Beats, Rhymes and Life Review: “Microphone Check, 1,2, What Is This”

My knowledge of A Tribe Called Quest (“ATCQ“) was so-so at best prior to watching Beats, Rhymes and Life. Sure I knew of Bonita Applebum, (the original “fat-ass”: 38-24-37!). And I was aware that ATCQ was an incredibly influential collective.  They played a major role in the rise of hip-hop that not only made you nod your head to the beat but also made you think. For all those out there who know even less than I, or for those up to speed on ATCQ, check this movie out. You’ll inevitably learn something you didn’t know.

Beats, Rhymes and Life is a documentary by famed actor and hip-hop enthusiast, Michael Rapaport. The overarching question the movie attempts to answer is whether ATCQ will ever reunite. It searches for the answer by chronicling the four members of ATCQ – Phife Dawg, Jarobi White, Ali Shaheed Mohammed and Q-Tip, but the center of the film focuses on the relationship between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg – friends since the age of two, now embroiled in a bitter feud fueled by misunderstandings and bruised egos. I won’t give anything away about whether the group will get back together but I will say the journey to the answer is an interesting one well worth your hard earned movie-going dollars.

Rapaport uses each member’s own narrative to tell the story of ATCQ. He supplements story telling with interjections from various music industry insiders, including radio DJs, producers, agents and artists. For the most part, these “side” interviews praise the group’s musical creativity and lyrical intellect, but shed little insight on the inner-workings of ATCQ. For that, the movie relies on Q-Tip, Phife, Mohammed, and White. While the movie does a good job depicting ATCQ’s beginnings, it falls out of whack when analyzing the group’s break-up. I’m still a little confused as to why they called it quits – was it Phife’s diabetes? Was it Q-Tip’s tendency to be a control freak? Or was it the personal and musical disconnect between members that set in over time? Most likely, it was all of the above but my point is Rapaport muddies up the waters when analyzing the break-up.

Nonetheless, the strength of the film is its subject matter and its humor. Understanding the origins of ATCQ means understanding how music can impact lives with unexpected laughs along the way whether it be Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter (of The Roots fame) describing ATCQ’s fashion sense as “questionable” at best during the early days or the Beastie Boys opining on Phife’s famous line about Seaman’s Furniture (listen to Electric Relaxation and you’ll understand).

I walked away from Beats, Rhymes and Life loving the musical art this collective offered its fans and wishing I’d been more in tune to their music when they were together. Good thing Michael Rapaport provided me with the chance to appreciate their genius today.

Images courtesy of Sony Pictures Classic.