A Tribe Called Quest No-Shows Sundance; Film Recieves Rave Reviews

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Michael Rapaport premiered his Tribe Called Quest documentary, Beats, Rhymes, And Life, at The Sundance Film Festival this weekend to critical praise.  However, the documentary’s subjects (sans Phife Dog) were not in attendance.  In recent months, ATCQ’s frontman Q-Tip expressed his displeasure with documentary, namely for editing reasons.  Director Rapaport seemed confused over the lack of attendance on Tribe’s behalf, telling MTV news, “The last time I was with Q-Tip, he was fawning over the movie, [saying] ‘I love the movie. I think it could do this, I think it could do that.’ His feeling about the movie was even higher than my feelings about the movie. It’s disappointing that the rest of the group isn’t here.”  He added that he did everything to appease the group, going as far as making all four members producers on the film.  “They were offered everything they needed … to get here. They chose not to be here. I felt like Phife last night at the world premiere handled himself as a gentleman and was so honest and sweet and vulnerable, the same way he is in the movie,” remarked Rapaport.

Last week, A Tribe Called Quest issued a collective statement, reading, “Thanks to our fans for their support through the years and for the enthusiasm around the documentary. We hope that the film’s perspective conveys our love of hip-hop culture. We could not attend Sundance, but we want to express our love and appreciation for the support that we have received in advance of the film’s premiere tonight. We hope that it is well received.”  The film was said to be more than well received, causing the audience to rise to their feet in applause upon its close.  The film is set to screen at the Tribeca Film Festival later this year and will hopefully receive distribution.