AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Common & DJ Premier Reunite On A New Song

Over the last quarter-century, Common and DJ Premier have made magic together. In 2000, Premier was a guest within The Soulquarians ensemble for Comm's benchmark Like Water For Chocolate album. On Comm's fourth LP, Preemo produced the masterful "The 6th Sense," which featured Bilal. The video single showed new range... Read more

Macklemore Ponders Hip-Hop’s Bad Influences On A Song With DJ Premier

It has been over a decade since Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' mainstream breakthrough, The Heist. Promoted with impressive Backroom freestyles and more, the album dealt with industry triumphs, sexual equality, and more. The against-the-grain LP featuring ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul would eventually (and somewhat controversially) win "Best Rap Album" at the 2014... Read more

DJ Premier & Benny The Butcher Have Made A Rough & Tough New Song

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads sift through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, it’s better than it’s ever been. Not only can we go back... Read more

Nas & DJ Premier’s New Song Takes Hip-Hop Back To Its Golden Era

It has been over a decade Hip-Hop Heads received a Nas song produced by DJ Premier. In late 2011, Nas connected with Premier and The Berklee Symphony Orchestra for "REgeneration." Four years prior, in 2007, Preemo supplied Nasir Jones, KRS-One, Rakim, and Kanye West with "Classic," a promotional video single for... Read more

The Tracklist For DJ Premier’s Upcoming EP Features Nas, Slick Rick & More

UPDATE: DJ Premier has confirmed the project arriving July 15. DJ Premier: Hip Hop 50 features five songs, all produced by Preemo, arriving on Mass Appeal. The Gang Starr O.G. works with everlasting voices from the '80s, '90s, 2000s, and 2010s. The tracklist is as follows: Tracklisting: 1. "Lettin’ Off... Read more

DJ Premier Blasts A Company For Copying Gang Starr’s Logo

Gang Starr has one of the most iconic logos in Hip-Hop. Over a dozen years since group co-founder Guru passed away, that logo on official Gang Starr merchandise provides for the late MC/producer's family, including his son and his longtime musical partner, DJ Premier. This week, Preemo took umbrage with a major... Read more

2 Chainz Kicks Words Of Wisdom Over A DJ Premier Track

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads sift through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, it’s better than it’s ever been. Not only can we go back and listen... Read more

Snoop & Big K.R.I.T. Unite On A DJ Premier Production

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads sift through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, it’s better than it’s ever been. Not only can we go back and listen... Read more

Conway The Machine Collides With DJ Premier For Something That’s Nothin’ Less Than Dope

Last Friday (September 11), Conway The Machine released his third project of 2020. Following March's Alchemist-produced LULU and May's Ghost LTD-helmed No One Mourns The Wicked, the Buffalo, New Yorker steps forth with From A King To A God. In one of the busiest seasons in Hip-Hop history, Griselda continues the... Read more

Royce 5’9’s Tracklist For “The Allegory” Features Griselda, Vince Staples & DJ Premier

Yesterday (January 17), Royce 5'9 released the second video single to his 2020 album, The Allegory. The follow-up to 2018's acclaimed The Book Of Ryan has thus far included "Black Savage" (featuring T.I., CyHi The Prynce, Sy Ari Da Kid, and White Gold) as well as "Overcomer" (featuring Westside Gunn).... Read more

DJ Premier Reveals All The MCs He Asked To Be On The Gang Starr Album & What Happened

At the top of the month, Gang Starr released One Of The Best Yet. The seventh album by Guru and DJ Premier features familiar collaborators such as Big Shug, Group Home, Jeru The Damaja, M.O.P., and Freddie Foxxx. Additionally, J. Cole, Talib Kweli, Royce 5'9, Q-Tip, and Nitty Scott, MC... Read more

DJ Premier Details The Secret Battle Of The Beats He Had With RZA (Video)

Who is Hip-Hop's greatest producer of all-time? It's a question that has generated endless debate, over the years. In 2017, Ambrosia For Heads hosted a discussion among millions of readers, and let them decide by voting in an NCAA-style round robin tournament. DJ Premier emerged the victor in a 32-contender... Read more

A New Report Details How DJ Premier Rescued Guru’s Lost Recordings

On Friday (November 1), Gang Starr will release its first album in more than 16 years. On One Of The Best Yet, the vocals of Guru are reunited with the producer/mixmaster DJ Premier for a final sendoff from one of Hip-Hop's most trusted sources of sound and style. Old friends and... Read more

Benny, Conway & 38 Spesh Rewrite A Page Out Of Scarface’s Diary (Audio Premiere)

Rochester, New York MC/producer 38 Spesh has made a hard push in the last two years to reach the forefront of underground Hip-Hop. Be it releasing a litany of solo and collaborative albums or mentoring promising young talent like Che Noir, T.C.F. Music Group's founder has established himself as a... Read more

DJ Premier Details Why He Chose J. Cole For Gang Starr’s New Song (Audio)

On Friday (September 20), Gang Starr released its first single in more than 16 years. "Family And Loyalty" features two verses from Guru (who passed away in 2010), a DJ Premier-produced track, and a guest appearance from J. Cole. Calling into Sway In The Morning, Premier explained some background on... Read more

Skyzoo Gets Pete Rock To Kick A Rare Verse & Both Drop Jewels (Audio Premiere)

Tomorrow (September 20), Skyzoo & Pete Rock are releasing an anticipated collaborative album, Retropolitan. The pair's first outing together features the Brooklyn, New York veteran taking on the lyrics recorded to exclusively P.R. production. Guests on the Mello Music Group LP include Styles P, Raheem DeVaughn, and an already-released posse... Read more

Nas & DJ Premier May Have Just Announced A New Gang Starr Album. Aiight? Chill

Twenty-five years ago, Nas left a voicemail on DJ Premier's answering machine that the fans got to hear. The smoky-voiced Rap phenom joined DJ Scratch, MC Eiht, and A.G., among others, on the "Aiight Chill" interlude for Gang Starr's fourth album, Hard To Earn. A few weeks later, Nas dropped... Read more

Che Noir & 38 Spesh Are Reviving A Dying Breed Of Hardcore Hip-Hop (Video Premiere)

Within a very short time, Buffalo, New York native Che Noir has established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the microphone. This young MC only came on the scene a couple of years ago, but with the help of 38 Spesh and his TCF Music Group label,... Read more

Ras Kass Rhymes With A Vengeance. He Vows To Make 2019 His Year (Video Premiere)

Twenty-three years ago, Ras Kass dropped his first studio album, Soul On Ice. The LP brilliantly balanced wordplay with rich information about history, religion, race, and life in the Southern California streets from the MC who reps both Watts and Carson. The Priority Records album featured production from Battlecat, Vooodu, Bird,... Read more

Elzhi Rapping To Diamond D Production Is A Winning Combination (Video Premiere)

Diamond D’s status as an icon in Hip-Hop is forever etched in stone. Since his classic debut Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-Hop released in 1992, his groundbreaking work with the D.I.T.C. (Digging In The Crates Crew) and his production on multi-platinum album, The Score by The Fugees, Diamond D has consistently... Read more

Blu & Exile Provide Hope Through True And Livin’ Hip-Hop (Video Premiere)

Blu & Exile's breakthrough Below The Heavens remains a classic album in many Hip-Hop circles. The MC/producer LP formally introduced two artists who had been making waves for years in the most soulful, reflective, and relatable of ways. Since that 2007 LP, both Blu and Exile have taken journeys with... Read more

Griselda & DJ Premier Put The Boom Bap Back In New York Rap (Video)

Last month, Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Benny The Butcher dropped the Griselda trifecta's highly-anticipated DJ Premier-produced single "Headlines." The Payday Records collaboration linked the three MCs with a producer who had a major hand in inspiring their sound and Rap aesthetic. The first union between the Gang Starr... Read more

Kool Keith, B-Real & Joell Ortiz Show MCs How To Level Up (Audio Premiere)

Next month (July 12), veteran MC innovator Kool Keith will see the release of his latest album, simply titled KEITH. Produced entirely by The Beatnuts' Psycho Les, KEITH will feature appearances by Houston's Paul Wall, Cypress Hill front-man B-Real, and Crooklyn Dodger lyrical slugger, Jeru The Damaja. Following last month's... Read more

Common Premieres A J Dilla-Produced Song About The State Of Hip-Hop In 2019

Since the release of his 1994 song "I Used To Love H.E.R.," Common has had a complex and well-documented relationship with Hip-Hop. At first listen, the song played like Common Sense's ode to a woman with whom he'd had a life long affair, which was a love-hate relationship. At the... Read more

B-Real & Brady Watt Add Some Dr. Dre & DJ Premier To Cypress Hill’s Biggest Hits

Renowned bass player, producer, and member of DJ Premier's Badder Band Brady Watt has been bringing his groove to video lately, linking up with MCs and singers for a series of videos he's calling "Bass & Bars." Each entry has Watt laying down a bassline for a guest to recite... Read more

Murs & 9th Wonder Share The First 2 Songs From Their Final Collabo Album (Premiere)

On July 19, Murs and 9th Wonder will release the seventh and final installment of their collaborative union, The Iliad Is Dead And The Odyssey Is Over. The project, which was announced back in January, is entirely produced by The Soul Council, the collective of 9th Wonder, Khrysis, Nottz, Eric G,... Read more

Westside Gunn Discusses The Possibility Of An Entire Griselda Album With DJ Premier

Just over two years ago, Buffalo, New York MCs Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Benny The Butcher formed a partnership with Eminem's Shady Records. The three artists have been busy ever since, independently releasing a string of acclaimed hardcore Hip-Hop albums on their Griselda Records imprint, including Wes' Supreme Blientele,... Read more

DJ Premier & Griselda Have Released One Of 2019’s Best Songs. Listen Here (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to... Read more

Quelle Chris Self-Reflects On Life & Legacy In A Dreamy New Video (Premiere)

Just over one month ago, New York-raised but Detroit, Michigan-famed rapper Quelle Chris dropped his latest LP, Guns (embedded below). The record is his sixth solo album to date, although including collaborations and production credits, Chris has more than two dozen projects under his belt. This latest Mello Music Group... Read more

ScHoolboy Q Chops A DJ Premier And Royce 5’9 Sample & Adds Some Boom

In less than 48 hours (April 26), ScHoolboy Q is releasing his fifth album, CrasH Talk. The Grammy-nominated TDE artist had previously dropped two video singles in his LP campaign. Less than six weeks ago, Q led with “Numb Numb Juice." He followed with the Travis Scott-assisted "CHopstix." Now he... Read more

DJ Premier Recalls Nas & Big L Signing Their Record Deals Together (Video)

DJ Premier has been a part of many albums that are considered classics by Heads. However, few can equal the importance of Nas’ 1994 debut Illmatic. Mass Appeal recently launched a new video series where producers behind this magnum opus detail its creation and importance, leading up to the LP’s... Read more

Yasiin Bey Has Premiered A New Album As An Art Exhibit

It's been a while since heads got new music from Yasiin Bey. The MC formerly known as Mos Def announced his retirement from Hip Hop music in a 2016 Facebook Live video, but it never really seemed like he was ready to hang up the mic. He continued to hit... Read more

38 Spesh Displays Why OGs Like Kool G Rap, DJ Premier & D.I.T.C. Co-Sign Him (Video)

Rochester is not a city regularly associated with Hip-Hop. This Upstate New York burg is the home of DJ Green Lantern, who, along with Emilio Rojas, is one of the few artists from the area to make an impact on the game in the last two decades. But that is... Read more

DJ Premier Discusses The Making Of Gang Starr’s Hard To Earn 25 Years Later

Twenty-five years ago this month (March 8, 1994), Gang Starr released its fourth album, Hard To Earn. A rightful inclusion in one of the Rap genre's most celebrated calendar years, the work displays some of the finest chemistry between Guru and DJ Premier, who had already galvanized a creative and... Read more

DJ Premier & Evidence Add A Chapter To Masta Ace & Marco Polo’s Breukelen Story

There are very few Hip-Hop artists who started in the 1980s that are arguably making some of the best music of their careers in the late 2010s. Masta Ace is one of those MCs. Throughout the last 30 years, Ace has always remained relevant. The Brooklyn, New Yorker, who used... Read more

Smif-n-Wessun & Rapsody Bring The Heat On A Song That Feels Like Summer (Premiere)

The gap between Smif-n-Wessun’s last album and their upcoming LP, The All has been their most extended hiatus since they dropped The Rude Awakening in 1998 (as Cocoa Brovaz) and did not follow-up with Smif-n-Wessun: Reloaded until 2005. And while Heads never like to wait for new material from one... Read more

AZ Takes A Classic Kool G Rap Beat & Demonstrates Why He’s Great (Audio Premiere)

AZ enjoyed a relatively quiet 2018. The highly-respected Brooklyn, New York lyricist was the subject of a documentary involving commentary by Rakim, Nas, Pete Rock, and Foxy Brown. He made a few careful appearances, one with early mentor Daddy-O of Stetsasonic and another with Fresno, California's Planet Asia. However, when... Read more

Waka Flocka Flame Uses Classic DJ Premier To Show He Can Really RAP

Few artists can claim to have had as prolific of a mixtape career as Waka Flocka Flame. While the Atlanta, Georgia representative is often recognized for his Trap beat ear and boisterous delivery, he can sometimes unload a track that shows a deft lyricist who often downplays his talent or... Read more

Alchemist & Daringer Are Producing Benny’s Full Album. Here’s The First Video (Premiere)

