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J. Prince Reveals The Original Plan For Scarface & Tupac’s “Smile” (Video)

J. Prince has shunned the spotlight for much of Rap-A-Lot Records' 32 years of business. The label's founder, the man born James Smith, has gone public in a very big way this year. The Houston, Texas native published his memoir The Art And Science Of Respect. Right as the text... Read more

Will Smith Gives 1 Of His Realest Interviews. He Says He’s Finally Being Authentic (Video)

Will Smith is at a crossroads in his career. Throughout the last 33 years, the West Philadelphia native has balanced music, film, TV, philanthropy, and a celebrity family. In all of those fields, the 49-year-old has seemingly thrived on the highest level. Recently, two freestyles showed a fierce return to... Read more

H-Town MCs Freestyle Their Way. Lil Keke’s Off The Top Rap Is Far From Screwed Up (Video)

Houston, Texas veteran Lil Keke recently appeared on Sway In The Morning. A onetime protege of DJ Screw, this Southside MC has more than 20 years of stock in the game. A member of the Screwed Up Click, Keke made many of his cult-lauded singles like "Pimp Tha Pen," DJ... Read more

Suga Free’s Kitchen Table Verse Shows He’s 1 Of The Best In The West (Video)

Pomona, California representative Suga Free is a cult-celebrated figure in Rap. The lyricist with the rant-rap delivery made a name for himself through a close association with DJ Quik. Like other, earlier affiliates such as AMG, Hi-C, 2nd II None, and the Penthouse Players Clique, Suga is a ruthlessly raunchy... Read more

Freeway Explains How One Cypher Changed His Career With Roc-A-Fella

On a scorching summer afternoon, Freeway is lounging in a cool recording studio in the Northern Liberties section in the City of Brotherly Love. The smoky lab is in the same high-rise building as accounting firms, law offices, and working folks pausing for a late afternoon snack in the ground... Read more

AZ Gets Down To Firm Biz As He Rates The Rhymes Of Nas, Future & More (Video)

AZ is the latest guest on the "Rate The Bars" program. Many Hip-Hop Heads revere the Brooklyn, New Yorker for his lyricism, wordplay, and imagery. The MC said to be at work on his long-anticipated Doe Or Die 2 is a fitting and qualified judge for others' rhymes. As a... Read more

Del The Funky Homosapien Seriously Injured After Fall At Concert (Video)

Last night (July 8), the Gorillaz cut their Roskilde Festival appearance in Denmark short following an injury to longtime collaborator Del The Funky Homosapien. Del, who is a Rap veteran of nearly 30 years, fell off of the stage, halting the performance of the band's breakout 2001 single, "Clint Eastwood."... Read more

Prince Paul Explains Why He’s Bothered By 1 Important Gravediggaz Credit (Video)

Prince Paul was a founding member of The Gravediggaz. At a time when he was still very active in producing De La Soul records, the Long Island, New Yorker assembled a quartet with Stetsasonic band-mate Frukwan (aka "The Gatekeeper"), as well as onetime Tommy Boy Records label-mate Poetic (aka "The... Read more

Will Smith Reacts To The 65′ Mural Of Him Made For A West Philadelphia School (Video)

Will Smith name-checking West Philadelphia in the theme song to The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air took a city section with a rich history, a vibrant culture, and a no-nonsense reputation and made it known—at least by name—in the mainstream. From the Overbrook neighborhood, Smith and business partner James Lassiter named... Read more

DOOM & Kool G Rap Join Forces To Plot Weak MCs’ Demise (Audio)

In 1991, MF DOOM, Kool G Rap, and DJ Muggs were all making some serious noise in Hip-Hop. Of the three, G Rap was the decorated veteran. A product of Marley Marl and Mr. Magic's Juice Crew and down with Eric B. & Rakim's possé, the Queens, New Yorker had... Read more

Houston’s Mayor Declares June 26 Brad “Scarface” Jordan Day (Video)

For many Hip-Hop fans, the music of Scarface and the Geto Boys helped give the city of Houston, Texas an identity in music. Since the late 1980s, Brad Jordan's accounts of H-Town's Southside and its Fifth Ward showed the city's dangers as well as its triumphs. Thirty years into a... Read more

A Tribe Called Quest’s Final Video Is Now Available For All To See

Three months ago, A Tribe Called Quest released their final music video, "The Space Program." However, the late March visual accompaniment to 2016's We Got It From Here...Thank You 4 Your Service album was only available to some platform subscribers. Now, the incredible farewell video (dedicated to the late Phife... Read more

Black Thought Explains Why He Believes He’s Never Been Better (Video)

Less than one month since it was released, Black Thought's "Dostoyevsky" shines as a brilliant 2018 Hip-Hop song and the latest great Tariq Trotter and Rapsody collaboration. From The Roots MC's Streams Of Thought, Vol. 1 EP with 9th Wonder and The Soul Council, the work is on Ambrosia For Heads'... Read more

Big Daddy Kane Details Recording This 1988 Mixtape Collabo With JAY-Z (Video)

