AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Eminem Celebrates Rap’s OGs While Dissing A Generation Of Mumble Rappers (Video)

The focus on Eminem's Kamikaze remains sharp this month. Released on August 30, the album has become a source of debate, not just about its content but also its place within a greater debate about the state of lyricism, in general. The Detroit MC released the album, in part, as a response... Read more

Trippie Red Proves So-Called Mumble Rappers Can Be Lyrical Too (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let AFH fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to go back... Read more

Page Kennedy Is The Boogeyman & Mumble Rap Is His Prey (Video)

Detroit's Page Kennedy will be releasing Torn Pages on March 10, an album featuring Royce 5'9, Kxng Crooked, Elzhi, Marsha Ambrosius, and more. The celebrated television actor has also amassed adulation for his rhyme skills, and he's out for more blood. Today (February 3), he drops "The Boogeyman," a verbal... Read more

Consequence’s Freestyle Has A Clear Message For Mumble Rappers: “You’re A Customer” (Video)

Consequence finished out 2016 strong. The Queens, New York veteran released his A Good Comeback Story at mid-year. However, in the closing weeks of the year, his numerous appearances on A Tribe Called Quest's We got it from Here...Thank You 4 Your service put the 20-plus-year affiliate of the group... Read more

Nick Grant Shows Why The Future Of Hip-Hop Is Far From Mumble Rap (Video)

Last year, Nick Grant made an appearance on the Sway In The Morning show and kicked one of the best freestyles of the year, excluding nobody. He earned his spot after participating in a cypher with CyHi The Prynce, one of the most respected lyricists in the game, and shining... Read more

J. Cole Explains Why He Made His 1985 Diss Record Of Lil Rappers (Video)

When J. Cole speaks, it is not to be taken lightly. In recent years, the North Carolina superstar MC/producer and Dreamville label founder has shunned the public eye, or at least many of their questions. After decidedly not allowing interviews altogether for late 2016's 4 Your Eyez Only, Cole posted... Read more

Why MCs Avoid The Term “Christian Rap” Like It’s A Dirty Word (Video)

Less than three years ago, Lecrae reached the top of the pop charts with Anomaly. The Reach Records release, which subsequently went gold, marked a new pinnacle for what is commonly referred to as "Christian Rap." In this week's episode of TBD, Justin "The Company Man" Hunte examines the weird... Read more

Page Kennedy’s Latest Freestyle Leaves Weak Rappers In The Weeds (Video)

Page Kennedy is promoting his recently-released Torn Pages album the best way that he possibly can. The veteran actor from Blue Mountain State ("Radon Randell") and Weeds ("U-Turn") isn't using his Hollywood resumé to pump the LP, he's relying on his exceptional freestyles. It is hard to find a more... Read more

CyHi Says He’s Destroying The Rap Game Like Lil Yachty In A Devastating Freestyle (Video)

While CyHi The Prynce may not be a household name (yet), those who know of his work recognize that he has one of the strongest pen games in Hip-Hop. Even those who may be unfamiliar have heard his stellar lyricism on songs like Kanye West's "So Appalled," from My Beautiful... Read more

Ever See Leaders Of The New School Kick This Old School Rap Routine? (Video)

In the earliest days of Hip-Hop, MCs didn't just get on stage and rhyme. They kicked fly Rap routines, complete with elaborate costumes and coordinated choreography. Also, rather than rhyming one at a time, the MCs bounced back and forth, often completing each others words. Much of this took place... Read more

The Politics of Rap: Political Hip-Hop’s Long & Outspoken History Didn’t Begin or End with N.W.A. (Audio)

The marriage of political engagement and Hip-Hop culture has been a permanent fixture ever since artists began using the mic as a means of delivering dispatches from inner-city life, where systemic problems of economic disparity, educational inequality, poverty, and racism remain far too common for far too many. For many,... Read more

Joell Ortiz Is The Captain Of His Destiny & He’s On A Course For Greatness (Audio)

Joell Ortiz has been on a tear in the last nine months. He fed fans a beloved album alongside producer Apollo Brown in the form of late 2018's Mona Lisa. The Brooklyn, New York veteran opened 2019 with a joint effort, Gorilla Glue, with Fred The Godson and longtime production affiliates,... Read more

There Were Some Incredible Freestyles In 2018. Here Are The Year’s Best (Video)

