boogie down productions Archives

This Mix Of 1980s Hip-Hop Travels A Road Of Riches That Will Leave You Paid In Full (Audio)

When we look back in Hip-Hop, our gaze often hones in on the 90s, and rightfully so, as that era spawned Nas, Biggie, Wu-Tang Clang, Tupac, Jay-Z, OutKast, Snoop and so many other all-time greats. However, each of those legends will say it was MCs from the 80s who inspired... Read more

May 1, 2016 Mixes, Throwback

KRS-One Explains Why Drake Is “Underrated” & Says Some The Best MCs Have Writers (Audio)

KRS-One is the latest guest on N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN's Drink Champs Podcast. There, the iconic Boogie Down Productions MC sipped hand-crafted mai tai's and discussed a litany of topics, at incredible length. Known for lecturing at some of the most prestigious universities around the globe, publishing books, and educating... Read more

April 23, 2016 Audio

KRS-One Makes A Soulful Phife Dawg Tribute & Invites All To Join (Audio)

KRS-One was among the litany of artists on hand last week (April 5) for the Phife Dawg memorial at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Now, the MC who was featured on the cover of A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders album makes a song dedication to Malik Taylor, with a call to... Read more

April 10, 2016 Audio

KRS-One Responds To MC Shan’s Battle Bars With A Brutal Diss Record (Audio)

For one week now, MC Shan has asked for a proper battle with KRS-One. Thirty years removed from the genesis of "The Bridge Wars," Shan revealed some bars he had for Kris last week. This morning, the onetime Juice Crew MC released an acapella verse that pulled no punches in... Read more

April 8, 2016 Audio

MC Shan Spits 4 Minutes Of Battle Bars With Shots Aimed Directly At KRS-One’s Head (Audio)

One week ago (April 1), MC Shan appeared on the Murder Master Music Show. The Queens, New York MC veteran vehemently denied the history that he ever lost a battle to KRS-One. First referring to Kris as "my man," the Juice Crew MC explained why the "Bridge Wars" battles with... Read more

April 8, 2016 Audio

KRS-One Sounds Off On Da Police As Swizz Beatz Nods To B.D.P. (Audio)

KRS-One proves to be the perfect MC for Swizz Beatz' massive remix for "Jason." The 2015 video single which originally featured Jadakiss gets Boogie Down Productions' "The Bridge Is Over" percussion, and a fiery Blastmasta Kris taking on the crimes of the police department in the 2010s. The MC who... Read more

April 4, 2016 Audio

MC Shan Challenges KRS-One To Settle The Bridge Wars Once & For All…With A Battle (Audio)

In the late 1980s, the Juice Crew and Boogie Down Productions were involved in one of Hip-Hop's most legendary battles. KRS-One and Scott La Rock released records dissing Marley Marl, Mr. Magic, Roxanne Shante, and MC Shan, among others. However, nearly 30 years later, MC Shan refutes the history that... Read more

April 2, 2016 Audio, News

Boogie Down Productions’ Criminal Minded vs. Ghostface Killah’s Supreme Clientele. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

February 19, 2016 Finding the GOAT

Imagine If The CREAM Sample Wu-Tang Used Went to KRS Instead. It Almost Happened… (Audio)

K-Def is one accomplished producer. The New Jersey native is known for his extensive discography, which includes work with Lords Of The Underground, UGK, and Puff Daddy. The onetime protege of Marley Marl, K-Def has maintained a career in music for nearly 25 years. In 1993, Def was hard at... Read more

February 2, 2016 Throwback

KRS-One Reveals The Secrets of the Illuminati & Says There Is Nothing To Fear (Video)

They don't call KRS-One "the Teacha" for nothing. The iconic Bronx, New York MC, teacher, poet, and philosopher recently blasted off for a group of young minds in California. Taking questions from audience members, the Now Hear This creator spoke in depth about the difference between Masons and the Illuminati,... Read more

December 6, 2015 Video

KRS-One’s Live Show Is Still #1. Catch This Medley (Video)

