Beef II (2004) (V)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Peter Spirer

Writers:

Peter Alton (writer)
Peter Spirer (writer)

Release Date:

30 August 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

BEEF 2 exposes the business of hip hop battles. |

Cast

Keith David	...	Narrator (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
50 Cent	...	Himself - Recording Artist
Kon Artis	...	Himself - D12
Bizarre	...	Himself - D12
Canibus	...	Himself - Recording Artist
Grandmaster Caz	...	Himself - Coldcrush Brothers
Kino Childers	...	Himself - Manager of Royce Da 5'9'
Keith Clinkscales	...	Himself - Magazine Publisher
Ice Cube	...	Himself (archive footage)
D12	...	Themselves (archive footage)
Royce Da 59	...	Himself - Recording Artist (as Royce Da 5'9')
Wendy Day	...	Herself - Rap Coalition
Davey D	...	Himself - Hip Hop Historian
DMX	...	Himself (archive footage)
Snoop Dogg	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dr. Dre	...	Himself (archive footage)
Eminem	...	Himself - D12 (archive footage)
EPMD	...	Themselves (archive footage)
Sticky Fingaz	...	Himself - Onyx
Louis Freese	...	Himself - Cypress Hill (as B-Real)
Mark Gerami	...	Himself - Priority Records
Cypress Hill	...	Themselves (archive footage)
Kangol	...	Himself - UTFO
KRS-One	...	Himself - Recording Artist (also archive footage)
K-Solo	...	Himself - The Hit Squad (as K Solo)
Kuniva	...	Himself - D12
Scott La Rock	...	Himself (archive footage)
Queen Latifah	...	Herself (archive footage)
Tre Little	...	Himself - Recording Artist
LL Cool J	...	Himself - Recording Artist (archive footage)
Mack 10	...	Himself - Westside Connection
Method Man	...	Himself - Recording Artist
Marley Marl	...	Himself - Recording Artist
Angie Martinez	...	Herself - DJ
Melle Mel	...	Himself (archive footage)
Kool Moe Dee	...	Himself - Recording Artist
Larry Muggerud	...	Himself - Cypress Hill (as Muggs)
Nelly	...	Himself - Recording Artist (archive footage)
Robert Pflaum	...	Himself (as Detective Robert Pflaum)
Kevin Powell	...	Himself - Journalist
Proof	...	Himself - D12
The Real Roxanne	...	Herself - Recording Artist (archive footage)
Redman	...	Himself - The Hit Squad
George Rosen	...	Himself - Foresight Security
Saigon	...	Himself - Recording Artist
Erick Sermon	...	Himself - EPMD
Afeni Shakur	...	Herself - Mother of Tupac Shakur
Roxanne Shanté	...	Herself - Recording Artist (also archive footage) (as Roxanne Shante)
Kay Slay	...	Himself - The Drama King (as DJ Kay Slay)
Parrish Smith	...	Himself - EPMD
Solo	...	Himself - Recording Artist
Fredro Starr	...	Himself - Onyx
Swift	...	Himself - D12
Tony Tone	...	Himself - Coldcrush Brothers
WC	...	Himself (archive footage)
Dave Weiner	...	Himself - Record Executive

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive language and brief drug content.

Runtime:

USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R

Company:

QD3 Entertainment

Movie Connections:

References Training Day (2001)

See the first "Beef" first

Unless you're fully immersed in the hip hop community, and know all the rivalries, squabbles and in-fighting that's gone on since hip hop's inception, see "Beef" first.

I felt the producers glossed over too much of the pioneer days (EPMD, etc.), and the recreations were kind of silly and irrelevant. I don't think anyone well-acquainted with hip hop culture needs ominous music to relay the potentially dangerous situations brought about by the egos involved.

Aside from these minor complaints, I'd say this is an excellent documentary, giving the lowdown on all the "beefs" between acts from the beginning. I give it a 4 out of 5.