Jake Paine

Big Daddy Kane & 9th Wonder To Be Inducted Into North Carolina Music Hall Of Fame

In the mid-2000s, Little Brother released one of its most significant collaborations to date. "Welcome To Durham" found Big Pooh, Phonte, and 9th Wonder putting on for their city. The Chitlin Circuit inclusion also featured a legendary guest, Big Daddy Kane. Kane, whose work Phonte praised in lyrics on The Listening,... Read more

May 3, 2019 News

In 1997, Jeru Rapped For The Love Of Hip-Hop, Not The Paper

In the mid-1990s, Brooklyn, New York was steadily delivering legions of the lyricists to the Hip-Hop masses. From seemingly every section of the borough, representing just about every style of Rap, names like Biggie Smalls, Busta Rhymes, GZA, Buckshot Shorty, JAY-Z, RZA, M.O.P., Foxy Brown, Non-Phixion, AZ, East Flatbush Project,... Read more

May 2, 2019 Do Remember

The Jungle Brothers Are Back With A Song That Feels Like A Real Park Jam (Audio)

Throughout the last decade, the Jungle Brothers have been quite quiet when it has come to releasing music. Afrika Baby Bam, Mike Gee, and DJ Sammy B can still tear down a concert, evident in their 2016 New York City Roots Picnic display. However, these co-founders of the Native Tongues... Read more

April 30, 2019 Audio

Slick Rick Speaks About Being The 1st MC To Bring Humor To Rap (Video)

Slick Rick is currently celebrating the 30th-anniversary of his debut album, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick. Last year, the Bronx, New York representative worked with his former label, Def Jam Records, on a special deluxe edition reissue of that platinum 1988 release which contains hits such as "Children's Story,"... Read more

April 27, 2019 Video

Kxng Crooked Reworks An OutKast Song With A Message About Being Driven

Throughout his extensive career, KXNG Crooked may have seemed like a music industry outcast. The Long Beach, California native weathered the storm of "Ringtone Rap" while remaining deeply rooted in his ways of dazzling lyricism. During the 1990s, he was an artist on Death Row Records at a time that... Read more

April 26, 2019 Audio

B-Real Details How He Developed 1 Of Hip-Hop’s Most Distinctive Voices (Video)

Guru famously proclaimed "It's mostly the voice" on a Gang Starr song of the same name. Like the late, great Keith Elam, Cypress Hill and Prophets Of Rage member B-Real has one of the most recognizable voices in music. The Los Angeles, California veteran raps with clarity and a nasal... Read more

April 24, 2019 Video

Dr. Dre & LL Cool J Have Recorded More Than 40 Songs Together (Audio)

Dr. Dre rarely grants interviews. He admits it, and adds that he does not enjoy talking about himself in public. Since 2017's The Defiant Ones documentary on HBO, Andre Young has participated little in the way of press, beyond product or album promotion. If there is one Rap peer who... Read more

April 23, 2019 Audio

Mack 10 Is Releasing His 1st Album In 10 Years & It Has His Old Sound (Video)

This coming September marks a decade since Mack 10 released a solo album. The Inglewood, California veteran and Westside Connection co-founder made 2009's Soft White, which involved Rick Ross, Anthony Hamilton, and former Cash Money Records label-mate. Since then, the founder of Hoo-Bangin' Records self-released a joint-effort with Glasses Malone,... Read more

April 23, 2019 News, Video

Erick Sermon Has Released A New Album Filled With All-Stars. Listen Here (Audio)

Erick Sermon has just released his eighth solo album, Vernia. Earlier this month, at Long Island, New York's Def Squad Studios, the Green-Eyed Bandit extensively details his LP featuring Raekwon, N.O.R.E., Too Short, Devin The Dude, No Malice, Big K.R.I.T., Pharrell, Styles P, AZ, Shaquille O'Neal, Xzibit, Keith Murray, and... Read more

