roc-a-fella

Kanye West Confirms That Watch The Throne 2 Is Coming Soon

Seven years and one month ago, JAY-Z and Kanye West released their joint album Watch The Throne. The Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records release arrived at a time when the mentor and onetime pupil were at the top of the Rap game. The 2011 release scored Jay and 'Ye seven Grammy nominations,... Read more

September 8, 2018 Fresh, News

Finding The GOAT Group: Wu-Tang Clan vs. M.O.P. 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

July 27, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Kanye West Explains His Mental Breakdown For The First Time (Video)

UPDATE: In a live video interview this afternoon (May 1) with TMZ, Kanye West admitted to an opioid addiction ahead of his 2016 hospitalization. "Two days before [I met with Donald Trump] I was in the hospital, I was on opioids. I was addicted to opioids. I had plastic surgery... Read more

May 1, 2018 News, Video

A 1993 JAY-Z Battle Shows He Was Already Dope Beyond A Reasonable Doubt (Video)

Back in the early 1990s, before many MCs had coveted record deals, they got their profiles up and buzzes hot through battling. This is the position JAY-Z was in back in 1993, as he was still two years away from founding his independent label, Roc-A-Fella Records, and was only known... Read more

April 28, 2018 Throwback, Throwback, Video

Kanye West Is Releasing A New Solo Project & A Joint Album With Kid Cudi

It has been two big years since Kanye West released an album. Since The Life Of Pablo, the life of 'Ye has been a wild ride ever since. The period marked one of West's most private periods since abruptly canceling his 2016 tour and reportedly receiving medical treatment. For months,... Read more

April 19, 2018 News

Kanye Once Said He Had 40 Songs With Kendrick. 2 Collabos Now Surface. (Audio)

Kanye West is reportedly recording an album in the mountains of Wyoming. According to various sources, Nas, Pusha T, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, and producer/musician/engineer Mike Dean are among the artists who have been in his company for the studio sessions dating back to 2017. Some, including Nas and Cudi,... Read more

March 23, 2018 Audio, News

Uncle Murda Rates Skillz’ Diss A 1 Out Of 10. So How Does His Response Measure Up? (Audio)

Last week (January 3), veteran Virginia lyricist Skillz dropped a significant and scathing diss towards Brooklyn, New York MC Uncle Murda. The impetus was a two-year-old dispute surrounding the concept of "Year End Raps." Skillz alleged that in late 2015, Murda (who now uses the name "Lenny Grant" on records)... Read more

January 8, 2018 Audio

Skillz Sets Off 2018 By Dissing Uncle Murda For Copying His Rap Up Concept (Audio)

For Hip-Hop Heads, the last days of the year have long belonged to an annual Skillz song. For nearly two decades, the Virginia MC, DJ, and the University Of Richmond's Artist In Residence has deftly created his "Year End Rap" at the close of the calendar. Many followers of the... Read more

January 3, 2018 Audio, News

After 15 Years Of Disses, JAY-Z & Jaz-O Have Reunited

JAY-Z has reunited with many of the key players from his past—even after bitterness or hostility. In 2005, Jay and Nas famously put beef to bed in New Jersey. The Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder has been photographed with Dame Dash multiple times since the artist and manager parted ways. Beanie Sigel and... Read more

December 5, 2017 Fresh, News

Cam’ron & Jim Jones Are Back In Business. Their Reunion Revives The Dipset Sound (Audio)

Next week (November 21), The Diplomats will perform their first concert in years. The Hammerstein Ballroom reunion performance of Cam'ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zekey comes after a very public break-up between Cam' and Jimmy. Late last year, Killa waved off any possibility of reconciliation. “I wish [Jim... Read more

November 15, 2017 Audio

Lyor Cohen Explains How Redman Led Def Jam’s Comeback (Video)

During the 1980s Def Jam Records reigned supreme. The label, which burgeoned in co-founder Rick Rubin's New York University dorm room, issued several classic albums from legendary artists. These include LL Cool J's Radio, Slick Rick's The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, Rock & Rock Hall of Fame inductees Beastie Boys and... Read more

October 30, 2017 Video

Cam’ron & Jim Jones Bury Their Latest Beef For Upcoming Dipset Reunion Concert

In February of this year, Jim Jones sat down with Funkmaster Flex in an emotional interview about his relationship with onetime Diplomats band-mate Cam'ron. As the Dipset Capo got tearful in speaking about the sacrifices he made for Cam', he alleged that the crew's breakout star had not supported his... Read more

October 17, 2017 News

Kanye West Killed 50 Cent AND Gangsta Rap 10 Years Ago (Video)

Ten years ago this week, Hip-Hop experienced a real watershed moment. On September 11, 2007, 50 Cent and Kanye West squared off. It was not physical. It did not even include diss tracks or beef of any kind. Instead, Graduation faced off against Curtis. Two of Hip-Hop's biggest stars of... Read more