The same week he released twelfth solo album Now Hear This, KRS-One performed a homecoming concert at Manhattan's S.O.B.'s. There, the Boogie Down Productions co-founder freestyled an apology to LL Cool J for a line he spit on the road just days prior. But that wasn't all. The iconic MC... Read more

November 29, 2015 Video

KRS-One Returns To The Mic With A Vengeance. Now Hear This! (Album Stream)

It has been several years since KRS-One released an album. One of Hip-Hop's most famous, controversial, and quoted MCs self-released Now Hear This yesterday (November 27). The Boogie Down Productions co-founder's 12th solo album contains 18 songs, with production by Da Beatminerz, Mad Lion, and DJ Static, among others. This... Read more

November 28, 2015 Audio

KRS-One & Bumpy Knuckles Speak Truth To The People, On A Def Jef Remix (Audio)

In 2011, KRS-One and Bumpy Knuckles (a/k/a Freddie Foxxx) released Royalty Check. The 6.8.2 Records affair was 20 years after the two New York City hardcore MCs had worked together on "H.E.A.L.," and followed up with "Ruff Ruff." In the last weeks of 2015, Bumpy shares a special remix of... Read more

November 28, 2015 Audio

KRS-One Apologizes to LL Cool J For Dissing Him, With A Detailed Freestyle (Video)

On Saturday night (November 21), KRS-One performed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In a concert joined by Rakim, Ras Kass, Domingo, DJ JS-1, and others, KRS was filmed (by Akil Esoon) as he welcomed a fan to the stage to perform some rhymes. That fan, dressed in a white track-suit and matching... Read more

November 25, 2015 Video

KRS-One Dismantles A Fan That Challenged Him To A Battle (Video)

This past weekend (November 21), KRS-One performed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. There, Kris (who has a new album releasing this week) rocked a bill that also included Rakim, Ras Kass, Domingo, DJ JS-1, among others. While performing his set at the Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum, KRS-One welcomed one fan from the crowd... Read more

November 23, 2015 Video

KRS-One & Ice-T Have 30 Years of Shared History. It Shows in This Talk Between OGs (Audio)

KRS-One and Crazy Legs are the latest guests on Ice-T's Final Level Podcast. The special Veterans Day edition of Ice and Mick Benzo's show takes a deep look at how Hip-Hop and the United States Military are in step in 2015, with many veterans (including Ice) and enlisted Heads. Additionally,... Read more

November 11, 2015 Audio

The Story Of Hip-Hop’s Creation Is Being Re-Examined By Some Of Its Most Respected Pioneers (Video)

Editor's Note: The first edition of this story credited Crazy Legs as Rock Steady Crew founder. It has been brought to Ambrosia For Heads' attention that Crazy Legs is in fact the president of the organization. The mistake has been corrected, in the story below: Last night (November 2), Crazy... Read more

November 3, 2015 News, Video

Marley Marl Says KRS-One Asked To Be In The Juice Crew & “The Bridge” Leaked (Audio)

Iconic Hip-Hop producer and DJ Marley Marl is the most recent guest on Ice-T's Final Level Podcast. The man largely responsible for introducing the music community to Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Biz Markie, and countless others sat in with Ice and Mick Benzo for nearly 90 minutes. As... Read more

October 29, 2015 Audio

Here Are Your Top 10 Rap Albums of the 80s. Get Ready For The 90s…

Today (October 25) closes Round 2 of the 1980s bracket of Finding The GOAT Albums. In the closing hour, there were no ties, and not even a race within even 5% of two candidates. You—the voter—definitively decided which 10 albums go forth to the final 32 albums across all eras.... Read more

October 25, 2015 Finding the GOAT

Big Daddy Kane Reveals KRS-One Is The Battle He Really Wanted & Why It Never Happened (Video)

Big Daddy Kane was a recent guest on Ed Lover's Sirius XM Backspin show. In addition to adding some context to his championing Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' willingness to work with and support Hip-Hop pioneers, B.D.K. looked back at key career moments with the former "Yo! MTV Raps" co-host. Ed... Read more

October 23, 2015 Video

It’s October 21, 2015. What Is “Back To The Future” According To KRS-One?

