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1 Year After Craig Mack’s Passing, Look Back At Another Song That Has Flava

One year ago today (March 12, 2018), the late-night news of Craig Mack's passing felt like an essential piece of 1990s Rap fabric was ostensibly gone forever. The 47-year-old Long Island, New York representative died from natural causes. His legacy was connected to the genre's elite from the genesis of... Read more

The Making Of The Self-Destruction Video Shows The Power Of Hip-Hop Unity

In the late 1980s, Rap music had a problem. At the time the genre was exploding with national and overseas tours, incidents were taking place at some of those concerts that were smearing the reputation of the Hip-Hop culture. As the safety of show-goers was a significant concern, mainstream media... Read more

Del The Funky Homosapien, Domino & Dante Ross Detail The Making Of No Need For Alarm

The cornerstone of Del The Funky Homosapien’s career and artistic identity belongs to his second album, No Need For Alarm. Released 25 years ago last month, the Elektra Records LP may not be remembered as a commercial triumph. However, the record increased the profiles of Del’s Hieroglyphics cohorts, establishing a... Read more

Remy Ma Responds To Nas’ Open Letter & Defends Men Who Are Involved Fathers (Video)

During the debut episode of Joe Budden's Revolt show State Of The Culture, he and his co-hosts, Remy Ma, Jinx, and Scottie Beam discuss the last week in Hip-Hop. From the passing of Mac Miller to Cardi B's confrontation-turned-altercation with Nicki Minaj, it has been an eventful week, to say the... Read more

Casanova & DJ Premier Make Haters Think Twice About What They Say (Video)

Casanova 2X is the type of hard-nosed East Coast MC that always seems to seek out the sounds of DJ Premier. The Brooklyn, New Yorker's mic style can be traced to artists such as M.O.P., The LOX, Bumpy Knuckles, Screwball, and Non-Phixion. The artist that Memphis Bleek ushered into Roc... Read more

Eminem Becomes LL Cool J’s Stan In A Conversation Between Two GOATs (Audio)

Eminem tends to offer impassioned anecdotes when crediting his multiple Rap music influences. For the first episode of LL Cool J's new show, The Influence Of Hip-Hop on Sirius XM's Rock The Bells Radio channel, Eminem tells LL that he is one of the main reasons that he began rapping as a child. "I... Read more

Prince Paul And Dan The Automator’s Handsome Boy Modeling School Lessons Still Apply (Video)

In the late 1990s, Hip-Hop was taking itself a bit too seriously—at least in the eyes of two highly-accomplished producers. An era remembered for its high-profile beefs, Champagne-poppin', and colorful and shiny videos was rich fodder for some veterans who wanted to jerk the steering wheel with creativity in mind.... Read more

30 Years Ago, The Source Set A New Standard For Hip-Hop Journalism

This week, Hip-Hop culture is celebrating its 45th anniversary. The first documented South Bronx rec room party with DJ Kool Herc behind the wheels of steel was on August 11, 1973. Like the origins of the culture, that event's significance would live by word of mouth if Hip-Hop had no... Read more

Token Blacks Out On One Of His Most Lyrical Songs Yet (Video)

Since his emergence in 2016, the profile of Token continues to rise with his immense vocal talent as one of the fastest spitters in Rap. The Salem, Massachusetts-born MC seamlessly delivers a technical, multi-layered fusillade of bars with a great storytelling ability has organically grown his fan base, not solely based on... Read more

Redman Gets The Party Started For His Muddy Waters Sequel In His Latest Video

Despite having almost 30 years in the Rap game under his belt, Redman maintains his star-power by approaching his projects with a rookie-like energy. Through staying active and enthusiastic, the Funk Doc has shown his witty wordplay to a new generation of fans—despite just a few projects in recent years.... Read more

A Previously Unreleased Gem From J. Dilla & Phat Kat Makes Its World Premiere (Audio)

Whenever a hidden gem from the late J. Dilla's vault surfaces, Hip-Hop Heads always take notice to explore the buried treasure. The iconic producer's former collaborator and fellow Detroit, Michigan native Phat Kat has unveiled a surefire diamond-in-the-rough banger from 1996 that hasn't seen the light of day until now.... Read more

With Black Sunday, Cypress Hill Brought The Influence Of Latinos In Hip-Hop To The Masses (Video)

In 1993, California was the epicenter of Hip-Hop. Artists such as Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre were the faces of West Coast Gangsta Rap boom, which was winning in the mainstream. Plus, Cali’s prominent street gang culture and urban lifestyle had an emerging presence in Hollywood... Read more

