Bandini

Fat Joe Explains His Pain (Video)

Before heading to the bing on tax evasion charges, Fat Joe released The Darkside III, and a few loose videos. The mixtape featured an ongoing collaborative catalog with DJ Premier, new work with Action Bronson, and this honest, autobiographical track, "Pain." Joe, like onetime nemeses Jay Z and 50 Cent,... Read more

November 23, 2013 Fresh, Video

Snoop Doggy Dogg’s Doggystyle & The Death Row Records Reign (Food For Thought)

Twenty years ago today, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Death Row Records released Doggystyle. The four-times platinum debut LP by Dr. Dre's then-protege helped put Long Beach, California on the Hip-Hop map, it cemented the dominance and versatility of G-Funk, and despite a 1993 year with acclaimed albums by Wu-Tang Clan,... Read more

November 23, 2013 Featured-homepage, Food for Thought, Fresh

Snoop Dogg Throws Down A Megamix Of All The Doggystyle Samples (Video)

Snoop Dogg has a few different monikers for his crafts. In 2008, as QDT, he quietly teamed with DJ Quik and Teddy Riley to produce a big chunk of Ego Trippin'. As a DJ, Snoop goes by DJ Snoopadelic. Always having fun, Doggy Dogg kicked off a celebration weekend of... Read more

November 22, 2013 Fresh, Throwback

Smif N Wessun Return To Their Reggae Roots With Jahdan On Shots In The Dark (Audio)

From the days of Nervous and Weeded Records, Smif N Wessun helped usher in a mid-'90s fusion of Hip-Hop and Reggae/Dancehall that also included KRS-One, Prince Ital Joe, Mad Lion, Afu-Ra, Capleton, and The Fugees. Tek and General Steele keep it Brooklyn, but team with Jahdan for "Shots In The... Read more

November 22, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Daz Dillinger Goes Bacc 2 Tha Old School With Shalamar & Zapp (Mixtape)

Gearing up on a Doggystyle-inspired weekend, Daz Dillinger, who worked extensively on Snoop Doggy Dogg's debut, fired up some old school Funk on Bacc 2 Tha Old School. The co-founder of Tha Dogg Pound takes a page from Joell Ortiz' mixtape book from a few years ago, and gets his... Read more

November 22, 2013 Fresh, Mixes

Eminem Still Breathes Different Life Into Stan 13 Years Later (Video)

Eminem's had four #1 singles. 2000's "Stan" is not one of them. However, in a career that's paved in humorous pop culture mockery as well as inspirational records, "Stan" always showed another, even deeper side of Em. The concept record co-produced by Flavor Unit co-founder 45 King introduced American audiences... Read more

November 22, 2013 Fresh, Video

Young Buck & Game Hit The Studio For The First Time In Almost 10 Years

Wow. In a year that's seen Snoop Dogg and Suge Knight photographed together, Jay Z and Dame Dash caught in a flick together, it now goes to the G-Unit camp, or former camp, together in the studio. In the falling out of Game from G-Unit in 2005, Buck was one... Read more

November 21, 2013 Throwback

Q-Tip & Busta Rhymes Announce Collaborative Mixtape

After over 20 years of collaborations on a litany of albums, features, remixes, and concerts, A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Leaders Of The New School's Busta Rhymes are linking for a mixtape, The Abstract And The Dragon. The December 12 freebie joins Dres and Jarobi's Evitan album last year... Read more

November 21, 2013 Fresh

Marco Polo Teams With Gangrene & DJ Romes To Craft A Strange Brew (Audio)

Marco Polo's PA 2: The Director's Cut is available for purchase now on Soulspazm Records. The Canadian-born producer who has released LPs with Duck Down and Rawkus Records linked with King T, MC Eiht, Last Emperor, Lil Fame, and tons more for his follow-up to '07's Port Authority. One of... Read more

November 21, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Pharrell Has That Grocery Store Joy In Happy (Video)

Pharrell is having one of the best years ever. For one of his Despicable Me 2 soundtrack jams, Skateboard P has some Fairway fun, or some Acme amazement in this simple, but joyous visual. You can really catch the vibe in this pure display of Soul satisfaction. Even if you're... Read more