April 19, 2019 Interview, News, Video

Playtime Is OVER. Oswin Benjamin Has The Best Freestyle Of 2019

Oswin Benjamin has been on the grind in Hip-Hop for years. The New York City lyricist has made his appearances count, whether they were high-profile freestyles, Team Backpack cyphers, or features on Styles P, Anoyd, and Domingo albums. The close affiliate of Chris Rivers has just released his full-length debut,... Read more

April 12, 2019 Video

Bun B & Statik Selektah Will Make An Album From Scratch For All To See

Last August, Bun B released his first album in five years. Return Of The Trill saw the UGK co-founder and Port Arthur, Texas legend team up with Run The Jewels, 8Ball & MJG, Lil Wayne, the late Pimp C, and others on an album that was musically overseen by executive... Read more

April 11, 2019 News, Video

Los Angeles Will Name The Intersection Of Crenshaw & Slauson Nipsey Hussle Square

Today (April 9), a little over a week after the death of artist and activist Nipsey Hussle, Los Angeles City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson has announced that the intersection of Crenshaw Boulevard and West Slauson Avenue in South L.A. will be named after Hussle. The area is home to Hussle's The... Read more

April 9, 2019 News

Freddie Gibbs Explains Scarface’s Genius In His Favorite Rap Verse (Video)

Freddie Gibbs has always been very open about how much Scarface has influenced his Rap style. On Pinata, Gangsta Gibbs dedicated a song to the Geto Boys member, reworking the lines from his eponymous Grip It! On That Other Level song. The Houston, Texas Rap legend appeared on the very... Read more

April 8, 2019 Video

Russell Westbrook Fills The Stat Sheet With 60 In Dedication To Nipsey Hussle

Last night (April 2), Russell Westbrook mourned the death of his friend Nipsey Hussle the best way that he knows how, with a historic performance on the basketball court. The 30-year-old Point Guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder finished his team's defeat of the Los Angeles Lakers with a stat... Read more

April 3, 2019 Lifestyle, News

Nipsey Hussle Proved His Dedication Far Beyond His Music

Less than 24 hours ago (March 31), Nipsey Hussle was the victim of a fatal shooting in South Los Angeles, California. More specifically, 33-year-old Ermias Davidson Asghedom, a father of two, a family man, an entrepreneur, a community activist, and a beloved figure of unity in Hip-Hop lost his life.... Read more

April 1, 2019 Food for Thought

KRS-One Speaks About The Power Of Hip-Hop To Change The World (Video)

Few Rap legends seem to have as much to say, especially beyond their lyrics, as KRS-One. However, in recent years, Blastmasta KRS has seemingly stepped away from the media spotlight. Equally, Kris Parker is sparse on social media. Last year he was said to be working with Dr. Dre, following... Read more

March 30, 2019 Food for Thought, Video

Exile, Choosey & Aloe Blacc Hit The Switch For A Lowrider Love Letter (Video)

Rap music and car culture have a long and colorful history together, especially as it pertains to lowriders. There are iconic images and videos involving Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Tupac, King T, Cypress Hill, MC Eiht, Mack 10, Kid Frost, Coolio, The Game, and others forever etched in... Read more

March 26, 2019 Video

Murs Shares The 1st Release From His New Collaboration With 9th Wonder

At the top of this year, it was announced that Murs & 9th Wonder were preparing to release the seventh album in their union. 2019's upcoming The Illiad Is Dead And The Odyssey Is Over marks the pair's first effort since 2015's Brighter Daze. This past weekend, the Los Angeles,... Read more

March 25, 2019 Video

DJ Premier Discusses The Making Of Gang Starr’s Hard To Earn 25 Years Later

Twenty-five years ago this month (March 8, 1994), Gang Starr released its fourth album, Hard To Earn. A rightful inclusion in one of the Rap genre's most celebrated calendar years, the work displays some of the finest chemistry between Guru and DJ Premier, who had already galvanized a creative and... Read more

