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Decoded: Big K.R.I.T. — Time Machine (Video)

Here's a really dope interview of Big K.R.I.T. where he breaks down the lyrics to Time Machine. It really showcases the depth of his music. K.R.I.T., along with others like Kendrick Lamar and Stalley, is part of the new crop of MCs with a message to their music. It's part... Read more

Making The Beat – A Conversation between The 45 King and DJ Premier (Video)

Here's a pretty dope conversation between 2 legendary hip-hop producers. DJ Premier and DJ Mark The 45 King sit down and chop it up about all sorts of topics, ranging from the late great Heavy D to how they treat demos they receive (Primo actually drops his email address) to... Read more

Ambrosia For Heads’ 2011 Best Hip-Hop Albums/Mixtapes of the Year: Here’s a look at our picks for the best of the best in 2011. You’ll find words on each as well as samples of the music. Tell us your picks for 2011.

It's that time of year again, when you're hit with a ton of year end, best of lists. We're going to keep it simple. We have 2 lists: best hip-hop albums/mixtapes of the year and songs of the year. First up, here are our picks for the best hip-hop albums/mixtapes... Read more

Was there ever any question that Def Jam Recordings would be the #1 most important hip-hop record label of all time??? Here’s a 30-song playlist of music from some of the legendary Def Jam artists: LL, Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, Redman, Method Man and more.

Before record labels were considered “the enemy” their brands actually meant something. Artists dreamed of being on the same label as the MCs they grew up idolizing and some labels had such credibility fans would buy the record just because it was on that label. We decided to look at... Read more

Death Row Records was the most feared record label in the music industry. They are the 2nd most important hip-hop record label of all time. For the full scoop on Death Row and a video playlist of its classics, click here.

#2 Death Row Records The history of Death Row Records reads like a season of The Sopranos. Suge Knight was the Godfather figure who rose to power as quickly as anyone ever in entertainment, and he ruled with an iron fist once he got to the top. The label was... Read more

Bad Boy Records made the East Coast relevant again in rap music, making it the 3rd most important hip-hop record label in history.

#3 Bad Boy Records While East Coast Rap music was never dead, there is no question that from mid-1992 to mid-1994 commercial hip-hop was dominated by the West Coast, primarily by Death Row Records. It was not until Sean "Diddy" Combs was fired from Uptown Records and decided to launch... Read more

Sugar Hill Records introduced hip-hop to most of the world. Nuff said. They are the 4th most important hip-hop record label of all time.

#4 Sugar Hill Records Much has been written about the allegedly shady past of Sugar Hill Records and the lack of credibility of the Sugar Hill Gang (many of Big Bank Hank's rhymes were actually bitten from Grandmaster Caz). Regardless, it cannot be denied that most people had never even... Read more

Tommy Boy kicks off the Top 5 as the 5th most important hip-hop record label of all time.

#5 Tommy Boy Records More than any other hip-hop record label on this countdown, Tommy Boy Records is noteworthy not for impressive stats or significant accomplishments of individual artists, but for the overall breadth and impact of its entire catalog. For more than 20 years, the label released hip-hop records... Read more

Hip-Hop may never have been anything more than a fad without Profile Records, the 6th most important hip-hop record label of all time.

#6 Profile Records Founded in 1981 by Steve Plotnicki and Cory Robbins, Profile Records was the first label to establish hip-hop with the mainstream as an enduring genre. There had been some hit singles, previously, but Profile was the first record label to have a rap album certified gold (500,000+... Read more

Ruthless Records re-defined the boundaries of rap music, making them the 7th most important hip-hop record label of all time. Click here to read more about Ruthless and to hear a playlist of some of its key artists: NWA, Eazy-E, The D.O.C., Bone Thugs N Harmony and more.

#7 Ruthless Records Ruthless Records, founded by Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Jerry Heller, in 1987 re-defined rap music in several ways. The label was the first to put the West Coast on the map as a force to be respected in hip-hop. Before Ruthless, there were outliers like Ice-T, but... Read more

Cash Money Records comes in as the 8th most important hip-hop record label of all time. It’s getting serious.