November 21, 2013 Fresh, Video

Q-Unique & Ill Bill Throw It Back With Listen To The Words (Video)

Brooklyn's Q-Unique and Ill Bill have a lot of career overlap. Both are MCs who also produce. Both hail from crews that were courted by major labels in the mid-1990s before finding homes in the indie circuit with The Arsonists and Non Phixion, respectively. Both men have had career booms... Read more

November 21, 2013 Fresh, Video

Bun B Kicks A Legit Backroom Freestyle With DJ Kay Slay (Video)

Bun B stopped by "106 & Park" to kick a 90-second freestyle. With The Drama King DJ Kay Slay on the decks, Bun takes it slow, but drives words with his hammer of a vocal tone. The Trill O.G. has one of the most sincere deliveries in Hip-Hop, and that's... Read more

November 20, 2013 Fresh, Video

Large Professor Showcases One Of His Dopest New Beats With Timeless Truth On Wavelength (Video)

From Akinyele to Nas, REKS to Rob Swift, Large Professor helps cultivate lasting talents in Hip-Hop. From his own Queens borough, Extra P provides a scorching track, and some assistance on the chorus for Timeless Truth's "Wavelength." The pair of Solace & Oprime39 have a cool, throwback style that goes... Read more

November 20, 2013 Fresh, Video

Marshall Mathers LP 2 Goes Platinum, Eminem Talks Love Game To Zane Lowe (Video)

After two consecutive daily parts of Eminem's sit-down with the BBC's Zane Lowe, the in-studio Q&A video rolls out with part three, just hours after it was confirmed that Marshall Mathers LP 2 reached platinum in less than two weeks at retail (with Em's catalog rocking the charts too). In... Read more

November 20, 2013 Fresh, Video

Mistah F.A.B. Says Push Through & Don’t Cry About It (Video)

Mistah F.A.B. could cry, if he was the type. One of the faces of the Hyphy movement, F.A.B. was signed by Atlantic Records in the mid-2000s. The label never released the output, and Fabby Davis was seemingly dismissed as the posterchild for Hyphy after the mainstream hype passed. In actuality,... Read more

November 20, 2013 Fresh, Video

N.O.R.E. Recalls His First Real Rap Battle, Behind Bars (Video)

If you've ever hung around N.O.R.E., or listened to the Lefrak City, Queens MC discuss Hip-Hop, you'll know he is absolutely, positively, a Head. The man also known as P.A.P.I. has always balanced his Reggaeton transitions, or his club-minded hits with tracks that not only provided major label opportunities to... Read more

November 20, 2013 Fresh, Throwback

Astro Defends & Analyzes His City, Stresses The New, New York (Audio)

"If only this was '92, imagine what the hood would do." Astro makes a dense response to Trinidad Jame$' recent comments criticizing the state of Hip-Hop in New York City. The Brooklyn MC highlights the socioeconomic changes in the five boroughs, and while there's a lot of civic pride here,... Read more

November 20, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Stalley’s Trunk Waves In Houston In The Swangin’ Remix With Chamillionaire, Bun, ESG, Lil Keke & Trae Tha Truth (Audio)

From Beyonce to Stalley, everybody loves a Houston remix. Maybach Music Group's Stalley aligns some of H-Town's finest with his remix to "Swangin'." Already with Scarface on the O.G. version, Stalley recruited platinum stars Bun B and Chamillionaire, as well as highly-respected indie MCs ESG, and the Screwed Up Click's... Read more

November 20, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Raekwon Knows A Thing Or Two About A Rainy Day (Audio)

Eighteen years ago, Raekwon The Chef made a cult masterpiece with Ghostface Killah and Blue Raspberry. in "Rainy Dayz" (and the heavily-overlooked Diamond D remix). The song is coveted among Rae and Wu-Tang Clan fans, and has been covered and referenced by contemporaries and predecessors alike. Always calling back to... Read more

November 20, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Pharrell, Just Blaze & Irv Gotti Recall The Premature Advertising For Jay Z’s Black Album (Video)

Okay, so there's been a nonstop flow of Black Album 10th anniversary content coming from the Internet. AmbrosiaForHeads even added to that maylay in remembering the LP. In what appears to be one of the final vignettes from this month's decade-anniversary, Revolt has a nice montage of footage including 2003... Read more

