Michael Rapaport. Photo Credit: Vulture.com

One of the most outspoken via social media and podcasting, Michael Rapaport is also a connoisseur of culture.

Brooklyn-born and raised, Rapaport told me that his most memorable Christmas gift was the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever.

For those tardy to the party Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 American musical that starred John Travolta. The musical’s soundtrack was legendary because it featured the Bee Gees and their hit Staying Alive!

But enough out of me, let Mike tell it!

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NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson and RESPECT Magazine’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Photo Courtesy of Eric Salvary/Get Fit Radio TV

The Big 3 has enjoyed a surge of excitement every weekend since they began in June. The Big 3’s has takn their show to Brooklyn, New York’s Barclays Center, Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, Chicago’s UIC Pavilion and will makes stops at LA’s Staples Center, Seattle’s Key Arena and Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.

One of the biggest draws to the Big 3 is nostalgia. Players like Kenyon Martin, Stephen Jackson, Jason Williams, Rashad McCants and Allen Iverson; guys who ruled the NBA world with their personality and their skills are giving 3-on-3 basketball a good name.

Allen Iverson, probably the most recognizable face in the league has become a fixture at games, serving the role as both coach and player on the 3s Company team.

Iverson will return to the Big 3 fold at Staples Center on Sunday after serving a one-game suspension because he missed the Big 3’s games in Dallas a couple of weeks back.

Iverson issued an apology: 

“First and foremost, I apologize to Ice Cube and my Big3 family, my fans and everyone disappointed by my absence in Dallas this past weekend,” Iverson said. “I have spoke with Ice Cube directly regarding the details of my absence. I will do my best to make up for this moving forward on the Big3 tour.”

Speaking of nostalgia, the Big 3’s jersey are all interesting. Honestly they remind me of jerseys from the 1996 film Space Jam, starring Michael Jordan. They’re colorful, a bit cartoonish, but solid. Those uniforms are making a retro comeback too! They’re a customizable option on NBA 2K 17.

Iverson’s not buying the Space Jam comparison. “Nah,” Iverson told Scoop B Radio with a grin. “I like ’em. Cube let me see them before he let everybody else see em. I gave him the thumbs up.”

Iverson, a culture expert, gave his take on all eight teams. “I like all the uniforms,” he said.

“All of ’em!”

Check out Andre Owens and Allen Iverson discuss Big 3 uniforms on Scoop B Radio 

3s Company’s Andre Owens chats with Fox Sports’ Michael Rapaport. Photo Courtesy of Eric Salvary Get Fit Radio TV

The Big 3’s website recently began selling replica’s of the uniforms for around $100 a pop.

“I like them, 3s Company guard Andre Owens told Scoop B Radio.

“All eight teams have their own unique style. It’s a pretty good look.”

Allen Iverson Greets Listeners and Viewers of Scoop B Radio

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The post Allen Iverson & Andre Owens Of 3s Company Discuss Big 3 Uniforms & Space Jam On Scoop B Radio appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

With yesterday’s Christmas holiday being on a Sunday, chances are that today you’re enduring the Monday, holiday hangover.

For those fortunate enough to have today off from work, it’s quite possible you’re enjoying family, friends, leftover food and Christmas gifts.

Did you get any good gifts? Some of your favorite celebrities like model, Tahiry Jose, singer Neyo, producer DJ Mustard, rapper Busta Rhymes and actor Michael Rapaport shared some of their most memorable Christmas gifts.

Check out Respect Magazine’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson Find Out More 

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The post Scoop B: Ne-Yo, Busta Rhymes, Jermaine Dupri, Michael Rapaport, Tahiry Share Memorable Christmas Gifts appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

I’ll save the climax and just tell you now, Michael Rapaport’s Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest is a must see documentary for any fan of the groundbreaking and influential group, enthusiast of music as a whole, or simply any humanist that appreciates seeing real, personal relationships being portrayed in such an honest manner. It paints an amazingly accurate portrait of New York City, the hype behind the growing nature of early 90’s hip-hop, musically and socially.

The film, much like the group’s complicated dynamic, (and, as Rapaport commented in his Q&A session, much like the social bonds in life that we ourselves create) was more about the relationships of Tip and Phife than anything else. And it displayed most clearly that when it came down to it, these guys are just… guys; people, like you and I. It was humbling and beautiful to see that guys who, as Mike put it, appeared to so many as super heroes, to the tune of Q-Tip The Abstract Poetic, Phife Dawg The 5 Foot Assassin (can’t you just see a comic of the two, battling wack MC’s throughout Queens, donned in funky outfits, bright and vibrant, foreign yet fittingly familiar) were the same as us. They shared their own interpersonal struggles, were tortured by the underlying animosity that grows with lifelong friendships, but most importantly, they loved each other for who they were, the history they had and the times they spent traveling the world.

