AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Combat Jack’s Friend Details His Bravery & Dignity In His Final Days

Combat Jack, known to his closest friends and acquaintances as Reggie Ossé, passed away on December 20, 2017, after a battle with colon cancer. During the Redman episode of his Combat Jack Show podcast, Ossé revealed to the public that he had been diagnosed and was fighting for his life. Two months... Read more

Hip-Hop Podcast Pioneer, Author & Attorney Combat Jack Has Passed Away

Reggie "Combat Jack" Ossé has died. This morning (December 20), the Hip-Hop community learns that we have lost a true champion of culture. Several sources close to the Brooklyn, New Yorker confirmed the news. In October, the father of four publicly revealed that he was diagnosed with colon cancer during... Read more

Want To Understand Lil Wayne’s $51 Million Lawsuit? Lawyer Combat Jack Breaks It Down… (Video)

Lawsuits in the entertainment media can be pretty damn confusing sometimes. Fresh off of the multi-million dollar "Blurred Lines" ruling in favor of Marvin Gaye's family/estate against Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and T.I., another high profile music case remains open. Currently, Lil Wayne is seeking $51 million from Cash Money... Read more

J. Cole Talks 2014 Forest Hills Drive & Being The Voice Of A Generation On Combat Jack (Audio)

Considered one of 2014's Men of The Year according to AFH, J. Cole hops into 2015 continuing promotion for his critically acclaimed project, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, on The Combat Jack Show. In between talks of his socially conscious album, the 29 year old MC dives deep into discussions of... Read more

Pharoahe Monch Opens Up About His Darker Side On The Combat Jack Show (Audio)

Queens, New York rapper Pharoahe Monch sits down with Combat Jack  and his radio team to discuss a wide variety of topics including his asthma issues, his fascination with "scary, real, horrific," violence, and the truly personal and introspective direction behind his latest project, P.T.S.D. Pharoahe has been in the... Read more

Scarface Talks Weight Loss, Depression & Rick Ross Being Underrated With Combat Jack (Audio)

Just like in his raps, Scarface tends to give it to you raw in an interview. The only catch is, you have to catch him first. Not always big (read: trusting) on interviews, the Houston, Texas Hip-Hop legend, and core member of The Geto Boys has never minced his words... Read more

Black Thought, Talib Kweli, Killer Mike, Large Professor and More Freestyle on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Here's a compilation of some of the best freestyles from The Combat Jack Show. Black Thought, Talib Kweli, Large Professor, Joey Bada$$, Action Bronson, Killer Mike and Maino all drop verses. Check out the video. Related: Large Professor Discusses the Making of Ether on The Combat Jack Show (Video)... Read more

Big Daddy Kane Interview On The Combat Jack Show (Video)

When somebody with Big Daddy Kane's legacy speaks, Hip-Hop listens. The former Juice Crew MC sat down with The Combat Jack Show and kicked more than two hours of knowledge covering everything but the chicken sink. From wanting to battle KRS-One back in the day, to how Doug E. Fresh... Read more

Jadakiss on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Jadakiss is the latest guest on The Combat Jack Show and he drops some jewels. He discusses the need for older Heads to be accepting of current hip-hop, Biggie getting killed during Jada's first ever trip to LA, his past beef with Diddy and more. Heavy. Check out the videos.... Read more

Talib Kweli on The Combat Jack Show, Pt. 3 (Video)

Part 3 of Combat Jack's interview with Talib Kweli is pretty insightful. The teenage b-boy in me crams to understand—or picture Talib and Mos Def (Yasiin Bey) recording Black Star songs in MC Hammer's company. Including that nugget of candid information (Kweli admits to be a Hammer-hater in the early... Read more

Talib Kweli on The Combat Jack Show, Pt. 2 (Video)

Talib Kweli discusses the origins of Black Star, meeting Biggie & 2Pac and more in part 2 of his sit down on The Combat Jack Show. Check out the video. Related: Talib Kweli on The Combat Jack Show (Video)... Read more

Talib Kweli on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Talib Kweli breaks down why all rappers fundamentally are nerds (including himself) and it makes perfect sense. He also speaks on how getting his girlfriend pregnant was the ultimate motivation to get him to rap for real. Check out part 1 of his interview on The Combat Jack Show below... Read more

