AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Archives

Snoop Dogg Provides New Details About 1996 Meeting Between Tupac & Nas (Video)

On September 4, 1996, the MTV Video Music Awards took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Suge Knight were in Manhattan at a time when tensions were strong between their Death Row Records and several top Rap artists from the Big... Read more

Erick Sermon Reveals The Real Reason Craig Mack Did Not Join The Bad Boy Reunion Tour

On March 12, MC Craig Mack died at the age of 47 (earlier reports listed his age as 46). The Bronx-born, Long Island-raised artist who used his real name on records deceased from what coroner's declared as natural causes at his home in Walterboro, South Carolina. Other sources close to... Read more

Suge Knight Defense Attorneys Charged With Conspiracy

Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight is currently on trial for the vehicular hit-and-run murder of music executive Terry Carter, among a list of other charges. If convicted the Compton, California native and onetime music mogul could face life in prison. Despite his incarceration for more than two years,... Read more

The 1st Look At Death Row Series Shows Suge Strong-Arming Eazy-E To Get Dre (Video)

The Death Row Chronicles is an upcoming six-part series on one of music's most successful and most controversial record labels. Airing on BET February 20 (beginning with part one and two), a two-minute video trailer released, featuring commentary from some of the people closest to Death Row Records' former CEO... Read more

All Eyez On The Score: A Breakdown Of The Beef Between Tupac & The Fugees (Video)

On February 13, 1996, two of the biggest, and best-selling Hip-Hop albums of all time were released. That Tuesday, Tupac Shakur made his Death Row Records debut with double LP All Eyez On Me. The Fugees followed a tepid response to 1994's Blunted On Reality with a critical and commercial... Read more

Lady Of Rage, RBX & Dogg Pound Locked It Down Again 20 Years After Death Row (Video)

In less than a month, it marks 25 years since Dr. Dre brought out The Chronic. Hip-Hop has been partying ever since to an album that put Snoop Dogg on center stage but made some breakthrough introductions by way of Tha Dogg Pound, RBX, and The Lady Of Rage. For... Read more

Irv Gotti Says He Stopped Suge Knight From Releasing A Jennifer Lopez Sex Tape (Video)

In 2002, Irv Gotti produced two #1 remix singles for Jennifer Lopez. As a supplement to the actress-singer's quadruple-platinum J.Lo LP, she took a page from Mary J. Blige by releasing J To Tha L-O!: The Remixes. Like it's companion, the Epic Records remix album went to #1, featuring Hip-Hop guests... Read more

A Near 500-Song Mix Showcases The Magnificent History Of West Coast Hip-Hop (Audio)

West Coast Hip-Hop is incredible. So many of its pioneers are still making albums, doing shows, and adding to their legacy. As a tribute to the Left Coast immense contributions to Hip-Hop, Take It Personal Radio has compiled a four-part episode dedicated to gangsta and underground Rap classics from the... Read more

Daz Tells B-Real Who Supplied The Chronic For Dr. Dre’s Masterpiece (Video)

Dr. Dre named his 1992 solo debut album The Chronic and had millions of consumers aiming to catch a contact. The first LP released on Death Row Records took its name from a notoriously powerful strain of marijuana circulating around Southern California at the time. Combined with old Funk records... Read more

The D.O.C. Speaks About Idolizing Rakim & Making Plans To Work On New Music Together (Video)

On August 1, 1989, The D.O.C. released his debut album, No One Can Do It Better. The Ruthless/Atco/Atlantic Records album was the solo debut from the Dallas, Texas MC, formerly of the Fila Fresh Crew. Produced by N.W.A.'s Dr. Dre, it was not only an important mainstream representation of Southern... Read more

An Argument For Why Snoop Is The Greatest MC Of All-Time (Video)

Despite the fact that he is one of Rap music's most widely recognized faces, voices, and outright brands, somehow many overlook the lyrical merits of Snoop Dogg. For 25 years, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. has given Hip-Hop Heads different looks within one of the genre's most sprawling and versatile catalogs.... Read more

The Lady Of Rage Roughs Up A Tough DJ Premier Track With MC Eiht (Video)