“Do I have the formula to save the World?” asks Q-Tip in the classic hit Buggin’ Out. For many, he and Tribe did. The film portrays the early 90’s New York hip-hop scene as the Belle Époque of new New York hip-hop, and a Tribe Called Quest was at its forefront. They were the new guys in the game, breaking ground and pushing boundaries, and as we came to find out, were major influences in generations to come. The film features interviews with Pharrell, who stated that once he heard Bonita Applebum, that “that was it, nothing was fuckin’ with that”. Chicago rapper Common was influenced by Tribe’s use of old jazz and bebop samples.

Although what Rapaport does best is portray the guys for who they are. It delved into the grind of continuously appeasing millions of fans and the struggle to maintain a working group dynamic (which hardly ever works). Mike’s original goal and idea in the making of this film was to ask and hopefully answer the question “Will ATCQ make new music, will they ever get back together?” And what is taken away from the film is that unfortunately, the likely answer is no. One could have easily made a film that ended on a sour note, one that exposed only the negative aspects of the travels of ATCQ. But what makes the film so relevant and important in the world of hip-hop, music, and documentary film-making is that it, integrally and honestly, told the true story of A Tribe Called Quest, which despite all the turmoil behind the groups ’98 breakup and its internal relationships, was a beautiful one, one that should be told again, and shared with many.

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In honor of the release of Beats, Rhymes and Life, California’s Amoeba Records has put together a special edition of their “What’s In My Bag?” video series with the film’s director, Michael Rapaport, and its music supervisor, Stones Throw impresario Peanut Butter Wolf. This is definitely worth the seven minutes as they weave their way through the Tribe catalogue, talk Busta Rhymes, digress into Jazz, Funk and Soul, and eventually come back to the history of music documentaries. Definitely makes you want to go shopping.

Via Hip-Hop Site

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Q-Tip’s anxiety was obvious.  More than once, he would freeze at the end of a song, his face turned away from the crowd, his fingers wiggling in vain for more applause.  He was overly earnest in his effort to be a rockstar, screaming a few times at the end of “Electric Relaxation,” even holding the microphone upside down at one point (who’s got a picture of that?).  “What’s the problem, y’all good?” he would ask, “You paid your money to come in here, not to stand, but to move….  This is the Brooklyn Hip-hop Festival, right?”

It’s true that the crowd was uninspired.  Maybe it was the reshuffle of the line-up, explained unsurely by host Ralph McDaniels.  The show was running way over time; Kendrick Lamar did only three songs before heading off the stage not too long before.  It was a motley audience — there were little kids, but mostly old heads, multicolored and stubborn.  Maybe it was the fact that few of them were actually born and raised in Brooklyn, according to McDaniels’s live survey.  That’s what Q-Tip seemed to think: “It’s a lot of implants, that’s what it is,” he posited, “Gentrification’s a motherfucker.”

In retrospect, Q-Tip’s nervousness was warranted — how would the audience respond to the all-star cast waiting backstage?  Monie Love got the crowd hyped when she joined him on stage for “Buddy (Remix)” and “Monie in the Middle,” joking “Still in the middle.  Just had a baby, what’s goin’ on?” as she exited.  The first big-name guest was Black Thought, who relieved Tip of crowd control duties with his surefooted presence.  But the crowd really went wild for Busta Rhymes, who knocked out “Scenario,” “Oh My God,” and his own current hit, “Look at Me Now” with his trademark confidence.

When Teyana Taylor’s indelible “Can we get much higher?” blasted through the speakers shortly after, the thought of a Kanye appearance seemed pretty unlikely to me, though Tip has produced a rack of recent Yeezy joints.  And yet in he bounded, in a tank top and backwards hat.  He waded through the plebeians for the first verse of “Dark Fantasy” and had the stagnant crowd sprinting in his direction, and then retook the stage for “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and “All of the Lights” before Tip urged him to stay for “Award Tour.”  He took off in his Maybach before the show was finished.

After each guest, Q-Tip would rant about how much he loved him or her: he told us that Busta was this close to being in Tribe, and Busta responded that “Scenario” “definitely changed a nigga’s tax bracket”; he told us that when he met Kanye, “I only felt like this when I met Dilla.”  Kanye was mostly quiet during his bit, and Q-Tip’s effusiveness sometimes felt a little awkward and untimely — especially when he had J. Period spin back “Scenario” and “World Tour” after the first few bars.  Though it took a bit of goading at first, everybody was going nuts by the end of his set.

Q-Tip definitely wants to prove that he can handle his own amidst the controversy of Michael Rapaport‘s documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life.  (Sidebar: Rapaport was reportedly backstage.)  Many speculated that Phife would be one of his special guests, but of course, that wasn’t the case.  When he spoke about the film at the end of the show, he only encouraged people to go see it, calling it “a true hip-hop artifact” that he was “humble to be a part of.”  As the crowd made its way for the exit after a Ralph McDaniels-induced encore, the buzz was palpable; for all his eagerness, Q-Tip had put on a legendary show.  But could he have pulled it off without a little help from his friends?

