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A New Documentary Shows How Suge Knight’s American Dream Became His Nightmare

This September, Marion "Suge" Knight was sentenced to 28 years behind bars for the killing of music executive Terry Carter. For the Compton, California native, it was the stiffest punishment in a career that has marred by incarcerations, legal roadblocks, and a very public fall from power. Twenty-five years ago,... Read more

Hear The Original Version Of California Love & It’s Nuthin’ But A Dre Thang

UPDATE: The same version through an alternate upload has been added. ORIGINAL STORY: When Tupac Shakur got out of prison in late 1995, he boarded a private jet and went straight to Death Row Records' Can-Am Studios in Tarzana, California. After pausing for dinner at Monty's Steakhouse with his new... Read more

Anderson .Paak’s Song With Q-Tip & Dr. Dre Is A Reason To Celebrate (Audio)

Anderson .Paak fans across the globe can go ahead and let out a collective “Yes Lawd!” Just minutes ago, and nearly two years removed from the release of his celebrated sophomore effort, the multi-faceted musician has officially delivered his third solo album (and Aftermath Entertainment debut) titled Oxnard. This much anticipated follow... Read more

Anderson .Paak Flexes On A New Dr. Dre Production (Audio)

Anderson .Paak fans have just one week to wait for Oxnard (November 16) and have already received some musical offerings from him prior to the Aftermath Entertainment LP's release. The MC/singer/drummer/producer's latest showcase is single, "Who R U?" With a beat by Dr. Dre and Mell Beet, it marks the first... Read more

Dr. Dre’s Artist Anderson .Paak Is A Bad Boy On This Biggie Freestyle (Video)

Anderson .Paak's ascension into the Hip-Hop limelight is well documented, as icons including Dr. Dre, not only co-sign his work, but have literally taken the Southern California singer, MC, drummer, and producer under his wing to executive produce his forthcoming album, Oxnard, set to release November 16. In preparation of... Read more

DJ Premier Reveals He’s The Person Who Sequenced Nas’ Illmatic Album (Audio)

DJ Premier has an extensive background in Hip-Hop music and production. This week the legendary Gang Starr member (deemed "The Greatest Hip-Hop Producer Of All-Time" by Ambrosia For Heads readers) native casually dropped another line to add to his already lengthy resume. On the latest episode of crooner Anderson .Paak's .Paak... Read more

Xzibit Recalls Moving To LA Alone As A Teen & The Likwit Crew Taking Him In (Video)

Falling on Halloween yesterday, the team of Xzibit, B-Real, and Demrick released the second installment in their Serial Killers series since 2015's The Murder Show with the seven-tracked, Day Of The Dead. In promotion of the freshly released project, Xzibit sat down with Adam22, aka Adam Grandmaison, of the No... Read more

Anderson .Paak’s Oxnard Album Tracklist Features Dr. Dre, Q-Tip, J. Cole & More

Anderson .Paak is gearing up to release his highly-anticipated third solo studio album, Oxnard, on November 16. Earlier this month, the singer, MC, drummer, and producer dropped the single "Tints" with Kendrick Lamar. Now, fans get to find out all who are slated to be on the Cali native's Aftermath Entertainment... Read more

Anderson .Paak & Kendrick Lamar’s Collabo Is For Ridin’ Around & Shinin’ (Audio)

One of West Coast Hip-Hop's hottest, yet rarest collaborations is giving the culture another banger. Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak are sharing their latest funky joint-effort with "Tints." Debuting on Zane Lowe's Beats1 radio show, the premiere also featured an interview with .Paak, who described what he's been up to... Read more

Comedian AJ Johnson Explains How Spoofing Eazy-E Caused A Serious Problem (Video)

Actor Anthony "A.J." Johnson has had memorable roles in films such as Friday, House Party, and Master P's I Got The Hook Up, among others. From Compton, California, the comedian who had appeared in the first and third House Party film was used in the early 1990s beef between Dr.... Read more

