"beef" takes a chronological look at battles (some friendly, but many personal) dating back to rap music's infancy in the early 1980s. the notable rivalries discussed include krs-one vs. mc shan, kool moe dee vs. busy bee, 50 cent vs. murder inc records, tru life vs. mobb deep, common vs. ice cube & westside connection, the break-up of legendary group n.w.a, which includes ice cube's abrupt departure, and the later animosity between dr. dre and eazy-e, the highly publicized jay-z vs. nas rivalry and the most infamous feud of all, 2pac vs. the notorious b.i.g.. it was partly born out of producer jones's belief that "beefs are killing hip-hop".