AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Lifestyle

Def Comedy Jam Is Coming Back & Soon

Twenty-five years ago Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam became a leading platform for standup comedy. Bernie Mac, Mike Epps, Chris Tucker and Dave Chappelle used the HBO series to build audiences, and take crucial steps to Hollywood careers. Martin Lawrence and D.L. Hughley were among show hosts during its original... Read more

Mahershala Ali Says His Role In Roxanne Shanté Biopic Is His Toughest Yet (Audio)

Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali, best known for his iconic roles in Moonlight and Netflix’s Luke Cage series, started his career as a Hieroglyphics affiliate named Prince Ali and has definitely been outspoken about his love for Hip-Hop music. Starring in the highly-anticipated, critically-acclaimed 2017 Roxanne Shanté biopic alongside Chanté Adams... Read more

MTV Is Making History By Doing Away With Gendered Categories For The VMAs

Most music fans would likely agree that MTV has long since lost its standing as "Music Television," in both official title and its programming content. However, its annual Video Music Awards ceremony continues to draw millions of viewers and this year's installment is poised to make the television network a... Read more

Masta Ace Calls For A Boycott Until Colin Kaepernick Is Signed

As NFL teams are set to begin their training camps later this month, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and unrestricted free agent Colin Kaepernick has yet to be added to a roster. Many NFL fans, sports media personalities, and celebrities supporting Kaepernick attribute the glaring lack of interest from NFL... Read more

O.J. Simpson Has Been Granted Parole: The Story Of O.J. Continues

For more than 50 of his 70 years on Earth, O.J. Simpson has been at the center of attention. He first became a household name on the football field, followed by on movie screens and televisions around the world. Despite the celebrity he enjoyed for the first 23 of those... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Shows He’s Got Generosity & Charity Inside His DNA (Video)

Last month, Dr. Dre announced he would be donating $10 million to break ground on a performing arts wing within his Compton High School alma mater. In The Defiant Ones documentary, Dre toured the present grounds and showed development plans. They include a recording studio, complete with a mixing board.... Read more

Michael Vick Clarifies Remarks About Colin Kaepernick & His Hair (Video)

UPDATE: Hours after retired NFL quarterback Michael Vick made remarks regarding what peer Colin Kaepernick may need to do should he wish to work again in the NFL, he has clarified those comments. In a  tweet Tuesday morning, the onetime Atlanta Falcons star took attention away from his Speak For... Read more

Logic Literally May Have Saved Lives With The Release Of His Latest Album

The impact of Rap songs on the real lives of listeners continues to thrive well into the genre's 5th decade of existence. On his latest album, May's Everybody, Logic featured a song with the curious title "1-800-273-8255." Featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid, the LP's third single draws its name from the... Read more

The FDA Has Approved A New Sickle Cell Treatment For The 1st Time In 20 Years

Prodigy, the late rapper who suffered from sickle-cell disease, played an important role in opening up dialogues about health in communities of color. The illness - which primarily affects African-Americans, Latinos, and other racial minority groups - caused him tremendous pain and suffering, a struggle about which he spoke frankly... Read more

The Maker Of Boyz N The Hood Shows The Origins Of Crack In The Hood (Video)

There's an epidemic sweeping the country. Headlines refer to it as an opioid issue, and one that is being treated with a gentler response than the U.S. crack epidemic of the 1980s. As Ambrosia For Heads has reported in the past, the rising number of White Americans stuck in the... Read more

People Are Watching The Fire In The Theater…Meanwhile The World Is Burning Down (Video)

Quite a bit happened in the last week. Kendrick Lamar gave his second (and third) interviews about the creation and inspiration behind DAMN. Joe Budden, DJ Akademiks, and Migos played host to the most talked about red carpet event of the year to date at the BET Awards. JAY-Z released... Read more

Jay Z Is Celebrating Father’s Day By Bailing Out Dads Who Can’t Afford Their Freedom

If you're from neighborhoods like the Brooklyn one I grew up in, if you're unable to afford a private attorney, then you can be disappeared into our jail system simply because you can't afford bail. Millions of people are separated from their families for months at a time — not... Read more

Ice Cube Asks Bill Maher Why He Thought He Could Use The N-Word (Video)

Last night (June 9), Ice Cube appeared as a guest on Bill Maher's program, Real Time. Generally, his appearance on the show alone wouldn't necessarily be newsworthy, but in the wake of Maher's current scandal, the Amerikkka's Most Wanted rapper's presence on this week's episode is particularly notable. Last week, while interviewing Senator... Read more

