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Here’s an Animated Video of an Interview of Michael Jackson from 1980 (Video)

Michael Jackson is the latest subject of PBS Digital Studios' Blank On Blank animation series. This 1980 recording from a MJ interview highlights his waving off genre labels, admitting that his on-stage dancing is improvisational, and working with Quincy Jones. There's a lot to love about this...including the fact that... Read more

September 17, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

DJ Quik’s New LP Is Inspired By Late Nights, Brings His Homies Old & New To The Party (Audio)

In the onslaught of album announces, DJ Quik jumped in the ring. The Compton Hip-Hop legend let it be known today (September 17) that his ninth album will be called The Midnight Life. The album, planned for October 14 Mad Science Records release, includes some longtime Quik homies such as... Read more

September 17, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Big Sources Are Saying That Jay Z & Beyonce Have Collaborative Album Coming

On his new platform, Dash Radio, DJ Skee is doing—rather saying big things. The DJ closely associated with the careers of Game and Freddie Gibbs announced today (September 16) that he has confirmed that husband and wife duo, Jay Z and Beyonce, are at work on an album. Given a... Read more

September 17, 2014 Fresh

Rick Rubin Says Chuck D Thought Public Enemy Was Too Old To Sign To Def Jam In 1987 (Video)

In the third volume of Noisey's series on Def Jam Records' 30th anniversary, founders Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin devote their attentions on Public Enemy. Likely in conjunction with P.E.'s performance of "Public Enemy #1" with The Roots on Jimmy Fallon's "The Tonight Show" yesterday (September 16), the vignette pays... Read more

September 17, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

Black Thought Joins Roots Affiliate On A Boisterous Electro Track (Audio)

STS is one of the wild cards of The Roots' extended family. The rapper also known as Sugar Tongue Slim has ties to both Philadelphia and Atlanta, and is gifted at tapping into both sounds. This is true on "$5,000 Dolla Coat Shit." With the kind of beat Heads might... Read more

September 16, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Jared Evan & Ransom Know It’s Cold Outside, So They Pack A Hoodie (Audio)

From Jared Evan's forthcoming #StillBlue release (October 28), the onetime Interscope/Zone 4 singer/rapper links with his homie Statik Selektah, and Statik's partner Ransom for "Outside." As a result, brash deliveries about the warmth "inside" are depicted on a track that also chronicles the cold realities of the outside world. Related:... Read more

September 16, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Big K.R.I.T Drops Off a Brand New Mixtape, See Me On Top, Vol. 4 (Mixtape)

It's the fourth quarter, and Big K.R.I.T is out to "Mike Jordan 'em." Fresh off of dropping two very different pieces of content yesterday (September 15), Krizzle, as announced just 24 hours ago, unloads See Me On Top, Vol. 4. The fourth volume of the mixtape series, a step apart... Read more

September 16, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Mixes

Joey Bada$$ Says He’s Bringin’ Brooklyn Back In A Tony Touch Freestyle (Video)

Some things just make sense. If Joey Bada$$ was around, in the industry, in the late '90s, he would have sounded right and exact on Tony Touch cassette tapes. The Taino Turntable Terrorist and the Pro Era front-man linked on Toca Tuesdays. On a loop-based beat made famous by Lootpack... Read more

September 16, 2014 Fresh, Video

Boaz Gives It To ‘Em Straight, Not Late On Intuition (Video)

On October 28, Boaz is dropping Intuition, his latest album. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania MC is owning his moment, with introspective, thoughtful street-savvy songs. The title track finds Boaz recalling his youth, a homogenous mixture of falling in love with the Hip-Hop he saw through older relatives, and the fruits of... Read more

September 16, 2014 Fresh, Video

Ras Kass & Apollo Brown Slice Down That Humble Pi (Video)

They say "necessity is the mother of invention." That adage speaks to the careers of Ras Kass and Apollo Brown. The MC, Ras, was among the brightest hopefuls of early '90s Los Angeles lyricism. However, troubles with the law, a label under a new regime, and shifting attentions in the... Read more

September 16, 2014 Fresh, Video

One Of Cormega’s Philosophies Comes To Life With Large Professor & Maya Azucena (Video)

