AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Archives

Birdman Makes Sincere Public Apology To Lil Wayne

Last night (August 25) in New Orleans, the 4th Annual Lil' Weezyana Fest took place. Since its inception, Lil Wayne has used the festival to celebrate not only his solo catalog but also those of his all-star friends and local celebrities. The event has developed a reputation for being a... Read more

Lupe Fiasco Will Give Up All Senselessly Violent Music, TV, Film & Other Content In 2019

Lupe Fiasco is ready to sacrifice the consumption of music, television, film and more to an admirable degree. The Chicago MC is resolving to take a proactive role in expunging as much violent content from his diet, a seemingly impossible task in today's gratuitous climate. Taking to social media to... Read more

20 Years Later, The Value Of Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation Is Not Lost (Audio)

On her 1998 song "Lost Ones," Lauryn Hill waxes cautionary: "You might win some but you just lost one," she spits. It's felicitous phrasing for the venerated MC, whose five-time Grammy Award-winning debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill turns 20 this week. Drawing its title from the 1930s Carter G. Woodson book... Read more

Bun B Returns For His 1st Album In 5 Years With Big K.R.I.T. & T.I. (Audio)

In 2017, Bun B was hard at work on Bernard, his fifth solo album and the first since 2013's Trill OG: The Epilogue. That album never materialized, but the 25-year-veteran and one of the undisputed underground kings is indeed back with a new LP, though with a different title. On August 31,... Read more

Nicki Minaj Updates Biggie’s “Dreams” With Her Fantasies About Today’s Artists (Audio)

The Notorious B.I.G. made an audacious move with 1993's "Just Playing (Dreams)," a promotional single in which he lasciviously name-dropped female artists. Contemporaries like SWV and TLC got attention, as did treasured icons Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan. It was raunchy, pompous and potentially risky for an MC whose debut... Read more

Prodigy Discusses Living A Lifetime Filled With Excruciating Pain (Video)

June marked the first anniversary of Prodigy's passing. His death blindsided the Hip-Hop community, despite his frequent, frank discussions about living with sickle-cell anemia. He even used his 2000 debut solo album, H.N.I.C, as an opportunity to share his struggles with the illness on "You Can Never Feel My Pain." Though... Read more

The NFL Won’t Even Let Colin Kaepernick Play In A Video Game

Madden NFL 19 won't be released until August 10 but is already making headlines. Advance copies of the forthcoming EA Sports NFL game were released to criticism relating to its soundtrack (or, rather, something missing from the soundtrack). The game has developed a reputation for pairing its technology with music... Read more

Page Kennedy, Elzhi & Nick Grant Hold A Master Class In Storytelling (Audio)

In 2017, Detroit's Page Kennedy released Torn Pages. Featuring Royce 5’9, KXNG Crooked, Elzhi, Mr. Porter, Kuniva, Marsha Ambrosious and others, it was an intimate breakthrough from an MC who openly tackled heavy topics like police violence, sex addiction and more. Since then, his independent releases have been robust and sometimes explosive.... Read more

Chris Orrick Finally Unmasks And Faces The Music (Video)

Hailing from the blue-collar pastures of Michigan, Chris Orrick is an MC whose latest album, Portraits, makes a strong case for the value of intense reflection. In January, he announced he was retiring his former moniker (Red Pill) to opt for his given name, after learning of the existence of a... Read more

Too Short Explains How Tupac Almost Kept Pimp C From Working With JAY-Z (Video)

With 2000's guest spot on JAY-Z's Top 20 hit "Big Pimpin'," UGK scored their most visible collaboration to date. Produced by Timbaland, it appeared on Jigga's triple-platinum Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter and is easily one of the rapper's biggest commercial successes. At the time, Underground Kingz Bun B... Read more

Cypress Hill Will Be Rap Superstars On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame

As the first Latino Hip-Hop group to sell a platinum record, Cypress Hill reigns supreme as a record-breaking, history-setting Rap group already. The Los Angeles crew was nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Group or Duo at the Grammys in three consecutive years, beginning in 1994 for "Insane in the... Read more

Jay Rock & J. Cole Are A Deadly Combination Lyrically And In Their New Video

With June 15's Redemption, Jay Rock released his first album since suffering a nearly fatal dirt-bike accident in 2016. The album's title and much of its content deal with themes of triumph over adversity, including singles "King's Dead," "WIN" and "The Bloodiest." With his J. Cole collabo, "OSOM (Out Of Sight,... Read more

Chadwick Boseman Celebrates A Real Life Super Hero With His MTV Movie Award (Video)

