Actor-turned-filmmaker Michael Rapaport was determined to overcome the struggles he faced while filming his documentary about iconic hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest.
- April 29, 2011
AceShowbiz - The "Prison Break" Michael Rapaport star admits he encountered a number of problems as he tried to bring "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest" to the big screen.
The biggest obstacle came when he had a public falling out with group founding member Q-Tip about the content of the movie, but rap fan Michael Rapaport stuck by his dream to see the project through to the end.
He tells WENN, "It's a love letter to hip-hop; it's a love letter to A Tribe Called Quest. Their music has meant something to me since I first heard it. I grew up listening to hip-hop on the radio... and doing it was a labour of love."
"I've been wanting to direct a movie for 10 years now and I knew the only way to get it done was to do something I was passionate about and I was passionate about telling their story."
"The easiest thing about making this movie was starting it. Everything else has been a challenge, but getting started was a couple of phone calls."
And Rapaport hopes the documentary, which had its New York premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on Wednesday, will introduce younger fans of rap to one of the greatest hip-hop acts of all time.
He says, "I want people to be reminded about how special that time in hip-hop was, and to be reminded of how A Tribe Called Quest was. I want them to have a good time and if you've never heard of A Tribe Called Quest or heard their music, I want you to be introduced to them."