November 20, 2013 Fresh, Video

Madlib Gives A Rare Interview, Confirms & Plays New Music With Mos Def & MF Doom (Audio)

When Kanye West rapped, "Don't do no press, but get the most press," he was probably overlooking one of his own favorite producers. Madlib has many incarnations, but he never seems to like to talk about them. Just as BBC television's Zane Lowe seems to get unrivaled access to 'Ye,... Read more

November 20, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Blu & Exile’s Out Of Print Below The Heavens To Have Deluxe Re-Release

In 2007, Blu & Exile released Below The Heavens on Sound In Color Records. The album was heralded as one of the most LPs of its era, including early appearances by Miguel, and as transitioning Aloe Blacc. Within a year of the album's release, stronger-than-anticipated sales and sample issues made... Read more

November 20, 2013 Fresh

Kanye West Unveils Bound 2 Visual Extensively Featuring Kim Kardashian (Video)

The closing track to Yeezus is one of its most potent. Kanye West revisits his The College Dropout and Late Registration technique ever so slightly, with a song that's clearly a love ballad, as only 'Ye can do it. Kanye stopped by comedian/actress/television talk mogul Ellen Degeneres to air the... Read more

November 20, 2013 Fresh, Video

Freddie Gibbs & ESGN Cover 3 X Krazy’s Keep It On The Real (Video)

Okay, you might not have heard of 3 x Krazy. But if you've been active in national Hip-Hop movements over the last decade, you've probably heard of Keak Da Sneak. Keak was a founding member of 3xK, and signed with the group to Virgin/Noo-Trybe Records back in the wild '90s.... Read more

November 19, 2013 Fresh, Video

Eminem Talks Loving Hip-Hop Again, Sobriety, & His Producer Chops In Interview (Video)

Part two of Eminem's sit-down with Zane Lowe unveils the elite MC's love of production. The beat-maker for Jay Z, 2Pac, Nas, and a lot of his Shady Records artists talks his love of Hip-Hop. Certainly on The Marshall Mathers LP 2, one can hear it, with vast references to... Read more

November 19, 2013 Fresh, Video

Action Bronson & Party Supplies Get Unplugged For Amadu Diablo (Video)

Action Bronson & Party Supplies bring some '90s MTV/VH1 humor to life in the stripped down take on Blue Chips 2's "Amadu Diablo." It's all about the charisma, in one of 2013's best sequels, and talk of the town mixtapes... Related: Action Bronson Completes a Day of Mixtape Madness with... Read more

November 19, 2013 Fresh, Video

Timbaland Gives A Lil’ Apartment A Big Sound (Audio)

Timbo continues #TimboThursdays with another freebie in "Lil' Apartment." This one came two days early, and features longtime Tim protege Attitude as well as 6 Two. We're not sure if this is the former Dr. Dre/D.O.C. 6 Two from Dallas, but either way, this Interscope/Roc Nation-backed slow roller has that... Read more

November 19, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Add-2 & Khrysis Combine Saturdays & Sundays On Club Church (Audio)

The newest enlisted member of the Jamla Army, Chicago's Add-2 teams with the Away Team/Soul Council's Khrysis for "Club Church." Kind of some 2013 ode to Bill Withers' "Harlem," the song combined the party-goers from the club and the spiritual followers in church. A cool concept, and a great beat.... Read more

November 19, 2013 Audio, Fresh

The Stepbrothers (Alchemist & Evidence) Have The Ultimate Showdown In Step Masters (Video)

Video director Jason Goldwatch worked with both Evidence and Alchemist separately at Decon, where both California natives dropped solo projects in recent years. Carrying that connection to Rhymesayers Entertainment, where as The Stepbrothers, the longtime homies and collaborators kept Jason in their arsenal for the captivating visual to "Step Masters."... Read more

November 19, 2013 Fresh, Video

ScHoolboy Q Might Be Having Some GQ Fun On His Version Of Man Of The Year (Audio)

It would not be a reach to say that ScHoolboy Q is Hip-Hop's "Man Of The Year." However, Quincy's Oxymoron major label debut is still under wraps, and his Black Hippy buddy Kendrick Lamar likely earned that distinction with the "shot heard 'round the world." GQ magazine thought so, and... Read more

