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beats, rhymes and fights: the history of a tribe called quest. [trailer park.]

By • On • In hot spit, scott, trailer park • 1 min read

Beats, Rhymes and Fights is an upcoming documentary about the incomparable Hip Hop group, A Tribe Called Quest.

Directed by Michael Rappaport, Tribe emcee Q-Tip has already come out saying he isn’t supporting the documentary because, as he tweeted, “I am not in support of the a tribe called quest documentary,” he wrote. “The filmmaker should respect the band to the point of honoring the few requests that’s was made abt the piece.” With all due respect to Q-Tip, and quite a bit is due, I disagree. If Rappaport really wants to honor and respect the band and its fans, then he should tell their story honestly, not in fluff piece or hagiographic terms.

I still remember standing in Barnes and Noble, looking at the magazines and seeing the cover announcing that Tribe was breaking up. It was a big deal to me. It still is. Fans want to know what happened, what went wrong to break up the greatest Hip Hop group in history. As a fan of the group, for whom the band has been counted as one of my five favorite musical acts for 16 years now, I think this documentary is going to be epic and satisfying, while also more than a little tragic.

Watch the trailer here.

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your emcee dream team.

By • On • In hot spit, scott • 2 min read

Who would be in your emcee dream team?

I recently watched a video on YouTube featuring an interview in which Mos Def talked about an idea he had to raise money for charity by having an epic hip hop battle. In said battle, the masters of Hip Hop culture, in its varied forms, would be crowned by actual competition as opposed to vague and baseless bragging, or by trademarking yourself as “The Greatest Rapper Alive.”

The showdown would have a battle of marching bands, followed by a battle of the breakers, a battle of the DJs, and then a battle of the beats (Kanye anyone?). The finale would be a Battle Royale in which two emcee dream teams competed to see which team was the best.

Since the idea was also a way to call out Lil’ Wayne, Mos said he would captain one team and Wayne would captain the other, with each captain being able to assemble the team out of whoever he chose. Mos Def said the other four members of his team would be Doom, Nas, Jay Electronica, and Black Thought.

This got me to thinking, it would be fun to see who people came up with for their own dream teams.

If you had the chance to win a million dollars if the team you formed could defeat all comers, who would be your five emcees? I’m really hoping to get feedback on this, I really want to see who everyone picks.

My dream team is as follows, in no particular order (I know, it is really close to Mos Def’s, but that is part of what got me so excited watching the video. Brian and I instantly mentioned Doom and Black Thought the moment Mos said “Dream Team”):

1. Mos Def

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2. Doom (aka, MF Doom, aka, Mad Villain, etc.)

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3. Black Thought

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4. Q-Tip

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5. Childish Gambino

This is clearly the most controversial pick. I very well may regret it, being that Gambino has been on the scene all of ten minutes, and his inclusion on the list means leaving off guys like KRS-One and Nas.

Yet, for now, I stand by the pick. It’s always good to have new blood on the team, and I have never been as impressed, as quickly, and as early in an emcee’s career as I am with the young Mr. Glover. He hearkens back to when Hip Hop was supposed to make you smile. I laugh out loud at his turns of phrase consistently, even though he isn’t some sort of novelty act, he’s just really clever. See that, there I go singing his praises, that should be saved for another post.

So, there’s mine, who is on your team?!?

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