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Ice Cube, The D.O.C. & Cold 187um Make A Ruthless 2016 Collabo (Audio)

Ice Cube, The D.O.C. & Cold 187um Make A Ruthless 2016 Collabo (Audio)

In 1989, Ruthless Records boasted one of the finest rosters in Rap music history. With N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton in heavy rotation (with a massive tour behind it), Eazy-E's independent label was fast expanding to include The D.O.C., Above The Law, and J.J. Fad. By 1990, everything had changed. Ice... Read more
October 6, 2016 Audio
La Coka Nostra Declare War With Ski Masks & Hard Rhymes (Video)

La Coka Nostra Declare War With Ski Masks & Hard Rhymes (Video)

La Coka Nostra is readying their third album, To Thine Own Self Be True (November 4). The super-group collective of Slaine, Ill Bill, Danny Boy, and DJ Lethal charge in with "Waging War." The independent Rap mainstays keep a low profile and let their artistry shine. That's true in the... Read more
October 4, 2016 Video
Skyzoo & Joell Ortiz Look At Some Of The Costs Of A Couple Of Dollars (Video)

Skyzoo & Joell Ortiz Look At Some Of The Costs Of A Couple Of Dollars (Video)

Tomorrow (September 30), Apollo Brown and Skyzoo will release their first collaborative album, The Easy Truth. As the Detroit, Michigan producer explained to Ambrosia For Heads this week, the easy truth is what we are all fed, left for us to decipher whether it is truly real or false. One... Read more
September 29, 2016 Food for Thought, Video
Rahzel Provides Jewels On The History & Evolution Of Beatboxing (Video)

Rahzel Provides Jewels On The History & Evolution Of Beatboxing (Video)

Rahzel The Godfather of Noyze has become one of the household names for beatboxing. The New Yorker and onetime member of The Roots has worked with a range of artists including Erykah Badu, Ben Harper, Common, Rakim, Everlast, and Sean Paul, among many others. With more than 20 years of... Read more
September 26, 2016 Video
Big Daddy Kane Releases His Best Verse In A Decade. He Still Kills At Will (Video)

Big Daddy Kane Releases His Best Verse In A Decade. He Still Kills At Will (Video)

In February of this year, Joell Ortiz and producer Domingo released the song, "Kill At Will." The standout track, with its Big Daddy Kane "Set It Off" cut-in at the chorus, is included on the That's Hip Hop album. The single showcased a hungry, fresh-faced MC Token, who had previously... Read more
September 26, 2016 Video
Mobb Deep’s Prodigy Announces October Book Tour Dates

Mobb Deep’s Prodigy Announces October Book Tour Dates

In promotion of his upcoming book, Mobb Deep's Prodigy is embarking on a book tour through the month of October. The Queens, New York veteran MC and author will be hitting major cities and several universities as he prepares to publish Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook. The text, which... Read more
September 25, 2016 Fresh
DJ Quik Speaks Up For The Black Community In Troubled Times (Audio)

DJ Quik Speaks Up For The Black Community In Troubled Times (Audio)

DJ Quik and Problem excited Rap fans earlier this year with April's generation-bridging Rosecrans EP. A Compton, California affair to the fullest, Quik's production and rhyming called back to some of his 1990s brilliance. In his career, Quik often upholds the convention of releasing music through albums, not just a... Read more
September 24, 2016 Audio
Token Looks To Leave A Permanent Mark On The Rap Pages With His Eraser Shavings (Audio)

Token Looks To Leave A Permanent Mark On The Rap Pages With His Eraser Shavings (Audio)

For more than half of his life, Token has been building his skills as an MC. The Massachusetts product crosses a critical benchmark in his career with the release of Eraser Shavings. Token's first full-length project of his career boasts 17 tracks, including production by veterans including Nottz, Clinton Sparks,... Read more
September 23, 2016 Audio
Dante Ross Wanted To Make O.D.B. & Method Man “The Next Run-D.M.C.”

Dante Ross Wanted To Make O.D.B. & Method Man “The Next Run-D.M.C.”