#8 Cash Money Records As we discussed in our entries about #16 Rap-A-Lot Records and #12 No Limit Records, the South currently runs hip-hop (and has for at least the last 5 years) and Cash Money is by far the most successful hip-hop record label to come out of the... Read more

Roc-A-Fella Records is the 9th most important hip-hop record label of all time, and not just because of arguably the greatest rapper of all time…

...though he is a big part of it. #8 Roc-A-Fella Records EVERYONE knows that Roc-A-Fella records was the home to Jay-Z. He, along with his partners Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, founded the label back in1996 and Jay-Z repped the label as hard as any artist ever has represented... Read more

Every journey has a beginning. Our new documentary, Where It All Began, takes a look at the musical journey of many hip-hop luminaries. In part 1 (of 5), we asked them who first introduced them to hip-hop. You’ll hear from DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kendrick Lamar, Termanology, Ski Beatz, The Kid Daytona, Chuuwee, Serius Jones, Skyzoo, and Stic Man (from Dead Prez). Check it out below.

In upcoming installments, you'll hear about other important moments in their journey to hip-hop. In addition to the above personalities, you'll also hear from Big Daddy Kane, Murs, Freddie Gibbs, XV, 9th Wonder, J-Live, Skillz, tabi Bonney, Statik Selektah, Fashawn and Rapsody in parts 2 -5. Stay tuned each week... Read more

Aftermath Entertainment kicks off the Top 10 as the 10th most important hip-hop record label of all time.

#10 Aftermath Entertainment In 1996, Dr. Dre was wounded from his departure from Death Row Records. He had virtually given up everything (ownership of his masters, future revenues and equity interest) to extricate himself from the madness that had swallowed up Death Row, not the least of which was the... Read more

Rap-A-Lot Records was the 17th most important hip-hop record label. Also holding down the South at #12 is…

#12 No Limit Records While Rap-A-Lot was the first major label to rise from the South, No Limit Records was the record label that put the "Dirty Dirty" on the MAP. No Limit established the South as a stronghold for hip-hop that many might argue has never been relinquished. Despite... Read more

The 14th most important hip-hop record label of all time might be the most controversial on the list…

...but not because they didn't put out dope music. #14 Uptown Records Uptown Records did not make its mark with rap music, though it was founded by former rapper Andre Harrell (one half of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) and was home to some significant rappers. Uptown Records was extremely... Read more

Arguably the most acclaimed artist in hip-hop was on the 15th most important hip-hop record label of all time.

#15 Ruffhouse Records Ruffhouse Records is another one of those record labels where few outside the music industry knew the label, but EVERYBODY knew its artists. Ruffhouse was founded in 1989 by Chris Schwartz and Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo who got his nickname due to his skills at chopping up... Read more

?uestlove speaks on Heavy D

Here's a brilliant article by ?uestlove on his relationship with Heavy D.  Read all the way to the end.  The build up is long, but the payoff is worth it.  People forget.  In addition to his hits (click here for our Heavy D tribute playlist),  Hev was one of the... Read more

Here’s a playlist of songs that have focused a critical eye on the status quo and expressed a desire for something better. Some of the names you would expect (Public Enemy, Talib Kweli, Common, Lupe Fiasco, 2Pac) and others might surprise you (Jay-Z, Eminem, Kanye West). Regardless of whether or not you share their views or not, it’s food for thought in these interesting times.

With the global economy in chaos, people are standing up for their beliefs across the world. The many "Occupy" protests are just a few examples of this. Throughout time, music has played an important role in such movements. Hip-hop was that voice of unrest for many in the 80's and... Read more

Hip-Hop & Love from A3C – Here’s a recap of one of my best hip-hop experiences ever.

A3C was an amazing hip-hop experience this weekend. It was a 3-day hip-hop festival and conference featuring informative panel discussions during the day and showcases with a mind-blowing amount of dope artists at night.  Much like at South by Southwest, there was no floss--just a collective respect and love for... Read more

Here are The 50 Best Radio Freestyles, according to Complex. They discuss each freestyle AND provide audio for each one. It includes freestyles from Tribe, Wu, Snoop, Kanye, Common, Biggie, Nas, Eminem, Jay-Z and many, many more. It’s unbelievable. Just classic.