On this year's critically-acclaimed Mega Philosophy album by Cormega, one of the highlights is "Rise." With a chorus by songstress Maya Azucena, the Large Professor-produced (with additional input by Cormega) track has a Worldly feel to it. It should, as the record sprinkles universal hope on the people across the... Read more

September 16, 2014 Fresh, Video

Black Milk’s Gold Piece With Bun B May Be His Best Collabo To Date (Audio)

For more than a decade, Black Milk has helped give Detroit a different soundtrack. As a producer, Black has made collaborative head-nodders with Royce Da 5'9, Slum Village, Elzhi, and Guilty Simpson (Random Axe). In the years since, partially through his ties to Decon and Duck Down, B.M gave some... Read more

September 16, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Alchemist & Director Extraordinaire Jason Goldwatch Have A NSFW Field Day (Video)

Alchemist is gearing up for his third installment of instrumental offerings. Whether for aspiring MCs, DJs looking for transitions, or simply fans of great Instrumental Hip-Hop, Rapper's Best Friend has been a winning formula. Setting the stage for Vol. 3 (September 30), Decon's Jason Goldwatch and ALC teamed to make... Read more

September 16, 2014 Fresh, Video

What Will Logic’s Debut Album Sound Like? Under Pressure Is Very Promising (Audio)

With an album named Under Pressure (October 21), of course Logic unveils his first confirmed glimpse, of the same name. Self-produced, "Under Pressure" showcases the Baltimore, Maryland's southern influences, from Three 6 Mafia to Bun B. However, the flow is true to Logic's independent run, blending some internal anxieties from... Read more

September 16, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Take A Trip Home With Ab-Soul, Where He Writes, Lives & Loves (Video)

LOUD's series, "A Day In The Hustle" focuses in on Ab-Soul, one of the breakouts of 2014. Here, a full day in Carson, California is spent as Soulo gears up to kick off his These Days... Tour. With family, with friends, and in preparation, Heads can see that Ab really... Read more

September 16, 2014 Fresh, Video

DJ Doo Wop Takes Everybody Back To School With Another Great Mix (Audio)

DJ Doo Wop marks the Back to School season with the second installment of his Coolout series. Within, Doo Wop goes free form with the New York City Hip-Hop he helped distribute and bring awareness throughout the '90s and early 2000s. Doo Wop touches a lot of hits from the... Read more

September 16, 2014 Audio, Fresh

How About A One-Hour DJ Premier Mix Featuring AC/DC, Heart, Rage Against The Machine? (Audio)

Heads who do the research know that, while DJ Premier's sound has been at the epicenter of Hip-Hop for 25 years, Christopher Martin is a Rock & Roll Head to the fullest. With his older sisters sliding him wax of groups like Van Halen, AC/DC, and the Bay City Rollers,... Read more

September 16, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Rest In Peace To Common’s Father, Lonnie “Pops” Lynn

Common's father, Lonnie Lynn, Sr., has passed away. Details are still emerging surrounding the cause of death, however it is believed to have happened yesterday (September 15), per the Associated Press. Dating back to 1994's Resurrection, Pops appeared on various Common albums, typically on interludes near the LPs' end. These... Read more

September 16, 2014 Fresh

Rapsody Says It’s Hard To Choose, But It’s Not Hard To Choose Rapsody (Audio)

Leading up October 7's Beauty And The Beast, Rapsody is pulling out all the stops. "Hard To Choose," produced by 9th Wonder, takes strong audit of the North Carolina native's career, and choices as such. Citing everybody from DJ Kool Herc to Afrika Bambaataa to MC Lyte, Rap' explains the... Read more

September 15, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Jeezy’s Holy Ghost Never Left The Hood, In This Intimate Look (Video)

Since released, "Holy Ghost" is one of Seen It All's more chilling moments. There seems to be a lot of subtext in Jeezy's simple song about Rolls Royces. The religious reference perhaps claws at the deities of power and fame. With Don Cannon's menacing production, the record calls back to... Read more

September 15, 2014 Fresh, Video

Big K.R.I.T Takes You Behind the Scenes for the Making of Cadillactica (Video)