Changes To America’s Infrastructure Could Make Our Tap Water Unaffordable

Now they say it got lead and stink in it (New World Water) Fluorocarbons and monoxide Push the water table lopside Used to be free now it cost you a fee Those are lyrics to a song that is 18 years old, yet prescient as ever. In 1999, Mos Def's... Read more

Kevin Hart Gets Real About His Past Substance Abuse & It’s No Joke (Video)

Kevin Hart is one of the most recognized comedians and actors on the planet. Much of that success has come from Hart's ability to be self-deprecating and poke fun at traits within himself, physical and otherwise. Appearing on The Breakfast Club, Kevin made the hosts laugh as he discussed his... Read more

Killer Mike Says Blacks Have Bigger Problems Than Bill Maher (Video)

This weekend's episode of Real Time With Bill Maher will go down in history as one of the veteran, Emmy-nominated talk show's most memorable episodes. However, the former host of Politically Incorrect was just that when he used the n-word, referring to himself in a conversation with Nebraska Senator Ben... Read more

Nas Says “Action Speaks Louder Than Words” In These Troubled Times (Open Letter)

Nas has never been an MC to wear his politics on his sleeve. However, that doesn't mean that he has not been deeply conscious of the happenings in the world around him. Rather than joining protests and talking on news shows, the Queensbridge MC has let his music do the... Read more

Developers Who Destroyed A Graffiti Landmark Aim To Use Its Heritage In Their Redesign

Queens, New York's 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center was a Hip-Hop landmark that endured for decades. Dubbed "The Institute Of Higher Burning," the Long Island City art space was home to a living shrine of graffiti. Curated by writer Meres One (aka Jonathan Cohen), the five-story warehouse building built in 1892... Read more

Dead Wrong: A Bed-Stuy Mural Of Biggie Smalls Is Coming Down For Mo’ Money

Today (May 19), Faith Evans releases her collection of duet remixes with late husband Biggie Smalls. The King & I features Lil' Kim, as well as other figures from B.I.G.'s life including Snoop Dogg, The LOX, Lil' Cease, and Busta Rhymes. While the LP is a celebration of the married... Read more

It Might Cost A Lot More To Hear Hip-Hop On The Internet Without Net Neutrality

Today (May 18), the Federal Communications Commission enacted its latest round in the fight against net neutrality, a somewhat nebulous issue that hasn't become as much of a household name as, say, Russiagate. However, outside of climate change, there may not be another issue that directly affects the daily lives... Read more

Jeff Sessions Did Not Get Jay Z’s Memo That The War On Drugs Is An Epic Fail

Last fall, Jay Z narrated a powerful animated short about the costly effect of the war on drugs, not just in terms of tax dollars, but also human lives. "The History of the War on Drugs: from Prohibition to Gold Rush" was released by the New York Times, and included troubling statistics... Read more

A Black Comedian Reflects On Attending A KKK Cross Burning (Video)

W. Kamau Bell is a comedian whose fame is steadily rising, thanks in large part to the success of his CNN series, United Shades of America. Launched in 2016, it's a docuseries following Bell as he interacts with pockets of society not often explored in depth on mainstream television. Past topics... Read more

You Will Not See Adult Videos The Same After Hearing Brother Ali’s New Song (Audio)

Yesterday (May 5), Brother Ali released All The Beauty In This Whole Life, an LP which unequivocally continues the Rhymesayers MC's career-long history of addressing the personal and universally relatable through his music. This time around, the Minnesotan keeps it 100% about being the white father to a Black son, being... Read more

Barack Obama Is Opening A Recording Studio On Chicago’s South Side (Video)

Former president Barack Obama leaves behind an enormous political legacy, but his memory is not relegated to domestic and international policy. President Obama and his wife, Michelle, will likely go down in history as one of America's most beloved first couples, not because of the agendas they pushed in Washington,... Read more

J. Cole & Ferguson Residents Have A Conversation About How To Fix The System (Video)

On April 15, J. Cole's 4 Your Eyez Only documentary aired on HBO, but it wasn't a concert film despite sharing the title of his most recent LP. Rather, it served as a visual essay on the album's themes. As its trailer showed, conversations with Black Americans in Baton Rouge,... Read more

Elon Musk Is Building Underground Tunnels To End Traffic (Video)

