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Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest

Name: Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
Genre: Music, Documentary
Released: 2011-07-08
Cast: Mary J. Blige, Common, Q-Tip, Michael Rapaport, Phife Dawg

2011 | 97 min | Music, Documentary

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

Critics loved it (90% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite almost no lasting buzz. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for the curious. If you loved The Last Waltz or This Is It, start here.
The mood: Eye-opening.
The pace: Moves along nicely, at 1 hr 37 min.
What might put you off: Rated R: meant for adults.

Having forged a 20-year run as one of the most innovative and influential hip hop bands of all time, the Queens NY collective known as 'A Tribe Called Quest' have kept a generation hungry for more of their groundbreaking music since their much publicized breakup in 1998. Michael Rapaport documents the inner workings and behind the scenes drama that follows the band to this day. He explores what's next for, what many claim, are the pioneers of alternative rap.

How it earned its rating

CriticsVery strong
90% on Rotten Tomatoes
AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
AwardsBelow par
Won 1 PGA Award: Producers Guild of America Awards: Best Documentary Motion Picture. Plus 1 other award.
Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 12K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Michael Rapaport

Mary J. BligeSelf
CommonSelf
Q-TipSelf
Michael RapaportSelf
Phife DawgSelf
Yasiin BeySelf
Ali Shaheed MuhammadSelf
Adam HorovitzSelf
Michael DiamondSelf
LudacrisSelf