Swizz Beatz Names His Top 5 Producers Of All-Time (Video)

Swizz Beatz is slated to release his second ever solo studio album and first in 11 years this November. Poison, which is co-executive produced by J. Cole, features a star-studded feature list, including Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Young Thug, Pusha T, Jim Jones, Jadakiss, Styles P and Lil Wayne, among others.... Read more

Snoop Dogg Has 2 Words For Donald & Kanye. He Goes All The Way In (Video)

While visiting DJ Suss One's Sirius XM Hip Hop Nation show recently, Snoop Dogg made some pointed statements about two polarizing figures in pop culture and politics: Donald Trump and Kanye West. In recent months, the two have drawn ire and comparisons to one another, much to the dismay of... Read more

Apple Rejects Dr. Dre’s Television Show Due To Excessive Violence

Two and a half years ago, Dr. Dre announced plans to tell his life story through a series in partnership with Apple. The show, titled Vital Signs, began pre-production less than three years after Apple's 2014 acquisition of Beats By Dre for a reported $1 billion. In addition to producing, Vital... Read more

Eminem Fires A Killshot Diss At MGK & Diddy Gets Caught In The Crossfire (Audio)

On Wednesday, Eminem told Sway Calloway he was going to think things over before replying to MGK. “I’m gonna sit back, and I’m gonna wait for a second, just to see…because if people start firing off, and I try to answer every-f*cking-body that I dissed on Kamikaze, I’ma be [in... Read more

Eminem Says His Homophobic Tyler, The Creator Diss Went Too Far (Video)

So far, the first two parts of Sway Calloway's Kamikaze interview with Eminem has provided insight into his now high-profile beefs with MGK and Joe Budden. The rare public conversation also unpacks his more recent musical output, which the Detroit native admits hasn't been as on point as work from... Read more

Nas Has Made The Forbes Hip-Hop List For The First Time In His Career

Nas told his fans what he would do if he ruled the world. In the 22 years since his Lauryn Hill-assisted single, Nasir Jones has stacked paper in a way that has put him in a very powerful position. Like peers JAY-Z and Eminem, one of Hip-Hop's most respected MCs... Read more

Anderson .Paak’s New Album Will Have A Beat By Madlib & Dr. Dre

On Anderson .Paak's Grammy-nominated 2016 Malibu album, the Oxnard, California singer, MC, producer, and drummer worked with a who's who of great Hip-Hop producers. 9th Wonder shared production billing on the debut double-single "The Season / Carry Me" with Callum Connor. "Room In Here" was handled by Pac Div's Like,... Read more

Finding The GOAT Group: N.W.A. vs. Public Enemy. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry (which has been determined), including the possibility... Read more

The D.O.C. Sings Beautifully In A Video That Shows Anything Is Possible.

For decades, Hip-Hop Heads have known that The D.O.C. has a golden pen. The Dallas, Texas native MC is credited with writing songs and lyrics for Dr. Dre and other artists on Death Row and Ruthless Records. However, in the 1980s, the artist born Tracy Curry was a rapper with... Read more

Eminem Becomes LL Cool J’s Stan In A Conversation Between Two GOATs (Audio)

Eminem tends to offer impassioned anecdotes when crediting his multiple Rap music influences. For the first episode of LL Cool J's new show, The Influence Of Hip-Hop on Sirius XM's Rock The Bells Radio channel, Eminem tells LL that he is one of the main reasons that he began rapping as a child. "I... Read more

KRS-One Is Working On New Music & He’s In The Studio With Dr. Dre

Last year, KRS-One self-released an exceptional album. Thirty years after Boogie Down Productions' Criminal Minded, Tha Teacha' dropped The World Is MIND, a 15-track LP on his R.A.M.P. Entertainment. In recent years the Bronx, New York representative worked with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis on the DJ-Premier-produced "Buckshot," and reunited with... Read more

The Mobb Deep vs. N.W.A. GOAT Match-Up Is Too Close To Call. Decide Who Advances.