Complex has been doing a "best of" series for a while but THIS ONE is the best yet. They recently compiled The 50 Best Radio Freestyles and each entry is accompanied by the audio. This compilation would have been worth it for the legendary Common/Kanye battle, alone. The fact that... Read more

J. Cole: In the Zone (Article)

Here's an in-depth article chronicling the long journey for J. Cole from his beginnings to dropping his first album for commercial release, as the first rapper signed to be signed to Roc Nation by Jay-Z. The article was written for Complex by one of J. Cole's closest friends, as part... Read more

Evidence – Inside Cats & Dogs (Video Playlist)

Evidence has put together a series of videos where he discusses each song on his upcoming album, Cats & Dogs (in stores on 9/27). Each episode also features a snippet of the song discussed. Here's a video playlist of each episode in the series, so far (9 in total). Check... Read more

Jump Off TV – Watch The Throne Debate (Video)

Here's another interesting debate from the Jump Off TV crew.  A while ago, they discussed whether or not J. Cole would become a superstar.  This time, they tackle several perspectives on Watch The Throne (money talk, best songs, lyrical content, etc.).  Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Zay2zUsaEc&feature=player_embedded... Read more

Erykah Badu – The Interview (Video)

Here's a really good interview of Erykah Badu.  She goes deep on lots of topics, including family, music and the controversial filming of the Window Seat video.  There is also a lot of great concert footage.  Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghc9jTEBt_E&feature=player_embedded Though she's labeled as Neosoul, her influences are steeped in... Read more

J. Cole – Cole World: The Complex Review

Here's a pretty dope track-by-track review of J. Cole's Cole World:  The Sideline Story by Complex, particularly given that they weren't allowed to name song titles or quote lyrics.  The intro to the article is below and you can read the whole thing here. Here's the intro: After releasing several... Read more

“Ghostface Killah” – Watch the Throne Review

You've had your time to marinate on Watch the Throne. Now check out this review of the album in the voice of "Ghostface Killah."  Hate it or love it, you probably have never read a review quite like this before. Also, if you missed it, check out the video to... Read more

Complex has a great series where they have legendary producers breakdown their hits. The latest installment features Diamond D.

Past installments included DJ Premier and Pete Rock. Below is an excerpt. Click here to read the full article. Also, if you missed our latest mix which features a lot of early 90's A Tribe Called Quest and Diamond D, click here. Here's what Diamond D had to say about... Read more

The tracklist for Watch the Throne has been finalized. The album drops on 8/2.

Here's the tracklist: 1. No Church in The Wild (Feat. Frank Ocean) 2. Lift Off (Feat. Beyoncé) 3. Niggas in Paris 4. Otis (Feat. Otis Redding) 5. Gotta Have It 6. New Day 7. Prime Time 8. Who Gon Stop Me 9. Murder to Excellence 10. Welcome to The Jungle... Read more

It looks like Watch the Throne will actually drop before the end of the Summer.

Jay-Z  had a listening session for the album last night.  Complex has posted a compilation of the reviews.  You can check out the articles and a summary below. From Complex: Our very own Editor-In-Chief, Noah Callahan-Bever—who was there as a portion of the album was created—took to Twitter and tweeted... Read more

Here’s a very interesting and intelligent discussion about the state of J. Cole’s career.

Do you think J. Cole will be able to live up to the enormous expectations that came after The Warm Up mixtape and him being the first rapper signed to Roc Nation by Jay-Z? Check out this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY3rbD87yt0&feature=player_embedded... Read more

Complex did an INCREDIBLE feature a few months ago where DJ Premier broke down the stories behind many of his classic tracks. Here’s their newest installment of the series and it features none other than Pete Rock.

In a pure coincidence, we also chose Primo and Pete Rock as the first 2 installments of our Producer Series playlists.  Click here for the Pete Rock playlist and here for the DJ Premier playlist).  See below for an excerpt from the Complex Pete Rock story where he talks about... Read more

Can’t wait to see the A Tribe Called Quest documentary? It’s coming soon to a theater near you.

Click here for details on locations and release dates for Beats, Rhymes & Life:  The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.  Also, here's a playlist we did celebrating music produced by Q-Tip.... Read more

Here’s the latest installment of New World (Au)der where we re-order the tracks of great albums for your listening pleasure.

This edition takes on Joell Ortiz's Free Agent album.  I've had this (Au)der sitting around, waiting to get flipped for a minute. Don't ask me why, but "BIG PUN'S BACK" (NOT on FREE AGENT) feels like the perfect time to do it. Marinate on that, then blow the dust off... Read more

Believe it or not, it has been 16 years since Mobb Deep released The Infamous…

To commemorate the anniversary of the release of that landmark album, the good folks over at Complex just did an article detailing the making of The Infamous. Here's the intro: "Although they are now considered a legendary group, leading into the release of their second album, The Infamous, it was... Read more

It’s time for another New World (Au)der where we take hot albums and re-order the tracks for your listening pleasure. This week’s is Raekwon’s new classic Shaolin vs. Wu-Tang.