Styles P Discusses his Twitter Etiquette and More on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Styles P explains why he doesn't use the "n" word on Twitter and more in part 2 of his interview on The Combat Jack Show. Check out the video. Related: Styles P Decodes Part of His Verse on DMX’s N*ggaz Done Started Something and More on The Combat Jack Show... Read more

Styles P Decodes Part of His Verse on DMX’s N*ggaz Done Started Something and More on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Styles P decodes part of his verse from DMX's N*ggaz Done Started Something on The Combat Jack Show. He gives details on an attack by a gang of people that changed his life. He also discusses the importance of MCs being authentic in their rhymes. Check out the video. Related:... Read more

DJ Premier Discusses Mister Cee, Porn and More on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

DJ Premier talks porn, Mister Cee and more on part 2 of his sit down with Combat Jack. Check out the video. Related: DJ Premier Discusses the Genesis of 10 Crack Commandments and More on The Combat Jack Show (Video)... Read more

DJ Premier Discusses the Genesis of 10 Crack Commandments and More on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Would you believe the Notorious B.I.G.'s classic 10 Crack Commandments was originally a radio promo spot featuring Jeru Tha Damaja on NYC's Hot 97? You can hear DJ Premier discuss that on The Combat Jack Show and listen to the original Jeru version below. Props: NahRight Related: DJ Finesse –... Read more

Joey Bada$$ on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Joey Bada$$ is the latest guest on The Combat Jack Show. The young gun discussed working with DJ Premier, meeting Jay-Z, why he decided to make his album Summer Knights free, his digital strategy and more. Check out the videos below. Related: Joey Bada$$ – Amethyst Rockstar ft Kirk Knight... Read more

Action Bronson on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Action Bronson is the latest guest on The Combat Jack Show. He discusses life after his major label deal, how he chose his rap name, his earliest hip-hop influences and more. He also spits a few bars. Check out the video. Related: Action Bronson – Seven Series Triplets ft Prodigy... Read more

A Discussion of the Yeezus Album Between Combat Jack, Dallas Penn, Premium Pete and Me (Podcast)

I had the pleasure of joining The Combat Jack Show as a guest this week to discuss Kanye West's Yeezus album. True to the provocative nature of the album, it was a lively discussion with many diverse opinions (starting at about the 1:50 mark). The show also features an in-depth... Read more

Large Professor Discusses the Making of Ether on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Wow. Would you believe the version of Ether that Nas released was actually the "watered down" version?? Large Professor breaks down the inside story on the making of one of the most epic diss records ever made. Check out the video. Related: Large Professor discusses meeting Rakim and Big Daddy... Read more

Large Professor on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Large Professor is the latest guest on The Combat Jack Show. The legendary producer/MC talked about working with Nas, meeting Rakim and Big Daddy Kane for the first time and more. Dude is full of historical gems. Check out the video (part 1 of 3). Related: Yu Mamiya & Large... Read more

Scarface on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Scarface is the latest guest on The Combat Jack Show. He spoke about his friendship with 2Pac, the genesis of his classic Mind Playing Tricks on Me and more. Check out the video below. Related: Scarface - The HardKnock TV Interview (Video) Part 1 Part 2 Part 3... Read more

Killer Mike & El-P on The Combat Jack Show (Video)

Killer Mike & El-P are the latest guests on The Combat Jack Show. The 2 discussed Killer Mike's criminally slept on R.A.P. Music album, their problems with radio, the role of race in hip-hop and more. Check out the videos below. Related: Killer Mike & El-P (Run the Jewels) –... Read more

Black Thought on The Combat Jack Show Pt. 3 (Video)

Here's the final installment of Black Thought's interview on The Combat Jack show. In this segment, Thought talks about how both Nas and Supernatural changed his career. The strength of Illmatic and Supernatural's freestyle skills caused Black Thought to step up his MC game. That's saying something...Check out the video.... Read more

Black Thought on The Combat Jack Show Pt. 2 (Video)

Here's part 2 of Black Thought's interview on The Combat Jack Show. In this episode, he talks about the posse cuts he did back in the day with Questlove, getting props with Rakim, his Cypher with Mos Def and Eminem, and more. In the end, he drops a verse. Check... Read more

You will never have time to listen to this entire interview. But, if you do, you will learn a TON about hip-hop history and journalism. Two of hip-hop's finest minds, Combat Jack (aka former pioneering entertainment attorney Reggie Osse) and Elliott Wilson (the mind behind Rap Radar) chop it up for more than 2 hours.