20 Years Ago, The Beastie Boys Reminded Rap Fans That 3 MCs & 1 DJ Is A Winning Formula

1998 was a changing time for Hip-Hop. The attitude of the period was recovering from the killings of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Groups like The Fugees and A Tribe Called Quest separated for solo pursuits. Meanwhile Black Star emerged. Master P's No Limit Records led a marketing battalion that... Read more

The 1st Peak At The Trayvon Martin Film Is A Powerful Look At The Movement He Launched

JAY-Z is in the midst of promoting his joint album EVERYTHING IS LOVE with his wife Beyoncé. The couple is currently on their On The Run 2 Tour this summer. However, at the same time, the legendary Brooklyn, New York MC is continuing his political initiatives to spread awareness of... Read more

Vic Mensa Puts A Classic Fugees Beat On 10,000 With An Incredible Verse (Audio)

After recently shedding his signature dreadlocks for a new look, Vic Mensa is viscerally pursuing a fresh start for his next move. The Chicago, Illinois MC has a diverse palette for his music, but he remains rooted in his ability to rhyme on call and exude emotional resonance and dexterous... Read more

The First Look At The Bobby Brown Story Is Absolutely Crazy (Video)

Bobby Brown's life story is an inspirational and cautionary tale. The Boston, Massachusetts-bred "Every Little Step" singer who achieved worldwide fame as a solo artist following his departure from New Edition in the mid-1980s. By the '90s, Brown also played a hand in molding Top 40 radio to accept more... Read more

In 2005, Beanie Sigel Teamed With Method Man & Heavy D For 1 Of His Realest Releases (Video)

During the early 2000s, Roc-A-Fella Records was one of the music industry's driving forces. Within the empire, JAY-Z was the boss, Kanye West was the creative, Cam'ron was the street-savvy comedian. Meanwhile, Beanie Sigel became the enforcer of the R-O-C. By Y2K, New York City-based Roc-A-Fella took a strong interest... Read more

Video Music Box Is Celebrating Its 35th Anniversary With A Concert Packed With Legends

It is an obligation for music historians and Heads alike to acknowledge the evolution of music video shows largely began with "Uncle" Ralph McDaniels and his pioneering TV show Video Music Box. The Queens, New York-born McDaniels is the founder and host of the show, which first aired on New York... Read more

DJ Muggs & DOOM Tease Their Upcoming EP With A Banger Featuring Freddie Gibbs (Audio)

When it comes to collaboration tracks and albums with artists, there is a high percentage rate that Heads will get a quality product when DJ Muggs, MF DOOM, or Freddie Gibbs are involved in the effort. The stakes have been raised even more for a hardcore rapper's delight as these three... Read more

DJ Premier Postpones “PRhyme 2” Tour Dates To Care For His Father

DJ Premier has revealed that he and Royce Da 5'9, his partner in PRhyme, must prematurely postpone the remainder of their PRhyme 2 Tour due to his father's declining health. The Gang Starr member released the following statement to fans, as told to Ambrosia For Heads: "Throughout the duration of my... Read more

PMD Discusses Yo! MTV Raps’ Ed Lover Being One Of The Best Freestylers On The Planet (Audio)

From its inception in 1988 to its final episode in 1995, Yo! MTV Raps was a top springboard for Hip-Hop artists. It was an opportunity to showcase skills and unique styles on one of the largest platforms available to the genre. In an interview with HipHopDX, Parrish "PMD" Smith spoke... Read more

20 Years Ago Grand Puba & Brand Nubian Reunited And Put Egos Aside (Video)

The late 1990s marked a wind of change for Hip-Hop. Radio was changing, video platforms were evolving, and the music industry, especially for Rap, music was scaling upwards, fast. The genre surpassed Country music in sales for the first time in 1998. It was suddenly common to see music videos... Read more

50 Years Ago Today, James Brown Healed Hearts With Soul Power (Video)

There may have never been a Hip-Hop Generation if not for James Brown. His music serves as a blueprint for Funk as well as the building blocks of Hip-Hop. Beyond music, Brown proved that the Black community in America is not monolithic in its political affiliation. The timeline of Brown’s... Read more

Dr. Octagon Releases Its First Video In More Than 20 Years & It’s Right On Time

One week from today (April 6), Dr. Octagon will release its second album with the founding lineup. Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation packs excitement in the careers of Dan The Automator, DJ QBert, and MC Kool Keith. After releasing their latest album's first two singles "Octagon Octagon" and... Read more

Don’t Sleep On will.i.am’s Artist LGP Qua. His Video Is Eye-Opening

will.i.am has a proven ear for talent. Outside of his 2000s uber-success with the Black Eyed Peas, Will has taken Pop acts up the charts while piloting resonant songs for Hip-Hop mainstays Too Short, Talib Kweli, Nas, and The Game. In 2018, the Peas (now will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo) released the... Read more