September 9, 2017 Exclusive, TBD, Video

JAY-Z Reveals He And Prodigy Made Peace Before His Death (Video)

While the JAY-Z vs. Nas battle of the early 2000s may be the one that gets the most ink in the history books, Hov's beef with late Mobb Deep MC Prodigy is one of legend too. From Summer Jam photo reveals to disses on both sides, these two artists had... Read more

September 7, 2017 Video

A New Video Shows Why Kanye Was Hip-Hop’s Most Promising Student Upon His Graduation

Marking a dramatic shift in his career from successful producer to stadium star, Kanye West’s third album Graduation celebrates its 10th anniversary this coming Monday (September 11). Proven with time, the Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records LP with the upcoming birthday ushered in a new era in Hip-Hop. With Graduation, 'Ye positioned... Read more

September 5, 2017 Video

Long Before DMX, JAY-Z & Ja Rule Were Murdering MCs, They Had Time To Build (Audio)

In the late 1990s, DMX, JAY-Z, and Ja Rule came together for two incredible collaborations. On Jay's Streets Is Watching soundtrack from early 1998, "Murdergram" showed that these grimy, overly irritated MCs hit their marks when they were together. In pivoting to Ja Rule's 1999 debut Venni Vetti Vecci, "It's... Read more

August 10, 2017 Do Remember

JAY-Z Delivers Raw Truths About Beyonce, Solange, Kanye & Himself (Video)

JAY-Z's "Kill Jay Z" may be the most talked about song on 4:44. While the June album's title track suggested infidelity in his marriage to Beyoncé, this record is thought to be the one that prompted Kanye West to sever exclusive ties with Jay's Tidal service, and pursue legal action... Read more

July 28, 2017 Video

How JAY-Z’s New Album Is The Blueprint For Grown Man Rap (Video)

In the last eight days, JAY-Z's 4:44 monopolized the Hip-Hop conversation and most of the pop culture space. There are a lot of headlines and developing storylines that can easily get in the way of the fact that a 47-year-old-rapper, mogul, and king of cool reached a definitive career milestone,... Read more

July 8, 2017 Exclusive, Food for Thought, TBD, Video

How Losing His Father Helped JAY-Z Escape A Hard Knock Life (Video)

"Momma loved me. Pop left me." JAY-Z's life is as interesting as his art. The Brooklyn, New Yorker walked a line between hustling his way out of the 'hood and pursuing a talent that he has called "God-given." By the mid-1990s, those worlds would masterfully intersect on Reasonable Doubt, giving... Read more

June 24, 2017 Exclusive, TBD, Video

Mysterious Ads Cause Fans To Watch The Clock For A New Jay Z Album

Jay Z has not released an album since 2013's Magna Carta...Holy Grail. That album arrived on July 4 of that year, after it was announced June 16, during the NBA Finals. Following Kanye West's own fast-track release of Yeezus that very same month, the other half of Watch The Throne... Read more

June 6, 2017 Fresh

Nas, Ghostface Killah & Just Blaze To Headline 2017 A3C Festival

2017 marks 13 years of A3C. The Hip-Hop festival and conference in Atlanta, Georgia has announced its headliners and confirmed performers for this year (taking place October 4-8). With an album done (and possibly released ahead of his A3C concert), Nas is the headliner. After more than 25 years on... Read more

May 31, 2017 Fresh

Freeway Recalls Meeting Nas After Dissing Him Amid The Roc Beef (Video)

Last month, Freeway officially signed with Roc Nation. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC had long been wearing the caps, and appeared close to Jay Z and the label and management firm through appearances and concerts. In the 2000s, Freeway and State Property were hit-making fixtures at Roc-A-Fella Records shortly before the... Read more

April 29, 2017 Video

Lil Wayne Joins Roc Nation. The “Best Rapper Alive” May Soon Get His Cash Money.

Lil Wayne has been symbolically estranged from Cash Money Records for more than two years. While Weezy F. Baby has since been photographed with onetime adoptive guardian Birdman (the label's co-founder) during his $51 million lawsuit, the New Orleans, Louisiana MC has been unable to release projects, namely the long-awaited... Read more

April 12, 2017 News, Video

Swizz Beatz Premieres A New Song Featuring Nas, Jay Z, DMX & Jadakiss And It’s Unreal (Video)

Note: To hear the track, skip to 2:27:15 in the long video, or play the short clip just below. Although they have both reached G.O.A.T. status among Hip-Hop producers, with catalogs of hits rivaled by few, at their cores, Just Blaze and Swizz Beatz are still DJs too. With nothing... Read more

February 25, 2017 Video

Just Blaze & Swizz Beatz Have A Beat Battle For The Ages. Watch The Masters Work (Video)