In the canon of Hip-Hop music, Dante Ross may be what we now know as "the plug." From De La Soul to Missy Elliott, MF DOOM to Digital Underground, Lil Dicky to Brand Nubian, Dante has discovered some of Hip-Hop's most respected artists. Beyond simply the exploration, Ross has thrived... Read more
September 23, 2016 Fresh
Joe Budden’s By Law Gives Other MC’s The Right To Remain Silent (Video)

Joe Budden’s By Law Gives Other MC’s The Right To Remain Silent (Video)

Joe Budden has said that he wants the rhymes (and beats) to be front-and-center on his Rage & The Machine album (October 21). So for the video to sophomore single "By Law," it is all about simple-yet-effective. The visuals match the energy of the music and, in a sense, the... Read more
September 22, 2016 Video
The Force M.D.’s Tell Their Story In One Of Trisco’s Last Interviews (Video)

The Force M.D.’s Tell Their Story In One Of Trisco’s Last Interviews (Video)

Last week, Force M.D.'s member Trisco Pearson passed away (September 16) after a public battle with cancer. The veteran singer was an integral part of a Staten Island, New York collective that pioneered the Hip-Hop and R&B hybrid in its melodic harmonizing, beat-boxing, and rapping. That group has an interesting... Read more
September 20, 2016 Video
M.O.P.’s Billy Danze Takes His Message From Brownsville To The White House (Video)

M.O.P.’s Billy Danze Takes His Message From Brownsville To The White House (Video)

After more than 20 years of M.O.P., Billy Danze has made the strongest solo statement of his career. "6 O'Clock Briefing" is a directional shift for the co-founder of Mash Out Possé, and First Family member. Known for speaking bluntly to the streets, the Brooklyn, New Yorker wants a meeting... Read more
September 20, 2016 Video
Token May Be A Student But He’s Schooling MCs With His Skills (Audio)

Token May Be A Student But He’s Schooling MCs With His Skills (Audio)

In less than one year, Token has transformed from an emerging freestyle performance sensation to a fully decorated MC on a mission. Transitioning from viral videos to recorded music based around his life and times, the Massachusetts microphone mercenary gears up for Eraser Shavings. Today, it was revealed that Token's... Read more
September 19, 2016 Audio
After Years Of Staying True To Himself, Skyzoo Remains Realer Than Most (Video)

After Years Of Staying True To Himself, Skyzoo Remains Realer Than Most (Video)

Skyzoo is an MC whose music basks in reality. The Brooklyn, New Yorker may flirt with well-executed concepts (such as being Jay Z's enemy's son in a "Friend Or Foe" update) or paying deep respects to Spike Lee, but at his core, S-K-Y raps about his life uncompromisingly. This week,... Read more
September 17, 2016 Video
KRS-One & R.A. The Rugged Man Trade Verses On A Beat That’s Ready For Primetime. (Audio)

KRS-One & R.A. The Rugged Man Trade Verses On A Beat That’s Ready For Primetime. (Audio)

UPDATE (12/21): Predator Prime has released the music video to "Primetime," posted below: Hip-Hop can often be a family business. Dr. Dre and Warren G are half-brothers. ONYX's Sticky Fingaz and Fredro Starr are cousins. Peter Gunz and Cory Gunz are father and son. Across the landscape of the Rap... Read more
September 15, 2016 Audio
Joe Budden Discusses His Next Album & Reveals The Cover And Release Date

Joe Budden Discusses His Next Album & Reveals The Cover And Release Date

One of the biggest figures in 2016 Hip-Hop is Joe Budden. The Slaughterhouse veteran set the Rap world ablaze entering summer when he launched a series of lyrical missiles aimed at onetime acquaintance Drake. That conflict stemmed from the multi-faceted brand that the Jersey City, New Jersey MC has become.... Read more
September 13, 2016 Fresh, News, Video
Why Tupac Is The Most Influential MC Of All-Time 20 Years After His Death

Why Tupac Is The Most Influential MC Of All-Time 20 Years After His Death

Twenty years ago (September 13, 1996) Tupac Amaru Shakur died in the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. The last year of his life had been his most successful, his most active, and certainly bid to be his most controversial. Shakur, who was born in New York, became a young... Read more
September 13, 2016 Food for Thought
Bell Biv Devoe Make A Run With Their First New Song In 15 Years (Video)