In what has come to be known as "Back To The Future Day" (October 21, 2015), the fictional date portrayed as "the future" in the sequel to Robert Zemeckis' 1985 film has actually arrived. The Michael J. Fox blockbuster franchise is still a cultural touchstone more than 30 years since... Read more

October 21, 2015 Food for Thought

Eric B. & Rakim’s Paid In Full vs. Boogie Down Productions’ By All Means Necessary. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

October 9, 2015 Finding the GOAT

Boogie Down Productions’ Criminal Minded vs. Public Enemy’s Yo! Bum Rush The Show. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

September 25, 2015 Finding the GOAT

What Was It Like to See a Boogie Down Productions Show in 1987? Press Play (Video)

"Rap is still an art, and no one's from the Old School, 'cause Rap is still a brand-new tool. I say no one's from the Old School 'cause Rap on a whole, isn't even twenty years old. Fifty years down the line, you can start this, 'cause we'll be the... Read more

September 13, 2015 Throwback

Straight Outta Compton Got Ya Craving An Electro-Rap Vibe? One Of Dre’s Partners Delivers (Mix)

Whether you watch Breakin' or you listen to The Chronic, you've heard the work of Chris "The Glove" Taylor. As moviegoers catch Straight Outta Compton to catch glimpses of Dr. Dre and DJ Yella in Los Angeles, California's early 1980s Electro-Rap scene, The Glove was at the forefront. Ice-T's first... Read more

August 14, 2015 Mixes, Throwback

Dr. Dre, Nas, KRS-One, B-Real, Scarface & RBX Came Together In The Aftermath Of Coastal Conflict (Video)

Tomorrow (August 7), Dr. Dre is slated to drop his first album in 16 years. Compton, as it is called, follows 2001 in a career that has emphasized quality over quantity. In conjunction with next week's Straight Outta Compton biopic (August 14), Dre returned to his studios and invited friends... Read more

August 6, 2015 Do Remember, Throwback

KRS-One, Tragedy Khadafi & A.G. Call Politicians Modern Day Gangsters (Audio)

Since his days of running with the Juice Crew, Tragedy Khadafi has been the Intelligent Hoodlum. "Modern Day Gangsta," from Trag's upcoming summer album, is a clear extension of those days. The song unites the onetime Marley Marl protege with KRS-One and A.G. Each MC provides a rugged verbal essay... Read more

July 13, 2015 Audio

How Does DJ Premier Rock a Party in Russia? Like an OG…Watch His 90s Boiler Room Set (Video)

DJ Premier recently took his talents to Russia. While there, he produced a track with a local artist and rocked a Boiler Room party. For his hour-long DJ set, Preemo covered the full 90s Hip-Hop spectrum, spinning music by Biggie, Tha Luniz, Nas, Crooklyn Dodgers, Boogie Down Productions, Pete Rock... Read more

May 30, 2015 Video

DJ Red Alert Explains How The Bridge Wars Began, Tells His Story (Audio)

Fresh off of DJ Kool Herc's groundbreaking interview with The Combat Jack Show, another Hip-Hop pioneer is profiled extensively. Kool DJ Red Alert is Combat's guest this week. The Harlem, New York native (not Bronx, as often reported) opens up about his career trajectory, the radio wars evolving into "The... Read more

May 13, 2015 Throwback

Finding The GOAT: Who Is the Greatest MC Of All-Time & Why Do We Care? (Video)

Chances are, if you are a Hip-Hop fan, at some point in your life, you've been embroiled in a conversation about who is Hip-Hop's Greatest Of All-Time (GOAT) MC. Whether it was in a lunch room, on a school bus, in a barber shop or in a board room, there... Read more

May 7, 2015 Video

Finding The GOAT (Round 5): KRS-One vs. Nas…Who You Got?

