The Punch Drunk Interview: Michael Rapaport and Phife Dawg talk Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest

It couldn't have been easy for Michael Rapaport. The actor who got his big break in urban crossover flicks like Zebrahead and later in Higher Learning, has spent the last few years chronicling the on again/off again friendship between the members of A Tribe Called Quest. It couldn't have been easy, because Rapaport is a New York native, raised on the sound of the Brooklyn rap quartet I like to refer to as "The Beatles of Hip Hop". For their impact and influence on the genre is comparable. Rapaport has the same adoration for Tribe as many others who liken the late 80s and early 90s as hip hop's golden age. It couldn't have been easy, having to ask tough questions and getting some hard answers in reply. His documentary and directorial debut, Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, has been earning rave reviews throughout the festival circuit for months, but it's also sparked no end of controversy thanks to some pointed comments by Tribe member, Q-Tip. I, along with one of the guys from Jukebox DC, had a chance to sit down with Rapaport and A Tribe Called Quest emcee, Phife Dawg, to get their honest thoughts on how it all went down....




Beats, Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest opens here in DC on July 15th! I suggest you get your ticket now!