Bell Biv Devoe Make A Run With Their First New Song In 15 Years (Video)

It has been 15 years since Bell Biv DeVoe released an official single. That has changed today (September 12), in the form of "Run." The song and the corresponding video prove to be worth the wait. Ricky, Mike, and Ronnie own their legacy and their era—complete with a Run-D.M.C. stylized... Read more
September 12, 2016 Video
Ed Gordon Recalls Building Closeness With Tupac After Questioning His “Thug” Life (Video)

Ed Gordon Recalls Building Closeness With Tupac After Questioning His “Thug” Life (Video)

Tomorrow (September 13), veteran broadcast journalist Ed Gordon will launch his new, self-titled series for Bounce TV. Throughout the last 30 years, the Detroit, Michigan native has been a pillar of news and information, as a longtime host and correspondent on BET, plus contributor to "60 Minutes," "Today," and other... Read more
September 12, 2016 Video
15 Years Later, J-Live Reflects On His Gripping 9/11 Commentary On “Satisfied”

15 Years Later, J-Live Reflects On His Gripping 9/11 Commentary On “Satisfied”

Today marks the 15th anniversary of September 11, 2001. Within hours 2,996 people lost their lives that tragic day, as a result of four plane hijackings and subsequent crashes in New York, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia. For all who lived through it, the events and their impact continue... Read more
September 11, 2016 Throwback, Throwback
Tech N9ne Puts Himself In The Shoes Of Those Victimized By Law Enforcement (Audio)

Tech N9ne Puts Himself In The Shoes Of Those Victimized By Law Enforcement (Audio)

When speaking with Ambrosia For Heads last year, Kansas City, Missouri MC Tech N0ne alluded to his upcoming album, The Storm. This is what he said last November: "My next LP [is] called The Storm. I’m gonna show [folks] that I ain’t even slowin’ down. I’m gonna show [them]—and everybody... Read more
September 9, 2016 Audio
REKS Mourns The Good Things Gone On A Standout Large Professor Beat (Audio)

REKS Mourns The Good Things Gone On A Standout Large Professor Beat (Audio)

Double albums are never out of style. Today (September 9), REKS releases his tenth LP, The Greatest X. The New England MC is a 15-year veteran, who enjoyed a strong surge in his career eight summers ago with Grey Hairs. On that album, the Statik Selektah/ShowOff affiliate got critical cosigns... Read more
September 9, 2016 Audio
Masta Ace Traces His Roots In The Most Autobiographical Song Of His Career (Video)

Masta Ace Traces His Roots In The Most Autobiographical Song Of His Career (Video)

Masta Ace has fashioned a career that has lasted 30 years. The Brooklyn, New York MC has history with the Juice Crew, Crooklyn Dodgers, DOOM, and Eminem—all in a series of years that have been met with label woes, crews breaking up, and more than a few rappers trying to... Read more
September 7, 2016 Video
A New Film Shows The Fight To Keep Banksy’s Graffiti Alive & Free (Video)

A New Film Shows The Fight To Keep Banksy’s Graffiti Alive & Free (Video)

Guerilla street artist Banksy has become a popular culture phenomenon. His art is subversive, often socially and politically-motivated, and done without any intention of sale or personal profile. By definition, his paintings and installations are also a crime. New film Saving Banksy explores the culture of art consumers following, buying,... Read more
September 6, 2016 Lifestyle, TV/Film, Video
Daylyt Explains His Face Tattoo & Its Much Deeper Than You Think​ (Video)

Daylyt Explains His Face Tattoo & Its Much Deeper Than You Think​ (Video)

In recent years, the interest driving the sport of Battle Rap rivals that of mainstream Hip-Hop. While there are no album sales to track, and less resources to hype a career (the daily stream of songs and videos), Hip-Hop superstars (Eminem, Drake) are showing that they personally are excited by... Read more
September 6, 2016 Video
“Nobody” Is Smiling. De La Soul Takes The #1 Spot On The Rap Charts

