter contrived for the classic cut 'Buggin' Out' is about as easy to dislodge from your brain as a 'Night Gallery' earwig.
Maybe I'm just a sucker for good old fashioned hip-hop, but I found Michael Rapaport's totally-by-the-numbers music doco [Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest] absolutely compelling.
This documentary therefore did exactly what a good music doco should do: brought people like me up to speed and, according to reports from more serious hip hop fans in the audience, provided lots of information that wasn't previously well known.
An adoring, though enlightening, look at the tumultuous run of the influential hip-hop group.
That mood of musical unity, of a sonic movement, is incredible, vibrantly recounted in Beats. It's more than just a documentary, it's a time capsule of hip hop originality and confidence.
The movie's value is in informing and illuminating, not provoking.
It's difficult to get a grasp on just what audience this documentary is made for.
Despite accusations of nearly succumbing to spotlighting beefs over beats, the film comes off as an honest representation of a great group that's not to be forgotten.
Even if you think you don't like hip-hop you may find yourself captivated by the musicality of A Tribe Called Quest, and that alone is reason to watch this documentary...
Respectful but not idolatrous, this is one 'Behind the Music' piece that even those who have never heard of the group can appreciate.
If you want to know what hip-hop is all about, this 'rapumentary' is a fine place to start.
It tells a real story that is both complex and coherent, putting ATCQ's impact on the level of what Dylan and The Beatles provided in their respective moments in musical history. And the argument is well made.
Good vibes propel what is a fairly straightforward account of the band's formation, album output, and acrimonious breakup.
Audience Reviews for Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest yet.
Latest News on Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest
July 7, 2011:
Critics Consensus: Horrible Bosses is Certified FreshThis week at the movies, we've got scheming employees (Horrible Bosses, starring Jason Bateman and...
March 10, 2011:
The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest Lead to SonyMichael Rapaport's long-in-the-works documentary, "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe...
What's Hot On RT
Bradley Cooper's Best Movies
Fast & Furious 6 is Certified Fresh
Fast & Furious cars gallery
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- Critics Consensus: Fast & Furious 6 is Certified Fresh 21
- Red Carpet Photos with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Gina Carano and More 0
- Video: The Hangover Part III Cast Interviews 0
- Total Recall: Bradley Cooper's Best Movies 38
- Parental Guidance: Epic and Beautiful Creatures 2
- Comic Book Movies You Can Watch Online 9
- In Pictures: The Cars of Fast & Furious 0
Top Headlines
-
Evan Peters Joins X-Men: Days of Future Past
0
-
Toby Jones Talks Captain America: The Winter Soldier
0
-
The Poltergeist Reboot May Actually Be a Sequel
8
-
Will Forte Promises MacGruber 2
1
-
Universal Plans Timecop Reboot
2
-
Return of the Jedi Turns 30
1
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Take Place in L.A.
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (DE)
- Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (UK)