November 19, 2013 Audio, Fresh

The Godfathers (Kool G Rap & Necro) – Once Upon A Crime (Album Stream)

Kool G Rap's career has had a lot of twists and turns. After three heralded albums with DJ Polo, G Rap went solo in '94. Without Marley Marl and Large Professor, the Queens MC went for a darker sound on subsequent albums. In the late '90s, Kool moved to Arizona... Read more

November 19, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Kanye West Talks With Acclaimed Author Bret Easton Ellis In Podcast Debut (Audio)

If you're not up on author Bret Easton Ellis, you should be. This contemporary best-selling author is a gestalt of sex, drugs, and pop culture in his works like American Psycho, Less Than Zero, Rules Of Attraction and more. As seen in the resulting film adaptations, Eric B. & Rakim... Read more

November 18, 2013 Fresh

Prince Sneak Attacks With Demo Version Of Da Bourgeoisie (Audio)

Always provocative. Always elusive. Always opinionated. Always creating sexual art. Aren't you glad that we still have Prince, and that Prince still makes music? The Prince of Paisley Park fuzzes out the guitars and makes a timeless-sounding track in "Da Bourgeoisie." The song has a playful title, some slick talkin',... Read more

November 18, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Soul II Soul’s Caron Wheeler Supports Omar On The Delightfully Soulful Treat You (Video)

At the height of the "Hip-House" movement, Soul II Soul was seemingly in every Head's Walkman, car stereo, or home music library. It was Caron Wheeler's jaw-dropping notes (along with her songwriting) that made that music like "Back To Life" and "Keep On Movin'" time-pieces for an era of club-going,... Read more

November 18, 2013 Fresh, The Bridge, Video

Sean Price & M.O.P’s Lil Fame Keep The Collaborations Coming On J-Love’s NY Barbarians (Audio)

After a few collaborations lately, Heltah Skeltah's Sean Price and M.O.P.'s Lil Fame seem to have found that Brownsville chemistry after 20-plus years in the game, respectively. The Outdoorsmen/longtime Wu-Tang Clan affiliate DJ J-Love (who also rhymes on here) linked the pair on "NY Barbarians." While this is the clean... Read more

November 18, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Havoc Makes The Mobb Deep Sounds Available For Producers To Purchase

Mobb Deep's Havoc is a lethal producer. "One of the best producers on the mic," to quote Diamond D, Hav has laced tracks for Nas, Eminem, 50 Cent, Big Noyd, Cormega and a bunch of others over the last 20 years. Many would contest that Hav's best work behind the... Read more

November 18, 2013 Fresh

Rare European 1995 Notorious B.I.G. Interview Released (Video)

1995 was such an interesting year in the life of The Notorious B.I.G. In the year following Ready To Die, Biggie Smalls transitioned from the Bed-Stuy rapper on the stoop kickin' it with DJ Premier, R.A. The Rugged Man, and Organized Konfusion to a mafiaso-dressing MC who wore shades, carried... Read more

November 18, 2013 Fresh, Throwback

Genesis The Greykid Makes A Cool Music-Metaphor Song On What If (Audio)

Part of the Creative Control video squad, Virginia Beach's Genesis The Greykid dropped Grey Skies 3 last week. The free album/mixtape features involvement from Big K.R.I.T.'s DJ Wally Sparks, Shadyville DJs' DJ Woogie, and more. It's a worthy listen, and one of the highlights is "What If." The song furthers... Read more

November 18, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Dom Kennedy Explains His Place In Hip-Hop To Mass Appeal (Video)

Dom Kennedy is so West Coast, and it's part of what's made his music in 2013 (and before) so resonant with fans from Cali and beyond. Speaking with them Brooklyn boys at Mass Appeal Dom explains the void he fills, the Biggie Smalls and Bobby Womack influence, and his unique... Read more

November 15, 2013 Fresh, Video

Mister Cee Drops A 10th Anniversary Black Album Mix (Audio)

Mister Cee was one of the earliest DJs to compile the work of a young Shawn Carter and let everybody know to take notice. In the tradition of Best Of Biggie, Best Of Redman, and Best Of Mobb Deep, Big Daddy Kane's longtime DJ grabbed those early freestyles and guest... Read more

