AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Do Remember

Digable Planets Predicted This Week’s Supreme Court Decision 30 Years Ago

On Friday morning (June 24, 2022), the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, eliminating the Constitutional right to an abortion after nearly 50 years. In a 6-3 ruling, the presiding court reversed a decision made in 1973. "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote... Read more

In 2008, Black Thought, Styles P & Mos Def United To Elevate Hip-Hop

By 2008, the legendary Roots crew were already well established as Hip-Hop's hardest working band. During the mid-2000s, the Grammy Award-winning Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based group was transitioning its mood. The collective's eighth studio album Rising Down followed the darker, sometimes angsty themes of 2006's Game Theory. In an election year, the... Read more

Three Times Dope Lived Up To The Name With This 1988 Braggadocious Gem (Video)

The City of Brotherly Love has always been a bastion of Hip-Hop culture. From an early graffiti scene to the pioneering Gangsta Rap of Schoolly D, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania gave the world a diverse and unique perspective of what East Coast Hip-Hop looked like outside of five boroughs of New York.... Read more

Do Remember When RJD2 Showed A New & Different Side Of Def Jux (Video)

By the top of the 2000s, Rawkus was beginning to permeate the mainstream. Meanwhile, one of that label's former flagship artists had left to create an imprint with the same sort of early DIY aesthetic and unpredictability. New York-based indie label Definitive Jux released a crate full of classic records... Read more

In 2000, M.O.P. Went Hunting For CD Bootleggers To Mash Out (Video)

M.O.P. released their debut LP 25 years ago with To The Death. While the Select Records drop remains discussed by Rap purists, Lil Fame and Billy Danze seemed to widen their reach with every album since, culminating with Y2K's fourth effort, Warriorz. The Mash Out Posse's fourth and most commercially successful... Read more

25 Years Ago, Snoop & Tha Dogg Pound Barked At All The Biters (Video)

Twenty-five years ago, in 1994, Dr. Dre and Suge Knight's record label was giving the mainstream music world an electric charge from the streets of Los Angeles. 1992 saw Dr. Dre's solo debut, The Chronic. Eleven months later, Snoop Doggy Dogg presented his style with a game-changing D*ggystyle LP with Dre and... Read more

In 1995, Mack 10 Made An Introduction Built To Last Foe Life (Video)

Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Priority Records' distribution delivered some of the finest Hip-Hop and Gangsta Rap albums to the masses, even if fans might not have realized it. Bryan Turner's company, which historically found its first pivotal success backing the California Raisins claymation act, would go on... Read more

Do Remember Snoop Made Some Of His Best Music In The 2000s (Video)

In the ears and minds of many Rap fans, Snoop Dogg's 1993 debut may always be his album to beat. A keystone in the G-Funk movement, Dr. Dre and Doggy Dogg made a masterpiece while with Death Row Records. Doggystyle showed Snoop's Rap peers some new moves on how to... Read more

20 Years Ago, Mobb Deep, G Rap & Alchemist Made 1 Of The Realest Collabos (Audio)

Mobb Deep has released two highly-acclaimed albums in the mid-1990s. Prodigy and Havoc's sophomore set, The Infamous, is one of the most beloved LPs of all-time. A year and a half later, they delivered Hell On Earth, a menacing follow-up that stayed the course. By the close of the 1990s,... Read more

In 1997, Jeru Rapped For The Love Of Hip-Hop, Not The Paper

In the mid-1990s, Brooklyn, New York was steadily delivering legions of the lyricists to the Hip-Hop masses. From seemingly every section of the borough, representing just about every style of Rap, names like Biggie Smalls, Busta Rhymes, GZA, Buckshot Shorty, JAY-Z, RZA, M.O.P., Foxy Brown, Non-Phixion, AZ, East Flatbush Project,... Read more

Do Remember One Of Tupac’s Hardest Cautionary Tales About Life In The Streets

The year was 1993, and Tupac Shakur was tired of knocking on the door asking someone to let him in. Fresh off of his debut album, 2pacalypse Now — a socially conscious effort that revealed strong ties to the Black community with singles like “Brenda’s Got A Baby,” “If My... Read more

20 Years Ago, Prince, Q-Tip & The Neptunes Made A Great Love Song (Audio)

As the third anniversary of Prince’s passing approaches (April 21), the Purple One's legacy continues to be celebrated across genres. He had jam sessions with some of the elites in modern music, especially within Hip-Hop. He reportedly ministered to Talib Kweli while partying at an L.A. club. He played uncredited... Read more