Big Daddy Kane and DJ Mister Cee have been performing and recording together for more than 30 years. The two Brooklyn, New York natives appear together on Funkmaster Flex's I Got A Story To Tell series. For more than an hour, one of the greatest MCs of all time revisits... Read more

Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q & Ab-Soul Explain Jay Rock’s Importance To TDE (Video)

According to his latest video single, Jay Rock is winning. While the Watts, California MC is not one to take L's, his fans can agree that he is overdue. It was 11 years ago that the raspy-voiced MC with the pavement poetry was put on the front lines of a... Read more

Phonte Showcases His Multiple Talents On Foreign Exchange’s New Single (Audio)

UPDATE: Foreign Exchange pointed out to Ambrosia For Heads that previously unreleased song "Shelter" appeared on last year's Seek&Destroy compilation, which F.E. curated. ORIGINAL STORY: Phonte Coleman already blessed Hip-Hop fans with one of the more celebrated albums of 2018. No News Is Good News followed up 2011's Charity Starts... Read more

Black Thought Discusses His New Album, Epic Freestyle & Years Of Putting In Work (Video)

This past weekend (June 2), The Roots hosted their 11th annual picnic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sadly, just moments into their headlining jam session, hosted by Dave Chappelle, rain, flooding, and lightning storms halted a highly-anticipated affair. However, one day before (June 1), Black Thought showered Hip-Hop Heads with Streams Of... Read more

DJ Premier Takes J. Cole’s Lil Rapper Diss & Makes It Even More O.G. (Audio)

One of the focal points of J. Cole's chart-topping 2018 gold album, KOD, is "1985 - Intro To 'The Falloff.'" The song is a wisdom-drenched reply to Lil Pump, Smokepurrp, and others who had defamed Cole's name in recent years. While Jermaine's issues with Pump now appear to be squashed... Read more

Anderson .Paak Is A Funky Drummer But He Can Kick A Dope Freestyle Too (Video)

Last week, Anderson .Paak released his first solo single and video under Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. "Bubblin" finds the Oxnard, California MC, singer, drummer, and producer in his Rap form over a production by Jahlil Beats and AntMan Wonder. In the video, he finds a broken ATM machine and takes... Read more

Bumpy Knuckles & Biz Markie Team Up For A Video With A Purpose. Check It Out, Y’all.

Today (May 18), Bumpy Knuckles releases Pop Duke, Vol. 1. The 10-song concept project is produced by Nottz, and it features a cast of Rap O.G.'s such as Chuck D, Kool G Rap, and M.O.P.'s Lil Fame. It also includes a fellow Long Islander, Biz Markie, who makes a rare... Read more

Roy Ayers’ Tiny Desk Performance Shows Why He’s 1 Of Hip-Hop’s Biggest Influences (Video)

Vibraphonist Roy Ayers is a legend of Jazz, Funk, and Soul music that collectively has had a tremendous impact on Hip-Hop. A product of Los Angeles, California, Ayers would work with flutist (and another prominently-sampled artist) Herbie Mann by the mid-1960s, before going off on his won. In the '70s,... Read more

Anderson .Paak Reminds Why Dr. Dre Signed Him…Because He’s MONEY (Video)

Anderson .Paak signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment more than two years ago. Since that time, the Oxnard, California multi-talent did not rush the process. Instead, the drummer, MC, singer, and producer used this period to allow listeners to catch on to his Grammy-nominated Malibu wave, while revisiting years of... Read more

Will Smith Tells The Crazy Story Of How He Became The Prince Of Bel-Air (Video)

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air was a popular show, and it still is. For six seasons, Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro, James Avery, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana Ali, Joseph Marcell, and others entertained audiences with humor, family values, and a host of guest stars. The NBC series explains its premise in the... Read more

Lenny Kravitz Is Back With A Video That’s The Most Powerful Statement Of His Career

Today, veteran music superstar Lenny Kravitz has released the first single from his upcoming eleventh album, Raise Vibration (September 7). For an artist recognized for his ability to channel past eras, spanning a multitude of genres and styles, "It's Enough" is very much influenced by the production and protest style... Read more

Royce 5’9’s Book Of Ryan Is A New Chapter & Proof That He Is 1 Of Hip-Hop’s Greatest MCs

At the top of this decade, Royce 5’9 began tying up loose ends in the interest of personal growth and legacy. Slaughterhouse had recently taken shape, exciting the possibilities for Royce and three MCs with like-minded verbal values. Next, Nickel Nine and Eminem revived Bad Meets Evil, their short-lived duo... Read more

The Internet Rolls Out Some New Funk That Skates Back In Time (Video)

The Internet has proven to be capable of channeling many styles, moods, and eras. Soul, House, Jazz, and of course Funk have been along for the ride in the musical journey of Syd, Steve Lacy, and Matt Martians and the rest of the band. The Odd Future family show the... Read more

Yasiin Bey & Talib Kweli Are Reuniting On Stage To Celebrate 20 Years Of Black Star

September marks 20 years since the release of Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star. The collaborative album was the first full-length efforts from both Brooklyn, New York MCs. The Rawkus Records pair has gone on to decorated solo careers, capturing some of that Black Star chemistry on a... Read more

Capone-N-Noreaga Join Forces With Cormega To Rule A Track Like Queens Kings (Audio)

