Months before the release of his A Tribe Called Quest documentary Michael Rapaport speaks on transitioning from acting to directing.

In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, actor/director Michael Rapaport spoke on his upcoming A Tribe Called Quest documentary, the transition from directing to acting, the evolution of Hip Hop, and more.

Upon its release in July, Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest will serve as Rapaport’s first project as director. Prior to directing Beats, Rhymes & Life the New York City born actor was featured in a number of television shows and movies including The Scout, Cop Land, and My Name Is Earl.

“It’s two totally different things. I’ve had a lot of experience on sets and working on narratives films is different than documentaries, but being on set and shooting the documentary was comfortable and easy. Editing was the hard part,” Rapaport explained to the Wall Street Journal when asked about the transition from acting to directing. “I had to come to terms with the fact that I was making all the decisions. At the end of the day, even the good people around you are going to go, ‘yo, what do you want to do?’ It’s all on you. Coming to terms with that was the biggest transition.”

Known as quite the Hip Hop head, his son is rumored to be named after Maseo of De La Soul, Rapaport also gave his thoughts on Hip Hop in the 90’s and today’s Hip Hop.

“Hip-hop then was defining itself,” said Rapaport. “The golden era of hip-hop is so much a part of pop culture today. I don’t want to sound like it’s not the same today, but it isn’t the same. Hip-hip was developing organically then without any sort of hype. When something is that new or fresh – it’s innocent.”

Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest will premiere in New York City and Los Angeles on July 8, 2011.