Chadwick Boseman has become a real-life superhero to millions of people around the world, thanks to his role as the fictional superhero Black Panther. In that role, he represented ideals of pride, virtue, strength and triumph over adversity. The monumental success of Black Panther at box offices worldwide only amplified what... Read more

There’s A New Super Power In Hip-Hop & R&B And Her Name Is Tierra Whack (Video)

Tierra Whack has taken the traditional mode of the "concept album" to a different (and sometimes bizarre) place. The Philadelphia native began her career as a teenaged Dizzle Dizz, but even a name change has done little to sway the visionary from creating her brand of whack-o, thought-provoking and unorthodox... Read more

Kooley High Keep Ascending & Will Never Come Down (Video Premiere)

From the hills of Raleigh, North Carolina, Kooley High have ascended with Never Come Down, a 14-track album with features from fellow Tar Heels Rapsody and Carlitta Durand and 9th Wonder as executive producer. The quintet made up of MCs Charlie Smarts and Tab-One; producers Foolery and The Sinopsis; and DJ... Read more

Do Remember When Pete Rock & Black Thought Breathed New Life Into Black Star (Audio)

In September, Hip-Hop will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, the album which launched Talib Kweli's solo career and spawned one of the most beloved unions in Rap music. Two decades later, the Rawkus Records masterpiece will be the star of a handful of... Read more

Bas Uses His Near-Death Experiences To Come Back To Life (Video)

Dreamville's Bas is an artist whose visual content is given as much attention as the words he spits in the booth. Seventy-five percent of 2016's Too High to Riot was given visual treatments, with nine out of twelve tracks turned into inventive and arresting mini-films. In the past, the Paris-born MC has... Read more

Daniel Caesar Has The Makings Of A Great Modern-Day Soul Singer. Just Watch (Video)

Daniel Caesar's Freudian has made him one of contemporary Soul's biggest names. Since releasing the album in August 2017, the Toronto singer-songwriter became a Grammy-nominated musician thanks to the success of singles like "Get You," featuring the inimitable Kali Uchis, and "We Find Love." At just 23, he's found tremendous success (he's got... Read more

Top Dawg & Kendrick Lamar Challenged Spotify’s Censorship & Won

Last week, reports began to surface that major names in the music industry were taking Spotify to task for its "hateful conduct policy," which many viewed as a form of censorship. When it was first announced in early May, the policy was unveiled in conjunction with the news that the... Read more

Black Thought Is Releasing Two More Projects And They Are Coming Soon (Audio)

Earlier today (June 1), Black Thought released his first solo project in the form of Streams of Thought, vol. 1, a five-song E.P. featuring production from 9th Wonder and The Soul Council. With it, the longtime MC and founding member of the legendary Roots crew has given fervent Heads a taste... Read more

Cavalier Blends A DOOM Flow With Ghosts Of New Orleans (Video)

Though raised in Brooklyn, rapper Cavalier now calls New Orleans home. In 2014, he released CHIEF, which included a Raekwon-assisted single. On his third album, Private Stock, the Big Apple and the Big Easy bridge together in ways both evident and subdued. The album's production was handled primarily by Iman Omari, the person... Read more

25 Years Ago, The Roots Showed They Had Skills Even Before Questlove Had His Fro (Video)

On May 19, 1993, The Roots self-pressed and released Organix. Before the Grammys, The Tonight Show and international super-stardom, the Philadelphia crew frequently went by "The Square Roots" and its drummer spelled his name with a "?," and sometimes he even rapped. Back then, Malik B., Leonard Hubbard, Josh "Rubberband" Abrams, Kid... Read more

Rakim Will Appear In Luke Cage And Perform An Original Song

On June 22, season two of Marvel's Luke Cage series will premiere on Netflix. The record-breaking show, which helped the network's stock soar (and its servers to crash) when it debuted in 2016, was created by Cheo Hodari Coker and implemented Hip-Hop in inventive ways. Season one's episodes were named after Gang Starr... Read more

Rapsody’s Album Continues To Pay Up Soulful Dividends (Video)

A week before the release of her Grammy-nominated album Laila's Wisdom, Rapsody dropped a conceptual single in which she examines the relationship between money and love. "Pay Up" featured her clever wordplay and served as the first offering from the LP without any featured guests. In fact, Rapsody in many ways starred as the... Read more

Curtis Roach Spills His Anxiety On The Table & Lets It Flow (Video)

Curtis Roach is a 19-year-old Detroiter whose talents are on full display with "Anxietea." The song tackles our perennial pursuit of belonging and approval within the context of social anxiety, a trend exacerbated today by things like social media and viral culture. Time recently reported a 47% increase in rates of... Read more

Spotify Has Made A Loud Statement By Muting R. Kelly, But It’s A Dangerous Precedent.