For all the chatter about Mumble Rap taking over, there have been a number of MCs who put on incredible lyrical displays in 2018. Artists like Royce 5'9, Styles P, Pusha-T, Evidence, Benny The Butcher, Jay Rock, Logic and J. Cole released projects packed with punchlines and substantive verses, and... Read more

Meek Mill Takes Phil Collins’ Classic To Make His Latest Underdog Anthem

Since he transitioned for acclaimed mixtapes to major label albums, Meek Mill has become a master of introductions. Six years ago, Dreams & Nightmares opened up with the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania bursting with emotion, angst, and letting it all go on a track that showed his intent. After becoming a video... Read more

The Black Eyed Peas New Song Reunites The Native Tongues’ Phife & Posdnuos (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let AFH fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to go back... Read more

Donald Glover’s New Video Shows Hip-Hop America & How Great It Could Be

Just under four months ago, Donald Glover released one of the most unforgettable music videos of 2018. "This Is America" is artful, symbolic, and it is certainly jarring. The visual was a return to Rap for the versatile, genre-defying also artist also known as Childish Gambino. Since then, Glover released... Read more

Can You Hear Me Now? Lil Yachty Freestyles With Clear Intent (Video)

Lil Yachty has become one of the most recognized rappers under the legal drinking age. He has endorsement deals, a video approaching 120 million plays, a Top 5 charting album, a Grammy nomination, and platinum singles alongside D.R.A.M. and Kyle. The Quality Control/Capitol Records artist is not without his critics.... Read more

Black Thought Lists His Top 5 MCs & The Reasons He’s A GOAT (Video)

The latest episode of the Touré Show podcast released this week, and the guest is none other than Black Thought of The Roots. This insightful conversation (named "How To MC") took place in late 2017 at the Brooklyn Museum and was filmed in front of a live audience of a... Read more

Conway’s New Mixtape Features Royce 5’9, Styles P, Prodigy & More (Audio)

Absent in much talk about the inter-generational divide in Hip-Hop today is the discussion about why so many are drawn to the so-called “mumble rapper” MCs: two reasons might be the overriding emphasis on texture and atmosphere in their music, alongside their relentless focus on the darker side of life.... Read more

Lloyd Banks Rips Today’s Funny Dressing MCs In 1 Of The Year’s Best Freestyles (Video)

There’s something about the rolling bass, accented piano stabs and knockin’ boom bap drums of the beat for Nas' classic “N.Y. State of Mind” that brings out the best in MCs. In rare form, fellow Queens, New York representative Lloyd Banks stopped by HOT 97 to kick it with Funkmaster... Read more

Joey Bada$$ Ranks Kendrick Lamar’s Albums, As A Fan & Peer (Video)

Joey Bada$$ recently sat down with Montreality to discuss some of his views concerning everything from Kendrick Lamar to mumble rap to suicide. Early in the interview, the 22 year-old MC also expresses his love for JAY-Z’s 4:44 album, as well as the belief that his own music has helped inspire... Read more

Wu-Tang Clan Pay Respects To Prodigy & Vow To Preserve His Legacy (Video)

In the early 1990s, Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang Clan were symbolic brothers in arms for rugged Hip-Hop music and attitudes. Eventually, Loud Records label-mates, the two New York City Rap collectives began collaborating at a time when both crews were mostly keeping things in-house. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah would appear... Read more

What Happens When You Make An Old Head Listen To New Hip-Hop (Video)

Last November, Long Beach, California hosted ComplexCon, a two-day event featuring performances, panels, and more all devoted to music and culture. As part of the convention, veteran radio personality and Hip-Hop artist Angie Martinez led a discussion focused on the so-called "generation gap" in Hip-Hop. The group of experts who... Read more

Kxng Crooked Freestyles On Jeru The Damaja’s “Come Clean” And Does It Dirty (Video)

Kxng Crooked is a monster. There's no other way to say it. For more than 20 years, the MC formerly known as Crooked I has done things that are absolutely grisly to microphones. Whether as a Death Row records artist who never had the opportunity to release a project or... Read more

Page Kennedy & Elzhi Are Microphone Assassins From The Murder Mitten (Audio)

