A Tribe Called Quest Film Set to Air at Toronto's Hot Docs Festival

(photo via gordonandthewhale.com)

A new documentary entitled "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest" is set to air tonight as a part of the annual Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival held each year in Toronto.

The film is directed by actor and renowned hip-hop aficionado Michael Rapaport, and is his directorial debut.  The doc covers the tumultuous 20-year career of the rap group, from their humble beginnings in Queens, NY to their major-label signing and subsequent success as pioneers of the 1990's "conscious" hip hop movement.  Numerous hip hop luminaries, both past and present, turn up in the film to discuss the group's impact on the music scene, including Questlove, Prince Paul, Pete Rock, Large Professor, Common, Monie Love, and the Beastie Boys.

There has been quite a stir surrounding Rapaport's portrayal of the group in the film, as the not-often publicized personal conflicts and infighting between members Q-Tip, Phife, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi are on full display.

In a recent interview with MTV just hours before the doc was to air at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, Phife candidly discussed his relationship with Q-Tip, and he endorsed the film despite all surrounding controversies.

Overall, the movie is a must-see for those who include this iconic group as one of their major musical influences.  It should also be seen by the new generation of rap music listeners, because in order to know where you're going, you must also know where you've come from.

A Tribe Called Quest are true pioneers of the game, and in spite of the conflicts, their influence cannot be questioned.



-Turnbull