October 2016

J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive Is The 1st Rap Album In 25 Years To Reach 2X Platinum With No Guests

At the time of its release, J. Cole's 2014 Forest Hills Drive was an outlier to a trend in Hip-Hop. The late 2014 Roc Nation/Columbia Records release contained 13 tracks and no feature verses of any kind. At the time of release, the North Carolina MC/producer earned his third consecutive... Read more

October 21, 2016 News

Action Bronson Makes Some Blue Chip Music That’s Strictly For Heads (Video)

It's been more than five years since Action Bronson burst onto the scene with Dr. Lecter. While that album was seemingly not the Queens, New Yorker's most acclaimed or best known project, it remains the one that took a local mixtape artist and launched an organic, grassroots movement that made... Read more

October 21, 2016 Video

Kxng Crooked Shoots Back At Racist Police With A Lyrical Demand For Justice (Audio)

For many this election season, the issues of police brutality and the militarization of law enforcement in this country are front-and-center, as racially charged discourse continues to emerge. Police versus citizens has become a prominent theme in music today, with Hip-Hop artists like T.I., Big K.R.I.T., and Nas making the... Read more

October 21, 2016 Audio

Chance The Rapper & Jay Electronica Combine For A Video That Is Truly Great

For all of 2016, Chance The Rapper has been breaking new ground. The release of his mixtape, Coloring Book, in May, made history by becoming the first streaming-only project to appear on the Billboard album charts. It did so with flair, coming in at #8. A deal with streaming service... Read more

October 21, 2016 Video

25 Years Ago, Del The Funky Homosapien Came Out Swingin’ Like ‘I WISH They Would’ (Audio)

Today, Del The Funky Homosapien may be thought of as an inventive, at times, experimental veteran MC from Oakland, California. D-E-L has worked with the Gorillaz, Handsome Boy Modeling School, and most recently BROOKZILL! to exercise his tremendous vocabulary, and display the range in his delivery. However, when it all... Read more

October 20, 2016 Do Remember

Saba & Noname Turn The Church & The Liquor Store Into Symbols Of Chicago (Audio)

This time last year, West Side, Chicago's Saba got his big break as a featured artist on Chance The Rapper's "Angels." On “Church / Liquor Store," he enlists fellow Chicagoan MC/poet and Chance collaborator Noname (a/k/a Noname Gypsy) to guide listeners through a tour of their hometown on a smooth,... Read more

October 20, 2016 Audio

Common’s New Song Hits Home With A Strong Message Of Excellence & Empowerment (Audio)

Over the years, Common and Bilal have a strong working chemistry. Since Like Water For Chocolate's DJ Premier-produced "The 6th Sense," the MC and singer have together to make each other shine brightly. "Home" is one of three songs featuring Bilal on Black America Again (November 4). Within, Common raps... Read more

October 20, 2016 Audio

Joey Bada$$ Reveals His Presidential Aspirations & How Tupac Is His Greatest Influence In Life (Video)

In a recent interview with San Francisco, California's KMEL radio station, Joey Bada$$ had a lot to say. Among other things, the Brooklyn, New York artist and actor announced the abbreviated title of a new album - A.A.B.A. - which he says will be his most political body of work... Read more

October 20, 2016 Video

“Atlanta”’s Paper Boi Just May Be Even Cooler In Real Life (Video)

The accolades for Donald Glover's FX series Atlanta keep piling up. Not only is he being heralded as the series creator, one of its writers, and its lead star, but Glover is making television history across the board with the new show, which focuses on the come-up of a rapper... Read more

October 20, 2016 Video

Chris Rivers Refuses To Be Passed Over As He Spits His Life From An Overpass (Video)

Chris Rivers never ceases to serve hot bars to the masses. The Bronx, New Yorker lives to spit lyrics, and his output of music grows—as does his profile of late. "Born For This" is a single that traces back Big Pun's son and his earliest dreams of a Rap career... Read more

October 20, 2016 Video

Kendrick Lamar And Rick Rubin Meet & Have A Conversation For The Ages (Video)

Kendrick Lamar is a complex individual. The 29 year-old Compton, California MC makes music that is richly inventive, blending personal thoughts and intricate storytelling. He approaches the listener's ear with a variety of vocal tones, tempos, and styles of presenting his rich, often literary songwriting. On albums like good kid,... Read more

October 20, 2016 Video

Black Sheep Discuss How A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Separated Them From the Pack

Twenty-five years ago, a duo whose sound was decidedly different from what was popular at the time stepped to Hip-Hop with A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. Black Sheep's debut LP was the result of two minds, Dres and Mista Lawnge, merged into a unit who existed within the parameters of... Read more

October 20, 2016 Exclusive, Food for Thought

Dot Demo Is From The Same Streets As Hip-Hop & Hopes To Push It Along (Video)