R. Kelly is today embroiled in what may prove to be the breaking point in the years-long backlash against him amidst allegations of sexual abuse, harassment, statutory rape and more. Though he's faced legal battles for decades—he was found guilty of battery in 1996, for starters—the award-winning, multi-platinum selling singer... Read more

Cool Company Makes A Jam For Those Who Just Don’t Give A Funk (Video)

Together, vocalist Cool Yan and multi-instrumentalist-producer Fat Matt make up Cool Company, a New Jersey outfit creating "Future R&B." In 2013, the duo arrived with a self-titled album followed by 2016's Slice of Paradise and have since served up a pasticcio of Funk, Hip-Hop, Pop and Soul through a bevy of grooves and... Read more

Questlove Is A Creative Genius. He Shares His Secrets On How To Become One Too (Audio)

In his fourth book, Questlove takes a deep dive into his memories and experiences - a vast trove of material, considering the illustrious career he's had thus far. Already a published author, Ahmir Tompson spent decades performing as co-founder of The Roots, Grammy-winning musician and performer and late-night-TV bandleader (not... Read more

Bas Is More Proof That J. Cole Has Assembled One Of The Best Rosters In Hip-Hop (Audio)

With 2016's Too High to Riot, Bas released a gem of an album that was as much of a visual triumph as it was sonic. He released music videos for nine of the LP's 12 tracks and produced documentaries following his expansive world tours in support of the album. The Dreamville... Read more

A$AP Rocky Collides With Moby On His Boldest Collab Yet (Video)

On his 2015 LP At.Long.Last.A$AP, A$AP Rocky collaborated with an unlikely but universally revered artist, Rod Stewart. As the album's second single, "Everyday" aligned the Harlem, New York rapper with a sector of music fans not always connected to the slick, streetwise Uptown Rap crowd. But it wasn't a surprise to... Read more

BET’s Executive Producer Explains What To Expect With The Bobby Brown Story (Video)

Jesse Collins is a television-industry veteran whose eponymous production company is responsible for several acclaimed BET programs including the network's Hip Hop Awards. He also features prominently in the production credits for the network's juggernaut 2017 biopic miniseries The New Edition Story, the historic nature of which led to his being named... Read more

Royce & J. Cole Prove Hip-Hop Has Never Been Better On Their 1st Collabo (Audio)

Royce 5'9 shares the first single from the upcoming album he is proclaiming to be his "greatest piece of work." In a career filled with memorable and celebrated releases, those words begin validation with the unveiling of "Boblo Boat," featuring J. Cole. Arriving just one week after PRhyme 2, this... Read more

Chance Explains How He & Kevin Hart Tackled Racism Differently On “SNL” (Audio)

Last November, Chance The Rapper used his time as host of Saturday Night Live to pen a couple of comedy sketches, including "Wayne Thanksgiving." In it, Chance and SNL cast members Leslie Jones, Keenan Thompson and Chris Redd play concerned members of the community upset with "Bruce Wayne" for being a bit too... Read more

Early In His Career, Drake Rhymed With Phonte & Elzhi And It Was All Good (Audio)

In 2007, three years before releasing his studio debut Thank Me Later, Drake was still a relatively new rapper with only one mixtape under his belt. That year he dropped his sophomore tape, Comeback Season, an under-appreciated offering from a future global superstar during his budding career. With guest spots from Dwele,... Read more

9th Wonder Speaks On Why Bruno Mars’ Critics Are Fakin’ The Funk

Last month, while accepting his Grammy for "Album Of The Year" for 24K Magic, Bruno Mars made it a point to address the other nominees by name. He shouted out "Kung-Fu Kenny, JAY-Z and Gambino," saying to them "You guys are the reason I'm in the studio pulling my hair out...thank... Read more

Martin Shkreli Sentenced To 7 Years In Prison For Fraud

Martin Shkreli earned himself no favors in the Hip-Hop community when he came into possession of the Wu-Tang Clan's Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, an LP of which there is reportedly only one copy in existence. The former hedge-fund manager and pharmaceutical business investor (coined "Pharma Bro") first made waves when... Read more

Phonte’s Second Solo LP Is Finally Here & It’s All Good News

Nearly seven years after the release of Phonte's last solo LP, Charity Starts at Home, Hip-Hop fans can rejoice: New Tigallo! New Tigallo! New Tigallo! Earlier today (March 1), the rapper and singer alerted Heads to what is actually great news. No News Is Good News, the much anticipated solo... Read more

