Event

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

BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST is 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 group's innovative musical stylings never seems to diminish.
A hard-core fan himself, Rapaport sets out on tour with A Tribe Called Quest in 2008, when they reunited to perform sold-out concerts across the country, almost ten years after the release of their last album. Rapaport captures the story of how tenuous ATCQ's relationship has become; how their personal differences and unresolved conflicts continue to be a threat to their creative cohesion. When mounting tensions erupt backstage during a show in San Francisco, we get a behind-the-scenes look at their journey and contributions as a band and what currently is at stake for these long-time friends and collaborators.

2011 Sundance Film Festival
2011 Tribeca Film Festival
2011 AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Festival
2011 LA Film Festival Audience Award Best Doc

"A welcome blast of '90s nostalgia, taking us back to a time and a sound that pulsates with optimism." Owen Gleiberman, EW

"One of the more honest band biopics in recent years." San Francisco Chronicle

"A phenomenal documentary. Village Voice

"Even those who never joined the cult of A Tribe Called Quest will find this clear-eyed chronicle of their career irresistible." New York Daily News