Parents' Guide to Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest

Movie R 2011 97 minutes
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest movie poster: Graphic design poster of a traffic sign in the foreground with red, yellow and white letters of the cross street signs of Linden and Farmers Boulevards and the film's title on a black background, toward the bottom in the background are green, red, blue, and yellow illustrations of a tree and buildings and yellow lettering of the documentary's major credits

Common Sense Media Review

Sabrina McFarland By Sabrina McFarland , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Docu about journey of iconic hip-hop group has language.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest Trailer
  • Still from Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest: A Tribe Called Quest face the camera from left to right, Q-Tip, Jarobi White, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, wearing 1990s era baggy blue jeans and light and dark-colored pants, oversized cloth and leather jackets, hoodies, and shirts, sunglasses, hats, necklaces, shoes, and sneakers
  • Still from Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest: Q-Tip sits in front of a turntable with vinyl record and looking at an album record cover, wearing a graphic white T-shirt and black jacket
  • Still from Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest: Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy-winning rapper and actor Common faces the camera and discusses the impact A Tribe Called Quest and their music had on his life as an aspiring artist, wearing a white graphic T-shirt

Parent and Kid Reviews

See all

What's the Story?

BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST chronicles the formation of the four-member, progressive hip-hop group in New York City during the 1980s and 1990s. Comprised of Q-Tip, Jarobi White, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, the group's musicians make history with their jazz-influenced rhythmic compositions. The documentary features firsthand interviews, as well as archival footage and footage from the group, their family, and friends.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

Greatness abounds in this truly mesmerizing film about four musical geniuses. It all begins with the childhood connection between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg in Beats, Rhythms & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest. "I've known Q-Tip since I was about 2 years old," recalls Dawg. "Played Little League baseball, played football, played all the sports, pretty much grew up with him." Q-Tip notes that he started rhyming with Dawg when he was about 9. The pair came from the same Queens, New York neighborhoods as Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J, and "those guys were our ideals."

Along the way, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg meet future members, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jacobi White, to eventually produce a distinctive sound, look, and share a sometimes rivalry. But it's "in looking at our fans," declares Muhammad, that "we put into the music the encouragement of self-identity, to have knowledge of yourself, of where you come from, but for nothing else, that you make music what a better reason to be remembered for."

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the communication of the cast in Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest. How do they also demonstrate courage, perseverance, and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths?

  • In the documentary, Q-Tip considers hip-hop, like jazz, a true American art form. Do you agree or disagree? Why? What do you think about the music of A Tribe Called Quest?

  • Q-Tip also states that "the hardest thing about being in a group is constantly considering someone else before yourself." Do you agree or disagree? Why?

  • How does this film compare with other biographical documentaries about musicians that you've seen?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest movie poster: Graphic design poster of a traffic sign in the foreground with red, yellow and white letters of the cross street signs of Linden and Farmers Boulevards and the film's title on a black background, toward the bottom in the background are green, red, blue, and yellow illustrations of a tree and buildings and yellow lettering of the documentary's major credits

What to Watch Next

See all

Movies About Musicians

See all

Movies and TV Shows That Celebrate Black Music

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate