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Drag-On Rates Some Bars That Dissed Him. The Score & Response Are Surprising (Video)

Onetime Ruff Ryders rapper Drag-On is the latest guest on Rate The Bars. Seventeen years ago, the Bronx, New Yorker scored a gold album in his debut, The Opposite Of H20. However, by the mid-2000s, the "Spit These Bars" and "Down Bottom" creator faded from the spotlight as compared to... Read more

July 1, 2019 Video

ONYX Rates The Bars. Sticky Fingaz & Fredro Starr Slam A Few Peers (Video)

The group ONYX is known for its no-nonsense persona. Sticky Fingaz and Fredro Starr have built 25-plus-year careers off of confrontational music and attitudes to match. The crosstown Queens and Brooklyn cousins are the perfect guests for Rate The Bars. Whether you agree with them or not, these MCs aren't... Read more

October 8, 2018 Video

Stalley Rates The Bars Of His Former Maybach Music Group Family (Video)

Stalley recently returned to independence, and he seems to love it. The Massillon, Ohio MC has been on a tear ever since, releases a plethora of projects. Promoting last month's Tell The Truth Shame The Devil, Vol. 2, the Blue Collar Gang leader is the latest guest judge on "Rate... Read more

March 19, 2018 Video

Tech N9ne Rates The Bars & He Punishes A Guest Verse From 1 Of His Songs (Video)

Tech N9ne is the latest guest on "Rate The Bars." The co-founder of Strange Music stresses that he wants to see some gangsta songwriting. The Kansas City, Missouri veteran, Indie Rap juggernaut, and member of The Regime hands out several perfect scores, praising bars that are especially rooted in street-life.... Read more

February 19, 2018 Video

Big K.R.I.T. Rates The Bars & Hands Pimp C The Lowest Score In The Batch (Video)

Big K.R.I.T. is the latest rapper in the hot seat for "Rate The Bars." More than most, Krizzle seems to be a generous rater (handing out almost exclusively 4's and 5's). Heads have long found this artist to be generous with his music, whether giving away acclaimed mixtapes and making... Read more

February 12, 2018 Video

Redman Rates The Bars & He’s Not Afraid To Hand Out Zeros (Video)

Last week, T.I. rated the bars. The Grand Hustle Records founder put some of his artists and close affiliates ahead of Tupac Shakur, leading to some interesting discourse from fans. This week, it is Redman who sits in the director chair and rates the MCs' bars handed to him on... Read more

January 22, 2018 Video

T.I. Rates The Bars. He Gives Iggy Azalea More Love Than Tupac (Video)

"Rate The Bars" is a fun series that can test a rapper's objectivity. MCs are often handed lyrics by artists in their crews, from their same cities, or even rivals and past enemies. Raekwon, Royce 5'9 and Rah Digga have all had potent things to say about excerpts that are... Read more

January 15, 2018 Video

Royce 5’9 Rates The Bars Of Today’s Rappers & It Gets Ugly (Video)

Royce 5'9 has secured a place at the top of Hip-Hop's present day songwriters. The Detroit, Michigan MC has proven exceptional at writing from personal places and, at times, simply showing off wordplay, clever punchlines, and cunning jabs at lesser lyricists. Royce 5’9 Sets The Bar 4 2017 With The... Read more

July 28, 2017 Video

Rah Digga Rates Nicki Minaj’s Bars With Brutal Honesty (Video)

For years, Rah Digga has been one of Hip-Hop's most respected lyricists and, perhaps, one of its most underrated, too. As such, she was a fitting guest on BET's "Rate The Bars" digital series where MCs are asked to read lyrics written by other artists and rate them. To make... Read more

June 27, 2017 Video

Posdnuos Celebrates Dave On A Beautiful Tribute Song

Today (June 9), Statik Selektah released his first solo album since 2020. Round Trip, arriving on ShowOff/Mass Appeal Records, maintains Statik's gift for assembling interesting groupings of MCs for thought-provoking concepts, over his acclaimed production. This particular collection, Statik's 10th, involves four members of Wu-Tang Clan together on a posse... Read more

