The highly-controversial A Tribe Called Quest documentary, Beats Rhymes And Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, will finally hit theaters July 8.
The film has been the subject of much debate, as director Michael Rapaport has been involved in an ugly back-and-forth with the group, which culminated in Q-Tip stating on Twitter that he doesn’t support the film. Recently, ATCQ conducted an interview with MTV in which they accused Rapaport of not honoring edit requests, not paying for travel accommodations for the Sundance Film Festival, among other claims.
In response, Rapaport appeared in a recent interview on complex.com, in which he addressed a number of these issues, including Tribe’s apparent request to get producer credit. “Yeah, well, producers usually produce something. Q-Tip in my opinion has gone out of his way to make this as difficult a process as possible. They never asked about being producers until the 29th hour when my final cut was handed in. Then they said, and this is the exact truth, ‘We won’t sign off on the final cut until we are given producer credits and our managers are given producer credits.’
“Now, my real opinion on why they shouldn’t be given producer credits is number one, they didn’t produce shit for the movie. Number two, why would you want to take a producer credit on something you didn’t produce? Number three, yes, it could potentially seem like a reality show or propaganda if you get a producer credit on something that is about you. I said, “If I keep this scene in there or that scene in there it’s a better story. It’s a better articulated, well-rounded story.” They said, ‘You’re gonna have to bite the bullet on this one. We don’t want that scene in there.'”
With regard to the Sundance claim, Rapaport retorted, “That’s bullshit. We had tickets booked, flights booked and they didn’t go to Sundance because they didn’t want to go Sundance. Q-Tip didn’t want to go to Sundance because he didn’t wanna go to Sundance, period. Phife went to Sundance. Ali didn’t go to Sundance because he had a tour in Europe and that was months before so we knew he wasn’t coming to Sundance.
Look, it’s like you wanna be producers? Be producers. All the other producers flew themselves to Sundance. Your manager who wants a producer credit, she’s a producer too, now. I flew myself to Sundance. I put myself up and so did my editor and six or seven of the other producers who actually worked for two and a half years putting this movie together.”
Added Rapaport: “The wackest, most peculiar thing about that bullshit MTV interview they did was when they said, ‘We love the movie. We think it’s an amazing movie. We want people to go see it.’ Well, if you want people to go see it what the fuck are you doing on MTV trying to disrespect me and the movie? You’re embarrassing and shitting on yourself by even going up there and doing that.”
See. There are always two sides to a story. You’ll definitely see me opening night at my local theater for this.
q tip want’s credit for somthing else he did not do. like produceing this movie.
this documentary is not going to make money for the producers, nor was it even intended to make money for the producers, because how much can a fricken’ documentary make anyway? if anything rapaport lost money to make this, it is a lobour of love. and he did an absolutely outstanding job.
tribe is once again on top, in the sense that they have been reintroduced again, which can only be a good thing for their careers, even if monetarily. if they capitalize on this momentum and tour while they have this buzz and pocket some change, what’s wrong with that? the documentary is a tribe fans wet dream too. more please!
any real hiphop would know qtip stole a beat from pete rock way way back so this right here? it does not surprise me qtip would act in such a manner – dirty
and that track was we got jazz. i read a pete rock interview about that. apparently puffy stole juicy or somethin from pete rock too!
Check, I love q-tip but when he turned into Maxwell as Bumpy Knuckles said I started to realize this guy was a diva. Phife’s first solo > Q-Tip first solo. And its a fact he did take those beats I’ve heard that multiple times. This is sad to see, I got the scenerio single on tape for my for my 10th birthday and still remember the cover or the source when they broke up and they just keep fucking it up. Big ups to phife the man was on the brink of death and he’s well on the road to recovery. Keep the racist shit out of it Rappaport was doing this as a true fan and everyone knows he’s a hiphop head
What do they get from this movie financialy?
“Do it for white power, Remy!”
I wanna agree with this guy but seriously, if its about them.. they can do what ever they fucking want to. Before you bitch about them disrespecting you, learn some yourself
Because Tribe doesn’t want some of their personal business out in the open like that. Tribe doesn’t know anything about filmmaking and their acting like divas to a guy who wants to tell their story.
This whole thing is a little fishy…I want to believe some of what rappaport says, but at the end of the day, I’m a Tribe fan, not a Michael-mufuckin’-Rappaport fan….so this guy can go fuck himself.
what a dumb commet. Who cares who you are a fan of? What happened is what happened and it does not matter who you affiliate yourself with it is what it is. You probably though OJ was innocent too.
You’re a tool…and I don’t mean that in a nice way.
Brian Andrew Smith is a bitchass little dude-lovin’ hipster…the worst kind of vermin.
personally, I believe Rapaport. Im a HUGE Tribe fan, but this is a documentary – not an autobiography. So if Rapaport doesn’t want to take a scene out then he shouldn’t have to. Its his project, I dont ever hear about Rapaport looking for some credit on a Tribe album… matter fact I remember Rapaport on a Kweli album on a skit.. so there’s no doubt in my mind that this guy doesn’t know hip hop. If the Tribe movie is the truth then let it bet the truth.
ATCQ are notorious divas who act like little bitches behind the scenes to each other. I am sure what happened was they got in some hoe ass argument over something and Michael Rappaport included it in HIS documentary. Sorry, next time the cameras are rolling while shooting a documentary about you, maybe you should reconsider how you conduct yourselves. Rappaport is a G. Get em!