MC Eiht's recently released Which Way Iz West features a number of illustrious rhyme guests. The DJ Premier-executive produced LP includes Kurupt, B-Real, Bumpy Knuckles, and Xzibit just for starters. One of the best appearances comes from none other than The Lady Of Rage. It has now been 20 years... Read more

21 Years After Tupac’s Death, The Game Questions How He’d Fit In Today (Audio)

Twenty-one years ago today, the physical world said goodbye to Tupac Shakur. Even with a week spent fighting for his life in a Las Vegas hospital, the 1996 news was sudden and scary, surrounding a Rap star that seemed, at times, immortal—and other times, doomed. Kanye West Killed 50 Cent... Read more

Tha Dogg Pound’s First Death Row Release Was Poetic And Hard AF (Audio)

On Halloween of 1995, Tha Dogg Pound opened up their can of Dogg Food. Kurupt and Daz Dillinger were the third artists with an album released by Death Row Records. Following their mentors, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, this Long Beach—rooted duo was much rougher than its teammates. Like the... Read more

The Outlawz Dispute Jimmy Iovine’s Claim That He Bailed Tupac Out Of Jail (Video)

The Outlawz have a complicated history with Death Row Records. Tupac's squad of New Jersey proteges would never release an album on Suge Knight and Dr. Dre's label. Marketed as acts on the imprint following Pac's death, they did sign, however, 1999's Top 10 Still I Rise album famously did... Read more

An Insider Reveals How Suge & Death Row Got Those Unlikely Guest Appearances (Video)

When Death Row Records launched in the early 1990s, they used Hollywood's SOLAR Records Studios to lay their tracks. After making "Deep Cover" for the SOLAR's soundtrack of the same name, Dr. Dre recorded and mixed The Chronic with some of the very same consoles and equipment used to make... Read more

The D.O.C. Talks Accepting His Newfound Voice & Helping Others Find Theirs (Video)

The D.O.C. is one of the many Hip-Hop artists who appear in The Defiant Ones docu-series. From his days with the Fila Fresh Crew, the Dallas, Texas native MC is one of the few to have worked with Dr. Dre at Ruthless, at Death Row, and Aftermath. In the four-part... Read more

Cold 187um Claims Dr. Dre Jacked His G-Funk & Names Songs To Prove It (Audio)

This week, The Defiant Ones docu-series is telling Dr. Dre's story. Twenty-five years ago, the N.W.A. co-founder released his solo debut, The Chronic. The first album on Death Row Records is credited for galvanizing G-Funk, a type of sample-based sound in Gangsta Rap that propelled the sub-genre into the MTV/Top... Read more

Jimmy Iovine Reveals He Was Behind Suge Knight Bailing Tupac Out Of Jail

In October of 1995, Tupac Shakur signed with Death Row Records. Reportedly inking his deal on a napkin, Pac joined Dr. Dre and Suge Knight's reigning and equally notorious record label. In that transaction, Shakur was able to post bail and leave Clinton Correctional Facility. In a matter of days,... Read more

How Prison Transformed Tupac But Could Not Save Him From Death Row

On Valentines Day 1995, Tupac Amaru Shakur was processed into general population at Clinton Correctional Facility. Approximately eight months later, Pac left the maximum security prison in Dannemora, New York. And nothing was the same. From his cell, Tupac counted his time. Unless he had visitors, Pac was in isolation... Read more

Tupac’s Spoken Words: Why His Interviews Are Even More Compelling Than His Music (Video)

"I want when they see me, they know that every day that I'm breathing, it's for Us to go farther. Every time I speak, I want the truth to come out. Every time I speak, I want a shiver. I don't want them to [predict] what I'm gonna say 'cause... Read more

Treach Flies To L.A. & Wages War To Protect Tupac’s Legacy

UPDATE: Just over 48 hours after Hip-Hop Heads were questioning whether Naughty By Nature's Treach and The Game's manager Wack 100 made an online beef a physical altercation, that conflict has been declared resolved. Moments ago today (May 22), Treach publicly apologized the the veteran music executive tied to Ray... Read more

Hear How Warren G Saved Def Jam Records (Audio)

Warren Griffin, III is revered as a  Hip-Hop underdog. The MC/producer/DJ better known as Warren G came up as the shy half-brother of Dr. Dre. Raised in Long Beach, California Warren is the man many believe is responsible for the introduction of Snoop Dogg. Warren, keeping the music going at... Read more

