Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, the Michael Rapaport-helmed documentary that borrows its name from hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest’s 1996 platinum album will roll into theaters starting on July 8, 2011.
The film has been the subject of controversy ever since group frontman Q-Tip objected to it via Twitter: “I am not in support of the a tribe called quest documentary…. The filmmaker should respect the band to the point of honoring the few requests that were made about the piece. The filmmaker should respect the band enough to honor our request regarding the the film.”
He later elaborated on the subject, saying, “It’s not that we don’t agree with the film. As a film, it’s just not finished, there’s some holes in it. You know it’s tough when you’re an up-and-coming director and you’re working on something out of your pocket, you’ve been working on it for a long time, you kinda wanna see it. ‘Ok, here it is, let’s go.’ And you start speeding a little, not saying that this is the case, but one can connect the dots.”
The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, and will tour the country, debuting first in New York City and Los Angeles on July 8 and moving through an additional 32 cities, completing its run on August 12.
Director Rapaport, an actor who has appeared in dozens of films, including Higher Learning and Bamboozled, decided to make the film back in 2006 while attending a Tribe show. He recently addressed Q-Tip’s concerns in an interview with Billboard. “The differences Tip had, I think, came down to the fact that he’s an artist and a perfectionist who is always in control. He was the leader of Tribe. But I’m making the movie, and I have to make the final decisions. He’s accustomed to making all of the decisions. I have thought about it a lot, and if somebody made a movie as interpersonal as this about me, I don’t know that I’d be pleased with someone else making the decisions. To me, it’s a love letter to the band.”
The release schedule for the film is below.
7/8
NEW YORK  
Sunshine  
Empire  
Magic Johnson  
 
LOS ANGELES  
Arclight Hollywood  
Century City 15  
Criterion Santa Monica  
 
7/15
SAN FRANCISCO  
Metreon  
Kabuki  
 
CHICAGO  
Century Centre  
River East  
CineArts Evanston  
 
WASHINGTON, DC  
E-Street  
Georgetown  
Bethesda Row  
Shirlington  
Magic Johnson  
 
7/22
SAN DIEGO  
Hillcrest  
 
BOSTON  
Kendall Square  
Boston Commons  
Embassy Waltham  
 
PHILADELPHIA  
Ritz 5  
Ritz Center Voorhees  
 
MINNEAPOLIS  
Uptown  
 
ATLANTA  
Midtown  
Phipps Plaza  
 
SAN FRANCISCO - ADD ONS  
Shattuck  
Century Mountain View  
Marin Sausalito  
CineArts Santana Row San Jose  
 
7/29
DALLAS  
Angelika  
Angelika Plano
 
HOUSTON  
Edwards Greenway  
 
AUSTIN  
Violet Crown  
Arbor  
 
SEATTLE  
Pacific Place  
Metro  
Lincoln Square Bellevue  
 
PORTLAND  
Cinema 21  
 
MILWAUKEE  
Oriental  
 
DETROIT  
Uptown Birmingham  
 
8/5
PHOENIX  
Tempe Marketplace  
 
MADISON  
Sundance Cinemas  
 
MIAMI  
Regal South Beach  
 
ST. LOUIS  
Tivoli  
 
CLEVELAND  
Cedar Lee  
 
CINCINNATI  
Esquire
 
HONOLULU  
Kahala  
 
8/12
SAN ANTONIO  
Bijou  
AMC Huebner  
 
COLUMBUS  
Gateway  
AMC Lennox  
 
DAYTON  
Neon Movies  
 
KANSAS CITY  
Palace  
AMC Studio Olathe  
 
SALT LAKE CITY  
Broadway  
 
INDIANAPOLIS  
Keystone Art  
 
PITTSBURGH  
Regent  
 
NEW ORLEANS  
Canal Place  
Elmwood  
 
CHARLOTTE  
Manor  
 
RALEIGH-CHAPEL HILL  
Colony Raleigh  
Chelsea Chapel Hill

Photo: Dziekan / Retna Digital