March 16, 2019 Interview

Diamond D’s New Album Features Erick Sermon, Pharoahe Monch, Talib Kweli & More

It has been nearly five years since D.I.T.C. co-founder Diamond D released a solo album. The self-proclaimed "best producer on the mic" dropped one of his most exciting albums in the form of 2014's The Diam Piece. Producing all but one of the tracks (which was by DJ Scratch), the... Read more

March 16, 2019 Exclusive, Fresh

Biz Markie’s 30-Year-Old Springtime Anthem Is Still Fresh (Video)

Across the globe, temperatures are rising this week. In less than seven days, spring is officially here (March 20). While for many Mid-Atlantic and northerners, that is no guarantee that snowfall is done for the time being, it is a reminder that the coats, gloves, and scarves can usually go... Read more

March 14, 2019 Do Remember

M.O.P.’s Ante Up Remix Was Supposed To Feature JAY-Z & Prodigy While They Were Beefing

Although "Ante Up," may not M.O.P.'s highest-charting single, the street anthem is a cornerstone of Billy Danze and Lil Fame's catalog. Released in late 2000, the Loud Records single produced by D/R Period was emblematic of the menacing music that the Brownsville, Brooklyn Rap duo had been making since 1994's... Read more

March 13, 2019 Audio, Throwback

Boogie Is Compton’s Next Great MC & He Plans To Be The Biggest One Of All (Video)

"This world will take your dream from you quick if you don't stay locked in," Boogie says on a cold day in Lower Manhattan. He is referring to a lesson intended for his young son, but it comes from personal experience. For five years, the Compton representative has been persistently... Read more

March 12, 2019 Exclusive, Interview

Billy Danze Takes A Classic Rick James Sample & Hammers It

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads 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... Read more

March 11, 2019 Audio

Cormega Breaks Down His Evocative New EP & Why The Fans Matter The Most

In the closing week of 2018, Cormega self-released Mega. The five-song project (that also includes the instrumentals) marked the MC's first in more than four years. The New Yorker partnered with Streetrunner, the veteran Grammy Award-winning producer co-credited for Meek Mill, JAY-Z, and Rick Ross' "What's Free?" in addition to... Read more

March 10, 2019 Exclusive, Interview

MC Eiht & Brady Watt Make A Westside Connection On A New Version Of m.A.A.d. City

Brady Watt is one of the most respected bass players in Hip-Hop. In addition to his role in DJ Premier's Badder Band, the New Hampshire native has played on albums by Joey Bada$$, Curren$y & Ski Beatz, Statik Selektah, as well as Styles P & Talib Kweli's collaborative effort. Apart... Read more

March 1, 2019 Video

LeBron James Has Coached 2 Chainz On 1 Of His Most Soulful & Lyrical Songs (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads 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... Read more

March 1, 2019 Audio

First Method Man Rapped To A Trap Beat, Now It’s Redman’s Turn (Video)

UPDATE: Redman has released the "Trap House" music video, featuring Kazzie: ORIGINAL FEBRUARY 6 STORY: In late 2018, Method Man tried his hand at a different kind of sound than typically associated with Wu-Tang Clan's Iron Lung MC. From his recently-released Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium project, "Killing... Read more

February 28, 2019 Audio, Video

Madlib And Mac Miller Have An Unreleased Joint Album

Several Hip-Hop artists have been at work on special projects at the time of their passing. In the last year of his life, Tupac had begun recording a One Nation project that involved his Outlawz, as well as East Coast Rap luminaries including Buckshot, Smif-n-Wessun, and Greg Nice, among others.... Read more

February 20, 2019 News

Ghostface Killah & CZARFACE Have Released Their Joint Album. Listen Here.