Kicking off the Making Of Cadillactica series, Big K.R.I.T is found, on video, in the studio with hit-making producers Jim Jonsin (the man responsible for B.o.B's discovery, Lil Wayne's "Lollipop") and Rico Love (writer of Usher's "There Goes My Baby"). Also featured in the studio is super-producer Mike Dean, who... Read more

September 15, 2014 Fresh, Video

Bishop Nehru Says Nas’ “I Can” Is Real, Makes A Case For Abstinence (Video)

Like his big brother MF DOOM, Bishop Nehru is a bit mysterious, if not misunderstood. The Rockland County New Yorker begins an interview with HOT 97's Ebro In The Morning show breaking down his neighborhood, between Hip-Hop's absence, to the misnomer about his being from Brooklyn. Midway through is where... Read more

September 15, 2014 Fresh, Video

Rick Ross Hits Elvis Presley Blvd From His 7th Album, Hood Billionaire (Audio & Video)

UPDATE: Rick Ross has released the video for Elvis Presley Blvd, included below. Announcing the title of his seventh studio album, Hood Billionaire, Rick Ross offered his first single "Elvis Presley BLVD." The song as a double-entendre, seemingly recalling Rawsss' days of hustling in Memphis, Tennessee, with lots of metaphors... Read more

September 15, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Video

Running In From Left Field…Big K.R.I.T Remixes alt-J & It’s Great (Audio)

Big K.R.I.T's crates run deep, and current. The Mississippi producer/MC who sampled Adele on "Hometown Hero" now looks to take a spin with alt-J's hit "Every Other Freckle." The remix, which is official by the way, finds Krizzle getting especially sexual on the record about physical infatuation. With platinum singles... Read more

September 15, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Talib Kweli & M1 Compare America’s Ghettos To The Gaza Strip (Video)

In one of Hip-Hop's most candid commentaries about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, Talib Kweli and dead prez' M1 go in on the track "Checkpoints: Ghetto To Gaza" produced and led by Canadians, K-Salaam & Beatnik. M1 and Kwe' (both veterans of Hip-Hop For Respect) compare the military state... Read more

September 15, 2014 Fresh, Video

Brother Ali’s Second Home Is The Road, Alongside Bambu & MaLLy (Audio)

If anybody can truly make songs about the road, it's a Rhymesayer. From Slug, to Murs, to Brother Ali, the collective of artists who work with the Minneapolis-based label know that playing to the fans is paramount. In sync with his new Home Away From Home Tour, Brother Ali links... Read more

September 15, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Run The Jewels Teams With Police Academy’s Michael Winslow For Some AMAZING Bully-Rap (Audio)

Run The Jewels constantly lives up to their name the way that Killer Mike and El-P can steal the show. Kicking off the week with "Oh My Darling Don't Cry," Heads get a greater glimpse of just what kind of delightful audio brutality RTJ2 holds. The song features hard-nosed, blitzkrieg... Read more

September 15, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Jay Z & Beyonce’s Latest On The Run Trailer Takes A Page From McQueen & MacGraw (Video)

Following their fast-paced heist film-inspired trailer in May, Beyonce & Jay Z's "On The Run" HBO special gets a second trailer, pulling from other types of film. Deliberately off-beat, the first 45 seconds seem to draw from the early days of Hollywood, somewhere alluding to original pin-up starlets like Mae... Read more

September 15, 2014 Fresh, Video

The Notorious B.I.G’s Ready To Die 20 Years Later, The Best Of All Worlds (Food For Thought)

Twenty years ago today (September 13, 1994), The Notorious B.I.G and Bad Boy Records released Ready To Die, one (and many argue the best) of the two handfuls of incredible debut albums introduced in 1994. A long hot summer after Nas' Illmatic, with Wu-Tang Clan's Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)... Read more

September 13, 2014 Featured-homepage, Food for Thought, Fresh, Throwback

West Coast Pioneer Chris “The Glove” Taylor Offers Up An Electro Mix (Audio)

If Heads aren't up on Chris "The Glove" Taylor, they need to be. This West Coast Hip-Hop pioneer notably produced Ice-T's breakout record "Reckless," as a product of famed party/radio/DJ institution Uncle Jamm's Army. In the days since the early '80s, The Glove has produced joints for Xzibit and Saafir,... Read more

September 12, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Throwback

Big Sean Sprinkles Fans With 4 New Songs, With Involvement From E-40, Kanye West & DJ Mustard (Audio)

Big Sean isn't playin'. Less than 24 hours after announcing his rockin' with Roc Nation, the Detroit, Michigan MC hits Heads with four new songs. Here's the breakdown: "Paradise" Produced by Mike WiLL Made It, this Bounce-themed joint finds Sean reaching into his bag of verbal tricks, and coming out... Read more

September 12, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Love Blu? You’ll Like Choosey & Exile A Lot, Especially Fly Me To The Moon (Video)

As AFH pointed out in discussing Dag Savage, Exile is exceptional at developing introspective artists into fan favorites. With successes with Blu, Fashawn, Aloe Blacc, and now Johaz, the Echo Park-based DJ/producer turns his focus to Choosey, who appeared on E&J. "Fly Me To The Moon" takes the vocal Jazz... Read more

September 12, 2014 Fresh, Video

Big Sean Joins The Roc Nation Family

Wale might be out, but one of his star contemporaries of the 2010s is in. News broke last night (September 11) that Detroit, Michigan MC Big Sean has joined Roc Nation management. Sean, like Roc Nation flagship artist Rihanna, is signed to Def Jam Records, but Sean is inked through... Read more

September 12, 2014 Fresh

Remy Ma Says All She Does Is Spazz Out, On A ‘Hot’ Freestyle (Audio)

Since her days rollin' with Billy Danze and Lil Fame, Remy Ma has a reputation for putting some of the hardest beats in a choke-hold. So wouldn't one of the biggest present-day stars of the Bronx hop on Bobby Schmurda's "Hot Nigga"? Exactly. Remy really lets her hair down on... Read more

September 11, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Dilated Peoples’ DJ Babu Gets Blue-Eyed Soulful In Rhythm Roulette (Video)

With an album on the charts recently (very close to Dilated Peoples' all-time highest positioning at that, with Directors Of Photography), DJ Babu is next up to play Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette. The Los Angeles, California-based turntablist/producer, who is also a Beat Junkies member grabs records ranging from The Association... Read more

September 11, 2014 Fresh, Video

Do Remember: Original Flavor & JAY-Z’s Can I Get Open? (Video)

In the story of Roc-A-Fella Records, there is often an under-played element in the story: Ski Beatz. A Greensboro, North Carolina native, Ski (as he was known for more than a decade) hailed from the group Original Flavor. Previously, he was in The Bizzie Boys. Joined by Suave Lover, the... Read more

September 11, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

Try On Joell Ortiz’ House Slippers (Album Stream)

A lot of anticipation surrounds Joell Ortiz' third solo album, House Slippers. On the revamped Penalty Records, the Brooklyn MC teamed with !llmind (Skyzoo, Boot Camp Clik, G.O.O.D Music) and Heatmakerz (Jim Jones, The Diplomats, AZ) for this LP. With the three-year hiatus between albums, the Slaughterhouse MC changed his... Read more

September 11, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Raekwon Has Faith In The Way You Used To Love Me (Audio)

Raekwon slides into the early '90s for this week's #TBT (his 13th overall) with Faith Evans' breakthrough 1995 single, "You Used To Love Me." Rae sounds slick on the Puff Daddy & Chucky Thompson-produced gold single, with a cocky verse about livin' good, and spoilin' the apple of his eyes.... Read more

September 11, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Wu-Tang Clan Heads & Film Buffs Know This Lyric Compilation Ain’t Nothing Ta F’ Wit (Video)

Wu-Tang Clan is currently gearing up for A Better Tomorrow. Well, this compilation of film dialogue certainly makes for a better today. Released a while back, this amazing cut-and-paste video recreates the exact lyrics to 1993's "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothing Ta F' Wit." What's as impressive is that the editor... Read more

September 11, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

The Family Is In Tact, As Lil’ Kim & Jadakiss Are Sick With It (Audio)

Seventeen years after they were integral members of Puff Daddy & The Family, Lil' Kim and Jadakiss still have that bond on "Real Sick." Interestingly, The Notorious K.I.M is out to capture some of that Junior M.A.F.I.A-era mojo on tonight's latest mixtape, Hard Core. Kim is telling the Heads that... Read more

September 11, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Saigon & Kool G Rap Reunite, With Memphis Bleek & Lil Bibby (Audio)

A decade after "The Letter P," Saigon and Kool G Rap are back to their hard-hittin' double-dopeness on "Mechanical Animals (4 Generations)." Speaking to the subtitle, also on the cut is Memphis Bleek, and a surprising fourth (to some, anyway) in XXL freshman Lil Bibby. The song plays as its... Read more

September 11, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Yo Gotti & Bobby “Blue” Bland Evocatively Cover A Bill Withers Classic (Video)

Bill Withers' famed "Ain't No Sunshine" has been the basis, vocally and musically, for hits by DMX, 2Pac, and Kid Frost, among others. One of Bill's contemporaries, Bobby "Blue" Bland (of "Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" and Gorillaz fame) took on the 1971 Sussex Records tune.... Read more

September 10, 2014 Fresh, Video

Kendrick Lamar Employs a Poet’s Care On Chris Brown’s Autumn Leaves (Audio)

With snippets only surfacing in the past, Chris Brown's X album (September 16) collaboration with Kendrick Lamar surfaces in full. "Autumn Leaves" is just in time for the seasonal shift, as well as welcomed new music from two of the finest at their craft, living under the Los Angeles skyline.... Read more

September 10, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Rick Rubin & Russell Simmons Remember The Beastie Boys’ Beginnings (Video)

In the second (of four) installment of the 30th anniversary Def Jam Records vignettes, Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin sit down to remember Adam "MCA" Yauch. Interestingly enough, in recalling the pre-Licensed To Ill days of the New York City trio, Rick Rubin served as the Beasties' DJ, before DJ... Read more

September 10, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

DJ Clark Kent Remembers Junior M.A.F.I.A’s Player’s Anthem With A Funny LL Cool J Story (Video)

DJ Clark Kent is one of Hip-Hop's most consistent veterans. A DJ, a record executive, a producer, and a sneaker-head, Clark's hands (and more importantly, his ears) have shaped the careers of many, ranging from Jay Z and Rakim, to Saafir and Canibus. Sitting down with Hip-Hop Wire's Alvin Blanco,... Read more

September 10, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

Nas Hops On ScHoolboy Q’s Studio & Gives Fans The Latest News (Audio)

The members of Black Hippy look up to Nas something fierce. All four members of the California collective have said as much over the last five years. With this in mind, Nasir pops onto the official "G Mix," or official Top Dawg Enterainment remix of ScHoolboy Q's "Studio," which also... Read more

September 10, 2014 Audio, Fresh

M.O.P’s Billy Danze Recalls To The Death, How About Some Hardcore 20 Years Later

This year, M.O.P's debut album, To The Death, turns an astounding 20 years old. Released by Select Records on April 5, 1994, the LP was nearly entirely produced by fellow Brownsville, Brooklyn native D/R Period, who in addition to work with Smoothe Da Hustler, The Diplomats, and Shyheim Da Rugged... Read more

September 10, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

MC Serch Is Selling His 25-Year Sneaker Collection…For The Price Of A Porsche

So many Hip-Hop stars of yesteryear were freshly dressed. MC Serch is no exception, as the 3rd Bass MC/producer had that "Brooklyn-Queens" style from the fade, to the baseball jerseys, of course, to the kicks. That last part as it were, Serch's sneaker collection is now up for sale by... Read more

September 10, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

BJ The Chicago Kid Nods To James Brown In Real Love Never Dies (Video)

BJ The Chicago Kid pays homage to James Brown's famous drug outcry, "King Heroin." With the same instrumental and mood, "Real Love Never Dies" plays to another type of addiction, with the Motown Records star in the studio, pouring his heart out on the track. Is BJ's depth and range... Read more

September 10, 2014 Fresh, Video

Joell Ortiz Shows His Childhood Alongside B.o.B In Music Saved My Life (Video)

Joell Ortiz' House Slippers look are in full fashion. For "Music Saved My Life," Ortiz and B.o.B rap from the present day, with massive joy on their faces. Inner-twined in the video, Heads can see dramatic flashbacks to a chubby juvenile Joell, and the pain and hardship that prompts his... Read more

September 10, 2014 Fresh, Video