Dot Demo is an MC from the same South Bronx streets that birthed Hip-Hop. Following late 2014's Delta Theory: File 1 mixtape, "Me Pt. 2" signals more personal music coming. The 23 year-old looks at his life and times, and asks some really pressing questions. Take a look at Dot's... Read more

October 20, 2016 Ready Or Not

Eazy-E’s Daughter Intends To Prove Her Father Was Murdered, In A Documentary (Video)

It has been more than 21 years since Gangsta Rap pioneer Eric "Eazy-E" Wright passed away. In March of 1995, the public learned that the founder of N.W.A. and Ruthless Records had AIDS. Three weeks later, on March 26, Eazy was dead. Close associates have recalled that the Compton, California mogul... Read more

October 19, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Eminem For President. A New Freestyle Leaves No Debate (Audio)

In the late 1990s, Eminem made an incredible entrance to mainstream Hip-Hop through showing the world—especially pop culture the humor and the error in itself. The Detroit, Michigan MC has since gone on to release diamond certified albums, win Grammy Awards, and become one of the most impactful rappers of... Read more

October 19, 2016 Audio

The Roots Confirm 17th Album Title & Preview Some Sounds (Video)

It has been nearly two and a half years since The Roots released an album. 2014's ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin featured Dice Raw as well as Raheem DeVaughn, and was rooted heavily in a cohesive theme. It was also largely co-produced by Richard Nichols, the band's longtime manager/producer,... Read more

October 19, 2016 Video

A New Documentary Promises To Tell The Whole Truth About Native Tongues (Video)

The Native Tongues posse is one of the most influential yet enigmatic groupings in Hip-Hop, and some would argue their influence extends far beyond. Indeed, the crew embodies ideas that exist outside of music, stretching into philosophy, politics, fashion, and more. Generally considered to be comprised of core members A... Read more

October 18, 2016 TV/Film, Video

DJ Jazzy Jeff & Rhymefest’s New Music Together Has A Lot Of People Hyped (Audio)

Last week, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Rhymefest revamped their "Jeff n' Fess" tandem after nearly a decade. They released "Mr. Officer," a powerful track featuring Eric Roberson that made no bones about showing the fear, the hurt, and the disconnect with Black citizens caused by police profiling and brutality. "No... Read more

October 18, 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

Russell Simmons Has a Stern Warning About American Islamophobia (Video)

Yesterday (October 17), Russell Simmons was the special guest on The Daily Show, and the Def Jam cofounder took the opportunity to promote his work on behalf of social justice. As the chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, Simmons has, for more than a decade, worked to establish healthier... Read more

October 18, 2016 Lifestyle

Royce 5’9″ Teams With Denaun & Marv Won To Show The Many Faces Of Racism (Video)

Detroit, Michigan can rightfully claim some of Hip-Hop's most celebrated spitters as its own, many of whom are equally gifted at attaining longevity in their careers. Royce 5'9" released the most successful album of his solo discography, Layers, earlier this year - an astonishing accomplishment for an MC who is... Read more

October 18, 2016 Video

Common Wants Solange’s “Cranes” To Find Forever In His Remix (Audio)

Solange Knowles earned her first #1 album earlier this month. A Seat At The Table contains thoughtful, assertive, and incredibly timely music. Video single "Cranes In The Sky" is the entry point to many on the younger Knowles sister's latest dissertation in sound, with an album that truly owns her... Read more

October 18, 2016 Audio

Tupac Shakur Has Been Nominated For The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

The nominees for the 2017 class of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame have been announced, and Tupac Shakur leads a list of first time nominees that also includes Pearl Jam, Journey, Jane's Addiction, Depeche Mode, and more. If accepted, Shakur would be the sixth Hip-Hop artist admitted to... Read more

October 18, 2016 News

Talib Kweli & Rick Ross Are An Unexpected But Lethal Combination (Audio)

When it comes to unlikely pairings in Hip-Hop, there are likely few more unanticipated that a collaboration between Talib Kweli and Rick Ross. For nearly his entire career, Kweli has been closely associated with "Conscious Rap," due to his thought-provoking rhymes about politics, race relations and other substantive matters. By... Read more

October 18, 2016 Audio, Mixes

Mick Jenkins Gets In The Zone On A Freestyle That Leaves Sway Speechless (Video)

It's been less than a month since Chicago, Illinois MC Mick Jenkins dropped his debut studio LP, The Healing Component. Longtime fans of his have been rocking with him since at least 2o12, when he dropped Mickstape and, in the years since, his fanbase has been able to celebrate his... Read more

October 17, 2016 Video

Joe Budden Raps About His Life While Channeling Jay Z’s Hard Knock (Audio)

In June of 2003, Joe Budden's eponymous debut LP dropped, enjoying the success of its lead single, which arrived a month prior in the form of "Pump It Up." Produced by Just Blaze, the record remains one of Budden's most successful, but it almost didn't happen. Jay Z reportedly was... Read more