After the jump, check out more pictures courtesy of the super talented Shamel Washington.

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After months of tribulation, Michael Rapaport‘s Beats, Rhymes and Life: the Travels of a Tribe Called Quest has finally been released. Fueled in part by our abiding love for A Tribe Called Quest as well as the controversy the film has generated, the hype train has reached its peak. With the movie finally available to the general public, we’ve got our thoughts in order, but one question remains unanswered: why is Q-Tip so mad?

Remember, Q-Tip went on TV a couple weeks ago to urge artists to exercise creative control over their work. Having now seen the movie in its entirety, Q-Tip’s remarks remain puzzling (what makes more sense, though, is Phife Dawg‘s promotion of the film). First and foremost, Beats, Rhymes and Life is a beautiful tribute to the group’s work, an unequivocal love letter from Rapaport, an adoring fan. For Tribe devotees, the film gives you a new way to indulge in the songs (the scene where Q-Tip pulls out a record from his shelf and re-creates the drum sample for “Can I Kick It” gives you chills as he whittles the sample down to the familiar kick), and for those unlucky enough to have never found the group it provides an excellent primer. Madlib does a great job with the mix, weaving the group’s music in with the film to maximize its potency. The animations that pace the film evoke the group’s album art and create a sort of hip-hop Yellow Submarine aesthetic that is thoroughly appropriate. This is hardly a critical documentary, it is idol worship.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. The film’s best moments come from the featured commentators, a diverse collection of artists old and young who love Tribe. The Native Tongues section is short but sweet. Pharrell Williams talking about Phife’s first verse in “Buggin’ Out”, Black Thought making fun of their early fashion sense (“they was wearing some real questionable type shit”), and the Beastie Boys describing how the group pulled the negativity out of hip-hop all serve as notable reminders that Tribe’s popular acclaim is thoroughly eclipsed by their popularity within music circles.

Beats, Rhymes and Life isn’t all about the music, however; it also details the deterioration of the group’s dynamic. Rapaport lamentably glosses over Jarobi‘s departure from the group after People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, an event that might give valuable clues as to why the rest of the group would eventually fall apart. The second half of the film focuses primarily on the relationship between Q-Tip and Phife, from Tip’s desire to dissolve the group in 1998 through their feud during the Rock the Bells tour in 2008.

It’s hard to watch; you simply don’t want to think that the people who played off each other so well in songs like “Check the Rhime” could possibly despise each other so much. Phife is convinced that Tip sees himself as the core of the group, and Tip is convinced that Phife is hindered by a false sense of inferiority. You sympathize with Phife not because Q-Tip is in the wrong, but because Q-Tip’s persona is so much more (pardon the pun) abstract. Even in conflict they are a perfect yin and yang — Q-Tip the aloof genius, always perfecting his music, and Phife the more practical wordsmith, who writes his verse on the train to the studio and then drops a classic. Q-Tip buys records in his free time, Phife goes to baseball games.

The true wisdom of the film comes from De La Soul‘s Dave, who argues that “when we see Tribe onstage we want to believe there’s love.” Beats, Rhymes and Life complicates that belief. The early days of the group are so playful, energetic and positive that you are convinced of their authenticity, but the malice between Q-Tip and Phife later in life is truly corrosive. There is redemption only in their reminiscence, and the fact that they both have it pretty good now. There are glimpses of Q-Tip’s solo career (which, of course, has been tremendous), but the most uplifting scenes depict Phife’s improving health as he fights his diabetes and undergoes a successful kidney transplant. Life isn’t so much better or worse than the glory days, just different.

With all that in mind, go see the movie. Like, right now. And then by all accounts you should probably buy the DVD. If you’re like me, you could listen to these people talk about music all day, and Rapaport has promised tons of extra footage. The film is comprehensive, but it still has some fairly tough omissions. Ali Shaheed Muhammad injects a significant amount of wisdom between Q-Tip and Phife’s bickering, but his role in the group is relatively unexplored. J-Dilla‘s work on the last two albums is not discussed at all (this would make a great featurette, although I would push for a full movie on Jay Dee himself). Phife Dawg’s criticisms of the Knicks front office drew cheers from the partisan New York audience, but probably could have waited for the DVD. These are necessarily hard decisions, as the documentary stays lean at an hour and 35 minutes long.

So why might Q-Tip be so upset about the movie? Hopefully it’s not a race thing, as he hinted in his interview. Rapaport’s reverence transcends skin color, and by playing the race card Tip has the potential to obscure a fact that the film demonstrates forcefully: the members of Tribe are extraordinarily positive role models (it’s hard to imagine many rappers hugging everyone in sight at their high school, as Q-Tip does at Murray Bergtraum). It seems likely, however, that his discontent won’t have much impact; the people who care about Tribe will no doubt see this movie, and there’s no doubt they will enjoy it. As Large Professor says, “that Tribe shit was like putting your feet in a new fresh pair of kicks”, and that feeling certainly hasn’t changed.

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