“Nobody” Is Smiling. De La Soul Takes The #1 Spot On The Rap Charts

In 1989, De La Soul's debut 3 Feet High and Rising earned the #1 spot on the R&B charts. The rankings helped solidify an introduction to a career that would shape the sound and style of Hip-Hop over the next 25 years. Thanks to ...and the Anonymous Nobody, the trio's... Read more
September 6, 2016 News
Cella Dwellas’ Phantasm Raps With That Basement Grit (Video)

Cella Dwellas’ Phantasm Raps With That Basement Grit (Video)

The Cella Dwellas made some serious noise in the late 1990s. On the same Loud Records that introduced the masses to Wu-Tang Clan, Big Pun, and dead prez, Flatbush, Brooklyn duo of Ug The Imagination and Phantasm The Tall Man released two albums, with '96 debut Realms N' Reality reaching... Read more
September 5, 2016 Video
Cypress Hill Explain Passing On “Jump Around” & Why It Remains A Good Decision

Cypress Hill Explain Passing On “Jump Around” & Why It Remains A Good Decision

In 1992, an emerging Hip-Hop group named House Of Pain became overnight mainstream sensations, thanks to single "Jump Around." The Tommy Boy Records song, belonging to the group's subsequent self-titled debut, would reach #3 on the charts. The Irish American-themed trio of Everlast, Danny Boy, and DJ Lethal would score... Read more
September 4, 2016 Throwback
Slaine Confronts His Sobriety While Looking The Pusher Dead In The Eye (Video)

Slaine Confronts His Sobriety While Looking The Pusher Dead In The Eye (Video)

Veteran Boston, Massachusetts MC Slaine has been making noise for more than a decade. In addition to his role in talent-stacked groups such as Top 20-charter La Coka Nostra and Duck Down's Special Teamz, Slaine has released a plethora of solo projects—all rooted in hardcore Hip-Hop sound that he grew... Read more
August 30, 2016 Video
Token’s Storytelling Proves That Happiness Can Be A Hard Place To Reach (Video)

Token’s Storytelling Proves That Happiness Can Be A Hard Place To Reach (Video)

From DJ Quik's "50 Ways" to Eminem's "Rock Bottom," DMX's "Slippin'" to Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks On Me," lack of happiness and depression has been a theme to many Hip-Hop records. Artists like Blu, Slug, Ghostface Killah, Scarface, and Eminem have defined their legacies by writing and rapping openly... Read more
August 29, 2016 Video
20 Years Later, OutKast’s ATLiens Is A Masterpiece Of Space & Time

20 Years Later, OutKast’s ATLiens Is A Masterpiece Of Space & Time

True to its extraterrestrial theme, OutKast's 1996 sophomore album ATLiens was of another world. Like the "Paid In Full" vocal sample proclaimed, André 3000 and Big Boi added "new color, new dimension, and new value" to the mid-'90s Hip-Hop ethos. Arguably, this came at a time when Hip-Hop's soul needed... Read more
August 25, 2016 Food for Thought
De La Soul Describe Their Million Dollar Album With Priceless Jewels

De La Soul Describe Their Million Dollar Album With Priceless Jewels

In two days (August 26), De La Soul will release its eighth album, and the Anonymous Nobody. Released through the trio's own AOI (Art Official Intelligence) imprint, the album follows up on 2004's The Grind Date with an assortment of features, and at least one theme. While the Long Island, New... Read more
August 24, 2016 Exclusive, Food for Thought
A Tribe Called Quest Secretly Recorded An Album That Is About To Be Released

A Tribe Called Quest Secretly Recorded An Album That Is About To Be Released

Almost 16 years ago, A Tribe Called Quest released its fifth album, The Love Movement. A Top 3 debut, the album arrived to the public following word from the group that it would be their last. In addition to frustrations with the act's lifelong label, Jive Records, Q-Tip publicly spoke... Read more
August 19, 2016 News
DOOM & Kool Keith Are Villains With Heroic Verses (Audio)

DOOM & Kool Keith Are Villains With Heroic Verses (Audio)

DOOM (f/k/a MF DOOM) and Kool Keith have some over-arching qualities. For starters, these two 1980s-rooted MCs can never seem to decide on one name to release their product. Outside of titles, these artists have evolved with a love of unconventional writing, strong imagery, and the furthest reaching pop culture... Read more
August 16, 2016 Audio
Ed Lover’s Tupac Stories Will Make You Cover Your Mouth (Audio)