Westside Connection: DJ Quik & MC Eiht Release Their First Ever Collaborations (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So...let us fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it's ever been. Not only are we able to go back and... Read more

Treach, Snoop & T.I. Bring Tupac Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame In Style (Video)

Friday night (April 7) at Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center, Tupac Shakur was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. More than 20 years after the legendary rapper, actor, and revolutionary was killed in Las Vegas, Nevada, his name and music will live on forever, positioned alongside The... Read more

Teasers For The Tupac Movie Have Been Really Good. The Official Trailer Is GREAT (Video)

Tupac Shakur's life story is coming to theaters in less than 10 weeks. The film, All Eyez On Me will chronicle the rise and fall of one of Hip-Hop's immortal voices. The movie traces a timeline from 'Pac's impressionable childhood to his sudden, tragic death. Following several teasers, the June... Read more

Tupac Shakur Will Be Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame By Snoop Dogg

UPDATE: The original March 26 story erroneously reported that Mopreme Shakur was recently deceased. We apologize for that mistake and any confusion it may have caused. In fact, Mopreme's Thug Life band-mate Big Syke is the artist whose obituary we linked to in that statement, and intended to report. In... Read more

Six Years After His Passing, We Still Have Much Love For Nate Dogg (Video)

Six years ago today, music lost a true talent in Nathaniel Hale. The singer better known as Nate Dogg has one of the richest voices of the last 25 years. Alongside Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ludacris, Fabolous, Pharoahe Monch, Eminem, and his right-hand-man Warren G, the crooner within Tha Dogg... Read more

The G-Funk Documentary Pulls Warren G From The Background & Makes Him The Pioneer (Video)

For nearly 25 years, Warren G has been a powerful force within Hip-Hop. A multi-platinum MC, a hit producer, and an accomplished DJ, Warren Griffin joined his 213 band-mates (Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg) and Daz Dillinger in putting Long Beach, California on the Hip-Hop map. While Warren's first three... Read more

Finding The GOAT Producer: J Dilla vs. Dr. Dre. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

Snoop Talks With The Star Of All Eyez On Me About How Much The Film Moved Him (Video)

On June 16, 2017, All Eyez On Me, the long-awaited biopic on Tupac Shakur, will hit theaters. The film is directed by legendary music video and film director, Benny Boom, and stars Demetrius Shipp, Jr., as Tupac, and Danai Gurira (The Walking Dead's Michonne), as Pac's mother, Afeni Shakur. All... Read more

MC Eiht Explains Why His Beef With DJ Quik Was Unlike Any In Rap & Why It Ended (Video)

Last year, MC Eiht detailed ending his beef with Compton, California rival DJ Quik for Vlad TV. Following the high profile 1990s killings of Rap peers Tupac Shakur (who Quik worked closely with) and The Notorious B.I.G., the two men met at BET, where after years, they squashed a violent... Read more

Finding The GOAT Producer: Erick Sermon vs. DJ Quik. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

Finding The GOAT Producer: Dr. Dre vs Puff Daddy & The Hitmen. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

Finding The GOAT Producer: Dr. Dre vs. DJ Muggs. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer” begins. The third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving... Read more

Finding The GOAT Producer: DJ Quik vs. Warren G. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer” begins. The third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving... Read more

Snoop Dogg Recalls Meeting Tupac & Nearly Battle Rapping (Video)

In 1996, Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg would release several collaborations, beginning with All Eyez On Me video single "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted." Snoop has previously credited himself with recruiting Shakur to join Death Row Records in 1995, when the Long Beach, California MC was the standout MC at... Read more

Snoop Dogg’s Dippin’ From Death Row To No Limit May Have Saved His Career & Life (Audio)

In early 1998, Snoop Dogg left Death Row Records for No Limit. In a reported $4 million deal brokered by Priority Records, the Long Beach, California MC went from the breakout star signed by Dr. Dre at the top of the decade to the key acquisition of the reigning independent... Read more

1 Of DJ Quik’s 80s Underground Tapes Surfaces & It Bangs On Wax (Audio)

Hip-Hop Heads who pay attention know that DJ Quik's career goes back a long way before 1991's Quik Is The Name debut. The Compton, California MC/producer/DJ has always talked about his $10 "underground tapes" on records. In fact, the famed feud with MC Eiht and Compton's Most Wanted started long... Read more