In the interview, Combat Jack takes Elliott on a 20-year "this is your life" journey through a career that touched The Source, XXL, Ego Trip, xxlmag.com, Vh1, Jay-Z, Eminem and finally Rap Radar.  Those are some pretty significant arbiters of hip-hop culture.  Take a listen to hear Elliott's role in... Read more

Black Thought on The Comback Jack Show (Video)

Can you believe Black Thought was ready to scrap with Nas at one point? He talks about this, how he met Questlove and much more on The Combat Jack Show. Check out the interview. Related: Statik Selektah – Bird’s Eye View ft Raekwon, Joey Bada$$ & Black Thought (Audio)... Read more

Will Smith Tells Rakim He Copied Him On Summertime

One of Hip-Hop's longstanding curiosities surrounds DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's 1991 hit "Summertime." The Homebase single landed the West Philadelphia duo their second Grammy Award, but it also marked a shift in tempo, style, and flow for the Hip-Hop vets. For years, some have speculated that Rakim... Read more

Scarface & Willie D Have A Heated Exchange About The Grammy Hip-Hop Tribute

On 1991's We Can't Be Stopped album, the Geto Boys scoffed at Grammy Awards courtesy of their charged-up song "Trophy." Over 30 years later, Scarface—a legendary MC/producer without a trophy—performed at the 2023 Grammy Awards, as part of the Hip Hop 50 tribute curated by The Roots' Questlove. There, Brad... Read more

Rap Pioneer Jimmy Spicer Has Passed Away

Rapper Jimmy Spicer has reportedly died after a battle with advanced cancer on his brain and lungs. Several prominent Hip-Hop figures, including Ralph McDaniels, Dante Ross, and R.A. The Rugged Man reacted to the news on social media. Born James Bromley Spicer, the artist was one of the first Hip-Hop... Read more

Too Short & Others Explain How Record Companies Are Robbing Artists Blind (Video)

For decades, record labels and the artists they represented, have developed a love/hate relationship. If the public bought records, fame followed. Fortune, however, was not guaranteed. Some of the more successful artists across music did not receive compensation to reflect their success on charts or stages. In the most recent... Read more

The Black Eyed Peas’ New Album Features Phife Dawg, Nas, Slick Rick & More

Next week, the Black Eyed Peas will release Masters Of The Sun, Volume 1 (October 26). The album arrives almost eight years to the month since the last B.E.P. full-length, The Beginning. Since then, much has changed. Like Dr. Dre, will.i.am, who is credited as a Beats By Dre co-founder,... Read more

Rap Pioneer Jimmy Spicer Is Fighting Cancer & Needs Hip-Hop’s Help

Jimmy Spicer (born James Bromley Spicer) is one of the first Hip-Hop artists to release a record when “Adventures of Super Rhymes” dropped in 1980. This 15-plus-minute song is full of playful raps and zany storytelling, much of which has been interpolated or sampled over the decades. Not to mention,... Read more

Londell McMillan Responds To JAY-Z’s Diss & Strongly Defends His Partnership With Prince (Video)

Following Prince's death on April 21, 2016, there has been a tug of war regarding the icon's music and assets. One month after the tragic news, JAY-Z made that battle both public and part of his own legendary catalog. On the Grammy-nominated 4:44, Shawn Carter took umbrage with the handling... Read more

The Coup’s DJ Pam The Funkstress Has Passed Away

In an already challenging week, Hip-Hop has learned that it has lost another veteran artist. DJ Pam The Funkstress (aka Pamela Warren) has died. A founding member of The Coup, Pam would also work with Prince on tour in recent years. After surviving a critical surgery in the last month,... Read more

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

Redman Says Phife Dawg’s Final Album Is “RIDICULOUS” & He’s On One Of The Songs (Audio)