October 17, 2016 Audio

Mickey Factz Readies His Nottz Collabo LP With 15 Styles In 15 Minutes (Audio)

Mickey Factz has a decorated music career to date. The New York MC has been featured as a XXL "Freshman" in the 2009 yearbook, in addition to making widely circulated songs with Drake, Yelawolf, and Kendrick Lamar, among others. Fresh off of the Nottz-produced video single "414 Words," Factz lays... Read more

October 17, 2016 Audio

Puff Daddy Credits Nas With Saving Hip-Hop & More In A Bold Tribute Speech (Video)

More than 15 years ago, Nas and Puff Daddy made a triumphant anthem together in "Hate Me Now." Appearing on Nas' third album, I Am... the record symbolically closed out the 1990s with an MC once allocated to the Underground shining as a reigning figure of Hip-Hop. Although Nas and... Read more

October 17, 2016 Video

Joe Budden Discusses Why His Music & Personal Life Are At Their Best In 2016

If you're not constantly challenged, you're probably not doing it right. Joe Budden entered 2016 with a proven career—decorated with a cult music following, reality television history, a podcast, and an Eminem-backed super-group at his side. However, throughout the last 15 years, Joe Budden never seems to get complacent. When... Read more

October 17, 2016 Food for Thought

Bruno Mars Takes The Stage On SNL And Absolutely Owns It (Video)

Over the years, Bruno Mars has established himself as one of the most talented performers in the business. It has earned him the opportunity to rock the Super Bowl, the world's biggest platform, and countless other mega events. As dazzling as those shows have been, there is something magical that... Read more

October 16, 2016 Video

DJ Jazzy Jeff & Rhymefest Have A Clear Message For Mr. Officer (Audio)

Producer and turntablist DJ Jazzy Jeff and fellow Grammy Award winner Rhymefest appear to have created a group, Jeff n Fess. The Philadelphia and Chicago link made its debut (and scratched at its band name) nearly a decade ago on The Return Of Magnificent, Jeff's LP. 2016 headlines and tragic... Read more

October 15, 2016 Audio

Pras Details Being Caught In The Middle Of Lauryn Hill & Wyclef’s Problems (Video)

N.W.A., A Tribe Called Quest, and the Goodie Mob all parted ways at critical periods of fame. Compared to The Fugees, however, perhaps only Outkast can claim to have disbanded at such commercial heights. Following 1996's The Score sophomore album, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras would apparently disband. Save... Read more

October 15, 2016 Video

An Argument For Why Kendrick Lamar May Already Be The Greatest MC Of All-Time (Video)

Conversations in Hip-Hop about the Greatest Of All-Time (GOAT) MC are common. In fact, in 2014 and 2015 Ambrosia For Heads hosted a conversation among millions of fans to determine once and for all, who is the GOAT. In that debate, where over 200 MCs were considered, Eminem came out... Read more

October 15, 2016 Video

Hear Unreleased Snippets From RZA & GZA Demos That Birthed The Wu-Tang Clan (Audio)

Wu-Tang Clan's RZA and GZA each had careers prior to 1993's game-changing Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). While GZA's February, 1991 Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records release Words From The Genius garnered some hardcore interest, RZA (t/k/a Prince Rakeem) did not fare as well with his Tommy Boy Records maxi-single, Ooh,... Read more

October 14, 2016 Audio, Throwback

Tanya Morgan’s Donwill Chimes In With a New Solo E.P. (Audio)

In what serves as a commendable career milestone for Cincinnati, Ohio's Donwill, his latest E.P. stop. waiting. signals both his debut as a producer and an entirely self-released project (by way of his Working Creative imprint). Having long since made New York City his home, Donwill has been releasing music... Read more

October 14, 2016 Audio

Kur Is The Next Great MC From Philadelphia. Uptop! Uptop! Makes The Case That He’s Ready (Video)

Pronounced "core," Kur has released a string of mixtapes which showcase his talent for punchlines and engaging storytelling about his native Uptown Philly. Colloquially known as UpTop, his stomping grounds serve as the inspiration for Kur's latest video, which takes an everyday portrayal of his neighborhood and combines it with... Read more

October 14, 2016 Ready Or Not

Ab-Soul Televises The Revolution In A Charged Video For “Huey Knew”

Ab-Soul released "Huey Knew" late last month. The Top Dawg Entertainment artist, and the quietest member of Black Hippy the last two years made up for his hiatus in a big way. Featuring onetime Curren$y and A$AP Mob affiliate Da$h, this single catches Soulo up on the world around him.... Read more

October 14, 2016 Video

Murs Now Holds The Record For Longest Rap Marathon (Video)