I respect Rappaport for even considering documenting ATCQ but he should have made sure everyone was on the same page before doing anything. This is an ugly situation and I’m not sure if I’m ready to support this film due to the negativity that has built up…smh, hope this doesn’t tarnish the ATCQ legacy in hip-hop
Notice that he didnt address the email where he said, “he’ll fuck them on everything else.”
Im not siding with the group, but it should be noted that Rappaport is a scumbag.
The sad part is, this movie is probably painting ATCQ in a great light. Rapaport MUST be a fan to be making a documentary about ATCQ in the year 2011 that’s actually going to see a movie screen. If anything, ATCQ should be grateful for this exposure at this point in their careers. They’re one of my all-time favorite groups, but anything I’ve heard about them behind the scenes has always been prima donna bullshit. Even Phife Dawg, who seems pretty down to Earth, gets out of line sometimes. Fucking divas. Relax and don’t tarnish your legacy, I want to like this movie and continue liking ATCQ too.
Keep it Electric Relaxation, not Electric Vibrator, alright Tip?
My sentiments exactly!
Hmm, now we know why Tribe broke up. Tip seems to be the one starting all this BS. I think he wants “producer” credits so that he can get paid! Mike has a valid oint thiough. If you didnt produce shit why would you want producer credit> I love Tribe but come on Tip.
i always knew q-tip was an asshole in person.. guess i was right
ATCQ always sucked d*ck; music, image, & wack ass personalities
why dont you go back to listenin to lil wayne and let the grown ups talk?
He asked permission to do the doc and they gave him the go ahead. That means, whatever comes out of it comes out. Eff a puff piece. They were making too many demands so the email said “Well” not as in “we will”, but as in , we will agree on such and such, but “well, eff them on everything else…” Tip is a jerk and Ali just is going along with him on some BS. Either stop doing shows and break up completely or get inside the studio and make some new joints, then tour.
I don’t even want to see this film anymore. i can’t decide who I can’t stand more. Q-Tip or Consequack.
Rapaport has been a fairly succesful actor, so I’d believe his POV over Tip’s. That said, if this documentary makes alot of money, and ATCQ had producer credits, they’d be sharing in all the profits. I doubt Rapaport wants that, especially if him and Tip weren’t getting along.
I don’t want to take sides all the way if I don’t know the whole story, but Tribe is not making themselves look good on this. Any Tribe fan is going to want to get as much of the whole story as they can, so the fact that the group is trying to hide shit automatically makes them look guilty about something. And as others have pointed out, anyone making a Tribe doc in 2011 must have some love for the group, so hard to believe he would be out to fuck them somehow. I want to see this shit either way.
for the love of money, he will f*ck em..whats new…There are tonnes of ways to moneytize with a movie like that, especially with the hollywood connex Michael has..He has no love for them bros, otherwise he would be like’this won’t exist without u, 50% cut fellas’, same ol exploitation of the black man..for u cats sayin, who cares about Tribe now..think again, all these guys love that sh*t, they wish they could do that ish, but downplay it to not give shine…bump that, Michaels a snake, always knew he was fronting…
hopefully if the film is a success q won’t cap on it right, we dun forgot about tribe called quest 13 jointz l8tr after the breakup phife big-up,q’s legacy is ruined oh my god/ whut the money wuznt right obviously qs solo shit mediocre need phife mannn y not treat it like a resurgence then tour. f them on the rest /petty shit q -WHO ELSE WOULD HAVE DONE THIS 4 TRIBE bonita fall of 1990 high school love u tribe called quest.toronto
i see niggas is jumpin on the white man dick as soon as he tugs on his belt lol. who cares if they want credit the movie is about them! shit aint gon make no money anyway but yall niggas is pathetic ass fans if yall gon believe what rappaport’s pseudo racist ass say. that honky is the furthest thing from a hiphop fan if he gon try to screw the group who he dick lick so hard that he actually makin a movie about them. please, no more white produced hiphop documentaries if this all we gotta look forward to.
Pseudo means false. Perhaps paying more attention in Whitey’s English class would have been a good idea.
Got em.
anyone else notice Qtip is always in some small time beef with somebody. seems like a bitch ass ni$$a to me…
I say *crocket* micheal rappaport & *crocket* atcq !
“I’M VEXED FUMING I HAD IT UP TO HERE MY DAYS OF PAYING DUES ARE OVER ACKNOWLEDGE WE ARE IN HERE YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHH !!!-Phife
I *crocket* w/ Phife still !
Yea & for the record u merked that scenario joint.. Lyric for lyric phife had the best verse on that single ! Busta’s verse was more memorable because they dropped tha drums for a few seconds …
I saw Phife perform at a hole on the wall spot called “club on the rock’s” in charlotte, nc…
at the time his solo album was out, and he said he wasn’t into pointing fingers, but it was not him, jerobi, or ali shaheed muhammad that anything to do ith Tribe’s breakup. now i love Q-tip’s verses…but I do;t put it past him to be an egomaniac behind the scenes
Rapaport is mad respected in the hiphop world and he isn’t shitting on Tribe at all so just release the Doc. and let the fans judge
this documentary is not going to make money for the producers, nor was it even intended to make money for the producers, because how much can a fricken’ documentary make anyway? if anything rapaport lost money to make this, it is a lobour of love. and he did an absolutely outstanding job.
tribe is once again on top, in the sense that they have been reintroduced again, which can only be a good thing for their careers, even if monetarily. if they capitalize on this momentum and tour while they have this buzz and pocket some change, what’s wrong with that? the documentary is a tribe fans wet dream too. more please!