On the mean streets of Philadelphia, a journey through the dark side of the rap music industry as seen through the eyes of Erik Triggs, a teenager who's got a reputation as one of Philly's top "snipers" - the kids record labels employ to plaster the city with promo materials. Erik is working for Ill Wax Records, under the label's marketing chief Cheryl and founder Bobby Starr. Ill Wax may be coming off a string of flops, but Starr is convinced he's found the golden goose in his latest discovery Prolifik, a rapper whom Erik idolizes. Prolifik's first single is burning up the charts and Bobby Starr can't wait to rush his debut album out - but first Prolifik has to finish it, and lately the studio sessions have yielded nothing but infighting and more delays. When Prolifik is abducted in a bloody recording studio shootout, Erik is caught up in a web of lies and crime, and must ultimately turn the tables on the industry he has grown to love.