Today (February 15), the group CZARFACE released its sixth project. Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck, DJ 7L, and MC Esoteric have come together to excite this decade as a collective inspired by comic books, arcade games, cartoons, and the kind of Rap that permeated the late 1980s. They created a villain... Read more

February 15, 2019 Audio

A New Book Will Explain How J Dilla Re-Invented Rhythm & Changed Music

Today (February 7) marks J Dilla's birthday. The iconic producer, MC, and DJ would have turned 45 years old. Tragically, the incredible artist born James Yancey passed away on February 10, 2006, days after his birthday and the release of acclaimed instrumental Hip-Hop album, Donuts. However, his music, impact, and... Read more

February 7, 2019 Exclusive

One Of G-Funk’s Most Important Producers Has Passed Away

Music producer and keyboardist Emanuel Dean died on Monday (February 4). The man Dean called his best friend, Tha Dogg Pound's Daz Dillinger, confirmed the passing on social media. A native of Oklahoma, Dean significantly contributed to at least two hits on Snoop Dogg's 1993 debut, Doggystyle. Specifically, Dean and... Read more

February 6, 2019 Exclusive, News

Killer Mike & DJ Envy Have A Heated Exchange About Public vs. Private School

Killer Mike appeared on The Breakfast Club this week. The co-founder of Run The Jewels and veteran Atlanta, Georgia MC discussed his new Netflix series, Trigger Warning With Killer Mike. In addition to hosting, Mike co-created and produced the show. The first season's six episodes became available to the public... Read more

January 31, 2019 Lifestyle, Video

KXNG Crooked Puts His LBC Roots On Display & Tells The Story Of His Come-Up

KXNG Crooked is in the midst of reviving his "Hip-Hop Weekly" series. It is happening more than a decade after the online series was an inflection point in Crook's independent career. While many people associate the MC with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Royce 5'9, the artist formerly known as... Read more

January 25, 2019 Audio

Murs & 9th Wonder Have Recorded Their 7th Collabo Album. It’s Coming Soon

This March makes it 15 years since Murs and 9th Wonder partnered for Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition. Released on El-P's Definitive Jux label, the album united the Los Angeles, California lyricist from the Living Legends crew with the North Carolina producer/DJ known for Little Brother's exceptional introduction. For both... Read more

January 24, 2019 News

AZ Is Not Part Of Marley Marl’s Crew But His Video Shows He’s Still Got Juice

Last Friday (January 18), AZ premiered some new music at Ambrosia For Heads. "It's Time" is a fitting title for the Brooklyn, New York O.G. who has teased fans with Doe Or Die 2 throughout the decade. This June makes it an even 10 years since S.O.S.A. put an album... Read more

January 24, 2019 Video

Edwin Birdsong Has Passed Away. His Music Has Been Sampled In Several Hip-Hop Hits

Edwin Birdsong is a Jazz, Funk, and Disco keyboardist who made a series of albums in the 1970s and 1980s. Some of those songs earned wide recognition as the basis of samples in hit songs by Daft Punk, De La Soul, and Kanye West, among others. OkayPlayer has confirmed that... Read more

January 22, 2019 News

In 2008, Posdnuos, Oddisee, & J-Live Came Together To Upgrade Hip-Hop

Twenty years ago, MC/producer/DJ J-Live was putting the finishing touches on his debut album, The Best Part. During that time, the talented artist was heard on DJ Premier's New York Reality Check 101 compilation. The Brooklyn, New York-based English teacher was also putting in acclaimed work with Prince Paul and... Read more

January 17, 2019 Do Remember

Pharoahe Monch Just Released A New Song & It’s Pure Crack (Video)

Pharoahe Monch may have just released the most exciting new song in the first week of 2019. Last year, the esteemed lyricist partnered with M.O.P's Lil Fame for the menacing a la carte video single, "24 Hours." The Queens, New Yorker also made standout appearances on Masta Ace & Marco... Read more

January 4, 2019 Exclusive, Video

Bun B Reveals How Different MCs Are As Parents Than As Performers

Bun B is widely respected as one of Rap music's pillars of guidance. While the UGK co-founder refused to censor his lyrics throughout his career, the Port Arthur, Texas "Trill O.G." is recognized for his wisdom far more than his '90s vulgarity. In the 15 years between Too Hard To... Read more

