Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, 2011

As the title might suggest, this documentary is about A Tribe Called Quest, often referred to as the most influential and groundbreaking musical groups in hip-hop history. The film is directed by Michael Rapaport who followed the band through their reunion tour in 2008, almost 10 years after the band’s sudden break up. Some of the participating interviewees are Common, Ludacris, Beastie Boys, and Pharrell.

Where to watch: YouTube rental, Google Play rental

FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, 2019

For anyone who has yet to see it, this is the story behind Fire festival, luxury music festival that turned into a national disaster. Over an hour-and-a-half the audience gets to see the inner workings of this festival trainwreck and it is entertaining and sad to watch all at the same time.

Where to watch: Netflix

Madonna and the Breakfast Club, 2019

The early story of Madonna, before the fame during her struggling year trying to make it in the big apple with her band the Breakfast Club. In many ways this film is a celebration of Madonna’s ambition but also a showcase of the people who had made an impact on her becoming a musician.

Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime, YouTube rental

New York 77 the Coolest Year in Hell, 2007

This was a big year for New York for a variety of reasons from an economic downturn, to a massive city blackout, and a series killer on the loose. It was also the year South Bronx embraced hip hop, Lower East side embraced thrashing guitar punk at CBGB, and disco was still in full swing. The film features interviews with music legends like Afrika Bambaataa, Chris Stein (Blondie), Grandmaster Caz, DJ Disco Wiz, and many more.

Where to watch: free on YouTube

ReMastered: Who Shot the Sheriff, A Bob Marley Story, 2018

The violent political suppression of the roots reggae movement in Jamaica told through an investigation into Jamaican politics and the CIA’s involvement in the mysterious shooting of Bob Marley.

Where to watch: Netflix

Searching for Sugar Man, 2012

An amazing story of an artist no one knew about called Rodriguez, who lived a humble, subtle life not knowing that he had a near cult following in South Africa. Rodriguez is eventually found well and alive by two fans who then proceed to untangle the story of his life and lack of attribution.

Where to watch: Netflix (US), YouTube rental, Google Play rental, Amazon rental

Scratch, 2001

This doc is all about turntablism, looking at the history from the South Bronx in the 1970 to San Francisco today (aka at the time filmed). A wealth of DJs and industry experts pitch into the story, reflecting on how they got into scratching and how it all begun. Among the many featured performers are Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, DJ Babu, Jazzy Jay, Grandmaster Flash, Madlib, and many, many more.

Where to watch: free on YouTube

Shut Up and Play the Hits, 2012

Documentary about the LCD Soundsystem’s last ever show at Madison Square Gardens. To quote IMDb, this film is “an intimate portrait of James Murphy as he navigates the lead-up to the show, the day after, and the personal and professional ramifications of his decision.”

Where to watch: Hulu, YouTube rental, Google Play rental

Rebel Music, MTV Series, 2013 –

A series of stories about Younge artists using music and art to ignite revolutionary actions around the world. Each episode focuses on an artists within a country, facing oppression, injustices, crime and other socio-political issues that fuel their creativity.  The stories featured are from indigenous people in Canada, Egypt, Mali, Israel/Palestine, Afghanistan, Mexico, and India.

Where to watch: Some full episodes are available free on YouTube

27 Gone Too Soon, 2017

Documentary that investigates the deaths of musical celebrities all of whom died at the age of 27. Throughout the film audiences get to see unseen footage and interviews with medical professionals, critics, and other insiders from the lives of Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Cobain.

Where to watch: Netflix

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Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival has become the premiere mid-summer festival with an array of performances ranging from lesser known acts with small followings, to powerhouse acts known all over the world. Although the festival itself often times suffers from one hiccup after another (possibly due to the festival outgrowing its current location at Union Park), music-wise, festival goers can experience everything from hip hop and rock, to electronica and soul. Here are some of the best moments from this year’s Pitchfork.

Dawn Dazzles: Former Danity Kane and Dirty Money member Dawn Richard has found her musical niche in experimental R&B and electronica – a sound that vibes with both her vocals and personality. Surprised at how many fans showed up for her set and engaged with her by singing along and dancing, Richard humbly and repeatedly thanked the crowd for their support of her career and performance at Pitchfork. Backed by her band and dressed in an all-white ensemble, the New Orleans native’s vocals and choreography were perfect as she performed music from her solo albums and EPs.

Bring on the Funk, Bring on the Noise: Despite running over their set time, in what seemed to be a chaotic display of debauchery, with no short supply of colorful characters and personalities, George Clinton and the current lineup of the Parliament Funkadelic collective delivered a rambunctious, funk-filled good time. Lacking his iconic colorful dreads, the 75-year-old godfather of P-Funk kept the band and festival goers rocking with the likes of “One Nation Under a Groove,” “Atomic Dog,” and “Flashlight.” Although most of the current members of the band appeared to be too young to remember Clinton and P-Funk in their heyday, they delivered an unconventional performance that left fans, new and old, feeling as though they had just attended the funkiest party of 2017.

British Blast from the Past: Donned in all-black, English rocker, PJ Harvey, opened her set with a saxophone solo backed by a small marching band. Known for her guitar skills, Harvey ditched her guitar for said saxophone and backed by a nine-piece band, proceeded to play a 13-song set which included some of her biggest hits from the 90s (“50ft Queenie” and “Down by the Water”), as well as her more recent music. Staring intently into the distance and barely smiling, Harvey’s performance reminded fans as to why they loved her to begin with: her dark lyrics, fearlessness with musical experimentation, and artful aesthetic.