Note: To hear the track, skip to 2:27:15 of the video. Although they have both reached G.O.A.T. status among Hip-Hop producers, with catalogs of hits rivaled by few, at their cores, Just Blaze and Swizz Beatz are still DJs too. With nothing left to prove behind the boards, each now... Read more

February 25, 2017 Video

Jay Z Becomes The First Rapper In The Songwriters Hall Of Fame

While Jay Z is a man of many "firsts" on the business side, his artistry is what allowed him to be in that position. All 15 of Jay's solo and collaborative albums are platinum, in many cases multiple. He has 13 #1 releases, including his 2004 Collision Course EP with... Read more

February 22, 2017 News, Video

Finding The GOAT Producer: Just Blaze vs. Kanye West. 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

February 9, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Jim Jones Gets Teary Detailing His Sacrifices For Cam’ron & Dipset (Video)

Yesterday (February 8), it was announced that Jim Jones signed to Jay Z's Roc Nation. The same night, the Bronx, New York native and onetime The Diplomats mainstay appeared on Funkmaster Flex's show. There, Jim sat for more than an hour, and cleared the table on his frustrations with Cam'ron—a... Read more

February 9, 2017 Video

Foe Turned Friend. Jay Z Signs Jim Jones To Roc Nation.

At the height of Roc-A-Fella Records, a number of interviews have suggested that co-founder Jay Z was not always thrilled with Cam'ron and The Diplomats. From Dame Dash's impromptu promotion of childhood friend Cam' to label VP, to reports of wrongly parked cars in the mogul's designated spot, to reportedly... Read more

February 8, 2017 News

Finding The GOAT Producer: Kanye West vs. Scott Storch. 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

January 25, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Producer: The Neptunes vs. Just Blaze. 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

January 20, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Fat Joe Signs To Jay Z’s Roc Nation. Their Beef Is All The Way Over (Audio)

In 2016, Fat Joe and Jay Z made a statement in both of their careers when they recorded the "All The Way Up (Remix)" together (alongside Remy Ma). Reportedly dating back to the late 1990s, the eventual Terror Squad leader and the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder were caught in a beef... Read more

January 18, 2017 Audio, News

Nearly Every Jay Z Guest Verse, Live Performance & Rarity Has Been Collected In 1 Place (Video)

In 2016, Hip-Hop, which once traded cassette tapes of live shows and DJ sets has evolved such that nearly all music ever recorded is available at one's fingertips. As such, each artist has a digital footprint. Jay Z has had one of the longest and most prolific careers in the genre.... Read more

December 20, 2016 Fresh

Fabolous Drops A Big Clue That His Collabo Album With Jadakiss Is Weeks Away (Video)

2017 promises to have a number of Hip-Hop projects to be excited about. Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth will release their first album since 1994, according to Pete. Redman said that Muddy Waters 2 will dirty up the new year, after close to a decade of anticipation. Talib Kweli and... Read more

December 20, 2016 News, Video

Cam’ron Talks Jim Jones Beef For The Last Time. He Says Dipset Is “Over” (Video)

Hip-Hop is in a climate of reunions. A Tribe Called Quest shocked the music world last month with a secretly recorded album, their first in 18 years. After more than 20 years away from album-making, Pete Rock & C.L. have confirmed an LP for 2017. The L.O.X. have inked a... Read more

December 2, 2016 Video

Better Bundle Up. State Property’s Freeway & Young Chris Rap So Cold (Video)

Last month, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's State Property appeared to largely reunite on the largest stage in close to a decade. Beanie Sigel, Freeway, Peedi Crakk, Omillio Sparks, and Need Buck lit up the BET Hip Hop Awards with a cypher that likely had a few Heads throwing up the R-O-C at... Read more

November 28, 2016 Video

Meek Mill Breaks His Silence On Drake, Game & Beans. He Has A LOT To Say. (Audio)

Last week, Meek Mill released mixtape DC4. The fourth installment of the Dreamchasers series, which began in 2011, finds the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC in a completely different spot than when he began. In the years since, Meek has two gold solo albums, two platinum singles, and his own roster of... Read more

October 31, 2016 Audio

DJ Clark Kent Details How In Awe Biggie Was Of Jay Z When They Met (Video)

DJ Clark Kent is one of the people who was incredibly close to The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay Z at the same time. In the mid-1990s, Clark was working tightly with Jay on Reasonable Doubt. Years after the former Dana Dane DJ and longtime radio personality first heard Jay lyrics... Read more

October 18, 2016 Video

Charlamagne Nearly Pushes Beanie Sigel To The Point Of Getting Physical (Video)