With just 11 MCs remaining we have reached the critical Round 5 in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). Now, only five match-up’s—all running this week—separate Round 5 from the final six MCs, including Round 4 bye winner Big Daddy Kane. Since the elimination,... Read more

May 1, 2015 Fresh

Finding The GOAT (Round 4): KRS-One vs. Guru…Who You Got?

We have now reached the critical Round 4 in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). With 21 MCs remaining (with the largest winning margin, Rakim receives a bye for the round), things are really coming down to 10 match-ups, leading AFH’s bracket-style series towards... Read more

April 23, 2015 Throwback

Finding The GOAT (Round 3): KRS-One vs. Chuck D…Who You Got?

We have reached the third round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). With 42 MCs remaining, we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into... Read more

March 11, 2015 Throwback

KRS-One Followed Up “I Got Next” With This Domingo Track. Unheard, Until Now (Audio)

1998 was an interesting transition year for Hip-Hop legend, KRS-One. The Bronx MC/producer was one year removed from his highest-charting (#3), gold solo album, I Got Next. Still signed to the same Jive Records that he'd worked with for much of Boogie Down Productions' later work, Blastmasta had an A&R... Read more

February 4, 2015 Throwback

KRS-One Says He Cannot Make Money In America, Discusses Hip-Hop’s Global Impact (Video)

KRS-One interviews are a bit scarce in 2015. The archetypal MC tours extensively, and gives limited audiences these days. However, the Boogie Down Productions co-founder recently opened up with VladTV on a number of current and historic issues, which are now unfolding through the video segments. In the latest, KRS... Read more

February 2, 2015 Video

KRS-One Returned To The Boom-Bap Back In 1993. But What About This Leftover? (Audio)

KRS-One's first solo album, 1993's Return Of The Boom Bap clearly mapped out the Blastmasta from his Boogie Down Productions past. A Top 40 charting effort on his longtime Jive Records home, the LP welcomed DJ Premier and Showbiz to the cypher. Fourteen tracks would make the LP a hardcore... Read more

January 28, 2015 Throwback

Here’s the Story of How KRS-One & Scott La Rock Met…Comic Book Style

Here's something incredibly dope for fans of Comics, Hip-Hop or both. Ed Piskor, renowned cartoonist and author of the Hip-Hop Family Tree graphic novel, has released the account of how KRS-One and Scott La Rock met, in the form of a comic. The story was assembled from several of KRS-One's... Read more

January 16, 2015 Throwback

Finding The GOAT (Round 2): KRS-One vs. Masta Ace…Who You Got?

We have reached the second round in the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). We are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups... Read more

January 12, 2015 Throwback

KRS-One & Ol’ Dirty Bastard Rock A Stage In 1995 (Video)

Uncle Ralph McDaniels has not only shed light on dope Hip-Hop for decades, his lens has captured it. Yesterday (December 19), the Video Music Box VJ extraordinaire shared some 1995 footage (from the VMB Archives) of KRS-One and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard wildin' out to the just-released "Who Shot... Read more

December 20, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

50 Cent Remembers Being Afraid In The Early 2000s, Big Ups KRS-One (Video)

Ninety-second interviews would be irrelevant for most people, let alone celebrities or MCs. Somehow, 50 Cent's lucid admissions defy that logic though. Sitting down with HOT 97, 50 Cent uses a minute and a half to speak so bluntly about 2000, when the Queens, New York hopeful was shot multiple... Read more

December 10, 2014 Fresh, Video

KRS-One Teams With Torae To To Break Down The Contrary Meanings Of Clique (Audio)

Champagne to some, a posse to others, and the sign of a hung up phone to others, "clicks" are everywhere. KRS-One and Torae bring it from the Bronx to Brooklyn alongside the Rocksteady Crew's DJ JS-1 for his recently-released It Is What It Isn't album. On "Klick Clique," Kris and... Read more