Yesterday (March 6), AFH announced its South By Southwest stage. Right in step with that, two of the March 15 showcase performers unleash their collaboration. Page Kennedy and Elzhi are elite MCs who both represent Detroit, Michigan. While El' is a decorated veteran whose career spans back to the '90s,... Read more

El-P Explains How Def Jux Turned Into A Bubble That Didn’t Represent Him (Video)

In an exhaustive interview with Hot97's Ebro and Peter Rosenberg, Run The Jewels shared a ton of details about their career as a unit, while El-P and Killer Mike each also spent time sharing their unique, individual experiences as veterans in Hip Hop. For more than an hour, the interview... Read more

Page Kennedy & Marsha Ambrosius Spill Deep Secrets On “Torn Pages” (Audio)

Addressing his deeply personal trials and tribulations on "Torn Pages," Detroit, Michigan rapper Page Kennedy has made the most introspective song of his career. Appearing on his forthcoming album of the same name, the song features Marsha Ambrosius and touches on fatherhood, sex addiction, and unhealthy relationships. It's an intimate... Read more

Wyclef Jean Freestyles While Playing Guitar In One Of The Illest 5 Fingers Of Death EVER (Video)

By all accounts, Wyclef Jean is one of the most unique voices in Hip-Hop. The Haitian-born, Brooklyn-raised MC, singer, musician, and songwriter helped elevate the influence of Caribbean music in American culture, and his multilingual heritage has always been a hallmark of his work. With all of that diversity, it's... Read more

Royce 5’9 Jacks Big Sean For His Moves. No MC Is Safe (Audio)

We are less than one month into 2017, and Royce 5'9 has already released a bevy of freestyles, each incorporating beats from artists with younger careers than his and in styles very different from his own. Thus far, he has recreated DJ Khaled's "I Got The Keys," Migos' "Bad and... Read more

Kxng Crooked Is Coming After The #1 Spot. There Are No Friends In Rhyming (Audio)

In 2016, Kxng Crooked (fka Crooked I) released a stellar EP with Statik Selektah in the form of Statik Kxng. But that was last year. In his own words, the Long Beach, California MC is holding himself to a much higher standard in 2-0-1-7. Hopping on Kanye West's "Real Friends"... Read more

Raekwon, Pete Rock, Scarface & Vince Staples Discuss Hip-Hop’s Generation Gap (Video)

March 13 UPDATE: Complex has released a longer video from the "Discussions" event in November 2016: Last November, Long Beach, California hosted ComplexCon, a two-day event featuring performances, panels, and more all devoted to music and culture. As part of the convention, veteran radio personality and Hip-Hop artist Angie Martinez... Read more

Listen To Some Of The Best Hip-Hop Songs Of 2016 & More In 1 Playlist (Audio)

2016 is officially a wrap. For many it will go down as one of the more challenging years in recent memory, but, no matter what may have transpired, it was a period in which a lot of great music was released. Skillz’s 2016 Rap Up Reminds Us Of The Year’s... Read more

Termanology Rips A Funkmaster Flex Freestyle. Pardon The Interruption (Video)

It's been just over a month since Lawrence, Massachusetts's Termanology dropped More Politics, a self-released LP featuring Bun B, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Kxng Crooked, Joey Bada$$, Your Old Droog, and others. With just three songs featuring a solo Term', the album is an inclusive affair with plenty of variety... Read more

A Tribe Called Quest’s Album Artwork Shows The Naked Truth About Hip-Hop’s Generation Gap

Update: Since A Tribe Called Quest member Jarobi White posted the album artwork discussed below at approximately 11am EST, Q-Tip has since posted a variation that he is calling the official album artwork. While the background is similar, the naked woman taking a selfie and the ATCQ tribal woman looking... Read more

Nick Grant’s 3-Part Freestyle Is Filled With Fiber For Your Mind (Video)

South Carolina native Nick Grant is an MC on a tear. Following February's 88 mixtape, Nick has been consistently releasing potent music that carries Southern charms, without necessarily conforming to any style, especially those typically associated with emerging artists beneath the Mason-Dixon. Lately, Grant has been out to prove he... Read more

This Black Sheep 25th Anniversary Mix Picks It Up, Picks It Up, Picks It Up! (Audio)

October 22 marks the 25th anniversary of Black Sheep's debut LP, A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing. Dres and Mista Lawnge are now celebrating a quarter of a century of legacy-making music, having announced this summer a reunion tour and hinting at a possible third album from the duo, who spent... Read more

