Goin' Off chronicles the rise and fall of Cold Chillin' and its partnership with Warner Bros. Records. It follows the careers of the label's recording artists through first-hand accounts of industry players, producers, MCs, and DJs: Roxanne Shanté was a fourteen-year-old battle rapper who spawned the diss record; MC Shan engaged in a legendary cross-borough feud with KRS-One; Kool G Rap was a foundational participant in what the media dubbed "gangsta rap"; Big Daddy Kane's quick-witted lyricism changed the way people rhyme; the collegiate Masta Ace sought to uplift his community during the height of the crack epidemic; The Genius (aka GZA) co-founded the rap dynasty Wu-Tang Clan; and the enigmatic Biz Markie had the world singing along to his hit anthem "Just a Friend."

Plagued by corporate censorship and a landmark sample-related lawsuit in the 1990s, Cold Chillin' folded, leaving behind a legacy shrouded in controversy and a catalog that influenced multiple generations of rap artists.