December 5, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Wu-Tang Clan Is Still Out To Bring Da Ruckus, Taking A Page From KRS-One (Audio)

Hours after one of the New York City listening sessions for Wu-Tang Clan's A Better Tomorrow empties out, Heads are treated with new music. Put simply, "Ruckus In B Minor" is busy, and a lot to process. For starters, the beat changes sporadically throughout the song, arranged as a complex... Read more

November 4, 2014 Audio, Fresh

KRS-One & Channel Live’s Hakim Show Out On Mr. Green’s Series (Video)

Mr. Green's Noisey-backed series, Live From The Streets, continues to expand around the Hip-Hop globe. In his third season of the series, the Outsidaz affiliate doesn't need to look far from his New Jersey upbringing to find Hakim Green (Channel Live) and Hakim's mentor/close friend, KRS-One. Blastmasta and Hak' were... Read more

November 3, 2014 Fresh, Video

Here’s an Incredible 80’s Hip-Hop Mix From DJ Vadim (Audio)

Here's a wide-ranging and incredibly dope mix of 80's Hip-Hop from DJ Vadim. Focusing primarily on artists from the mid to late 80's, the mix includes Run-D.M.C., The Fat Boys, MC Lyte, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Slick Rick, N.W.A., Biz Markie, Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, LL Cool J, Boogie Down... Read more

August 9, 2014 Throwback

Domingo Sets The Table For 3 Legends In KRS-One, Kool G Rap & Greg Nice (Audio)

In the late 1980s, the notion of KRS-One and Kool G Rap on the same track was unheard of. In the midst of "The Bridge Wars," KRS-One was in the middle of a war of the boroughs, championing The Bronx against Queens' Marley Marl and MC Shan, surrounding the birthplace... Read more

May 22, 2014 Audio, Fresh

D-Nice Recalls The Day Of Scott La Rock’s Murder, Reveals That After BDP, He Battled Homelessness (Audio)

One of Hip-Hop's most resilient figures is D-Nice. The Human TR-808 came into vogue as an MC, down with KRS-One, Scott La Rock, and Boogie Down Productions. Rolling with one of the late '80s most ferocious Hip-Hop outfits, D-Nice became B.D.P.'s most prominent off-shoot, signing a solo deal with Jive... Read more

May 22, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Throwback

KRS-One Returns Alongside Domingo, Chris Rivers, Bamboo & R.A. The Rugged Man (Audio)

From the raw streets of East New York, Domingo is a veteran producer known for sharing an updated boom-bap sound with the likes of KRS-One, Masta Ace, Kool G Rap, and Canibus. A frequent worker on major label and independent LPs, Domingo has also released an assortment of his own... Read more

May 21, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Fat Joe Calls Himself A “KRS-One Groupie,” Performs Flow Joe On The Spot + Freestyles (Video)

Fat Joe's history can be deceiving. A household name, globally-recognized icon, Joe Crack is also a founding member of D.I.T.C., and has at least two albums that are hardcore Hip-Hop gems. If anybody knows this, it's Sway Calloway, who's has Joe on his shows for over 21 years and counting.... Read more

May 14, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

KRS-One Kicks Some Hard Rhymes Overtop A Guitar Loop. It’s True School (Audio)

DJ Jean Maron has worked with an assortment of New York Hip-Hop legends. Maron's 2010 Run-MPC LP with M-Dot included M.O.P., Kool G Rap, Masta Ace, and Craig G. Almost four years later, Maron links with KRS-One. On "True School," Blastmasta has that Teacha's fervor as he expounds on why... Read more

April 4, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Mobb Deep & Big Noyd’s 1994 Version Update Of MC Shan’s Classic Is Liberated (Audio)

The Bridge Wars were very real. Most Heads know about the Juice Crew vs. Boogie Down Productions main event featuring MC Shan, Marley Marl, Roxanne Shante and more versus KRS-One, Scott La Rock, Just-Ice, DJ Kenny Parker and others. However, throughout the late '80s and early '90s, other artists were... Read more

March 25, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Throwback