In 2010, Big K.R.I.T. Updated A Souls Of Mischief Classic For A New Day

Big K.R.I.T. began his Rap journey almost 15 years ago. He recorded mixtapes for years, navigating a scenic country road into the industry. In a 2011 interview with Nardwuar, the Meridian, Mississippi native revealed he recorded his seminal K.R.I.T. Wuz Here standout "Something" in his bathroom. It was proof that... Read more

In 1996, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Made An Anthem About Love & Survival (Video)

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony dominated the mid-1990s with a unique style of Rap music. Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Wish Bone, Bizzy Bone, and Flesh-N-Bone put Ohio on the global Rap map with a harmonic sound that pulled from the church and the street alike. While 1994's Creepin' On Ah Come Up achieved gold-certification... Read more

Do Remember The Lady Of Rage Rocking The Mic Rough With Her Afro Puffs (Video)

It was a monumental year when Dr. Dre released The Chronic on his Death Row Records imprint in 1992. The multi-platinum album was a street sensation that marked a new era of Rap. It delivered G-Funk to the mainstream, with videos that displayed the laid back vibes, set against menacing... Read more

Biz Markie’s 30-Year-Old Springtime Anthem Is Still Fresh (Video)

Across the globe, temperatures are rising this week. In less than seven days, spring is officially here (March 20). While for many Mid-Atlantic and northerners, that is no guarantee that snowfall is done for the time being, it is a reminder that the coats, gloves, and scarves can usually go... Read more

Do Remember Paperboy’s Ditty That More Than Delivered The Goods (Video)

When Mitchell “Paperboy” Johnson thought of the concept for “Ditty,” he couldn’t have possibly imagined it becoming the seminal hit that it did. In fact, when he later penned the lyrics and shared the concept with his circle, it was introduced as a dance – for girls who like to... Read more

MC Breed & Tupac’s Message Is Still Relevant. It’s Time To Get Yours

Tupac Shakur was born in New York City. He spent his teens in Marin City, California, following a brief but meaningful stop in Baltimore, Maryland. Pac's life is one of extremes and contradictions. At a time when Shakur was portrayed to be condemning the East Coast Rap community, he was... Read more

Back In The Day, Ill Al Skratch Made An Anthem For Real Friends In Every Hood

Hip-Hop has had a connection to R&B since its inception. From shared session players and producers, to artists being on the same labels or under the same management, to straight up collaborations, the two genres have gone hand-in-hand for decades. However, there is a keen difference between putting an R&B... Read more

In 2011, Murs & Tabi Bonney Made A Proper Song Celebrating Love For Hip-Hop

Whether or not it always seems it, love is at the core of Hip-Hop. Whodini made "One Love." Common looked back at the challenges of his affair with "I Used To Love H.E.R." Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth reminded Heads that "Lots Of Lovin'" was necessary to make any good... Read more

In 1992, Paris Made A Tribute To Black Women That Endures Today

While Gangsta Rap was at its height with acts like N.W.A, Geto Boys and Ice-T leading the charge, other crews such as A Tribe Called Quest, Ultramagnetic MC's and De La Soul were intriguing listeners with cerebral wordplay and quirky, inventive rhyme patterns. Somewhere in between, stood Rap revolutionaries like... Read more

Lords Of The Underground Showed New Jersey MCs Were Chief Rockas Too

Along with New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, New Jersey was one of the main city-centers of Northeast Hip-Hop in the early 1990s. The Garden State produced numerous commercially-successful and critically-acclaimed acts, most of which originated in the cities of Newark and its nearby East Orange. Since the '70s, Jersey had... Read more

In 2008, Posdnuos, Oddisee, & J-Live Came Together To Upgrade Hip-Hop

Twenty years ago, MC/producer/DJ J-Live was putting the finishing touches on his debut album, The Best Part. During that time, the talented artist was heard on DJ Premier's New York Reality Check 101 compilation. The Brooklyn, New York-based English teacher was also putting in acclaimed work with Prince Paul and... Read more

10 Years Ago, Raekwon & Dr. Dre Cooked Up A New Formula For Dope Hip-Hop

Almost 10 years ago, Raekwon blessed Rap fans with one of the most anticipated Wu-Tang Clan solo albums since Y2K. Chef had previously made one of the highest-acclaimed LPs not only within the Wu family catalog, but throughout all of Hip-Hop care of his 1995 solo debut, Only Built 4... Read more