Mysonne Channels Killmonger Following Arrest At Immigration Rally

In the months since his stirring appearance on the BET Hip Hop Awards cypher, rapper Mysonne has continued to garner tremendous support for his steadfast dedication to the cause. He's voiced his support for civil rights of all kinds, frequently speaking out against injustices in housing, prisons, education, politics and... Read more

Nick Grant Shows He’s Got That Thing Like Lauryn Hill (Audio)

In 2016, Nick Grant flipped a neo-soul classic in Erykah Badu's "Window Seat." It was a bold move for an emergent MC who's made a name for himself boasting of his lyricism and Hip-Hop sensibilities. Since then, he's tackled records from Raekwon and Biggie, taking it back even further with... Read more

OutKast Has Forgotten Songs On Soundtracks That Are Better Than Most MCs’ Catalogs (Audio)

"Imagine being able to control your own destiny. Shape your own future. And then, one mistake take all that away. The reality of it is, you do control your own destiny and future, and one mistake will take all that away. Think about it." - Big Rube, "Benz or Beamer." In... Read more

Big Daddy Kane Rips A Freestyle At His Tiny Desk Concert (Video)

This June will mark 30 years since the release of Big Daddy Kane's solo debut album, Long Live the Kane. It's an apt title for an MC whose entire solo career is based on a discography that paused with 1998's Veteranz Day but who has never faded from prominence. Despite his not... Read more

Kendrick Lamar & SZA Show The Gorgeousness Of Wakanda In Their New Video

Hip-Hop is poised to win big at the box office when Black Panther hits theaters later this month, replete with a soundtrack boasting features from most of TDE's roster, Vince Staples, Anderson .Paak and more. On Friday, February 9, the official soundtrack drops, and with it an executive producer credit... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Reveals Tracklist & Release Date For “Black Panther” Soundtrack

On January 29, Marvel Studios hosted an early premiere of Black Panther ahead of its February 16 United States release. One of the most anticipated films of 2018, the superhero flick is bound to be a blockbuster success, thanks in no small part to its cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B.... Read more

How Dave Chappelle Became The Biggest Winner Of The Grammys

The 60th Grammy Awards featured the inclusion of the "Best Comedy Album" award in its telecast, the first such occurrence in the Recording Academy's history. The award went to Dave Chappelle, an icon whose return to comedy after a controversial hiatus has been nothing short of extraordinary. But Chappelle's commanding... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Wins The Grammy For Best Rap Album

Kendrick Lamar was a big winner at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards this evening (January 28). Before the main event was even televised, the DAMN. rapper was already the winner of three awards, with "HUMBLE." nabbing the gold for Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance and Best Music Video. The... Read more

Rapsody Explains How Erykah Badu’s “Mama’s Gun” Inspired “Laila’s Wisdom” (Video)

On Sunday, January 28, Rapsody will attend the 60th Annual Grammy Awards as a nominee. Having won trophies for past feature contributions (Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly), the Roc Nation/Jamla MC is up for Best Rap Album for Laila's Wisdom, the only woman in a category which also nominates... Read more

Cam O’bi Produced For Chance, SZA & Kendrick & Now He’s Flying Solo (Audio)

Chicago has never lost its position as one of the country's biggest exporters of Hip-Hop talent, but its influence isn't limited to global superstars like Common, Kanye West and Chance The Rapper. In the last few years, Chi-town artists like Mick Jenkins, Noname, Jamila Woods, Saba, theMIND, Fredo Santana and... Read more

Joey Bada$$ Says His Rhymes Leave MFs Doomed…(Audio)

Joey Bada$$ is taking no days off thus far in 2018. Earlier this month, he earned his first platinum certification, for All-AmeriKKKan Bada$$' "Devastated." Yesterday (January 18), the Brooklyn rapper's bold Prince cover made waves and now, on the eve of his birthday, he's shared new single. "King to a God"... Read more

Mickey Factz & Royce 5’9 Serve Lyrics That Make Other MCs Say Their Prayers (Audio Premiere)

In 2016, Mickey Factz dropped The Achievement: circa '82, a collaborative album produced entirely by Nottz and featuring Styles P, Phonte, Blu, Smoke DZA and more. "The Sermon" didn't make it to the  Soulspazm/W.A.R.Media project's final track listing, but the Bronx-bred rapper is releasing a deluxe edition of the album... Read more

Black Milk Has A New Album Coming. The New Single Is No Joke (Video)

UPDATE: Black Milk has released the video to "Laugh Now, Cry Later." The visual plays on the social media concept of the song. The producer/MC also makes an appearance in the video he directed: JANUARY 17 STORY: In 2014, Detroit's Black Milk released If There's A Hell Below, arguably his... Read more