The thing about rock documentaries, especially when it's about about a band you really, really, like, is that it can completely change your perspective about that artist - sometimes good, sometimes not so much. Rattle and Hum made U2 look like such meglomaniacs I never thought of them the same way again - even though they would follow up this self indulgent sludge with the finest record of their career. Meanwhile, Anvil - The Story of Anvil, the account of a low-tier 80's metal band trying for that one last comeback, was as inspiring a movie as I've seen in eons.
So when I first started reading about Beats, Rhymes, and Life and the so-so reviews and the fact that Q-Tip and Ali were boycotting it, I intentionally passed on seeing it in the theaters. I've been such a huge fan for so long (I listen to Midnight Marauders at least once a week) that I didn't want to re-experience the bad taste that I had walking out of Rattle and Hum a million years ago. However, my curiosity was getting the best of me so I finally rented it when it came out on home video last week.
And the verdict is.....I liked it.....a lot. It's not perfect, and director Michael Rapaport probably dwells a bit too much on life post the break-up, it is a fans eye view of a band loved and admired by millions the world over.
Despite the fact that Tribe was a quartet, and while the importance of Ali and Jarobi cannot be denied, the essence of the band were it's two frontmen Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. The volatile relationship between these two lifelong friends serves as the centerpiece of the movie. This tension peaked in the opening scene of the movie when Q-Tip breaks up the band again at the end of their 2008 reunion tour. It was a very bleak moment that most friendships never recover from.
The movie reinforces the fact that Tribe as a collective was definitely far greater than the sum of it's parts. There was Q-Tip, the quirky, driving force who was always in search of the perfect sound and the perfect set of beats. The story about how the A & R rep had to literally steal the tapes for their iconic album "The Low End Theory" underlies Tip's quest for perfection. Phife was the perfect yin to Tip's yang, the gregarious, light hearted partner in crime who, while needing to be prodded from time to time, was the source of many great rhymes throughout the life of the band. Jarobi, in his on-again, off-again, time in the band was critical in pulling things together and Ali served as the glue that held everything together.
The first half of the movie, save for that ominous first scene, focuses on how they came together really focuses on the band coming together and the salad days between 1990 and 1994. There's a great scene when Q-Tip and Ali go back to their old high school in Manhattan and talk about how they would use their desks for beats. Phife had some great stories about how he'd sneak out of all day church services to watch Soul Train and listen to old-school hip hop stations. The history of how their legendary first three albums came together was really cool also - especially the story of how Phife came up with the great lines from "Buggin Out" on the subway en route to the studio. Another great scene was the story of how Q-Tip took one of Minnie Ripperton's high pitched vocal pieces and made that part of the backbeat for "Midnight Marauders'" Lyrics To Go. Having listened to that song hundreds, if not thousands of times, I never realized that was a vocal part.
The remainder of Beats focuses on the ups and downs of the members of the band after their 1998 break-up. While the other members, particularly Q-Tip, seemed to do well, it was difficult to watch Phife wrestle with the effects of Type 1 Diabetes that led to his kidney transplant. This led to the most poignant moments in the movie between Phife finding out that his wife was a match to Jarobi's emotions getting the best of him to the text the Q-Tip sent just before the operation despite their estranged relationship. It also served as the transition to the final part that lead up to their 2010 reunion. Unlike their ill-fated 2008 tour, this seemed much more natural and something was done because they wanted to - not because they had to.
As I said before, while it's not perfect, Beats, Rhyme, and Life is the tale of one of the greatest hip-hop bands in history through the eyes of fan with the help of many other fans. And unlike other, more ill-fated documentaries, it reaffirmed why I will always love A Tribe Called Quest and, much to the chagrin of those around me, while I listen to them even more now. Up for an Award Tour anyone??
So when I first started reading about Beats, Rhymes, and Life and the so-so reviews and the fact that Q-Tip and Ali were boycotting it, I intentionally passed on seeing it in the theaters. I've been such a huge fan for so long (I listen to Midnight Marauders at least once a week) that I didn't want to re-experience the bad taste that I had walking out of Rattle and Hum a million years ago. However, my curiosity was getting the best of me so I finally rented it when it came out on home video last week.
And the verdict is.....I liked it.....a lot. It's not perfect, and director Michael Rapaport probably dwells a bit too much on life post the break-up, it is a fans eye view of a band loved and admired by millions the world over.
Despite the fact that Tribe was a quartet, and while the importance of Ali and Jarobi cannot be denied, the essence of the band were it's two frontmen Q-Tip and Phife Dawg. The volatile relationship between these two lifelong friends serves as the centerpiece of the movie. This tension peaked in the opening scene of the movie when Q-Tip breaks up the band again at the end of their 2008 reunion tour. It was a very bleak moment that most friendships never recover from.
The movie reinforces the fact that Tribe as a collective was definitely far greater than the sum of it's parts. There was Q-Tip, the quirky, driving force who was always in search of the perfect sound and the perfect set of beats. The story about how the A & R rep had to literally steal the tapes for their iconic album "The Low End Theory" underlies Tip's quest for perfection. Phife was the perfect yin to Tip's yang, the gregarious, light hearted partner in crime who, while needing to be prodded from time to time, was the source of many great rhymes throughout the life of the band. Jarobi, in his on-again, off-again, time in the band was critical in pulling things together and Ali served as the glue that held everything together.
The first half of the movie, save for that ominous first scene, focuses on how they came together really focuses on the band coming together and the salad days between 1990 and 1994. There's a great scene when Q-Tip and Ali go back to their old high school in Manhattan and talk about how they would use their desks for beats. Phife had some great stories about how he'd sneak out of all day church services to watch Soul Train and listen to old-school hip hop stations. The history of how their legendary first three albums came together was really cool also - especially the story of how Phife came up with the great lines from "Buggin Out" on the subway en route to the studio. Another great scene was the story of how Q-Tip took one of Minnie Ripperton's high pitched vocal pieces and made that part of the backbeat for "Midnight Marauders'" Lyrics To Go. Having listened to that song hundreds, if not thousands of times, I never realized that was a vocal part.
The remainder of Beats focuses on the ups and downs of the members of the band after their 1998 break-up. While the other members, particularly Q-Tip, seemed to do well, it was difficult to watch Phife wrestle with the effects of Type 1 Diabetes that led to his kidney transplant. This led to the most poignant moments in the movie between Phife finding out that his wife was a match to Jarobi's emotions getting the best of him to the text the Q-Tip sent just before the operation despite their estranged relationship. It also served as the transition to the final part that lead up to their 2010 reunion. Unlike their ill-fated 2008 tour, this seemed much more natural and something was done because they wanted to - not because they had to.
As I said before, while it's not perfect, Beats, Rhyme, and Life is the tale of one of the greatest hip-hop bands in history through the eyes of fan with the help of many other fans. And unlike other, more ill-fated documentaries, it reaffirmed why I will always love A Tribe Called Quest and, much to the chagrin of those around me, while I listen to them even more now. Up for an Award Tour anyone??
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