June 9, 2023 Audio

Andre 3000’s Most Personal Verse Has Been Liberated

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

November 15, 2021 Audio

Mickey Factz Details The Strategy He Used In His Battle With Royce 5’9 (Video)

This week (August 20), Mickey Factz partners with Blu for The Narrative, a six-song project produced entirely by Nottz. Ahead of Friday's album, Mickey and Blu released two singles: June's "Stay Down" and July's "Reign." The latter, a video, features Asher Roth and reunites three MCs from the 2009 XXL... Read more

August 18, 2021 Exclusive, Interview, News, Video

Royce 5’9, T.I. & CyHi Use Bold Bars To Redefine The Meaning Of Savage (Video)

Yesterday (November 14), Royce 5'9 released a powder keg of bars in the song "Black Savage." Produced by the decorated MC, the song was posted on social accounts by the NFL, reportedly tied into JAY-Z's Inspire Change initiative with the league. However, the song is not about football. Instead, the... Read more

November 15, 2019 Video

Jadakiss Says He’s The Most Underrated MC On A Song That Reminds Who He Is

Jadakiss has been unusually quiet in 2019. Save for some high profile features, the typically prolific LOX MC has been completely off the grid. In April, however, during an interview with Joe Budden, Jada indicated the year would not conclude without him putting his mark on it. During that conversation,... Read more

October 18, 2019 Video

Little Brother’s 1st Music Video In Nearly A Decade Celebrates Their Magical Reunion

Little Brother delighted fans this week with a surprise album. Giving people less than 24 hours notice, Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh delivered May The Lord Watch on Tuesday (August 20). It marked the first L.B. project since 2010, and the group's fifth LP featured the blessing of founding third... Read more

August 23, 2019 Video

New Jacks Take Heed…Ice-T Is Still Hustling O.G. Bars (Video)

Before he began his unprecedented 21-year run on Law Order: Special Victims Unit, Ice-T cemented a spot as a Gangsta Rap pioneer more than 30 years ago. Without question, Ice-T is an O.G. in the game. However, with longstanding TV roles, reality shows, and car insurance commercials, it can be... Read more

July 12, 2019 Video

Denzel Curry’s Performance Demonstrates Why He’s A Real Master Of Ceremony (Video)

Denzel Curry is a contemporary Rap star who is influenced by the greats. The Carol City, Florida MC channeled JT Money's Poison Clan with the artwork of his 2019 album, ZUU. Signed to Loma Vista Recordings through the same executive (Tom Whalley) responsible for first signing Tupac Shakur, Curry is... Read more

July 5, 2019 Video

Rapsody Announces Her New Album & Shows Why She’s A Top Rated MC (Video)

Earlier today (June 27), Rapsody endorsed a video through his social platforms. The montage visual features a series of Black women appear, including Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Grace Jones, Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah, Whoopi Goldberg, Maxine Waters, Aretha Franklin, and others. Available at Genesis320, the video features cryptic wording,... Read more

June 27, 2019 Fresh, Video

Lil Dicky Kicks A Freestyle With Comedy Without Sacrificing The Bars (Video)

This year, Lil Dicky took an Earth Day-themed song about saving the planet to the top of the charts. Even though the corresponding music video to "Earth" features Justin Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ariana Grande, and a host of others, the Greater Philadelphia native is still very in touch with his... Read more

June 27, 2019 Video

Benny The Butcher Welcomes RJ Payne To His Team. They Celebrate By Bodying A Beat

Benny The Butcher and his Griselda Records team are in the midst of a banner year. After a Westside Gunn mixtape (Fourth Rope) and a new Conway The Machine project (EiF3), this month saw the release of "Headlines," featuring the three of them alongside DJ Premier production. Later in 2019,... Read more

May 25, 2019 Audio

Method Man Tells MCs What Time It Is With 2 Minutes Of BARS (Video)

Method Man is still dedicated to serving product from 2018's Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium. The Wu-Tang Clan MC made a visual to one of the independently-released LP's standout songs, "Two More Mins." Here, the veteran lyricist shows that even with TV shows, film credits, and classic songs under... Read more

April 26, 2019 Video

2 Chainz Celebrates Black Wealth & Buys The Block In His New Video

Last Friday (March 1), 2 Chainz released Rap Or Go To The League. It's the Atlanta, Georgia MC's first album in two years and documents the artist's growing stature as a rapper's rapper. For some fans over the last decade, Chainz has been more closely associated with Trap music than... Read more

March 4, 2019 Video

Sean Price & Small Professor Collaborated Before P’s Passing. Stream Their Album

Since Sean Price’s sudden passing in August of 2015, a lot of the music he was working on at the time of his death has released. There are his solo offerings Songs In The Key of Price from 2015 and the proper album Imperius Rex from 2017, which Ambrosia For Heads... Read more

February 8, 2019 Audio

Trae Compares Bars By Scarface & Bun B. His Ratings May Mess With 2 Texas Legends

Trae Tha Truth rates the bars of Scarface and Bun B in a specially-themed episode of Rate The Bars. The H-Town veteran compares excerpts from two O.G.'s widely considered to be ambassadors of Texas Rap to the rest of the world. In the '80s and '90s, Face and Bun Beata were... Read more

January 21, 2019 Video

Kris Kasanova Celebrates The Hustler’s Spirit On New Song “This Side”

Kris Kasanova has positioned himself to be a vibrant voice in Hip-Hop and an artist to watch. He's put in work on the independent scene through this decade. Now, the Red Hook, Brooklyn native kicks off a hopeful 2019 with his latest single, “This Side.” The single celebrates life by hustling for... Read more

January 20, 2019 Audio

Ready Or Not? Diceman’s Been In The Game For Years. His Bars Show His Staying Power

Black Sheep burst onto the scene in the early 1990s and quickly found success and acclaim. This momentum led the group’s label, Mercury Records, to entrust Dres with his own imprint called One Love. The talented MC was then tasked with signing talent. The first act he inked was a... Read more

January 16, 2019 Ready Or Not

Busta Rhymes Reunites Flipmode To Trade Bars With His New Squad (Audio)

In the 1990s and 2000s, Busta Rhymes' Flipmode Squad was a Rap force to be reckoned with. The collective grew to include names such as Rampage The Last Boy Scout, Rah Digga, DJ Scratch, Roc Marciano, Spliff Star, Baby Sham, and Lord Have Mercy, among others. At a time when... Read more

October 18, 2018 Audio

Killer Mike’s Hardest Verse Of 2018 Is A Powder Keg Of Bars (Video)

Killer Mike had hit songs early in his career. But as an independent artist, saying what other MCs wouldn't on beats is what made sustained his nearly 20-year-career. That is the energy that lived on Grind Time Rap Gang releases, R.A.P., and three celebrated volumes of Run The Jewels. It... Read more

August 20, 2018 Video

AZ Gets Down To Firm Biz As He Rates The Rhymes Of Nas, Future & More (Video)

AZ is the latest guest on the "Rate The Bars" program. Many Hip-Hop Heads revere the Brooklyn, New Yorker for his lyricism, wordplay, and imagery. The MC said to be at work on his long-anticipated Doe Or Die 2 is a fitting and qualified judge for others' rhymes. As a... Read more

July 9, 2018 Video

Havoc Releases 2 Mobb Deep Freestyles To Celebrate Prodigy 1 Year After His Passing (Audio)

One year ago today Prodigy unexpectedly passed away Hip-Hop has not been the same. It's all been helpful for those who were truly touched by his spirit and life's work. What's also great to help cope is anytime new music surfaces from the Mobb camp, and that's what happened Wednesday... Read more

June 20, 2018 Audio

Rhymefest Rates Kanye’s Rhymes & Identifies The Beginning Of His Downfall (Video)

Che "Rhymefest" Smith and Kanye West had a bit of a public falling out recently. Well, actually, it was more like the two longtime friends and collaborators ending up at odds, with Kim Kardashian West in the middle. For those that may have missed or not followed, 'Fest had publicly... Read more

June 18, 2018 Video

Action Bronson Is Independent Again. He Celebrates With A Lovely Collabo With Alchemist (Audio)

For the first time in roughly five years, Action Bronson is a free agent. After publicly griping about the situation with his label Vice/Atlantic Records online last Spring, the New Yorker returns to the independent status that earned him a strong following at the top of the decade. Since then,... Read more

April 13, 2018 Audio

Sean Price Would Have Turned 46 On Saturday. Celebrate P!’s Life With New Music (Video)

Three days ago, Sean Price dropped his long-awaited EP with friend and frequent collaborator Illa Ghee, in celebration of what would've been the late MC's 46th birthday (March 17). Solidifying his legacy as one of Hip-Hop’s most hardened wordsmiths, and once again proving that not even death can stop his... Read more

March 19, 2018 Video

Saukrates, Pharoahe Monch & Shad Show Why They Are MCs Who Stand The Test Of Time (Audio)

JUNE 25 UPDATE: An official lyric video for "Father Time (2018 Version)" has been created: ORIGINAL MARCH 15 STORY: Last summer Saukrates re-released his 1999 album The Underground Tapes, making it available in digital formats for the first time, while delivering some new remixes and updated versions of those old... Read more

March 15, 2018 Audio, Exclusive

Jean Grae Knocked With The Hardest Bars & The Industry Opened The Door (Audio)

Jean Grae was a refreshingly honest and forthright MC when she first emerged out of the New York City underground scene in the late 1990s. Previously known as What? What?, Jean made it abundantly clear to all within an earshot that she was bringing that raw spit. Known to share... Read more

March 1, 2018 Do Remember

Scarface Rates The D.O.C.’s Rhymes Higher Than His Own (Video)

In the "Rate The Bars" series, guests on the video program are challenged when they are provided excerpts of verses from peers who often happen to be homies, band-mates, or nemeses. It is a test of objectivity set against the craft of MC'ing. This has led to some memorable appearances,... Read more

February 5, 2018 Video

Apathy Battles Aliens With Battlestar Bars On A Nottz Beat (Audio Premiere)

It doesn’t matter what planet you’re from, no one is safe from Apathy in “Alien Weaponry.” The first single off his forthcoming LP, The Widow’s Son is produced by Nottz, and the beat is just bizarre enough to take the edge of Ap’s sharp tongue. This track nods to the... Read more

January 18, 2018 Audio, Exclusive

Happy 50th Birthday To LL Cool J. Celebrate The Original G.O.A.T. (Video)

Today marks the 50th birthday of James Todd Smith, best known as beloved Queens, New York MC, LL Cool J. Born January 14, 1968, "Ladies Love Cool James" has always had an undeniable impact in Hip-Hop. As an adolescent, LL Cool J reportedly recorded his own demos using a mixer... Read more

January 14, 2018 Fresh

Uncle Murda Rates Skillz’ Diss A 1 Out Of 10. So How Does His Response Measure Up? (Audio)

Last week (January 3), veteran Virginia lyricist Skillz dropped a significant and scathing diss towards Brooklyn, New York MC Uncle Murda. The impetus was a two-year-old dispute surrounding the concept of "Year End Raps." Skillz alleged that in late 2015, Murda (who now uses the name "Lenny Grant" on records)... Read more

January 8, 2018 Audio

Royce 5’9 & His Brother Kid Vishis Show BARS Are The Family Business (Video)

In early July, brothers Kid Vishis and Royce 5'9" dropped a single "Go Off," belonging to the since-released The Purge album. As that LP, featuring Conway The Machine, Horseshoe Gang, and Nolan The Ninja makes its rounds, the Bros. Montgomery double up the visual. The video finds Vishis, Nickel, and... Read more

September 26, 2017 Ready Or Not, Video

The Game, Busta Rhymes & Tech N9ne Have Bars That Jealous Ones Envy (Audio)

