Perspective is a great thing. The passing of time allows us the opportunity to reach to a higher shelf, dust off something we haven’t experienced in several years, and try it out again almost as if it was the first time.

Sometimes such moments can be disastrous, and you sadly discover something you thought was cool as a kid really isn’t. Other times, you crack a huge smile as you realize that something you’d almost forgotten about is still pretty damned awesome. So as we approach a twenty year anniversary of their heyday, perspective is well in hand to discuss the music of A Tribe Called Quest.

Full disclosure: I wasn’t listening to Tribe in their heyday (I was wearing out my Pearl Jam cd’s). For the sake of this documentary though, that’s a good thing since I can speak as a filmgoer, and not as a fan. As a filmgoer, and specifically as a lover of rock docs, I can tell you that BEATS, RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST is a solid anthology of the band’s career. It’s stacked with honesty, levity, reflection, and lots of music.

The film appears destined for a theatrical run this summer, and if you have the chance to see this film in a theatre – or more specifically to hear it – do so. As a newbie to the music of Tribe, I can’t think of a better baptism than to hear their work played so loud that it feels like the walls are shaking.

The doc plays things rather fair, with everybody getting to tell their side of the story (and many more familiar faces taking turns at the mic to provide context). The film also allows us to be a fly on the wall as things for the band seem to unravel during a 2008 reunion. The honesty about this situation is where the film really draws the viewer in, and if there’s a flaw, it’s that the sort of self-critique that occurs during this stretch is fleeting (I’d specifically like to see it applied to the band’s lesser-liked pair of albums).

That hiccup aside, the film is a solid watch, and ultimately a lot of fun. Everyone involved primarily speaks with a warm tone in their voice. It’s the tone that usually dictates the best memories, the tone that describes your oldest and best friends, and a tone that only comes with perspective.