November 15, 2013 Audio, Fresh

A Look At Bill Adler’s Def Jam Records Archives (Video)

Bill Adler was among the first folks hired at fledgling early 1980s label Def Jam Records. The house that Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin built, in its earliest days, would include T. La Rock, LL Cool J, and the management of Rap superstars Run-DMC. Adler directed the label's Publicity department... Read more

November 15, 2013 Fresh, Throwback

The “Ultimate” Exit That Was Jay Z’s Black Album (Food For Thought)

Hip-Hop celebrates a grand entrance. Since the days of receiving Bad Boy Records promo-packs of The Notorious B.I.G. & Craig Mack in a McDonald’s "Big Mac" container, the dog-and-pony show known as the music industry has embraced the infinite possibilities of the new over the challenges of re-purposing the old.... Read more

November 14, 2013 Food for Thought, Fresh

Vic Mensa, A$AP Rocky & Bun B Drop Bars In Rap Fix Freestyle (Video)

Think Vic Mensa takes an appearance alongside Bun B, Kool DJ Red Alert, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Yams, Sway Calloway and Nadeska lightly? Hardly. When was the last time you've seen an MC go so far that he nearly had to be pried off the mic. A$AP, a disciple of Bun's... Read more

November 14, 2013 Fresh, Video

Esoteric, Reef The Lost Cauze, Planetary & Blacastan Stage An Old School 2 On 2 Battle (Video)

Following the smashing indie success of CZARFACE with Inspectah Deck and DJ 7L, Esoteric is on the horizons of Machete Music, a solo LP produced entirely by another New England-based Hip-Hop artist, Stu Bangas. Stu's produced joints for Sean Price, Blaq Poet, Vinnie Paz and plenty more. For the video... Read more

November 14, 2013 Fresh, Video

Blended Babies Team With Asher Roth & Chuck Inglish For See The World (Audio)

Blended Babies links with their frequent artist Asher Roth and The Cool Kids' Chuck Inglish. Together, the late '00s trio vibes out over the slow beat with slower flows. The collabo marks the opening of Blended Babies Music Group. No word on the acts yet, but this Psyche sample chop... Read more

November 14, 2013 Audio, Fresh

Slum Village Makes A New Orleans-Inspired Sequel To Let It Go (Video)

Slum Village shoots a lot of videos in the last three years. So much so, that they made a second look at "Let It Go." They pull a reverse Reggie Bush, and go from Detroit to New Orleans to bring some Mitten flavor to the bayou. Evolution is making its... Read more

November 13, 2013 Fresh, Video

Ka Gives A Textured Visual To Know It’s About (Video)

One of the year's most-heralded albums came self-released from Brownsville, Brooklyn MC Ka. The veteran of the Natural Elements has a unique delivery, and an approach to songwriting big on lessons and a cautionary tone. He really captured the vibe on '13's The Night's Gambit as an ill continuation of... Read more

November 13, 2013 Fresh, Video

Killer Mike & El-P’s Run The Jewels Team With Big Boi To Bring The Toys Out (Video)

Just as was the case with last year's "Big Beast," Killer Mike & El-P know how to show Southern style in their collaboration's visuals. The Dungeon Family reunion of "Banana Clipper" with Outkast's Big Boi is no exception. Muscle cars and burning rubber color this potent track from one of... Read more

November 13, 2013 Fresh, Video

Eddie B & Harry Fraud Are About The Paper, Piff & Polo Life (Album Stream)

Childhood friends Eddie B & Harry Fraud go back to the last days of the New York City Underground Hip-Hop. Since Fraud has become a go-to producer for Action Bronson, Wiz Khalifa, and French Montana's Coke Boys, the shine's started rolling in. Man Bites Dog Records signed the project, Paper,... Read more

November 13, 2013 Audio, Fresh

El Da Sensei Returns To His Graf Writer Roots On SilentSomeone’s ‘Lab 82 (Video)

The Artifacts' El Da Sensei and Tame One had a lot to do with educating early/mid-'80s babies on the importance of graffiti in Hip-Hop. Signed to Big Beat Records through Atlantic, the New Jersey duo kicked ill tracks that were about breaking into train yards, gettin' zooted, and going all-city.... Read more

November 13, 2013 Fresh, Video