Heavn on Earth: After an unfortunate cancellation by Australian band The Avalanches, Sunday saw Chicago’s-own Jamila Woods moved from the smaller blue stage to the main stage. Mostly known for her work as a frequent collaborator with Chance the rapper, the soul singer and poet shined as she performed nearly the entirety of her debut album, Heavn. Accompanied by a four-piece band, three backup singers, and the Hiplet Ballerinas, Woods’ alluring vocals sounded just as flawless live as they do on her studio album.

A Celebration of Life: Performing at their first festival since the death of founding member Phife Dawg last year, Q-Tip, Jarobi, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, collectively known as the iconic A Tribe Called Quest, closed out Saturday night with an energetic and memorable performance. With an empty mic stand in his place, the hip hop legends paid tribute to the life and career of their brother, Phife — playing each of his verses from every song that was performed during their 90-minute set. Joined by frequent collaborator, Consequence, ATCQ celebrated their storied history with tracks such as “Electric Relaxation,” “Excursions,” “Buggin’ Out,” and “Check the Rhime.” With their intricate storytelling and artful flow, the group engulfed their seasoned fans in nostalgia and not a moment passed in which fans weren’t completely engaged. Each member of the group was afforded the opportunity to perform solo material, including Phife Dawg, whose verse from “Butter” was played acapella during what was the most reflective moment of the night. Instead of closing with “Scenario” as they typically do, ATCQ ended with the lead single from their latest album, the gritty “We the People;” even going so far as to perform the song three times, as Q-Tip walked through the crowd demanding fans to repeat the words “We the people” over and over. A Tribe Called Quest’s stellar performance can be best described as a celebration of Beats, Rhymes, and Life.

Honorable Mention: Honorable mention goes to the ever-entertaining, Detroit MC Danny Brown, and California-based DJ/producer Madlib; for hip hop fans, both were a welcome addition to Pitchfork. Danny Brown blazed through a 17-song, high-energy set on the green stage, while Madlib took to the blue stage and filled the air with some of the most classic hip hop tunes to ever be recorded. Due to the anticipation of both performances the crowds at both stages swelled to a point that made it nearly impossible for festival goers to move – that in itself says a lot about both men’s contributions to hip hop.

All images are courtesy of Pitchfork Festival

The post The best of Pitchfork 2017 across genres appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Thursday night at The Hoxton started off not much different from other typical party nights at this venue: long unreasonable line ups, gruff employees, flocks of overdressed girls, and security chain smoking at the doors. The Hoxton’s narrow stage felt too small to house all of that equipment, and the dance floor seemed too small for anyone to get their real dance on, but that did not stop people from trying.

Toronto’s own Torro Torro kicked of day 3, throwing down Diplo and moombahton like it was nobody’s business. The crowd was completely in love with this head bobbing duo. The championships showcased the finalists from Jamaica, US, South Korea, and Canada. Jamaica’s DJ Inferno went on first with a reggae and trap heavy mix, ending with a Rob Ford spin on Jay Z’s “Tom Ford” which, obviously, got a mad reaction from the crowd. Canada’s Adam Doubleyou showed off his amazing technical skills, pounding away at the drum machine. South Korea’s Acorn brought a strange mix of old school (“old” as in 1965’s famous Woolly Bully) with new school beats. But it was DJ Trentino from Chicago that caused the crowd to throb, scream, and fist pump. His skilled DJ showmanship (flipping in circles, mixing from under the knee, from behind) in combination with the crowd pleasing blend of house, reggae, trap, and gangster rap made him the obvious choice for winner of the night 3 finals.

Uber-talented A-Trak ended the night with his signature mind-blowing house and electronica-influenced set. The Hoxton vibrated till 2am, quite possibly wrecking every attendee’s work ethic for the following day, but leaving all in attendance feeling lifted.

Friday night elimination took place at The Danforth Music Hall, a much better-suited venue for a DJ Competition. Able to accommodate 1500 guests the venue seemed to be at full capacity. People clad in beanies, high tops, and leather leggings filled the venue, heads bobbing and shoulders shrugging in tune with the beats. The night immediately had a different vibe from the clubby feel of the Hoxton – hip hop heads from far and wide were in attendance to see DJs Maseo and Ali Shaheed Muhammad of De la Soul and A Tribe Called Quest.

Night 4 finalists were DJs from Switzerland, Brazil, Albania, Spain, and Belgium. The most memorable sets of the night were DJ Vicky from Albania whose show inspired the entire theatre to maniacally hop around, Spain’s DJ LaEse, and DJ Madfingaz from Belgium showing off his quick wrist flicks and scratching techniques. At the end, it was DJ Marquinhos Espinosa and his Brazilian house influence that stole the winning title for the night.

DJ Maseo and Ali Shaheed played the entire Best Of Tribe album getting hip hop heads rowdy with excitement. The crowd screamed every familiar lyric, hands up in the air, cheering and jamming to the legendary DJs. Much to the dismay of the attendees the party shut down at 2:30am but an after party location was announced, causing a good percentage of the attendees to flee quickly once they realized their favorite DJs would be taking the rains on the after hours entertainment.

Four days into the world finale Championship Red Bull Thre3style already made a huge impact on the city. People could not stop talking about how epic the night was leaving the venue. Saturday night finals were a history in the making, but that’s a different story.

Image courtesy of Red Bull

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