In 1998, Redman was among the guests on A Tribe Called Quest's The Love Movement album. He appeared alongside Busta Rhymes on The Ummah-produced "Steppin' It Up." For nearly 20 years, Heads perceived the gold-certified, Grammy-nomimated Jive Records LP would be the last from Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed... Read more

DMX Punching Chris Lighty Drew Blood Money From His Album (Audio)

This spring, the life and death of acclaimed record executive Chris Lighty has been the subject of an investigative podcast series. Combat Jack has created and hosted Mogul, a weekly look at the evolution of the man who managed A Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent,... 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

Stretch & Bobbito Are Returning To Make Hip-Hop Radio Great Again (Video)

Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito The Barber are two juggernauts of Hip-Hop radio. As the 2015 Radio That Changed Lives documentary showed, these two New Yorkers played critical roles in the careers and subsequent success of Nas, Jay Z, Biggie, Eminem, Big L, Wu-Tang Clan, Pharoahe Monch, MF DOOM, Company Flow,... Read more

25 Years Ago Das EFX Checked The Mic With Dead Serious Rhymes (Video)

1992 was a deeply transitional year for Hip-Hop. By the end of the calendar, The Chronic and Stunts, Blunts, and Hip Hop were heavy in the air. However, one of the first sparks of the hardcore flame came in the form of another debut. That album, Das EFX's Dead Serious,... Read more

Das EFX Celebrate 25 Years Of Dead Serious Rhymes With Reunion Concert

Twenty five years ago next week (April 7), Das EFX released their debut album, Dead Serious. The duo of Dray and Skoob took a giant leap from under EPMD's Hit Squad umbrella when they released their first LP on EastWest Records. Produced almost entirely by Solid Scheme, this was a... Read more

Ice Cube Names Chuck D His Favorite Rapper & Bomb Squad His Favorite Producers (Audio)

February 21 UPDATE: The video interview of Ice Cube from The Combat Jack Show has been added below, along with the existing audio stream. Original Post: Starting in 1990's "Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside)," Ice Cube made some of his most notable collaborations with Chuck D and the producers... Read more

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

Scarface & Lil Troy Have Ended Their 15 Year Beef. Troy Breaks It Down. (Audio)

Scarface is a 30-year living legend MC. Over the years, there have been certain lyrics where Heads have wondered who the Houston, Texas rapper/producer/DJ may be speaking to. In other cases, especially over the last 15 years, many of those diatribes were not so subliminally aimed at rapper/executive Lil Troy.... Read more

Eric B. & Rakim Affiliate, MC and Manager Ant Live Has Passed Away

According to several sources, veteran Hip-Hop figure Ant Live (aka Anthony Barrier) has died. Stetsasonic co-founder Daddy-O and podcast host Combat Jack are among those who have confirmed the news on social media. While the details of Ant's passing are not clear at this time, Rakim spoke about Live's health... Read more

Just-Ice Reveals Vivid Details About The Day Scott La Rock Was Killed (Video)

Boogie Down Productions co-founder DJ Scott La Rock is a Hip-Hop luminary that much of the world never got to properly know. On August 27, 1987, the DJ/producer born Scott Sterling was killed, less than six months after B.D.P. released debut Criminal Minded. One of B.D.P.'s close affiliates was MC... Read more

AZ’s 40 Seconds Of Bars Are Better Than Most Albums These Days (Audio)

AZ is like a special ops soldier. He is low key, stealth and, when he's deployed, it's for maximum impact. It's been a relatively quiet year for the Brooklyn, MC, save for a few select drops, such as his guest turn on A$AP Twelvyy's "Motivation." In September, however, it appeared... Read more

Rakim’s Rep Says Statements About A Reunion With Eric B. Are “Completely False”

Last week, tweets began appearing from a verified Twitter account bearing the name Eric and Rakim, stating that the group was back and asking in which city they should start their new tour. As one of the most important duos in Hip-Hop history, naturally, the reaction to the news was massive.... Read more

Eric B. & Rakim Have Reunited And Are Going On Tour

"I came in the door. I said it before. I never let the mic magnetize me no more. But, it's biting me, fighting me, inviting me to rhyme. I can't hold it back. I'm looking for the line. Taking off my coat. Clearing my throat. The rhyme will be kicking... Read more