Murs is a founding member of the Living Legends crew. As far as the record books of Hip-Hop may be concerned, he is truly a living legend. The veteran Los Angeles, California MC completed a more than 24-hour Rap marathon yesterday morning (October 13). Bars For Days…Murs Aims For Guinness... Read more

October 14, 2016 Video

Snoop Dogg Brings DJ Quik, Warren G, Bone Thugs & Tha Pound On Tour

Snoop Dogg will be back on the road with close associates Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound and DJ Quik, as well as the iconic Cleveland, Ohio clique Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. All three openers represent past Snoop collaborators, with Warren being a longtime 213 band-mate and Daz, Kurupt and Quik being former... Read more

October 14, 2016 Fresh

Common Releases The Artwork & Tracklist For His Black America Again Album

Common has taken one of the defining singles of his career and extended it to an album title. Black America Again is the name of Comm's 11th album. Common Speaks On Why He’s Not A Conscious Rapper. He’s a Human MC (Video) To be released in less than one month... Read more

October 14, 2016 Fresh

The U.S. Government Is Going to Start Tracking Violent Police Encounters

Beyond the troubling rate of frequency with which American citizens are killed by police, another piece of the complex social issue presented itself as equally confounding, for many. Earlier this year, the fact that the federal government lacked a comprehensive means of tracking officer-involved violence became more well known than... Read more

October 14, 2016 Lifestyle

Hear J Dilla’s Unreleased Demos & His Story Told By The Man Who Helped Launch His Career (Audio)

J Dilla's sprawling discography can be a challenge to process. The Detroit, Michigan visionary was a producer, an MC, a member of many groups, a musician, and somebody who loved a laissez-faire approach to his music. In his 32 years of life, he made lots of it. In his career,... Read more

October 14, 2016 Audio

Lil Wayne’s Manager Reveals Cash Money Blocked The Release Of Carter V & A Big Check For Wayne (Video)

For more than 15 years, Lil Wayne and Cash Money Records were family, literally. Out of the Hot Boys, Wayne evolved from a burgeoning raspy-voiced teenage Rap sensation in the late '90s to the label's flagship superstar throughout the 2000s into the early 2010s. In the closing days of 2014,... Read more

October 14, 2016 Video

Rhymefest Is Back In A Major Way. Best BELIEVE It! (Video)

It has been more than a decade since Rhymefest released his major label debut, Blue Collar. In the time since, the Chicago, Illinois MC has made powerful and personal documentary films, run for public office, and still maintained his spot as a Grammy Award and Oscar Award-winning champion of Hip-Hop.... Read more

October 13, 2016 Video

Jay Electronica Emerges With Seeds Of Wisdom About Love On “Garden” (Audio)

Much to the dismay of fans, Jay Electronica has never been a prolific MC. What the elusive artist has lacked in numbers, however, he's made up for in impact. To date, he had only released 3 songs in 2016, but each resonated in different ways. His first came in February,... Read more

October 13, 2016 Audio

Tracy Morgan Explains Why He Never Makes Fun Of The Audience (Video)

Tracy Morgan is healing wounds in more ways than one. This morning (October 13), the 30 Rock veteran and SNL alum sat down with The Breakfast Club to discuss how his near-death experience has matured him. In the interview, Morgan speaks on his ability to transform pain into laughter and his... Read more

October 13, 2016 Lifestyle, Video

Busta Rhymes Spits The Violence On A 1999 Freestyle (Audio)

In 1999, Busta Rhymes had most recently dropped E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front, his third platinum album in as many releases. With two more consecutive platinum-selling LPs in the chamber (2000's Anarchy and 2001's Genesis), the Flipmode Squad MC was at the top of his game at the turn of the... Read more

October 13, 2016 Audio

Tech N9ne & Logic Put Hot Sauce On Their Flows So They Can Spit Fire (Audio)

Months ago, Heads got to see a video of Tech N9ne and Logic backstage trading techniques on how to rap incredibly fast, both in the studio and on stage. While it was satisfying to see a veteran MC and a younger one building and learning from each other, it also... Read more

October 13, 2016 Audio

Biggie, Method Man & Redman Are 3 Eternal Rap Phenomenons (Audio)

In the life and times of The Notorious B.I.G., outside of his Bad Boy and Junior M.A.F.I.A. families, two close associates were Method Man and Redman. Long before album plans existed from the members of Wu-Tang Clan and Def Squad, respectively, they were rolling with Biggie Smalls to concerts and... Read more

October 13, 2016 Do Remember

Big K.R.I.T. Tells Def Jam KRITWuzHere & Then Makes One Triumphant Exit (Audio)

In what is shaping up to be more proof that, sometimes, working independently can do wonders for one's artistic expression, Big K.R.I.T. has just released a new single fittingly titled "Free Agent." It's just the latest in a string of powerful moves from the MC and producer, who this summer... Read more

October 13, 2016 Audio