Bumpy Knuckles & Snoop Are Proud To Be O.G.s & Share Their Wisdom (Audio)

With over 50 years in the Rap game combined, Snoop Dogg and Bumpy Knuckles (aka Freddie Foxxx) have immense credibility. They are two MCs who have navigated several eras of Hip-Hop's evolution. Each can spit hard rhymes that chin-check opponents and they both have reputations for offering righteousness. It all... Read more

For The 1st Time Ever, The #1 & 2 Films In The Country Were Directed By Black Filmmakers

A series of historical firsts for the film industry took place this past weekend, thanks to Black Panther and A Wrinkle In Time. The films are directed by Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay, respectively. Black Panther continued its reign hovering atop of the rankings as #1 at the box office... Read more

Luke Cage Season 2 Episodes Are Titled After Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth Songs

Fans of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth now have more incentive to watch the upcoming season of Luke Cage. Viewers of the Marvel series know that its soundtrack is heavily inspired by 1980s and 1990s Hip-Hop. Launching June 22, all of Season 2's episodes are titled after Pete Rock &... Read more

ODB’s Estate To Launch “Dirty Coin” Cryptocurrency & It’s For The Children (Video)

Late Wu-Tang Clan member O.D.B. will be among the growing list of Hip-Hop artists to have their own cryptocurrency. The money will be appropriately called Dirty Coin and used to purchase his music and officially authorized merchandise. The announcement was made by O.D.B.'s son and aspiring rapper Young Dirty during... Read more

Herbie Hancock Will Rock It With Kendrick, Snoop & Common On Next LP

Herbie Hancock is a 14-time Grammy Award recipient (as well as an Oscar winner) that many cite as a provider of their introduction to Hip-Hop and DJ'ing on television. Although the Jazz impresario's recording career began at the top of the '60s, Hip-Hop and Hancock helped each other achieve mainstream... Read more

Rick Ross Is Reportedly On Life Support After Being Rushed To The Hospital

Rick Ross has reportedly been checked into a Miami hospital after he was found unresponsive at his residence in the same city early Thursday (March 2) morning. According to TMZ, there was an emergency 911 call made because the Maybach Music label boss had been initially unconscious when he was... Read more

D.I.T.C.’s O.C. Just Dropped A Strong Album. His Video Shows It’s A New Dawn.

Coming off the heels of his latest collaborative project Perestroika with Apathy, along with the first installment of his album trilogy Same Moon, Same Sun in 2017, D.I.T.C. member O.C. has re-upped his stock in 2018. It is evident by way of the second edition of the latter series titled... Read more

Amy Winehouse’s Found Demo Showcases How Much Soul She Had At 17 (Audio)

When Amy Winehouse died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27, the music community was shaken to its core after losing one of its boldest vocalists. Early in her short-lived career, the beehive-haired British singer's musical hybrid of R&B, Jazz, retro-Soul and Hip-Hop on her 2003 debut album Frank gained... Read more

Evidence & Slug Make A Video That Is Both Dope & Sobering

Last month, Evidence seemingly reached a new plateau in his solo career following the release of his fourth solo album, Weather Or Not. The Los Angeles-bred MC/producer's cohesive project contains a wide range of production and cathartic songwriting that addresses fatherhood, the harsh reality of his terminally-ill spouse, and dealing... Read more

Keith Murray Announces The Most Beautifullest Thing In This World Part 2 (Video)

Following EPMD's temporary breakup and dissolving of the Hit Squad in 1993, MC/producer Erick Sermon set forth on his solo career and formed his triumvirate Def Squad crew with Redman and then-upstart Keith Murray. The latter MC turned Heads made a strong first impression with his home run-hitting clean-up verse... Read more

Erick Sermon Raises More Than $60,000 & Will Release His 8th Solo Album

FEBRUARY 22 UPDATE: Erick Sermon and Def Squad Records released the following statement to Ambrosia For Heads: "In today's music business, the climate is everything's based on streaming. We have seen drastic changes in the way consumers listen to content. There [are] all different genres of Hip-Hop now some with more commercial... Read more

Common Looks Back At His Time With Dilla On A Song Fit For February (Audio)

Common has transcended Hip-Hop. He is now a political activist. He's won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe award for his song "Glory" featuring John Legend in the film Selma. Also, he's the only Hip-Hop artist to achieve an "E.G.O." hat trick by receiving an Emmy Award for his... Read more

Remy Ma Samples Mint Condition For A Message About Black Beauty (Video)

Remy Ma has been a respected lyricist since she emerged on M.O.P.'s mash out-turned-mainstream hit, "Ante Up (Remix)." She has multiple career-highs under her belt with verses alongside Fat Joe on platinum-selling bangers "Lean Back" and "All The Way Up." Along with her marriage to venerated Brooklyn spitter Papoose, Remy's... Read more

