Q-Tip,
Phife Dawg,
Ali Shaheed Muhammad,
Jarobi White,
Adam Yauch
... see more 
A documentary film directed by Michael Rapaport about one of the most influential and groundbreaking musical groups in hip-hop history. Having released five gold and platinum selling albums within eig... read more
DVD Release Date: October 18, 2011
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Stats: 284 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (284)
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January 19, 2012fb634552688A well-rounded, even documentary that provides the viewer with some insight to how people sometimes spawn dissension from what seems like nothing. There's nothing mindblowing here, but it's definitely an interesting watch, even if you're not a fan. You just might have a bit mor... read more
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January 19, 2012fb840810656'Beats, Rhymes and Life' does a great job of not only explaining the origins and history of A Tribe Called Quest, but also the influence that they had on hip-hop as a whole. The relationship between two leading members, Q-Tip and Phife, is fascinating to see on film, and Rapaport... read more
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January 19, 2012Music documentaries generally make cringe because they always seem to diminish any regard for the band in question. Beats, Rhymes and Life had the opposite effect on me. It was informative and comprehensive, not to mention very well made and has had the songs of A Tribe Called Qu... read more
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January 19, 2012I really dug this film a lot. It helps, of course, that I am a huge fan of A Tribe Called Quest, so getting the chance to watch a music documentary about the group and all they've been through and where they'll go to from here was already a giant plus for me. However, what help... read more
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January 19, 2012fb20312798What I liked most was that rather than spend most of the film having other artists and critics talk about their work and why it was so influential and important (although there is some of that), they instead decided to focus on the group dynamic which produces some rather candid ... read more
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January 19, 2012fb1025970122I love music just about as much as I do movies and the genre of hip hop holds a special place in my heart. To see these two meshed so beautifully into a telling documentary is truly a gift. I found everything director Michael Rapaport explored here an interesting reason for why A... read more
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January 19, 2012Pretty good documentary that makes me want to listen to everything A Tribe Called Quest has ever done, which can't be said about other music documentaries.
The film is a little slow and Reading Rainbow-esque. I hate the shaky cam style too. Some of the shots could have been perf... read more -
May 15, 2012Smoke this movie because it is DOPE!
Honest, complicated, compelling, respectful.
(Feels a little like Shaq & Kobe in it.) -
January 19, 2012This was a great documentary. I caught it on a Friday night. It delved into the origin and complexity of the group members - their relationships with one another and how they have evolved from children to adults through their music!
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January 19, 2012The early 90's in hip-hop was what the grunge era was for rock. The best and most creative stuff came out of this era and a Tribe Called Quest was part of that.
Critic Reviews
September 15, 2011
Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader
August 9, 2011
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Rapaport gets at the dynamics of a group that struggles even now to get along well enough to get paid - again. Full Review
August 5, 2011
Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail
A combination of timing, access, a visual aesthetic that reflects ATCQ's Afrocentric "surface philosophy" (as the crew's look is described) and, most importantly, story-conscious editing elevates the ... Full Review
August 4, 2011
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic
Thanks to a particularly even-handed job by director Michael Rapaport, the story emerges as compelling, even for non-fans in the audience. Full Review
July 29, 2011
Adam Graham, Detroit News
The movie gets the beats and rhymes down pat, but the life part is a little messy. Oh well, two out of three ain't bad. Full Review
July 21, 2011
Dan DeLuca, Philadelphia Inquirer
The emotional honesty Rapaport captures on screen comes off as real, a cut above standard-issue Behind the Music drama in terms of believability. Full Review
July 21, 2011
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Somewhat against the odds, Rapaport manages to parlay his access and sycophancy into the plaint of a concerned fan: Please, fellas, squash this. Full Review
July 15, 2011
David Malitz, Washington Post
Even as the band implodes, "Beats" flows as smoothly as Q-Tip on "Verses From the Abstract." It's the tension between the group's core members that really propels the film forward. Full Review
July 14, 2011
Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle
An outstanding effort, and one of the more honest band biopics in recent years. Full Review
July 9, 2011
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
A reminder, part "Behind the Music" and part something better, that even artists professing love and togetherness have a hard time keeping it going. Full Review
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