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9th Wonder, Rapsody & Add-2 Stop By Juan Epstein To Show That Jamla Is The Squad (Audio)

Peter Rosenberg & Cipha Sounds Juan Epstein interviews are quickly ramping up in 2014. From 3rd Bass' MC Serch and A&R extraordinaire Dante Ross already (with conflicting views in some places), the radio duo hones in on 9th Wonder and two of his Jamla Records stand-outs, Rapsody and newer addition,... Read more

Check Dag Savage’s E&J Album, Which Features Fashawn, Blu, Aloe Blacc & Ras Kass (Album Stream)

Just weeks after their Warning mixtape, Exile & Johaz's Dag Savage unit offers up an early listen to their album, E&J. The duo brought along family including Blu, Fashawn, MED, Aloe Blacc, and Ras Kass for this LP. Which do you prefer between the two? Is Johaz Exile's next great... Read more

Big Boi, U.G.K. & Big K.R.I.T. Mashed With Blue Oyster Cult & Sanctioned By Daddy Fat Sax? Yep. (Video)

Fans of late '70s Hard Rock group Blue Oyster Cult know a thing or two about a thing or two. The group with hits like "Don't Fear The Reaper" came to mainstream prominence around the time of Hip-Hop's own commercial breakthroughs. Big Boi, a student of '70s Funk, '70s Cadillac... Read more

ScHoolboy Q’s OXYMORON Will Feature Black Hippy Plus OG’s Like Kurupt, Raekwon & Suga Free. Here’s the Tracklist.

With February 25th fast-approaching, here is the tracklist to ScHoolboy Q's major label debut, OXYMORON. Guests include two-thirds of his Black Hippy cohorts, save for Ab-Soul. Veterans include Pomona pimp-hop O.G. Suga Free, Kurupt, Raekwon, and 2 Chainz while Q's peers include Tyler, The Creator, BJ The Chicago Kid, and... Read more

Anna Gordy, Inspiration To Marvin Gaye’s Here My Dear Has Died. Listen To The Music (Audio)

There are plenty of timeless, classic, immortal love songs made by Marvin Gaye (quite a few with Tammi Terrell). However, Marvin also penned one of the ultimate break-up albums, late 1978's Here My Dear (which was recorded years before it released, as it sat on Motown shelves). A couple years... Read more

Das EFX’s Krazy Drayz Has Lots Of Faith In Hip-Hop (Mixtape)

It may have been 11 years since the last Das EFX album, but Drayz (Dre) and Skoob stay busy. In addition to work with Marco Polo and DJ Rondevu, the Tri-State cats who met in Virginia (where they were also discovered, at VSU) are pursuing solo work. Krazy Drayz just... Read more

After Blu Dropped 44 New Songs in January, Here Are 33 More. Check out soul amazing (pt.2) (Audio)

Last month, Blu dropped a 44-song compilation out of nowhere. Here are 33 new songs to add to the collection. Check out soul amazing (part two). soul amazing (part two) by blu Related: Blu Suddenly Drops A 44-Track Album Featuring Miguel, Talib Kweli & Joell Ortiz (Album Stream)... Read more

Feel Like Fighting After That Wack Super Bowl? M.O.P. & Mobb Deep Got You Covered (Audio)

The Super Bowl was wack. What way to take out some unreleased aggression than a new collabo from M.O.P. and Mobb Deep? Check out Street Certified. Props on the spot: 2DBZ Related: DJ Kay Slay Unifies Members Of Wu-Tang Clan, LOX, Mobb Deep, Capone-N-Noreaga & M.O.P. To Honor The ’90s... Read more

Ready for the Super Bowl? First Things First. Here Are Some Classic Hip-Hop Commercials (Video)

Commercials are always a big part of Super Bowl Sunday. With that in mind, here’s a video playlist of some vintage hip-hop commercials. You’ll see Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Large Professor, Grand Puba, Biggie, Snoop, 2Pac, Warren G, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang, Ice Cube, EPMD, Geto Boys, Kid 'N'... Read more