Elon Musk is arguably the world's preeminent CEO and businessman when it comes to innovation. With pedigrees in space exploration, development of alternate energy sources, electric vehicles, and infrastructure design, the South African is helping to lead the charge in developing ways of living which alleviate our carbon footprint or... Read more

DJ Yella Says Police Violence Won’t Stop Until A Cop Goes To Jail For A Long Time

During the same week millions of Americans are celebrating (and others rebuking) the removal of Confederate monuments and statues in New Orleans, millions more are acknowledging the anniversary of yet another example of America's complex, racially disparate society. On April 29, 1992, what have since been coined the Los Angeles... Read more

A New Study Says Rap Music Has The Fewest Drug References Of Any Genre

In recent years, much attention has been paid to the prevalence of lyrics glorifying the use of drugs in Rap music. In addition to decades of references to alcohol and cannabis, over the last few years, a number of artists have rapped about MDMA (aka Molly) and other substances, including... Read more

T.I. Says “We Have To Hold Ourselves Accountable For Our Communities” (Video)

In September 2016. T.I. released the most powerful music video of his career in the form of "Warzone," a visceral depiction of America's ugly police violence problem. However, the video turned the tables and envisioned our problem from a provocative angle: what if the killer cop was Black and the unarmed... Read more

Disco Four MC & Rucker Park Basketball Pioneer Greg Marius Passes Away At Age 59

Greg Marius is deeply responsible for two Harlem institutions: Hip-Hop and street basketball. This past weekend (April 22), Marius passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was 59 years old. In the early 1980s, Greg joined Kurtis Blow and Spoonie Gee as one of Uptown Manhattan's early Rap... Read more

Bill O’Reilly Has Been Fired By FOX News. Hip-Hop Responds.

UPDATE: On April 19, it was confirmed that Bill O'Reilly has been fired by FOX News following the latest sexual harassment reports. The top-ranking pundit and Conservative personality is said to return with an independent podcast. It appears to be the end of an era at one of the world's... Read more

Cuts To The EPA Are Threatening Millions Of America’s Kids (Video)

In March, Donald Trump put forth his administration's budget for the 2018 fiscal year, and it ignited a maelstrom of controversy. The 64-page document, officially titled “Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again” proposes massive cuts to dozens of government-funded programs in education, housing, business, the arts, and perhaps most importantly,... Read more

Ludacris Teaches Bill O’Reilly How To Have Class, In A New Interview (Video)

Earlier this month, the New York Times ran an explosive front-page story on Bill O'Reilly, the conservative news pundit famous for his FOX News program, The O'Reilly Factor. According to the newspaper, O'Reilly and the network he serves have paid over $13 million to women who have accused him of sexual harassment... Read more

Drug Addicts Today Are Getting More Love & Compassion, Especially If They’re White

With the so-called "War On Drugs" so clearly a political and moral failure, Americans suffering from addiction today live in a more compassionate climate. More and more, drug addicts are seen as struggling with a public health issue, rather than one based on notions of crime and moral ineptitude. As... Read more

Killer Mike Casts A Different Perspective On Kanye’s Meeting With Trump (Video)

Killer Mike and Kanye West are two early 2000s Hip-Hop contemporaries. While Mike came up under Outkast and the famed Dungeon Family in Atlanta, 'Ye was attached to Jay Z and the Roc-A-Fella Records boom. Both artists were introduced as different kinds of Rap stars as they transitioned from memorable... Read more

I Get The Job Done: Technology Is Putting Us Out Of Work

One of the central talking points in Donald Trump's presidential campaign was his vow to bring back American jobs. The longtime entrepreneur and businessman touted his boardroom and negotiation skills as major benefits of a Trump presidency, arguing that he alone could convince businesses who have outsourced American jobs to... Read more

Some Classic Rap-A-Lot Records Artwork & Logos Are Making One Supreme Comeback

Houston, Texas' Rap-A-Lot Records is one of Rap music's greatest anomalies. The label founded more than 30 years by James "Lil J" Prince has been largely responsible for the careers of Scarface, Devin The Dude, Z-Ro, and others. Despite its portfolio of platinum and gold albums, the label often keeps... Read more

Rikers Island Jail May Be Closing. Jay Z Supports The Plan.