NEW WORLD (AU)DER: RAEKWON THE CHEF "SHAOLIN VS WU-TANG Remember all the drama that select members of the WU had with the crew's 5th studio release, "8 DIAGRAMS"? Remember the rumor, that an album called "SHAOLIN VS WU-TANG" would eventually be released, (in spite of...), as a collective Wu-Tang Clan... Read more

OK…so I was a little late on Nardwaur but better late…

For anyone else who missed these or who wants to be entertained (again) check out the best of Nardwaur vs. Hip-Hop. It's cool to see him consistently engage some very respectable minds in hip-hop with deeply researched questions. Warning: These interviews are like Lays...No one can have just one. Nardwaur... Read more

Speaking of Ghostface, here’s a New World (Au)der for his album Apollo Kids where we re-arrange the tracks for your listening pleasure.

NEW WORLD (AU)DER: GHOSTFACE KILLAH "APOLLO KIDS" If this cat doesn't go down as one of the all time greats when its all said and done, then all future hip hop folklore will indeed be flawed. Ghostface's Apollo Kids is full of SURPRISING features, which I've seen leave a bad... Read more

Complex has been killing the game with their compilations, lately. This week it’s their ranking of The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop magazine covers of all time.

In the past, it was the 25 best Kanye West verses of 2010 and DJ Premier's breakdown of 38 of his classic cuts.  Whether you agree or not with their picks and rankings, it's great food  for thought and a cool stroll down memory lane.   Here's an example of... Read more

There’s been a lot of chatter about the XXL Freshman class of 2011 but what about the alumni?

One of the most enigmatic of those chosen by XXL as one of its 2009 freshmen is Charles Hamilton.  Omar Akil takes a look at the talented Mr. Hamilton and let's the man speak for himself (through his lyrics).  Check it out: I'm not sure what to make of the... Read more

Were you disappointed by the Grammys? Check out what Steve Stoute had to say about them.

  Steve Stoute has been one of the most powerful influences in hip-hop and multicultural entertainment for the better part of 2 decades.  Some know him for his infamous dust up with Diddy, but Stoute should be recognized as a partner and trusted adviser to moguls like Jay-Z and Jimmy... Read more

REWIND! Gotta take it back to DJ Premier. Complex did a dope article where he breaks down 38 of his classic cuts.

This article is incredible.  Period.  You can listen to each song while reading what Premier has to say about each.  Check below for what he had to say about Nas' NY State of Mind.  BIG PROPS to Complex for this one.  Click here for the full article. DJ Premier: “That... Read more

Can’t wait for XXL’s Freshman issue? Check out this article from The Well Versed on 10 MCs to watch in 2011.

You will no doubt see many of the same faces on the XXL cover when it drops. The site also has a cool post on the 10 best mixtapes of 2011 here.  Props.  Click here for the article on 10 MCs to watch.... Read more

Missed this dope article Complex did on the Top 25 Kanye West verses of 2010 but it’s worth posting late.

It includes a breakdown of each verse along with an audio snippet. It's a must for all Kanye fans. Big props to Complex for this.  Click here for the article.  Below is the intro. From Complex: 2010 belonged to Kanye West. He was the year's most creative, controversial, and entertaining... Read more

10 reasons why 2010 was the best year ever in hip-hop: #2 G.O.O.D. Music…the name says it all.

It's fitting that the video for Monster leaked today.  This has been a year of leaks for Kanye West.  Some were unexpected, but most of them were completely under his control and were part of one of the most daring album promotion plans ever.  Kanye bucked the system.  He said... Read more

10 reasons why 2010 was the best year ever in hip-hop: #3 the girls are back in town…well, at least 1, but Nicki Minaj has opened the door for the next wave of great female MCs.

The role of women in hip-hop should not be overlooked but it often has been.  For more than a decade (including the 90's which many consider to be the Golden Age of hip-hop) women were a staple in rap music.  In fact, they were so much a part of the... Read more

10 reasons why 2010 was the best year ever in hip-hop: #4 Whut? Thee album???…there have been a lot of great songs in hip-hop over the years but not a lot of great ALBUMS. In 2010, there were at least 10…

When's the last time you went back and listened to some of your favorite hip-hop albums from back in the day? I'm guessing if you randomly picked 10 of your favorites and listened to them from front to back, you would want to skip at least 5 tracks on each... Read more

The truth about Inception (serious spoiler alert)

Much has been written and discussed about the movie Inception (a must see if you haven't already--but go ready to focus intensely for a 2.5 hour period). Many people have different theories about the "meaning" of the movie. In "reality," we may never know what was fully in director Christopher... Read more