The Week in Video Brought Out the Best in Kendrick Lamar, Redman’s Crib, New Phonte & More (Video Playlist)

This week was dominated by Grammy coverage, and there were some clear highlights like the Kendrick Lamar/Imagine Dragons mashup, but there were also several other gems that might have gotten lost in the swirl. Here's a video playlist of some of the best visual programming of the week. You'll find... Read more

Do Miguel Hooks Provoke Violent Videos?? Big Sean Power Trips in the Video for Ashley (Video)

Nearly a year after Miguel's collabo with J. Cole inspired one of the darkest videos of 2013 with J. Cole's Power Trip, Big Sean has gone even darker in the video for Ashley which also features vocals by Miguel...This one is not safe for work, so be careful where you... Read more

TLC Perform What About Your Friends at the Vh1 Super Bowl Blitz (Video)

As the Super Bowl festivities ramp up, the ladies from TLC join the party. Chili and T-Boz performed a high energy rendition of What About Your Friends, and they've still got it. Check out the video. Related: T-Boz & Chilli Invite Lil’ Mama To Perform With TLC As Left Eye... Read more

Redman Invites MTV Back to His Crib and He’s “Beyonce’d” the Bathroom. Greatest Cribs Segment Ever? (Video)

As part of MTV's "RetroMania" week, they've returned to Redman's crib 13 years after the last visit. True to his nature on records, the Hit Squad/Def Squad MC was a simple dude: turntables, fish-sticks, a dollar box/cookie jar sort of bank. Even in the era of RIAA album plaques and... Read more

Roc Marciano & Virginia’s Knowledge The Pirate Are Rap Slingers (Video)

One of the final really exciting albums from 2013 was Roc Marciano's Marci Beaucoup. The Man Bites Dog release highlighted the production abilities of the Hempstead, Long Island artist, while pairing him with an assortment of artists, ranging from Evidence to A.G. to Cormega. One of the lesser known artists... Read more

Rap-A-Lot Records Re-Releases Geto Boys, Do Or Die, Scarface Albums To Vinyl

Dating back to 1986, Houston's Rap-A-Lot Records is from the era when Hip-Hop was more prevalent on vinyl than CD. Growing demand for J. Prince's catalog has made the "Hot Club Wax," as promos used to be called, scarce surrounding some albums. Just days after Universal Music Group's similar announcement,... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Reacts To The Grammy Snubs & Macklemore’s Wins

Kendrick Lamar is not one to speak much on controversy. Following his 2013 "Control" verse, K-Dot evaded press and social media to fuel the fire, and let his Rap verse speak for itself. Following Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' four Grammy Award wins on Sunday night, many Heads speculated what Kendrick... Read more

The Latest Episode of Unsung Covers the Life That is Too Short (Full Video)

Having been in the game for more than 25 years, Too Short is one of the most enduring figures in Hip-Hop. The latest episode of TV One's Unsung bioseries takes a look at the the life of Todd Shaw. Check out the full episode below. Related: Geto Boys are Truly... Read more

Rapper Big Pooh Signs With Mello Music Group, Plans To Release Album With Nottz

Founding Little Brother member Rapper Big Pooh has had a busy solo career for almost a decade. The Virginia native famously made Sleepers, the first solo project from the (other) LB Fam, back in 2005. He's followed with a series of retail mixtapes, albums, series, and a host of projects... Read more

Meek Mill Has Got 5 On It With Jadakiss (Video)

Meek Mill flips The Luniz's I Got 5 On It track (or Why You Treat Me So Bad by Club Nouveau for the back in the day Heads) on his song Heaven or Hell, which also features Jadakiss and Gourdan. Check out the video. Related:... Read more

Ever Sing in the Shower? Maybe Not Like This…Denitia & Sene Make an Amazing Video (Video)