Q-Tip & Kendrick Lamar Link On A Song That Sounds Like Vintage ATCQ (Audio)

It’s no secret that Kendrick Lamar is heavily influenced by A Tribe Called Quest. During his To Pimp A Butterfly Tour, Lamar made 18,000 concertgoers in Sydney, Australia pay homage to Phife Dawg the day Tribe's co-founder passed away back in 2016. Later that year, fans heard Phife and Lamar... Read more

Why Prince’s Performance Remains The Greatest Super Bowl Halftime Show Ever (Video)

In 1993, Michael Jackson was the biggest Pop star on the planet when he performed at January 31's Super Bowl XXVII's halftime show. The prior year, In Living Color broadcast right at halftime. For football Heads watching the game on CBS, a reported 22 million viewers clicked over to FOX... Read more

GZA & Inspectah Deck’s Cold World Lyricism Still Causes Chills (Video)

Summer may be Hip-Hop's most treasured season. Cookouts, drop-tops, park jams, and "just hangin' out" have spawned plenty of beloved playlist hits. However, the winter section of the year has inspired some incredible Rap music in its own right. Bundled up bars about construction Timbs, 4x4 Landcruisers and Jeeps, skull... Read more

Ras Kass, J57 & El Gant’s Jamo Gang Has Eyes On Them & Scopes Too (Video)

UPDATE: Stream and purchase the Jamo Gang's self-titled EP: Jamo Gang EP by Jamo Gang ORIGINAL JANUARY 17 STORY: It's been a year since Ras Kass, El Gant, and J57 announced they had formed the Jamo Gang. With that news, the trio with the Irish whiskey-inspired name released their first... Read more

Murs & 9th Wonder’s 3:16 Album Set An Everlasting Trend In Hip-Hop (Video)

Collaboration albums between Hip-Hop artists across style, geography, and subject matter have become more commonplace than ever. Creators from aesthetically different sub-genres who have joined forces in the recent past include Madlib and Freddie Gibbs, Vince Staples and No I.D., and Killer Mike and El-P's 2010s formation of Run The... Read more

Jadakiss & Styles P Revamp A Whodini Classic To Show That Loyalty Is Timeless (Audio)

Whodini's biggest hit "Friends" has proven itself to be an ageless Hip-Hop song. The standout single from 1984's Escape album has a message that has endured more than 33 years and a beat (thanks to late keyboardist/producer Larry Smith) that seemingly never went out of fashion either. Rap superstars Tupac... Read more

20 Years Later, Rhyme & Reason Remains Rap Music’s Ultimate Backstage Pass (Video)

During the late 1990s, Hip-Hop was a seismic force that garnered mainstream recognition as a billion-dollar industry. The culture had invalidated scores of critics who dismissed it as a fad during the previous two decades. Hip-Hop achieved this while rewriting the rules of the music business and redefining the American... Read more

Sadat X, Punchline & Fokis Imagine A World Where They Have It Their Way (Video)

Hip-Hop has long been a beacon of hope to people wishing for a better tomorrow. From the fantasy of Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" to the rags to riches trajectory on Biggie's "Juicy," to Nas' wishful "If I Ruled The World," some great records live by dreams. New York City Hip-Hop... Read more

Sweet Love: Why Andre 3000 & Kendrick Lamar Are Infatuated With Anita Baker (Video)

Several high profile R&B acts like Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Loose Ends, and Soul II Soul made music in the 1980s that, through sampling, reference, and homage, can be heard in contemporary Hip-Hop. Babies of the 1980s, '90s, and early 2000s were inevitably raised on Urban Contemporary radio which housed... Read more

From Q-Tip To Chappelle, Talib Kweli’s Inner-Circle Shines In His New Video

Since the 1990s, Talib Kweli has maintained his role as one of Hip-Hop's leading voices striving for political empowerment and enlightenment. His passion for preaching righteousness and seeking justice had recently got Kweli's Twitter account briefly suspended for calling out a racist, homophobic lawyer.  It may be poetic coincidence that... Read more

The Kennedy Center Is Celebrating Rap’s Pioneers With A Concert Series

The John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center has gradually created a bona fide space for Hip-Hop within its gates over the past year. It has appointed A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip as its First Artistic Director of Hip-Hop Culture in 2016 and is awarding LL Cool J as the first ever... Read more

Digable Planets Made Jazz-Rap Cool Like Dat For Just About Everybody (Video)

Late, great Gang Starr lyricist Guru ambitiously declared "The '90s will be the decade of a Jazz thing" on the Mo' Better Blues soundtrack single named just that. Jazz-Rap was still an anomaly when groups like Public Enemy, N.W.A., and Boogie Down Productions were pulling extensively from '60s and '70s... Read more