Thorough review of the Tribe documentary from Variety.
A music docu that mostly dodges “Behind the Music”-style tall tales or breathless evangelism, Michael Rapaport’s “Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest” gives the seminal early ’90s hip-hop group as stylish and intimate a treatment as fans could hope for, paying as much attention to the music in question as it does to the characters who made it. Evergreen interest in the group should provide very healthy ancillary, and a theatrical excursion is certainly a possible scenario.
and yes, the film rightfully addresses the split:
Things turn uncomfortable in the later going, as the group breaks up, then reunites, with festering antagonism between Q-Tip and Phife reaching ugly levels. There’s some startling 2008 footage of a backstage blow-up between the two that nearly turns violent, followed by rather vicious post-mortem commentary. Shortly thereafter, Phife’s health takes a bad turn, requiring a kidney donation from his wife.
Rapaport attempts to put a happier face on things at the end, as the group reunites for a handful of shows, but it feels a bit disingenuous, as tensions clearly still remain. The film also pays somewhat scant attention to the group’s final two albums, which is strange as the penultimate one provides the film with its title.