For 85 years, New York City's Rikers Island jail complex has been one of the most notorious prisons on the planet. Lodged on an island in the East River, between Queens and The Bronx, the facility is often home to as many as 10,000 inmates and another 9,000 officers. It... Read more

The Original Aunt Viv Responds To The Fresh Prince Reunion Photo & It’s Too Hot For TV

On Monday (March 27), Alfonso Ribeiro, former star of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, posted a photo to his Instagram that took on a life of its own. The portrait pictured him along with several other members of the cast, in what went viral as a 20-year reunion photo, given... Read more

Brother Ali Notes Some Of Our Biggest Heroes Are Muslim & They Should Be Celebrated

Islam and Hip-Hop have coexisted for the entirety of the culture's existence. The Nation of Islam is one of the Universal Zulu Nation's greatest influences, as is the Five-Percent Nation. From Afrika Bambaataa to Oddisee, generations of MCs, producers, and DJs have incorporated their religious beliefs into their music and... Read more

Shawn Wayans Recalls Robin Harris Roasting Him For Getting Booed Off Stage (Video)

Since his earliest days as DJ SW-1 on In Living Color, Shawn Wayans was immersed in entertainment business at a young age. Still in his teens when older brothers Keenen Ivory and Damon Wayans secured the FOX sketch comedy show, Shawn would eventually leave the DJ booth to become part... Read more

RZA Tackles The Human Cost Of War In A Powerful Pro-Refugee Music Video

Earlier this month, RZA (along with his Wu-Tang Clan cohorts) appeared at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, where Hip-Hop's abbot made an impassioned speech about refugees. "I wanna talk about the refugees for one quick second," the producer and MC told the crowd. "How can you ban... Read more

Chris Rock & Dave Chappelle Perform Together For A Watch The Throne Moment

This past weekend, Chris Rock made his Total Blackout stand-up comedy tour stop in New Orleans, Louisiana. Prior to Rock's Saturday night (March 25) set at the Saenger Theatre, Dave Chappelle walked out on stage, to perform a reported 10 minutes of material. After Rock took the microphone, Dave remained... Read more

The White House’s Proposed Budget Cuts Prioritize War Over the American People (Video)

Since announcing proposed slashes to the federal budget last week, the White House has ignited a maelstrom of bipartisan concern due to what the New York Times calls "bone-deep cuts." Indeed, what's being called the "America First" budget blueprint would see huge reductions in (and in some cases, complete removal... Read more

A New Auction Acknowledges Tupac As 1 Of America’s Most Important Historical Figures (Video)

People are willing to spend considerable amounts of money on collectible items, especially thanks to online auctions. Within Hip-Hop alone, collecting items belonging to rappers and others has become a multi-million-dollar industry, particularly when it involves artists who have passed away. Unsurprisingly, Tupac Shakur is one of the most highly... Read more

Donald Trump Didn’t Like Being Clowned By Snoop Dogg. He Responds (Video)

Earlier this week, Snoop Dogg released a brilliant music video in the form of "Lavender." In it, suburbia is populated by literal clowns, men, women, and children whose faces are adorned to look like circus entertainers. Starring Michael Rapaport, the video is a remix to BADBADNOTGOOD's Kaytranada produced song of... Read more

Julius Erving Signs On To Make Sure Ice Cube’s BIG3 Basketball League Is A Slam Dunk (Video)

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Julius Erving helped make NBA basketball have mass appeal. The man affectionately dubbed "Dr. J" made the slam dunk an institution, long before SportsCenter and other programs were there to celebrate its art. Aside from flare and pageantry, Erving was an incredible basketball player. He... Read more

The GOP’s Replacement for Obamacare Is Leaving Millions Scared To Death…(Video)

On Sunday evening, John Oliver devoted the majority of Last Week Tonight to analyzing the GOP's proposed replacement for the Affordable Healthcare Act (AHA), colloquially referred to as "Obamacare." President Obama's sweeping healthcare reform bill is a touchstone of the former president's legacy, and one that provided millions of uninsured... Read more

Chance The Rapper Opens Up About The Many Blessings Of Fatherhood (Video)

At just 23, Chance The Rapper has become one of the most successful rappers of today, even if nontraditionally. The 3-time Grammy Award winner has yet to make any financial profit from selling any of his music, thus far a body of work consisting of three mixtapes: 10 Day, Acid... Read more

Killer Mike Is Honored By The Georgia Senate & Challenges Them To Do Better For All People

Over the last several years, Killer Mike has very definitively established himself as one of Hip-Hop's greatest activists. Mike's civic-mindedness could be heard extensively in his music, particularly on album's like R.A.P. Music and his Run The Jewels collaborations with El-P. However, in the wake of tragedies like the killing... Read more