Beanie Sigel has experienced one of the highest profile months of his extensive musical career. The South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC started September as an esteemed veteran, reportedly in plans to make a collaborative album with former foe Jadakiss. However, after briefly appearing on Meek Mill and Omelly's "Ooouuu" reply to... Read more

October 11, 2016 Video

Beanie Sigel Allegedly Attacked For Saying He Wrote Lyrics For Meek Mill’s Game Diss Record (Video)

Just over one week ago, Beanie Sigel made his way into the beef between The Game and Meek Mill. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania veteran appeared alongside Meek and Dream Chasers affiliate Omelly's in their their reply to Game's "92 Bars" diss, rapping over Young. M.A.'s "Ooouuu." Beanie Sigel spit just a handful... Read more

September 26, 2016 Video

Nas Auditioned For A Lead In “Paid In Full” According To Dame Dash (Video)

In the early 2000s, Roc-A-Fella Records was fast expanding its film division. The label, founded by Jay Z, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke was also entrenched in one of the most exciting Rap battles of the last 15 years, thanks to Jay's beefing on wax with Nas. In... Read more

September 17, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Fabolous Wants To Release His Joint Album With Jadakiss Before The End Of The Year (Video)

Throughout the years, Fabolous and Jadakiss have had a close working relationship. Two veteran acts at Def Jam Records, these New York City MCs have appeared together on songs like DJ Khaled's "Don't Ever Play Yourself," Jeezy's "OJ," and Uncle Murda's "Right Now (Remix)." Both close associates of Allen Iverson,... Read more

September 15, 2016 Video

A Mini-Documentary Shows How Jay Z’s Blueprint Laid The Plans For A New Era In Hip-Hop

On September 11, Jay Z's The Blueprint will celebrate its 15th anniversary. Its release on what is now an infamous date in American history for other, tragic reasons, marked a time in the Roc-A-Fella leader's career when criminal allegations and frequent diss tracks surrounded his image. However, it has proven... Read more

September 7, 2016 Video

Beanie Sigel Confirms A Collaborative Project With Jadakiss

In 2001, Jadakiss and Beanie Sigel were two of the most exciting new solo artists in Rap music. While Jada' had been on wax since 1994 with the LOX, Sigel was becoming Jay Z's most exciting protege on the Roc-A-Fella Records roster. They had even appeared together on 1998's "Reservoir... Read more

September 4, 2016 News

Dame Dash To Produce Roc-A-Fella Series That May Answer A Million & One Questions

It has been more than a decade since Jay Z, Damon "Dame Dash," and Kareem "Biggs" Burke sold Roc-A-Fella Records. The New York City label responsible for introducing the record-buying world to Jay, Kanye West, Beanie Sigel, The Diplomats, and others remains alive—only as a division of Def Jam. Its... Read more

August 30, 2016 News, TV/Film

DMX Says He Won Every Battle With Jay Z. Who Won The War? (Video)

In 1999, Jay Z and DMX embarked (and majorly cashed in) on the Hard Knock Life Tour. Although Jay Z's album gave the tour its name, the lineup was a joint headliner of the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder and DMX. Both artists had become the flagship acts at Def Jam Records... Read more

August 13, 2016 Food for Thought, Video

Jay Z’s 2000 Westwood Freestyle Portrays An MC In Stride For The Throne (Audio)

Right around the year 2000, Jay Z found himself in London, promoting his first #1 album, Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life. As the album was approaching 3 million units sold (it sits at more than 5 mill scanned in 2016), Shawn Carter hit Tim Westwood's radio show. In a new position,... Read more

July 7, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

Skyzoo Brilliantly Exacts “Revenge” On Jay Z On “Friend Or Foe Pt. 3″ (Audio)

Crown Heights Brooklyn MC Skyzoo grew up not far from the Marcy Houses that raised Jay Z. Although the two lyricists are more than a dozen years apart in age, S-K-Y always vocalized just how much S.Carter inspired his art and style. The extended, nasal bars, emphasis on brands and... Read more

June 30, 2016 Audio

This 20th Anniversary Jay Z Mix Leaves No Doubt His Debut Was A Classic (Audio)

This Saturday (June 25) marks the 20th anniversary of Jay Z's debut album, Reasonable Doubt. The 1996 Roc-A-Fella/Priority Records LP would launch a career trajectory that has arguably been one of Hip-Hop's biggest, transcending from the Marcy Houses to the top of Hip-Hop, as well as streaming platforms, fashion, liquor,... Read more

June 21, 2016 Mixes, Throwback

Kanye West Announces The Saint Pablo North American Tour Dates

Kanye West will tour the material he included on February's The Life Of Pablo. This week, the Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records superstar announced the North American dates for his corresponding The Saint Pablo Tour. The concert dates come after West has begun promoting his upcoming G.O.O.D. Music compilation, Cruel Winter. Earlier... Read more

June 14, 2016 Fresh

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