In 1999, Kurupt & KRS-One Got Live On The Mic And Went Round For Round

Two decades ago this year, Kurupt released his second solo album, Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native had long since established himself as not only a West Coast MC but also resident. After signing with Death Row Records in the 1990s and founding the Dogg Pound Gangstaz (DPG)... Read more

How OutKast Begrudgingly Made One Of The Best Christmas Rap Records Of All-Time

Twenty-five years ago this season, OutKast released their first single, "Player's Ball." Big Boi and André 3000 had appeared on TLC's remix to "What About Your Friends" as teenagers in 1992. Like that opportunity, "Player's Ball" was birthed out of LaFace Records trying to cross-promote its fledgling Rap duo. For... Read more

Do Remember When Allen Iverson & Jadakiss Had The Answer For Bball + Hip-Hop

Fresh off his MVP run to the NBA Finals in 2000-2001, the Answer V commercial featuring Allen Iverson and Jadakiss, was a fitting segue from perhaps the most popular release of the “Answer” series. Not to be confused with Bubba Chuck’s most popular and iconic shoe ever released – the... Read more

Do Remember When Ice Cube Wanted This Crew To Take West Coast Rap To Anotha Level

In early 1994 the world was introduced to Anotha Level, a five-person Rap group from Los Angeles had something alluring. Veteran N.W.A. affiliate/producer Laylaw and Gangsta Rap icon Ice Cube discovered this quintet, and they recognized that the young squad strafed the line between that classic West Coast sound and... Read more

Do Remember When EPMD Teamed With Red & Meth For A Rap Symphony (Video)

Def Jam Records had made some of the most iconic Hip-Hop albums of all-time during the 1980s. After some sluggish years in the early 1990s, the label started by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin rebounded in a major way in 1998. That was the same year that the imprint forecast... Read more

The Perfect Day In Hip-Hop: When Wu-Tang & A Tribe Called Quest Dropped Classic Albums

November 9 may as well be a day of observance for Hip-Hop Heads. With A Tribe Called Quest’s third album Midnight Marauders and Wu-Tang Clan’s debut Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) both dropping on that day 25 years ago, it's a date that seems hard to imagine. While many release dates... Read more

Jeru The Damaja & Afu-Ra’s Lyrics Still Kick Like Kung-Fu 20 Years Later (Audio)

The Wu-Tang Clan weren’t the only Hip-Hop crew flexing a Kung-Fu style in the early 1990s. On Jeru The Damaja’s celebrated 1994 debut, The Sun Rises In The East, he introduced the Perverted Monks squad. The head of that group, Afu Ra, impressed with an ill appearance on the joint... Read more

Do Remember When The Internet Figured Out The Exact Date Ice Cube Had A Good Day

Twenty-five years ago, Ice Cube released the highest-charting solo song of his three-plus-decade Rap career. Although "It Was A Good Day" made its debut in late 1992 on Cube's third LP, The Predator, the single took flight after the album's second single, "Wicked." The formula for "It Was A Good... Read more

Despite Their Name, Brothas Unda Madness Were No Hip-Hop B.U.M.S. (Video)

Although G-Funk was ruling the West Coast in the mid-1990s, there was still a small but strong contingent of Heads that were practice more traditional Rap. These artists tended to show love to all four elements of Hip-Hop culture, rather than just MCing. Collectives like Hieroglyphics and The Likwit Crew,... Read more

OutKast’s Aquemini Turns 20. This 1998 Interview Shows They Saw The Future (Video)

OutKast has one of the most consistent catalogs in all of music. Their first four albums, in particular, are revered as some of the best Rap music released between 1994 and Y2K. However, during that legendary run, André 3000 and Big Boi turned on the turbo jets 20 years ago... Read more

Take A 25-Year Ego-Trip Back To One Of De La Soul’s Best Videos

De La Soul's third album celebrates 25 years of being on planet earth today (September 21). Of all the LPs from the Plugs, it can sometimes seem easy to lose Buhloone Mindstate in the lights of a discography as consistent and far-reaching as any in the Rap genre. Many Heads... Read more

25 Years Ago, Digital Underground & Tupac Asked A Question That Still Needs Answers (Video)

In October 1993, Digital Underground released The Body-Hat Syndrome, the third of six studio albums released by the Oakland, California collective whose central figure is Greg "Shock G" Jacobs. With their 1990 debut Sex Packets, the crew showcased a signature brand of irreverent humor, textured sampling and devotion to Hip-Hop's core elements.... Read more

