It's always slightly worrying when a documentary-maker is upfront and centre in his documentary but the trailer for Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest is good enough to forgive Michael Rapaport his brief appearance at the beginning and end of the material, especially as his first appearance is to introduce his film [edit: in the updated trailer below, Rapaport's introduction has been removed]. That film, a documentary which follows one of the most influential hip-hop bands of the last twenty years, looks, in some cases, rather good. Rapaport has a strong base for the production in the group's music, which pulses particularly well over the final thirty seconds, where the director's second appearance suggests he might feature in more than just an introductory capacity during the finished article. No matter. If Rapaport has captured even a smidgen of what it appears he has captured here then this will be a must see for all music fans when it starts its release cycle in the US in July.
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I've just seen the film at the Sheffield Doc/Fest and it's pretty great. Even if you've never heard of A Tribe Called Quest, they're such fun to be around you'll have an enjoyable 90 minutes. Rapaport is actually absent from the finished product, barring some off camera questions. He's delivered a highly entertaining portrait of the band, and I'll be intrigued to see what he directs next.
ReplyDeleteAll of that is very encouraging to hear. I probably won't get a chance to see it till the DVD release but very much looking forward to it. Will be searching out your Festival coverage shortly.
ReplyDeleteBig Tribe fan here and so I can't even describe how desperately I want to see this doc. Thanks for posting the preview. It hits Chicago in a month.
ReplyDeleteI'm really not that big a fan, or even that familiar, with Tribe, yet find myself being really drawn to it. Need to get myself an album. Hope it lives up to your expectations.
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