Last month, DJ Kay Slay orchestrated quite the collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Kevin Gates for "Cold Summer." The Drama King is not backing down as he reloads with "Jealousy." This collabo links up The Game, Busta Rhymes, and Tech N9ne for an attack on people that hate... Read more

September 7, 2017 Audio

Raekwon Rates Rhymes By Other Wu-Tang Clan Members & Throws Darts At Them (Video)

No one judges you more harshly than your own family...Raekwon was living proof of that statement recently, as he was the latest guest on BET's digital series, "Rate The Bars." The web series features MCs rating the lyrics of other rappers, as they read them without knowing the author. Rah... Read more

July 1, 2017 Video

Joell Ortiz Says Most Rap Millionaires Are “Scared Silly” Of His Rich Bars (Audio)

In the eyes of some, Kendrick Lamar's #1 status and fast-track to platinum with DAMN. suggests that lyricism, clever songwriting, and album-making is winning. Clearly, for one Compton, California creative master, it is. However, it took Kendrick some years and quite a few apparent setbacks to get that spot. At... Read more

May 5, 2017 Audio

Kool G Rap Strikes With 1st Single In 6 Years. Lil Fame & Freeway Back Up The Bars (Audio)

Lyrical Rap legend Kool G Rap has released his first official solo single in more than six years. Approaching June 2's Return Of The Don album, G Rap prepares his first album with a single producer since his heralded 1989 Marley Marl-produced debut, Road To The Riches. This time around, the onetime mentor to... Read more

May 2, 2017 Audio, Exclusive

Madvillain Returns With A Full Version Of A Song That’s A Blizzard Of Bars (Audio)

It has been more than a dozen years since Madvillain released its debut album. DOOM and Madlib made as interesting (and complementary) a duo as any in Hip-Hop since. The Stones Records tandem dropped Madvillainy, which served as a subpoena to all those sleeping on DOOM for the 15 years... Read more

December 15, 2016 Audio

A New Mix Celebrates The 20th Anniversary Of Ghostface Killah’s Ironman Album (Audio)

Today (October 29), marks the 25th anniversary of Ghostface Killah's landmark solo debut album, Ironman. To celebrate the anniversary, Up North Trips and Its Overture have put together a new mix, spotted on Ego Trip, to commemorate the LP. In addition to featuring much from Ironman, the mix expands to... Read more

October 29, 2016 Audio

Joe Budden & Styles P Still Hold BARS Sacred. It Shows On Their New Collabo (Audio)

Sometimes less is more, and that is precisely the approach Joe Budden and Styles P have taken on "Freestyle," a track whose title belies the varsity-level bars with which it's laden. The two have worked together before, not least on Budden's 2010 mixtape Mood Muzik 4, where the two eviscerated... Read more

October 6, 2016 Audio

Rah Digga Burglarizes A Beat With Break-In Bars (Audio)

Last month, Rah Digga was among those celebrated at "Hip-Hop Honors." The Jersey City, New Jersey veteran MC took the stage during a mega-medley and celebrated a career that has lasted nearly 20 years. Now independent, "Dirty Harriet" proves she's still got imperial flows, and lives to shine on a... Read more

August 16, 2016 Audio

Bars For Days…Murs Aims For Guinness World Record For Longest Freestyle

UPDATE: In speaking with Ambrosia For Heads, Murs has clarified that he will not be freestyling. Instead, he will be undertaking a "Rap marathon," where he raps his own songs and other classics. In 2008, Los Angeles, California MC Murs campaigned with his Warner Bros. album, Murs For President. Eight... Read more

July 14, 2016 News

Freeway Celebrates His “Free Will” By Sharing His LP, Early! (Album Stream)

Tomorrow (April 29), Freeway will release his fifth studio album, Free Will. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC's latest is his second on the New York City-based Babygrande Records, and features Young Buck, Raheem Devaughn, and latest MC/producer protege Scholito. Girl Talk and L.E.S. are among the LP's producers. On this album,... Read more

April 28, 2016 Audio

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