“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving band of MCs and DJs is neglected. The 2018 contest consists of seven rounds, NCAA basketball-tournament style, leading to a Top 32, then the Sweet 16 and so on, until one winner is determined. For each battle, two groups are pitted against one another with a ballot to decide which one advances to the next round. Though there will be an enormous amount of debate in comments, on social media, in barbershops and text messages, which we encourage, only votes cast in the official ballot or those using the official hashtags on social media count.

The next battle is between two Hip-Hop groups that had monumental success with their debut albums, yet parted ways after sophomore hurdles. Black Sleep and Main Source displayed creative lyrics, eccentric punchlines and production incorporated with samples that would change the way people listened to Hip-Hop. Which group will make it to Round 2? The choice is yours.

Black Sheep

Hip-Hop duo Black Sheep (Andres “Dres” Vargas Titus and William “Mista Lawnge / Mr. Long” McLean) are both natives of New York. However, they met as teenagers in Sanford, North Carolina. After linking up in 1989 and soon affiliating with Native Tongues and D.I.T.C., Dres and Mista Lawnge released their debut album A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing in 1991. With the singles “Flavor of the Month” and “The Choice Is Yours,” the album gained praise and recognition in the Hip-Hop community for the album’s unique rhythms and intelligent lyrics. The group’s second album Non-Fiction was released in late 1994, absorbed in its predecessor’s shadow. Since Y2K, the Sheep have re-assembled the herd at least twice, reuniting for limited edition EP, Redlight/Greenlight. Black Sheep Dres (as he now goes by) has released two solo projects under the group name in the last dozen years. However, thanks to song licensing and playlists, the early ’90s Black Sheep legacy still burns strong.

Main Source

In the late 1980s, a trio of young men hailing from Toronto, Canada and Queens, New York mutually came together to form Main Source. Consisting of fraternal DJ/production duo K-Cut and Sir Scratch, along with triple-threat Large Professor, Main Source released its debut album Breaking Atoms in 1991. The Wild Pitch Records release was defined by complex lyricism, social commentary and some of the most advanced sample-based production of its time. The use of chopping sounds on this album is graceful, complex and as colorful as the LP artwork. The album also gained widespread popularity because it features a song called “Live At The Barbeque,” where is exhibits the first recorded verse from the then baby-faced Queens MC who called himself “Nasty Nas.” After the LP and “Fakin’ The Funk,” Large Pro’ would exit the group—replaced by another Queens MC (and Paul C. student), Mikey D. Main Source’s 1994 follow-up, F*ck What You Think, pleased Hip-Hop fans but lacked the excitement of its predecessor. By 1995, Main Source called it quits. In recent years, Extra P (who named a 2008 solo album after the group) linked up with his former band-mates for an anniversary concert. Main Source’s discography is brief, but its legacy is indelible.

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So who is the better Hip-Hop group? Make sure you vote above.