Chicago – It was announced last week on March 22nd, 2016, that a hip-hop pioneer, Phife Dawg of the group “A Tribe Called Quest,” passed away at the age of 45. It was Phife, along with Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White, that created a new voice in the evolution from rap to hip hop.
In 2011, a documentary regarding the group, “Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest’ was released, and Phife Dawg was on the promotional tour for the film. In appreciation of his life and music contributions, HollywoodChicago.com reprints the interview from that tour.
Phife Dawg (left) Performs in A Tribe Called Quest
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics
HollywoodChicago.com: Phife, you talk about your childhood with Q-Tip growing up in Queens. What was that time and place like and how did it influence and inspire your eventual hip-hop career?
Phife Dawg: New York City pretty much reeked of music.
In 2011, a documentary regarding the group, “Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest’ was released, and Phife Dawg was on the promotional tour for the film. In appreciation of his life and music contributions, HollywoodChicago.com reprints the interview from that tour.
Phife Dawg (left) Performs in A Tribe Called Quest
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics
HollywoodChicago.com: Phife, you talk about your childhood with Q-Tip growing up in Queens. What was that time and place like and how did it influence and inspire your eventual hip-hop career?
Phife Dawg: New York City pretty much reeked of music.
- 3/27/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Frankly, I’m not certain what Q-Tip’s temper tantrum was all about, because there’s really nothing in this that I’d say is damning, or paints him or his crew in a negative light. They (A Tribe Called Quest – Q-tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi) were, for all intents and purposes, a family. And families are in conflict from time to time. It’s the natural order of things. Peaks and valleys, I-Ching, ying and yang; there’ll be good times and there’ll be not-so good times. And with maturity comes some sense of solace. You face, head-on, whatever differences divide you, squash them and move on.
C’est la vie.
Unless, as some suggested, it was all a publicity stunt by Tip, which certainly is possible, as I believe I alluded to in a previous post about the supposed rift.
As for the documentary itself…...
C’est la vie.
Unless, as some suggested, it was all a publicity stunt by Tip, which certainly is possible, as I believe I alluded to in a previous post about the supposed rift.
As for the documentary itself…...
- 1/28/2011
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
One of the documentaries I was most looking forward to at this years Sundance Film Festival was Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, primarily for personal reasons since I’m a huge Tribe fan. Directed by Michael Rapaport and filmed over the course of three years, the documentary follows and charts the journey of one of the most influential and iconic hip-hop groups of all time through the eyes and voices of the group (Q-Tip, Phife, Ali and Jarobi) and other musicians who have either been influenced directly or collaborated with the group. At the center of he film is the conflict of the mysterious breakup of the group in 1998, which saddened fans worldwide, that stemmed from an argument between Q-Tip and Phife, concerning the health of Phife who suffers from Type 1 diabetes. Weaving the history and music of one of the greatest musical entities to ever grace your ears,...
- 1/25/2011
- by Raffi Asdourian
- The Film Stage
Michael Rapaport says premiering at 2011 Sundance Film Festival was his 'personal goal.'
By Hillary Crosley
Michael Rappaport
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images
A Tribe Called Quest fans can officially rejoice: The documentary chronicling the group's rise to fame as well as their legacy has been accepted into the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Held in Park City, Utah, the gathering is where Michael Rapaport, director of the documentary, cut his teeth in the film world.
"My personal goal for the movie was always to premiere it at Sundance Film Festival," he said. "I've always had affection for the festival: The first time I ever saw myself in a movie was in 1992 at the world premiere of my first movie, 'Zebrahead.' I couldn't be happier. For me, it's the premier film festival."
"Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," which has drawn scrutiny from group member Q-Tip,...
By Hillary Crosley
Michael Rappaport
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images
A Tribe Called Quest fans can officially rejoice: The documentary chronicling the group's rise to fame as well as their legacy has been accepted into the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Held in Park City, Utah, the gathering is where Michael Rapaport, director of the documentary, cut his teeth in the film world.
"My personal goal for the movie was always to premiere it at Sundance Film Festival," he said. "I've always had affection for the festival: The first time I ever saw myself in a movie was in 1992 at the world premiere of my first movie, 'Zebrahead.' I couldn't be happier. For me, it's the premier film festival."
"Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," which has drawn scrutiny from group member Q-Tip,...
- 1/18/2011
- MTV Movie News
Michael Rapaport says premiering at 2011 Sundance Film Festival was his 'personal goal.'
By Hillary Crosley
Michael Rappaport
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images
A Tribe Called Quest fans can officially rejoice: The documentary chronicling the group's rise to fame as well as their legacy has been accepted into the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Held in Park City, Utah, the gathering is where Michael Rapaport, director of the documentary, cut his teeth in the film world.
"My personal goal for the movie was always to premiere it at Sundance Film Festival," he said. "I've always had affection for the festival: The first time I ever saw myself in a movie was in 1992 at the world premiere of my first movie, 'Zebrahead.' I couldn't be happier. For me, it's the premier film festival."
"Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," which has drawn scrutiny from group member Q-Tip,...
By Hillary Crosley
Michael Rappaport
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images
A Tribe Called Quest fans can officially rejoice: The documentary chronicling the group's rise to fame as well as their legacy has been accepted into the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Held in Park City, Utah, the gathering is where Michael Rapaport, director of the documentary, cut his teeth in the film world.
"My personal goal for the movie was always to premiere it at Sundance Film Festival," he said. "I've always had affection for the festival: The first time I ever saw myself in a movie was in 1992 at the world premiere of my first movie, 'Zebrahead.' I couldn't be happier. For me, it's the premier film festival."
"Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," which has drawn scrutiny from group member Q-Tip,...
- 1/18/2011
- MTV Music News
Michael Rapaport says premiering at 2011 Sundance Film Festival was his 'personal goal.'
By Hillary Crosley
Michael Rappaport
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images
A Tribe Called Quest fans can officially rejoice: The documentary chronicling the group's rise to fame as well as their legacy has been accepted into the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Held in Park City, Utah, the gathering is where Michael Rapaport, director of the documentary, cut his teeth in the film world.
"My personal goal for the movie was always to premiere it at Sundance Film Festival," he said. "I've always had affection for the festival: The first time I ever saw myself in a movie was in 1992 at the world premiere of my first movie, 'Zebrahead.' I couldn't be happier. For me, it's the premier film festival."
"Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," which has drawn scrutiny from group member Q-Tip,...
By Hillary Crosley
Michael Rappaport
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images
A Tribe Called Quest fans can officially rejoice: The documentary chronicling the group's rise to fame as well as their legacy has been accepted into the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Held in Park City, Utah, the gathering is where Michael Rapaport, director of the documentary, cut his teeth in the film world.
"My personal goal for the movie was always to premiere it at Sundance Film Festival," he said. "I've always had affection for the festival: The first time I ever saw myself in a movie was in 1992 at the world premiere of my first movie, 'Zebrahead.' I couldn't be happier. For me, it's the premier film festival."
"Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," which has drawn scrutiny from group member Q-Tip,...
- 1/18/2011
- MTV Music News
Michael Rapaport says premiering at 2011 Sundance Film Festival was his 'personal goal.'
By Hillary Crosley
Michael Rappaport
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images
A Tribe Called Quest fans can officially rejoice: The documentary chronicling the group's rise to fame as well as their legacy has been accepted into the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Held in Park City, Utah, the gathering is where Michael Rapaport, director of the documentary, cut his teeth in the film world.
"My personal goal for the movie was always to premiere it at Sundance Film Festival," he said. "I've always had affection for the festival: The first time I ever saw myself in a movie was in 1992 at the world premiere of my first movie, 'Zebrahead.' I couldn't be happier. For me, it's the premier film festival."
"Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," which has drawn scrutiny from group member Q-Tip,...
By Hillary Crosley
Michael Rappaport
Photo: Frazer Harrison/ Getty Images
A Tribe Called Quest fans can officially rejoice: The documentary chronicling the group's rise to fame as well as their legacy has been accepted into the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Held in Park City, Utah, the gathering is where Michael Rapaport, director of the documentary, cut his teeth in the film world.
"My personal goal for the movie was always to premiere it at Sundance Film Festival," he said. "I've always had affection for the festival: The first time I ever saw myself in a movie was in 1992 at the world premiere of my first movie, 'Zebrahead.' I couldn't be happier. For me, it's the premier film festival."
"Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest," which has drawn scrutiny from group member Q-Tip,...
- 1/18/2011
- MTV Movie News
"You're just a butter knife — I'm a machete!" So rapped Antonio Monterio Hardy (better known in the hip-hop world as Big Daddy Kane) on "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" (a classic tune from his 1988 debut Long Live the Kane). While just about every rapper boasts about his or her abilities on the microphone, Kane was the real deal. His smooth, bombastic style bridged the gap between the old school cats and the next generation of rappers.
If there was one year that saw hip-hop really explode, it was 1988. While rap music had slowly been insinuating its way into the mainstream since the release of Run-d.M.C.'s Raising Hell in 1986, the 12 months that made up '88 saw a handful of rap records perform well commercially but also found many groups reaching their artistic apex. Hip-hop was finally coming into its own, both as a commercially viable brand of music and as a true envelope-pushing art form.
If there was one year that saw hip-hop really explode, it was 1988. While rap music had slowly been insinuating its way into the mainstream since the release of Run-d.M.C.'s Raising Hell in 1986, the 12 months that made up '88 saw a handful of rap records perform well commercially but also found many groups reaching their artistic apex. Hip-hop was finally coming into its own, both as a commercially viable brand of music and as a true envelope-pushing art form.
- 12/28/2010
- by Kyle Anderson
- MTV Newsroom
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