Ed Lover’s Tupac Stories Will Make You Cover Your Mouth (Audio)

Contemporary Hip-Hop has a plethora of media personalities presenting, dissecting, and analyzing the music and culture. Names such as Sway Calloway, Charlamagne Tha God, Miss Info, and DJ Vlad come to mind in breaking news, discourse, and reaction to the daily stream of events. These personalities use different media platforms... Read more
August 16, 2016 Audio
Buckshot Credits Sean Price For Saving Duck Down & Taking Over Boot Camp Clik (Video)

Buckshot Credits Sean Price For Saving Duck Down & Taking Over Boot Camp Clik (Video)

Whether solo, or as part of Heltah Skeltah or Random Axe, Sean Price would release all of his albums with Duck Down Music. The label founded by Black Moon's Buckshot and manager Dru Ha would launch with the release of 1996's Nocturnal album by Sean Price (as Ruck) and Rockness... Read more
August 15, 2016 Video
De La Soul Release One Of The Most Unique Songs They’ve Ever Recorded (Audio)

De La Soul Release One Of The Most Unique Songs They’ve Ever Recorded (Audio)

In 16 days (August 26), De La Soul will release its first full-fledged album since 2004's The Grind Date. and The Anonymous Nobody has many music lovers excited, following two album singles: the Snoop Dogg-assisted "Pain" and chaser "Royalty Capes." The third official look from the LP shows the evolution... Read more
August 10, 2016 Audio
Sadat X, R.A. The Rugged Man & Thirstin Howl Are Proud Industry Outcasts (Video)

Sadat X, R.A. The Rugged Man & Thirstin Howl Are Proud Industry Outcasts (Video)

Over 17 years ago, Rawkus Records released Soundbombing 2. That LP, a Top 30 on the Pop charts, helped further the ongoing introductions of Eminem, Dilated Peoples, High & Mighty, Company Flow, and others to the masses. An elite independent label at the time, Rawkus (then home to Mos Def,... Read more
August 9, 2016 Video
Daddy-O Releases Biggie’s Original Demos For Junior M.A.F.IA. For The First Time Ever (Audio)

Daddy-O Releases Biggie’s Original Demos For Junior M.A.F.IA. For The First Time Ever (Audio)

When The Notorious B.I.G. (a/k/a Christopher Wallace) was murdered on March 9, 1997, he did not leave much music behind, relatively speaking. Later that month (March 25), Bad Boy Records would release Life After Death, a diamond-certified double-album containing 24 tracks from the Brooklyn, New York MC. To that point,... Read more
August 8, 2016 Audio, Fresh
Price Is Right: Why Sean Price Should Be Every MC’s Hope Story

Price Is Right: Why Sean Price Should Be Every MC’s Hope Story

One year ago today, I remember where I was when I got the text message. Sean Price had died. I was sitting at a red light in the city of Pittsburgh. After putting my phone down, I made a U-turn, went home and started to prepare the story that needed... Read more
August 8, 2016 Food for Thought
Snoop Dogg Claims He Is The Reason Tupac Signed To Death Row

Snoop Dogg Claims He Is The Reason Tupac Signed To Death Row

In 1995 and 1996, Snoop Dogg and Tupac Shakur were label mates at Death Row Records. Notably, 'Pac had made a cameo in Snoop's 1994 film, Murder Was The Case—which was directed by Dr. Dre. He would also release a hit video single on Above The Rim soundtrack in "Pour... Read more
August 7, 2016 Audio
Skyzoo & Apollo Brown Have An Album Coming. Here’s The Striking First Single (Audio)

Skyzoo & Apollo Brown Have An Album Coming. Here’s The Striking First Single (Audio)

Apollo Brown has fancied himself the producer-to-see to give lyricists a new sound. Ras Kass stood as the illest Hip-Hop heretic in Blasphemy. Diggin' In The Crates legend O.C. got medals for Trophies. Random Axe's Guilty Simpson rolled big in Dice Game. Next up, Skyzoo will release a full-length project... Read more
August 4, 2016 Audio
Black Sheep Reunites For A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing 25th Anniversary