January 3, 2019 Audio

Evidence’s Weather Or Not Is Your Best Rap Album Of 2018

Last night (December 30), the tournament to decide 2018's Best Rap Album came to a close. Evidence's Weather Or Not bested Royce 5'9's Book Of Ryan, 63% to 37%. Thus, the veteran Los Angeles, California MC/producer takes home the top honors in the second annual month-long voter-decided competition. Notably, Ev's third... Read more

December 31, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

Snoop Dogg Reveals The Original Beat For Nuthin But A G Thang & Raps To It

UPDATE: DJ Filthy Rich made a blend of the song, based on the Questlove Supreme conversation: ORIGINAL DECEMBER 19 STORY: The second song Snoop Dogg ever released to the public may be his most iconic. "One-two-three-and to the fo' / Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Dr. Dre is at the... Read more

December 19, 2018 Audio

Nipsey Hussle Waited A Dozen Years For An Album. His New Song Sees It As Perfect Timing

Thirteen years ago this week, Nipsey Hussle released his debut mixtape, Slauson Boy. Shortly thereafter, the MC's buzz started permeating the West Coast, and then the global Rap industry. The artist from the Crenshaw section of Los Angeles, California rapped with a sense of angst, awareness, and authority that stood... Read more

December 19, 2018 Audio

Method Man & Redman Have Nothing To Prove But Still Go For Broke

Last Friday (December 14), Method Man released his Meth Lab Season 2: The Lithium. The Wu-Tang Clan MC's latest catalog addition involves Raekwon, Snoop Dogg, N.O.R.E., and Cappadonna among a cast of hungry up-and-coming MCs from Staten Island, New York. That ensemble includes Mr. Meth's longtime protege Streetlife, as well... Read more

December 18, 2018 Video

Heavily Sampled Hall Of Fame Songwriter Galt MacDermot Passes Away At 89

Galt MacDermot has died at the age of 89 today (December 17). It was one day before his 90th birthday. Although family members confirmed the news, according to Rolling Stone, a cause of death has not been made public. The Montreal, Quebec native may be best remembered as the composer of... Read more

December 17, 2018 News

Joe Budden Had The Biggest Come Up In A Year He Was Supposed To Struggle

It was one year ago this week that Joe Budden exited the show Everyday Struggle. On December 18, 2017, DJ Whoo Kid unceremoniously took Budden's seat on the Complex weekday talk series alongside co-hosts Nadeska Alexis and DJ Akademiks. The guest known best as a G-Unit DJ and radio personality told... Read more

December 17, 2018 Food for Thought

Swizz Beatz Got Nas’ Best Verse Of 2018 & He Treats It Like Fine Art

In a year where Nas released an album, many fans maintain that his greatest vocal display came in the form of a feature verse. Since his 1991 Main Source debut, Nas has never been too possessive to not splash another artist's track with some of his best rhymes. Over the... Read more

December 13, 2018 Video

Curren$y Pays Tribute To Grand Puba In Grand Style (Audio)

2018 has been a great year for New Orleans, Louisiana's Curren$y. The Jet Life pilot recently became a father. Meanwhile, musically, he released one of his best works to date care of the Freddie Gibbs and Alchemist collaboration Fetti. Spitta also dropped a standout guest verse on Cozz's wavy "Badu,"... Read more

December 12, 2018 Audio, The Bridge

Killer Mike Is Getting His Own TV Show & It’s About Questioning EVERYTHING

For more than 15 years, Killer Mike has been a Rap artist who has proven that he can give people information and then rally them to act. In 2016, the Run The Jewels co-founder led a successful campaign to "Bank Black" in his native Atlanta, Georgia. The statement sent a... Read more

December 12, 2018 TV, TV/Film, Video

Styles P Explains Why Black Thought Is The Most Dangerous MC Alive

Earlier this year, Black Thought and Styles P's remarkable collaboration finally found a project to belong to. At the top of June, The Roots' front-man joined 9th Wonder & The Soul Council for Streams Of Thought, Vol. 1. Heads did not know it two years earlier when "Making Of A... Read more

December 11, 2018 Fresh, Video