Michael Rapaport ably, artfully and brilliantly told the story of hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, answering many questions fans and media members have had about the group, which hasn’t thrown down a record since 1998, yet still has one album left on their original deal with Jive Records from way back in 1988.
Yes, the group made records before many of our favorite hip-hop artists saw their first turntable.
The film is a documentary in style, but its theme is distinctly hip-hop — brash, colorful and creative. Direct from the mouths of the men who gave us some of the greatest loops, beats and samples hip-hop heads have heard, we are given unique insight into the minds and motives of four true elder statesmen of hip-hop.
The narrative traverses the formation of the group from a chance meeting between members Q-Tip (Kamaal Ibn John Fareed), Ali (Ali Shaheed Muhammad), Jarobi White and Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor) in Queens, NY during their high school days and eventually became known as one of the hottest groups in the hip-hop genre. Led by the creative, producing genius of Q-Tip and the hard street lyrics of Phife, the group became a lightning rod for such artists as Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and The Roots.
But after just five albums in 10 years, the group dissolved.
Rumors of inner controversy were abundant in 1998. The only thing known for sure: The group ended its otherwise financial and critical success. No real answers were given until this documentary was produced.
Later it was made public that group member Phife suffers from Type-1 diabetes and has fought the disease since 1990 — just one year after the group got its foot in the door with Geffen Records. The disease has taken its toll on the MC, and later caused one of his kidneys to shutdown, prompting his wife to donate one of her own to her husband.
Due medical bills and the deterioration of his quality of life, Phife asked the other three members of the group to come to his aid.
In 2008, the group took one of many offers to tour being thrown their way of the last decade and set about the business of performing the Rock the Bells Festival. The festival was headlined by A Tribe Called Quest but artists Nas, Mos Def, De La Soul, Rakim and Pharcyde joined the tour to celebrate the reuniting of one of the true visionary hip-hop groups.
Enter Rapaport.
There is something to be said about holding a camera in your hand, and having the wisdom to keep your mouth shut. Rapaport let his camera roll through the 2008 tour, filming a feud 20 years in the making between the group’s two most talented members: Q-Tip and Phife. The feud exploded after a testy verbal tradeoff between the two MCs led to neither wanting to speak to the other for years. The tension grew so large that members of De La Soul expressed pain in seeing two of their most talented friends at each other’s throats for the duration of the tour.
Years later Q-Tip and Phife made up well enough to go on yet another tour, but to date they have no plans to record any new material.
For fans of rap and hip-hop and the history of distinctly American music, this documentary is a must.