Denitia and Sene have made an elegant and amazing video for their song trip.fall. They take the simple act of singing in the shower and turn it into art. Check out the video. Related: Denitia & Sene Show What It Means To Be A Casanova (Video)... Read more

Lauryn Hill Performs a Funked Up Version of Final Hour (Video)

Lauryn Hill's latest re-arrangements of her Miseducation classics have been winning. After releasing a scorching reggae-tinged performance version of Ex-Factor in December, she's now released a funked up performance of Final Hour. Check out the video. Related: Lauryn Hill Performs an Inspired 11-Minute Reggae-Influenced Version of Ex-Factor (Video)... Read more

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Perform 1st of tha Month at The Freakiest Show on Earth (Video)

For Karmaloop's Freak-A-Thon holiday live stream event, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Krazyie, Layzie and Flesh-N-Bone linked up to perform one of their breakthrough hits. The gold 1995 first single from E. 1999 Eternal produced by DJ U-Neek helped get the B.T.N.H. in the door, before their multi-platinum international superstar climb. Check this... Read more

Big Sean Starts Off 2014 With A 1st Quarter Freestyle On A G.O.O.D. Music-Made Beat (Video)

After taking a rhyme hiatus in late 2013, Big Sean is ramping up for the new year. Teaming with frequent G.O.O.D. Music producer Key Wane, with some help on the mix from Travi$ Scott, Detroit's latest superstar breaks his short-term silence with a video featuring some special effects and a... Read more

Some Classic Marvin Gaye & Some Classic Mos Def Mixed Together Like They’re Soul Mates (Audio)

The quality in mash-up mixes are really improving lately. From Girltalk to DJ Z-Trip to others, the once-gimmicky (to some Heads) practice of intermixing songs from different genres and eras has gotten technically strong, and artful. 2DopeBoyz put the spotlight on this new "Yasiin Gaye" project from Amerigo Gazaway, who... Read more

Here’s a New Mobb Deep Track From the Upcoming Infamous Deluxe Album (Audio)

As we previously reported, Mobb Deep is releasing a deluxe version of their album the Infamous to commemorate its 20th anniversary. The album will have 2 discs, with disc 2 featuring previously unreleased tracks from the Infamous recording sessions, as well as some new tracks. Here's one of those new... Read more

Nas Touches On If He’s Ever Considered A Sequel To Illmatic (Video)

Moments before he was honored by J. Cole at a VIBE magazine event during Grammy weekend, Nas sat with the publication. Asked if he's ever considered a Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II-esque sequel to his classic debut, Illmatic, Nas answers what he answers with few words more than... Read more

Smoke DZA Blows Some Cloud Rap Overtop An Experimental Flying Lotus Beat (Audio)

Although Flying Lotus has built his following in the Electric music and Instrumental Hip-Hop genre, the California native has roots in Rap. He's worked with Finale, D. Prosper, and Blu, but now the Los Angeles-based musician links with Kush God? Well, not completely. But DZA hops on a FlyLo beat... Read more

Audio Push Make Some Chillout Music to Help You Turn Down (Video)

Audio Push is showing exponential growth lately. The former Interscope duo from Cali's I.E. (Inland Empire) makes a vignette-based video for "Turn Down." Kind of in the "Passin' Me By" wheelhouse, the song focuses on the excuses people give each other to not hang. Beautiful women in costume with an... Read more

Cam’ron Comes Back To His Mid-2000s Glory With A-Trak On Humphrey (Audio)

Around the same time Cam'ron and Kanye West were crossing paths in Baseline and Roc The Mic Studios in New York City, A-Trak was 'Ye's DJ. The mid-2000s found Cam famously at the Roc for a three solo album deal, while Kanye's own career skyrocketed. Shortly thereafter, A-Trak, who had... Read more

Need to Explain Sampling To Somebody In 3 Ear-Bending Minutes? Watch This (Video)