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

Pusha T Takes Shots At All The Fakery In Hip-Hop. Drake & Others Catch It (Video)

When Pusha T was named President of Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music just under a year ago, he assured that his new post would not affect his musical output. In hasn't. In fact, the 11 month-period since he began his tenure has been one of the most productive times of King... Read more

9th Wonder Makes A Powerful Case For Tolerance Between Generations In Hip-Hop

In recent weeks, there have been several incidents, primarily on social media, that suggest a generational divide within Hip-Hop. Three of the biggest breakout stars of the last year ran into isolated incidents, and collided with some of Rap's veterans. Beyond simply music, age played a factor in the conflicts... Read more

AZ Reintroduces Himself With Amazing New Music

Today (December 1), Brooklyn, New York veteran MC AZ released a new album. However, unlike AZ's respected back-catalog, Truth Be Told marks his first album-long partnership with a producer. Diggin' In The Crates legend Buckwild has been working with S.O.S.A. since "Ho Happy Jacky" on Doe Or Die. The Bronx... Read more

Page Kennedy Pulls Up On Challenging Issues & Confronts Them With Hard Bars (Video)

It's no secret that Detroit, Michigan's Page Kennedy prides himself on delivering rewind-worthy punchlines and thoughtful concepts. Yet his most recent art has him showcasing another sort of pride. Pulled from his latest tape, late 2019's Straight Bars III, the actor and lyricist shares his thoughts on all the ill-will... Read more

Ras Kass’ Soul On Ice Sequel Uses Lyricism To Confront New Threats (Audio)

Over two decades ago, Ras Kass planted a flag for lyricism that balanced accounts of life in the streets of South Central with information found in the books that upset the setup. That unique gift culminated on Soul On Ice, the MC's 1996 debut that has been heralded in circles... Read more

Common Uses A J Dilla Beat To Show His Love For HER Is Strong As Ever (Video)

At the beginning of this month, Common was a surprise guest at the 12th-annual Roots Picnic in Philadelphia. Back in the late 1990s, the MC who was making Like Water For Chocolate at the same time his friends were making Things Fall Apart. The SoulQuarians worked on both albums, so... Read more

Common Premieres A J Dilla-Produced Song About The State Of Hip-Hop In 2019

Since the release of his 1994 song "I Used To Love H.E.R.," Common has had a complex and well-documented relationship with Hip-Hop. At first listen, the song played like Common Sense's ode to a woman with whom he'd had a life long affair, which was a love-hate relationship. At the... Read more

Common Brings His A-Game On A Cold Collabo With Joell Ortiz

DJ Absolut has been a sound provider who in addition to playing others' records is dropping heat of his own. Previously, Ambrosia For Heads presented Rap fans with some unearthed Mobb Deep freestyles via the New York mixmaster. Now, Heads can get a taste of more Big Apple-inspired heat headed... Read more

Ready Or Not? ANoyd Shows Eminem Isn’t The Only MC With Venomous Rhymes

Bloomfield, Connecticut native ANoyd may be a sort of new name to some Heads, but he has been consistently churning out quality material for at least five years now. Since kicking a standout verse on Apathy’s 2014 Connecticut Casual album on a song titled “Locals Only!,” he has dropped at least... Read more

MGK Pours Some Out For Eminem’s Dying Relevance (Video)

"I think the world was watching. I think I stepped up and did what no one in the history of Hip-Hop has done," MGK proclaimed on The Breakfast Club this morning, referring to his bout with Eminem. "And I think I gave people one of the funnest weeks in Hip-Hop... 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

Big Daddy Kane Freestyles Raw, Uncut & With A Chip On His Legendary Shoulders (Video)

This Wednesday (June 20), Big Daddy Kane is performing a free concert in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York. The living legend of the microphone is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Long Live The Kane. In an era when records are shorter and appear to be more... Read more

J. Cole & Lil Pump End Childish Beef With A Grown Man Conversation (Video)

Five weeks ago, J. Cole released KOD. The now gold-certified #1 album featured Cole responding to his critics. Those critics were not journalists or fans, but rather, peers. Lil Pump and Smokepurrp, two Miami, Florida-based Rap artists had condemned Cole for some time on social media and in songs, most... Read more