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry (which has been determined), including the possibility for... Read more

Finding The GOAT Group: Mobb Deep vs. N.W.A. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry (which has been determined), including the possibility for... Read more

John Singleton Reveals He Wanted N.W.A. To Star In Boyz N The Hood

Thirty years ago today, on August 8, 1988, the N.W.A. released its proper debut album, Straight Outta Compton. Bursting onto the scene with rawness and aggression fueled by the Reagan-era Compton climate and lifestyle, Ni**az Wit' Attitudes presented an LP that would shape the sound and narrative in Rap for... Read more

J. Prince Reveals How He & Mike Dean Got Dr. Dre’s Secret Production Formula (Video)

From the somber swing of Scarface’s The Diary to the flamboyant complement to JAY-Z & Kanye West's Watch The Throne, Grammy Award-winning producer, mixer, engineer, and musician Mike Dean has been a versatile sound provider for 25 years. Few creators can do as much as Mike in the genre, across... Read more

Scott Storch Explains His Role On Dr. Dre’s 2001 & Defends Dre’s Production Contributions (Video)

Scott Storch's documentary Still Storch reveals a lot of things about the producer. On the surface, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native is talented and was able to use his ability as a musician to create some of the biggest hits of the late '90s and 2000s. He also let the fortune... Read more

Finding The GOAT Group: Geto Boys vs. N.W.A. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual competition series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry (which has been determined), including the possibility... Read more

Dr. Dre’s Next Film Project Is Bringing Marvin Gaye’s Life To The Big Screen

Dr. Dre has a great history of mixing music and film, and he's using that experience in attempting to bring to life the story of Marvin Gaye on the big screen. Dre famously was a producer for the 2015 N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, and now he's reportedly in the... Read more

Westside Connection’s Biggest Hit Was Almost Jacked By Dr. Dre

A dozen years before Slaughterhouse formed, Westside Connection was one of Hip-Hop's super-groups. Following a run of acclaimed solo albums and hit movie success, Ice Cube merged with longtime associate WC and protege, Mack 10. The Connect-Gang formed, with The M.A.A.D. Circle's DJ Crazy Toones (Dub's brother) coming along behind... Read more

Anderson .Paak Reminds Why Dr. Dre Signed Him…Because He’s MONEY (Video)

Anderson .Paak signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment more than two years ago. Since that time, the Oxnard, California multi-talent did not rush the process. Instead, the drummer, MC, singer, and producer used this period to allow listeners to catch on to his Grammy-nominated Malibu wave, while revisiting years of... Read more

Dr. Dre’s Detox Was Very Real. This Newly Leaked Chronic 3 Song Is Proof (Audio)

Last week, Heads got the latest peek at some of Dr. Dre's storied Detox recordings. A medley of short snippets posted online by an anonymous user. They are believed to be some of the mogul's vaulted sessions to a third album in the Chronic trilogy. One of those songs was especially... Read more

Finding The GOAT Group: N.W.A. vs. UGK. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to... Read more

A Lost Track Featuring Snoop & Dr. Dre Helped Launch Warren G’s G-Funk Era (Audio)

In November of 1993, Snoop Doggy Dogg's debut album became a commercial and artistic juggernaut for Rap music, especially on the West Coast. Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. was a lanky 22-year-old who in just months, had gone from poverty to super-stardom. He had done so with Dr. Dre, the same... Read more

These Unreleased Dr. Dre Chronic 3 Snippets May Be Lost Tapes From Detox (Audio)

Dr. Dre seemingly put all Detox anticipation to rest when he released his 2015 album, Compton. It was seen as his third and final solo studio album in a classic lineage dating back to 1992's The Chronic solo debut. Whether shelved or scrapped, the promoted album known as Detox, which... Read more

Rakim Explains Why He Refused To Do A Gangsta Rap Album With Dr. Dre (Video)