Heads love samples, from Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" in Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force's "Planet Rock" to Twin Sister's "Meet The Frownies" in Kendrick Lamar's "The Recipe." The folks at Eclectic Method made a three-minute reel that traces the chronology of sampling through the years, stopping in some pretty... Read more

Macklemore & Kendrick Lamar: How Hip-Hop (Not The Grammy’s) Turned Sunday Into a Fail (Food For Thought)

The day after the Grammy Awards, the conversation about Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ win for Best Rap Album over Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city (G.K.M.C) grew from a buzz to a roar. Social media platforms and the web, generally, were on fire. The frenzy was fueled in part by... Read more

Pharoahe Monch Gets His Sam Jackson On, In Bad MFer (Audio)

Release dates are coming in heavy this week. The same seven days that celebrate the 20th anniversary of Organized Konfusion's Stress: The Extinction Agenda sees Monch map out P.T.S.D. for April 15th (tax day, as it's also known). The LP on W.A.R. Media will include contributions from Black Thought, Marco... Read more

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Team With Earl Sweatshirt & Domo Genesis On New Song, Get Album Release Date (Audio)

After years in the waiting, EPs whetting the appetites of distinct fanbases, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib have a release date for Pinata. No longer called Cocaine Pinata, the collaborative full-length arrives March 18th from The Loop Digger's own imprint, Madlib Invazion. A press release confirmed that guests include Scarface, Mac... Read more

J. Cole’s Label Partners With Interscope & He Releases 11 Track Revenge Of The Dreamers (Album Stream)

J. Cole is making big moves this week. Like collaborators Meek Mill and Mac Miller, Cole is building a label simultaneous to his own expanding career. Dreamville, as his imprint is known, has inked a distribution deal with Interscope Records, home to Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, and Eminem. This squad... Read more

Diamonds Are Forever: Jay Z Gives J. Cole His Original Roc-A-Fella Records Chain On Stage (Video)

While J. Cole did not join his Roc Nation leader at Sunday's Grammy Awards, despite being nominated for Best Rap Album, the two reconvened this week. Last night, while Cole took the stage at Madison Square Garden, his fans were treated to surprise appearances by Kendrick Lamar, and Jay. While... Read more

The Lox Are Back With Some Boom Bap and a KRS-One Hook (Audio)

After dropping a surprise EP in December, The Lox reunion continues. Here's their latest, Boom Bap. Related: The Lox Give Sway In The Morning A Mini Concert & An In-Depth Interview (Video)... Read more

ScHoolboy Q Rocks Early 2014 With Tour & Some Fresh OXYMORON Music (Audio)

With two Top 200 independent albums already under his belt, all eyes are on ScHoolboy Q's first Interscope Records-backed LP, OXYMORON. The longtime Top Dawg Entertainment artist has garnered mainstream appeal, all from his perch as a straight-talking, easy-going G from the streets of South Central Los Angeles. TDE confirmed... Read more

Def Jam Records Started With A Smash. 30 Years Ago Today T La Rock Declared It’s Yours

The same week that LL Cool J hosted the Grammy Awards, there is another important memory milestone for Def Jam Records. Thirty years ago today (January 28), the label started by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin (in a New York University dorm room), released blockbuster single "It's Yours" by Manhattan/Bronx... Read more

25 Tracks From Stars & Emerging Voices Affirm That Jamla Most Definitely Is The Squad (Album Stream)

Just in the last five years, 9th Wonder's Jamla Records has released critically-acclaimed and commercially-dominant albums from the likes of Skyzoo, Rapsody, and Murs, among a host of others. The North Carolina-based label is ramping up for its latest wave, with a blossoming expanded roster, which includes TP, Add-2, and... Read more

Bronze Nazareth Checks In With His Wu-Tang Roots In The Beat He Gives Willie The Kid (Video)

Willie The Kid and Bronze Nazareth might both come from Michigan, but each have strong ties to the sons of Shaolin: the Wu-Tang Clan. W.T.K. is younger brother of La The Darkman, who was one of the early successful artists under the Wu umbrella. Bronze Nazareth came up with Cilvarings,... Read more

