Hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest reunites for a movie directed by Michael Rapaport
Director Michael Rapaport and A Tribe Called Quest member Jarobi White filming on set.
Credit: Sony Picture Classics
By Spencer Pratt
Feb. 2, 2012 12:30 a.m.
Members of the group A Tribe Called Quest ““ Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White. The group’s breakup in 1998 was a huge surprise for fans of the hip-hop community.
Credit: Sony Picture Classics
Tonight, the UCLA Hip-Hop Congress will be presenting a free movie screening of “Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.” A&E senior staff Spencer Pratt spoke to the film’s director, Michael Rapaport, about his love for the group, the filmmaking process and his future plans in the film industry.
Daily Bruin: When did you begin listening to A Tribe Called Quest? What is your favorite album by the group?
Michael Rapaport: I started listening to A Tribe Called Quest when I first heard them on the radio in New York City in like, ’88. And it’s hard to say what my favorite Tribe record is, but I think (it is) “Midnight Marauders.” I love that album.
DB: What was your reaction to the group’s breakup in 1998?
MR: I mean, I was disappointed. It was surprising, I think, for the fans, and you just didn’t expect it. There were a lot of groups in hip-hop that were breaking up at that time, but you never expected A Tribe Called Quest to break up because the music and the vibe that they put out was just so positive ““ you just didn’t think that they could break up. You just felt like it was going to go on forever.
DB: What inspired you to make the documentary?
MR: What inspired me to make the documentary was just an inclination and a desire to figure out their story, and sort of the director’s statement for myself was, “Will A Tribe Called Quest make more music?” You know, that alone with the fact that I had been looking to find a film to direct for the last 10 years. And obviously me being a big fan ““ everything came together. That’s really how it started. It was really just a curiosity.
DB: What were the responses of the individual members of A Tribe Called Quest when you approached them with this documentary?
MR: Getting started was probably the easiest part of the whole process. All of them really had no hesitation. I told them what my goal was, and they were all like, “Cool, let’s do it.” Phife (Dawg) was like, “How real can it be?” And I was like, “I want it to be as honest and as real as you’ll give to me.”
DB: What was it like working with the members of the group?
MR: Working with the members of the group was fun. It was challenging, it was frustrating, it was fulfilling. One of the great things about it is because they’re performers, they’re very comfortable on camera, so obviously that was an easier aspect of it. And I was able to have access to things that other filmmakers wouldn’t be lucky enough to have access to. I was lucky ““ they really trusted me. It was a great experience ““ it had its highs, it had its lows, it had everything in between, but it was well worth it.
DB: The documentary includes commentary from other hip-hop artists such as De La Soul, Mos Def and Common. What was it like working with those artists and having their input?
MR: It was great to have those guys, and all the people that participated in the movie ““ all their input and insight into it. It was fun for me to see them get to be fans, and hearing them talk. They had the same enthusiasm and the same excitement that I had as a fan. The whole hip-hop community as a whole was really supportive of the project and the idea while I was making it.
DB: How did your acting experience inform your directing choices?
MR: The fact that I’ve been on set with some really prolific directors ““ and understand sets and understand performances and what it takes to grind through a production was probably the thing that gave me the most help and insight and comfort. I had a confidence about that ““ about being on a set, how to run a set and the work ethic that it was going to entail to try and finish the movie. Because that was always the goal ““ to finish the movie.
DB: Do you see yourself directing music documentaries in the future?
MR: I don’t know. It’d have to be something that I’m compelled to do and something that I’m really curious about. I knew going into the Tribe film that it wasn’t going to be easy to make it, and I know even more after completing it how challenging it is. There (are) definitely other groups that I’m curious about. I want to continue directing, (and) I would love to do another documentary. It doesn’t have to be music-based. And I would definitely love to direct a feature film.
Email Pratt at [email protected].