When word broke in the early 2000s that Rakim was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, the Hip-Hop world went crazy. The prospect of arguably Hip-Hop's greatest MC working with a GOAT producer, was mind-blowing. At the time, Rakim was seen as an MC who was a celebrated member of a group... Read more

The Book of Ra. Rakim Confirms His Memoir Is Coming This Year. (Audio)

Many of Hip-Hop's best-known and greatest MCs have released autobiographies and memoirs. JAY-Z published Decoded. LL Cool J (I Make My Own Rules), Ice-T (The Ice Opinion), Snoop Dogg (Tha Doggfather), Prodigy (My Infamous Life), Eminem (The Way That I Am), Common (One Day It'll All Make Sense), 50 Cent... Read more

What’s Better Than 1 Billionaire? 2. JAY-Z Passes Puffy On The Forbes List

Diddy once famously claimed that it's all about the Benjamin's. Well, now he and JAY-Z are closing in on about 10,000,000 of them. Both are atop Forbes' annual "Wealthiest Artists of Hip-Hop list." For years the mogul also known as Puff Daddy held the crown, but at this time, it's... Read more

Anderson .Paak Confirms Heavy Dr. Dre Role On Aftermath Debut

Since signing with Aftermath Entertainment back in January of 2016, Anderson .Paak has released a lot of music—but none of it has forecast his chemistry with label founder Dr. Dre. Heads, of course, heard a taste ahead of the contract, thanks to Dre's 2015 Compton album. The good doctor co-produced... Read more

15 Years Ago, 50 Cent Plotted A Pathway From Underdog To Superstar

Fifteen years ago today (February 6, 2003), Queens, New York's 50 Cent took the world by storm with his debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin'. When Curtis Jackson burst onto the mainstream scene with a survivalist story, vendetta vocals, and Eminem and Dr. Dre in his corner, the industry... 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

Jon Connor Is Dr. Dre’s Next Lyrical Monster. Get Ready For The Aftermath (Audio)

At the beginning of Jon Connor’s first track of his own in over a year Dr. Dre sets the stage for the drama that the Flint, Michigan MC is about to bring. The Aftermath Entertainment artist since 2013 will be dropping Vehicle City this year, and the first single, “I’m... Read more

Eminem Addresses The Lack Of Dr. Dre Beats On Revival (Audio)

In mid-2017, Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine released documentary The Defiant Ones. One of the focal points in the parallel documentaries on the two music producers, onetime label heads, and business partners is Eminem. Twenty years ago, Iovine handed Dre a cassette tape of Eminem's Rap Olympics battle performance and... Read more

20 Years Later, Rhyme & Reason Remains Rap Music’s Ultimate Backstage Pass (Video)

During the late 1990s, Hip-Hop was a seismic force that garnered mainstream recognition as a billion-dollar industry. The culture had invalidated scores of critics who dismissed it as a fad during the previous two decades. Hip-Hop achieved this while rewriting the rules of the music business and redefining the American... Read more

Steve Stoute Explains Why He Took Nas From The Underground To The Mainstream (Video)

Music industry veteran Steve Stoute recently launched UnitedMasters, a company that allows musicians to market directly to their fans across digital platforms. The service promotes artists keeping their master recordings and provides resources for the modern market that once seemed reserved for major label acts. Stoute is the latest guest... Read more

See The Evolution Of Hip-Hop From 1979 To The Present In 30 Minutes (Video)

Over the years, there have been a number of vehicles that show the transformation of Hip-Hop from its inception to the present. The vast majority of these tend to be either hyper-kinetic mashups that showcase 2-3 second snippets of songs, or exhaustive documentaries that unfold over hours, showcasing years of... 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

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

An Argument For Why Ghostwriting Is Good Starting With Exhibit D-R-E (Video)

The biggest MCs in Hip-Hop are talking about ghostwriting more than ever right now. Sixteen years after Puff Daddy proudly proclaimed, "Don't ask me if I write rhymes, I write checks," authorship in Rap verses is not something that anybody takes lightly. Since Meek Mill outed Drake's involvement of emerging... 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