Black Sheep Reunites For A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing 25th Anniversary

Twenty five years ago this October, New York City Hip-Hop duo Black Sheep released A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing. Following Dres' appearance on De La Soul Is Dead, he and partner Mista Lawnge would release their Top 40 debut through Mercury Records. Self-produced single "The Choice Is Yours (Revisited)" would... Read more
August 1, 2016 Exclusive
45 King Gives His Rhythm Roulette Records A Truly Hard Knock (Video)

45 King Gives His Rhythm Roulette Records A Truly Hard Knock (Video)

45 King is one of the most active Hip-Hop producers of 2016 who can say he was making hit records in the 1980s. He joins Dr. Dre, EPMD, Marley Marl, Prince Paul, Large Professor, and a very select few in that elite class. The New Jersey native has always had... Read more
August 1, 2016 Video
Doug E. Fresh, Nice & Smooth, Bahamadia Headline 39th Annual Rocksteady Anniversary

Doug E. Fresh, Nice & Smooth, Bahamadia Headline 39th Annual Rocksteady Anniversary

For the 39th year, New York City and neighboring Hip-Hop fans will be treated to a free concert—headlined by legends. Sunday (July 31) Central Park's Summer Stage will play host to the Rocksteady Crew Anniversary concert. This year's event will be headlined by Doug E. Fresh, Nice & Smooth, and... Read more
July 29, 2016 Fresh
Episodes Of Marvel’s Luke Cage Series Will Be Named After Gang Starr Songs

Episodes Of Marvel’s Luke Cage Series Will Be Named After Gang Starr Songs

For a run lasting more than 14 years, Gang Starr cast a profound impact on Hip-Hop music. The duo of Guru and DJ Premier released six albums together, along with gold-certified compilation, Full Clip: A Decade Of Gang Starr. The group participated in legendary tours, introduced a host of enduring... Read more
July 29, 2016 TV
Royce 5’9″ Blacks Out On A Song About Living Carefree (Audio)

Royce 5’9″ Blacks Out On A Song About Living Carefree (Audio)

Earlier this year, Royce 5'9" put some of the best work of his career down on the album Layers. As that self-released project continues to make its due rounds, Nickel Nine shows the world that he's in stride beyond just his album in 2016. "Carefree Black Man" is a song... Read more
July 28, 2016 Audio
This 1998 Ma$e & Guru Freestyle Brings 2 Different Sides Of Hip-Hop Together (Audio)

This 1998 Ma$e & Guru Freestyle Brings 2 Different Sides Of Hip-Hop Together (Audio)

Six months from each other Ma$e and Gang Starr moved the Hip-Hop needle in 1997-1998. To some, that needle went in two directions. Released on October 28, 1997, Ma$e's Grammy-nominated, quadruple-platinum debut Harlem World certified the newest Bad Boy Records superstar. On March 31, 1991, Gang Starr released its first... Read more
July 28, 2016 Audio, Throwback, Throwback
Stakes Is High: An MC Freestyles While Dangling 100s Of Feet In The Air From A Crane (Video)

Stakes Is High: An MC Freestyles While Dangling 100s Of Feet In The Air From A Crane (Video)

It is a safe bet to assume that most of the Hip-Hop world is not presently familiar with James Lanning. However, this Brooklyn, New York-based MC does something that few—if any—of his peers can, he raps while hanging on for dear life. As many rappers metaphorically may do this, Lanning... Read more
July 27, 2016 Video
Ras Kass Reveals Intellectual Property: SOI2 Tracklist, Features & Artwork

Ras Kass Reveals Intellectual Property: SOI2 Tracklist, Features & Artwork

Veteran lyricist Ras Kass is completing his latest solo album, Intellectual Property: SOI2. Releasing September 9, the album finds the wordsmith returning to his own catalog, after an acclaimed 2014 project with Detroit, Michigan producer Apollo Brown (Blasphemy) and a Semi Hendrix collaboration (Breakfast At Banky's) with Grammy Award-winner Jack Splash.... Read more
July 27, 2016 Exclusive, Fresh
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