The Foreign Exchange Camp’s Visuals Are Really Uplifting Lately. Check Better (Video)

Phonte and Nicolay have been making captivating music (from Internet to in person) for a decade now. However, the group and affiliates with so much musical and social personality is really shining in video form lately. After Zo!'s "We Are On The Move" video (which featured 'Tay and Eric Roberson)... Read more

DJ Jazzy Jeff Shows The Link Between DJ’ing & Technology, Visits Sway In The Morning (Video)

In the newest episode of DJ Jazzy Jeff's Vinyl Destination, the A Touch Of Jazz crew hits the Bay area, one of the basins for technology. There, in the backyard of DJ Q-Bert, Mixmaster Mike, and Shortkut, the clique discusses how the innovations on the turntable over the last 30... Read more

J-Live Makes A Topical Video About Trying To Get Over With Money Matters (Video)

For over 15 years, J-Live has been an outstanding MC at making clever Hip-Hop songs that his audiences can relate to. The Triple Threat MC/DJ/producer makes a compelling video timed perfectly with the postage increases and State Of The Union address. "Money Matters" explores how working folks, off the grid... Read more

Nipsey Hussle Barks Some Reality Raps On The THC-Produced Between Us (Audio)

With the sounds of Hip-Hop changing, Nipsey Hussle breathes his brand of realness into all of his works. "Between Us" implements the kind of altered choruses you hear in Future, Kevin Gates, and the like—this one courtesy of K.Camp. However, in between the bridges, Nip' talks his life in simple,... Read more

With Temperatures Dropping, Kool G Rap, Cormega, Roc Marciano & J-Love Want You To Look Outside (Audio)

Roc Marciano and Cormega have a great working relationship. Although Queensbridge's 'Mega has about a 10-year jump in the game from Hempstead's Marci, the two are very much about the intricacies of street life. Both of these qualities hail from the Kool G Rap archetype, dating back to the '80s.... Read more

UMG is Re-Releasing Several Classic Hip-Hop Albums on Vinyl. Which is Your Favorite?

During last night's 53rd Grammy Awards, show host LL Cool J took a moment to acknowledge Def Jam Records, a label he helped build through his 1985 debut, Radio (and over a dozen Def Jam albums to follow). That LP, which includes "I Need Love" (a song LL also referenced... Read more

Yelawolf Celebrates His Wheels on His Latest Single, Box Chevy V (Audio)

Pimp C, E-40, King T, and now Yelawolf. Gearheads and Rides subscribers must love the kind of Hip-Hop that gives as much attention to automobilia as these guys. For his third major label go'round, Yelawolf is back to pay great homage to his "Box Chevy" those same late '70s-early '90s... Read more

On the Eve of His EP Release Here Are a New Song and Video From Isaiah Rashad (Audio & Video)

One of the voices poised to break out in 2014 is Top Dawg Entertainment's Isaiah Rashad. The Chattanooga, Tennessee MC is not big on churning out product like some of his contemporaries, instead, the introspective rapper aims to make every dart stick. Today, on the eve of his Clivia Demo... Read more

Macklemore Believes Race & Other Factors Contributed To His 4 Grammy Award Wins

From Macklemore's texts of solidarity to friend/peer Kendrick Lamar before last night's (January 26) 56th Grammy Awards to his words following winning in four categories competing against the Compton, California MC, it's hard not to love the way the Seattle, Washington veteran (who happened to win Best New Artist) handled... Read more

Macklemore Tells Kendrick Lamar He Got Robbed By Not Winning Best Rap Album. See the Texts (Photos)

Did the 56th Grammy Awards leave the Head in you feeling some kind of way? Especially if you're a Kendrick Lamar fan, watching Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' four awards sweep early in the night, talk of the town performance, and Daft Punk's Random Access Memories taking the Album Of The... Read more