Do Remember When King T Toasted Tha Alkaholiks & Spilled Great Lyricism (Video)

When West Coast vets are being discussed, King T’s name does not come up nearly enough. The Compton, California native released a robust major label debut, Act A Fool, in late 1988. This puts him in scarce company indeed, as Ice-T’s essential first album Rhyme Pays had dropped only a... Read more

Before NBA 2K, AND1’s Mixtapes Masterfully Merged Hoops & Hip-Hop (Videos)

Hip-Hop and basketball are nearing a 40-year marriage, with their first noteworthy rendezvous coming in the form of Big Bang Hank of The Sugarhill Gang delivering “I got a color TV so I can see the Knicks play basketball” on the 1979 classic “Rapper's Delight.” While the parallels between the... 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

Prince Paul And Dan The Automator’s Handsome Boy Modeling School Lessons Still Apply (Video)

In the late 1990s, Hip-Hop was taking itself a bit too seriously—at least in the eyes of two highly-accomplished producers. An era remembered for its high-profile beefs, Champagne-poppin', and colorful and shiny videos was rich fodder for some veterans who wanted to jerk the steering wheel with creativity in mind.... Read more

30 Years Ago, The Source Set A New Standard For Hip-Hop Journalism

This week, Hip-Hop culture is celebrating its 45th anniversary. The first documented South Bronx rec room party with DJ Kool Herc behind the wheels of steel was on August 11, 1973. Like the origins of the culture, that event's significance would live by word of mouth if Hip-Hop had no... Read more

In 1989, Kwamé Rocked Polka Dots With Style & Rhythm (Video)

Back in 1989, just 16 years old and just at the peak of his adolescence, Kwamé released his debut album titled Kwamé The Boy Genius Featuring A New Beginning. The new Atlantic Records artist found himself a hit on the Rap and R&B Charts with the aptly-titled second single, "The Rhythm."... Read more

One Of Biggie’s Final Radio Appearances Is A Moment That Can Never Be Tuned Out (Video)

In today’s Hip-Hop landscape, Sway Calloway is most synonymous with hosting both established and budding MCs at the Shade 45 studios in New York, providing them a globally esteemed platform to showcase their verbal readiness. A successful Sway In The Morning appearance has become somewhat of a seal of approval for... Read more

With Black Sunday, Cypress Hill Brought The Influence Of Latinos In Hip-Hop To The Masses (Video)

In 1993, California was the epicenter of Hip-Hop. Artists such as Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre were the faces of West Coast Gangsta Rap boom, which was winning in the mainstream. Plus, Cali’s prominent street gang culture and urban lifestyle had an emerging presence in Hollywood... Read more

Suga Free’s Kitchen Table Verse Shows He’s 1 Of The Best In The West (Video)

Pomona, California representative Suga Free is a cult-celebrated figure in Rap. The lyricist with the rant-rap delivery made a name for himself through a close association with DJ Quik. Like other, earlier affiliates such as AMG, Hi-C, 2nd II None, and the Penthouse Players Clique, Suga is a ruthlessly raunchy... Read more

When Stakes Were High For Hip-Hop, De La Soul, Common & Mos Def Got Down To Bizness (Video)

De La Soul has always stood for raising the musical bar. Celebrating its 22nd birthday this week (July 2), the trio's 1996 album Stakes Is High parlayed the group into its second era of prominence. Three years since their last LP, the work also proved that they were able to... Read more

In 2005, Beanie Sigel Teamed With Method Man & Heavy D For 1 Of His Realest Releases (Video)

During the early 2000s, Roc-A-Fella Records was one of the music industry's driving forces. Within the empire, JAY-Z was the boss, Kanye West was the creative, Cam'ron was the street-savvy comedian. Meanwhile, Beanie Sigel became the enforcer of the R-O-C. By Y2K, New York City-based Roc-A-Fella took a strong interest... 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

Big Mike Showed Pimp C Had More Thangs Than Rhymes. His Beats Banged Too (Video)

1994 was a pivotal year for southern Hip-Hop. OutKast released their monumental debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik while Scarface's five-mic-certified The Diary showed that Georgia and Texas were both in strong Southern stride. Additionally, Memphis, Tennessee was also starting to really make statements thanks to releases from Three 6 Mafia and 8Ball &... 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