While Griselda Records' Conway The Machine and Westside Gunn are on most Heads’ radars by now, some of Hip-Hop is still getting to know Benny The Butcher. He is making lasting introductions with every bar. He spit a standout verse as part of 2017's Shady Records and Griselda cypher for... Read more

Masta Ace Is A Hip-Hop King. He Raps Royally On A Marco Polo Track (Video Premiere)

With 30-plus years of being one of Rap's most consistent (and profoundly influential) lyricists in the game, Masta Ace teamed up with longtime collaborating producer Marco Polo to pay homage to the borough of Brooklyn. They did this by collectively constructing a full-length body of work that is conceptual, cohesive,... Read more

Ras Kass Reworks “Soul On Ice” With Some New Lyrics That Burn (Video Premiere)

Ras Kass is recognized as one of the most talented lyricists to ever come out of southern California. Between the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. and Ab-Soul, Razzy kept Carson, California on the Rap map. And while commercial success has never been an adequate reflection of his talents (partially prompting a self-comparison to... Read more

DJ Premier Reveals He’s The Person Who Sequenced Nas’ Illmatic Album (Audio)

DJ Premier has an extensive background in Hip-Hop music and production. This week the legendary Gang Starr member (deemed "The Greatest Hip-Hop Producer Of All-Time" by Ambrosia For Heads readers) native casually dropped another line to add to his already lengthy resume. On the latest episode of crooner Anderson .Paak's .Paak... Read more

DJ Premier Re-Creates The “Ten Crack Commandments” Beat Using Turntables (Video)

The 14th Annual A3C Festival has been taking place since Wednesday in Atlanta, Georgia. As usual, this premiere Hip-Hop gathering had an amazing line-up of the genre’s best and brightest performing. Names like Wu-Tang Clan, The Diplomats, Talib Kweli, Lil Wayne, Mannie Fresh, and PRhyme have been headlining the event... Read more

Casanova & DJ Premier Make Haters Think Twice About What They Say (Video)

Casanova 2X is the type of hard-nosed East Coast MC that always seems to seek out the sounds of DJ Premier. The Brooklyn, New Yorker's mic style can be traced to artists such as M.O.P., The LOX, Bumpy Knuckles, Screwball, and Non-Phixion. The artist that Memphis Bleek ushered into Roc... Read more

Mickey Factz Serves Up A Next Level Freestyle Over 1 Of DJ Premier’s Best Beats (Video)

Mickey Factz is renowned for his freestyle skills. The Bronx, New Yorker seems to just get better with these kind of bars with age—in addition to releasing some quality projects that show a different gift from the veteran MC. He battles beats like so many opponents left duffed out in... Read more

Tragedy Khadafi Says Marley Marl Did Him Dirty. His New Song Tells All (Audio Premiere)

Tragedy Khadafi (fka The Intelligent Hoodlum) has been releasing music steadily over the three decades but it's been nearly four years since he released his last solo album. That's all changing now though. The Queensbridge legend has been in the booth heavy since 2014's Pre Magnum Opus and is slated... Read more

A Previously Unreleased Gem From J. Dilla & Phat Kat Makes Its World Premiere (Audio)

Whenever a hidden gem from the late J. Dilla's vault surfaces, Hip-Hop Heads always take notice to explore the buried treasure. The iconic producer's former collaborator and fellow Detroit, Michigan native Phat Kat has unveiled a surefire diamond-in-the-rough banger from 1996 that hasn't seen the light of day until now.... Read more

DJ Premier & Casanova Take It Back To The Days Of Gully Hip-Hop (Audio)

DJ Premier has been a go-to sound provider for some of the more vocally aggressive MCs in Hip-Hop. Names like M.O.P., Bumpy Knuckles, Just-Ice, Pitch Black, Ill Bill, and Big Shug have made gems alongside the Gang Starr producer and DJ. In that style of Rap, especially within the five... Read more

Kool G Rap’s New LP Has Production From DJ Premier, Pete Rock & Alchemist. Listen Here (Audio)

Kool G Rap doesn't let his legend status stop him from continuing to do what he loves. Last year, the Corona, Queens veteran dropped his Return Of The Don album, and in 2018, he's following up the solid effort with a collaborative album full of heavy hitters behind the boards... Read more

DJ Premier Explains Why He Broke Two Of His Cardinal Rules To Work With Drake

A standout song on Drake's just-released Scorpion album is “Sandra’s Rose.” The Disc 1 entry, partially a dedication to Drake's mother, Sandi Graham, only came together because its co-producer, DJ Premier, was willing to break two of his rules. Well, “rules” might be too strong a word but Preemo does... Read more