The LOX Were Courted By Suge & Death Row. They Explain Why They Passed (Video)

This month, The LOX shocked Heads with the announcement of a partnership with Jay Z and Roc Nation. That news broke December 1, with an album  coming just over two weeks later. The D-Block/Roc-backed Filthy America...It's Beautiful marked the Yonkers, New York trio's first full-length album in more than 16... Read more

Comedian & Actor Ricky Harris Has Passed Away At Age 54

Comedian, actor, and music personality Ricky Harris has died. Social media posts by DJ Pooh, Snoop Dogg, and Daz Dillinger confirmed Harris' passing. Reportedly, the 54 year old died of a heart attack today (December 26). Throughout the last 23 years, Harris established himself as an actor and comedian. He... Read more

Tupac Will Enter The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Gene Simmons Can Kiss Off.

In just five years of releasing albums, Tupac Shakur transformed Hip-Hop music and culture. The New York-born lyricist made songs about love, family, decadence, teenage pregnancy, police brutality, and humiliating his enemies, among a litany of other topics. The music of Shakur's is as complex as the man, and often... Read more

Dr. Dre & Jimmy Iovine Have Made $1 Billion Together. A New Film Tells Their Story

Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine go back 25 years. Combined, they have made more than a billion dollars in ventures ranging from music to headphones and consumer electronics to film. That story of a friendship and business relationship from two producers-turned-moguls will be the subject of upcoming HBO documentary The... Read more

Puffy Details Stepping To Suge Knight After The Source Awards & Suge Backpedaling (Video)

On August 3, 1995, many historians believe that the East Coast and West Coast Hip-Hop Beef was declared. Accepting the Source Award in Madison Square Garden for the Above The Rim soundtrack, Death Row Records CEO and co-founder Suge Knight told attendees, “Any artist out there that want to be an... Read more

Kurupt Looks Back At The Major Beefs Of His Career In “Unsung” (Video)

This week, the Unsung series aired its episode dedicated to Kurupt. The TV One program examined the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania upbringing of Tha Dogg Pound co-founder. Kurupt admits that Rakim is a leading Rap influence in his lyrical style and enhanced vocabulary. The biography follows Kurupt's move to California, and subsequent... Read more

Learn 10 Mind-Blowing Facts About Dre, Tupac, & Eazy From The Definitive Book On L.A. Gangsta Rap

Perhaps even more than Hip-Hop's inception, or its commercial rise, the history of N.W.A. and the diaspora of West Coast Gangsta Rap is the culture's most intriguing story. There are heroes, villains, fights, triumphs, and a plethora of great music. Author Ben Westhoff's just-published Original Gangstas is as comprehensive a... Read more

Snoop Dogg DJs A 2 Hour Tribute Mix For 20 Years Of “Tha Doggfather”

This weekend, Snoop Dogg's sophomore album Tha Doggfather celebrated its 20th anniversary. The LP was significant in Snoop's career in that it was his first foray without mentor Dr. Dre behind the boards, and it would be his final Death Row Records release while still at the then reigning label.... Read more

Suge Knight Files A Law Suit Claiming Dr. Dre Tried To Have Him Killed In 2014

Twenty five years ago, Suge Knight and Dr. Dre were business partners at the burgeoning Death Row Records. Two Compton, California natives came together as manager and artist to build one of modern music's largest empires, in less than five years. Today (October 24), Suge and his lawyers sued Dr.... Read more

Cold 187um Claims He Created G-Funk & Got Snoop Signed To Death Row (Video)

Last week, Above The Law's Cold 187um released his single "Legacy" featuring Ice Cube and The D.O.C. Premiering at Ambrosia For Heads, the track marked a full-circle reunion with the Pomona, California production and rapping icon with two of his former Ruthless Records label mates. Having just released his The... Read more

Dr. Dre Reportedly Threatens Legal Action To Prevent The Michel’le Biopic From Airing

On October 15, Lifetime is scheduled to air made-for-TV film Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le. The biographical film is centered around Michel'le, who was a late 1980s and early 1990s R&B star on Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. Later on, Michel'le moved with producer Dr. Dre, The D.O.C., and their manager... Read more