Beef (2003 film)
Beef is a 2003 American documentary film directed by Peter Spirer about the history of hip-hop feuds. Produced by Peter Spirer, Casey Suchan, and Denis Henry Hennelly and executive produced by Quincy Jones III, the film was written by Peter Alton and Spirer and narrated by actor Ving Rhames.
Content
Beef takes a chronological look at battles 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/G-Unit Records vs. Ja Rule/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, East Coast-West Coast [hip hop rivalry|2Pac vs. The Notorious B.I.G.] It was partly born out of producer Jones's belief that "Beefs are killing hip-hop".Many prominent hip-hop personalities such as Russell Simmons, Snoop Dogg, Kool Moe Dee, Jay-Z, KRS-One, Mack 10, DMX and Ice-T also participate through interviews. Beef also features newly released performances by many musical artists.
The film also contains never-before-seen performances by many of the participants and many others, plus extended portions of interviews that did not make final cut. One portion of the extended interviews features part of an interview with Nate Dogg discussing an incident from around 1995 at a Dogg Pound video shoot, where entourage members from Ruthless Records arrived and started a big brawl with members of then-rival Death Row Records. Although he did not mention them by name, rappers B.G. Knocc Out and Dresta were among the alleged participants in the fight.
Critical reaction
The Los Angeles Times called it "engrossing" and "a moving lament for the way hip-hop once was".Complex rated it number 10 in its 25 best hiphop documentaries, calling it a "classic hip hop doc".
Soundtrack
Legacy
Subsequent releases in this series include Beef II, Beef 3 and a BET series titled Beef: The Series, which premiered in 2006. These sequels are a continuation of the original film, but cover lesser-known confrontations and developing beefs just prior to the release of each respective installment. They include LL [Cool J] vs. Canibus, Ja Rule vs. DMX, 50 Cent vs. The Game, Lil' Flip vs. T.I., Nelly vs. Chingy, and Erick Sermon vs. EPMD partner Parrish Smith. In 2011, Spirer speculated on the possibility of a fourth film, suggesting he was a little tired of the "he said/she said" drama but he might produce further specials in future.Beef 4 was released in 2007. Charlie Murphy narrated the fourth film of the series, replacing Keith David.