It's been four years since Cormega released an album. Still, the Queens, New York representative has stayed busy releasing books, a la carte singles, and maintaining his ironclad reputation for feature work. 2014's Large Professor-produced Mega Philosophy is an album that offered plenty to sustain fans of introspection and cultural... Read more

Talib Kweli Discusses The Genius Of Madvillainy & Its Impact On Hip-Hop (Audio)

Last month, Madvillain's album celebrated its 14th birthday. In the early 2000s, MF DOOM and Madlib formed the group and recorded Madvillainy in the latter's bomb shelter studio in Glendale, California. The resulting Stones Throw Records album was a game-changer in the careers of two elusive, decorated veterans, both creatively... Read more

Freddie Gibbs & Mozzy Update “Colors” For 2018 & It’s Even More Gangsta (Audio)

Thirty years ago, Ice-T released "Colors" as a companion to Dennis Hopper's film of the same name. Both the song (which climbed up the Top 100) and the movie starring Sean Penn and featuring early appearances by Don Cheadle, Damon Wayans, and Leon were timepieces of 1980s gang culture. Ice-T... Read more

Bow Wow Details His Days With Death Row & Says He Was An Original Dogg Pound Member (Video)

UPDATE: Following Thursday's Bow Wow interview with The Breakfast Club and Ambrosia For Heads' report, rapper CPO Boss Hogg contacted AFH to clarify a point. In yesterday's interview, Bow Wow appeared to reference a belatedly-released Death Row Records song called "After 3." Describing his time with Dr. Dre and Suge... Read more

30 Years Ago KRS-One Carried BDP’s Torch By All Means Necessary

In the late 1980s, Boogie Down Productions was one of Hip-Hop's most exciting new groups. KRS-One and DJ Scott La Rock carved their lane with early 1987's Criminal Minded. The B-Boy Records LP was combative to Mr. Magic and Marley Marl's Juice Crew (especially MC Shan) and planted a flag... Read more

Scarface Explains Why He Is Done With The Geto Boys & Swears It’s For Good

The Geto Boys are a legendary 30-year Houston, Texas Hip-Hop group. While more than 13 years have passed without an album, the trio has toured in recent years. In 2015, the famous lineup of Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill asked fans to donate $100,000 to crowd-fund another project. A... Read more

Slum Village Release A Lost Song With Q-Tip From The Fantastic Era (Audio)

Twenty years ago, Slum Village finished recording an album that would forever change the trio's path. Fantastic, Vol. 2 took two additional years to release after its completion. Even after unexpected delays, shifting to indie label resources, and a newly-crowded Detroit Rap scene in the marketplace, the LP thrived as... Read more

Anticon Co-Founder & MC/Producer Alias Has Passed Away At The Age Of 41

Alias, a producer, MC, and founding member of the independent Hip-Hop collective Anticon, has died. The producer born Brendon Whitney passed away March 30 from a heart attack, according to friend and collaborator, Sage Francis. Alias was 41 years old. Anticon's social media accounts later confirmed the news. A product... Read more

Kurupt Recalls Snatching The “New York, New York” Beat Back From Biggie

In September of 1995, Tha Dogg Pound released the first single from their debut album, Dogg Food. "New York, New York" proved to be a controversial record, even if it is rooted in a 1983 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five single. The '95 Death Row Records version arrived five... Read more

Murs Drops One Of The Realest & Most Personal Songs Of 2018 (Video)

Less than one week ago, Murs and producer Michael "Seven" Summer released A Strange Journey Into The Unimaginable. The Los Angeles, California native has unloaded several singles and visuals from one of his best albums in a sprawling, dynamic, and highly-impressive catalog. One of the most striking moments of the... Read more

MF DOOM, Inspectah Deck & Esoteric Deliver A Video Fit For Villainous Rhymes

In 10 days, CZARFACE and MF DOOM will release CZARFACE Meets METAL FACE. The project fully unites the masked villain with the veteran fusion of Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck with 7L & Esoteric. Previously, Daniel Dumile participated in the cipher (2015's "Ka-Bang!") to a strong reception. On this upcoming go-round,... Read more

Lil Dicky Switches Bodies With Chris Brown & It Gets Freaky (Video)

Greater Philadelphia MC Lil Dicky is one of Hip-Hop's new kings of concept. Clever ideas, thematic what-if's, and narratives supported by nimble rapping made Professional Rapper a mass-success and a 2015 staff favorite at Ambrosia For Heads. He uses a stand-up comedian's stroke of self-deprecation to enhance his presentation. This... Read more

Wu-Tang Clan Affiliate Singer Allah Real Has Passed Away

Alfred Lynn (aka Allah Real) is a Wu-Tang Clan affiliated educator, advisor, and singer. He died this morning (March 14) of a heart attack at the age of 62. As a singer, Allah Real has appeared on albums such as Ghostface Killah's The Pretty Toney Album ("Holla"), RZA's Birth Of A... Read more

Erick Sermon Reveals The Real Reason Craig Mack Did Not Join The Bad Boy Reunion Tour

On March 12, MC Craig Mack died at the age of 47 (earlier reports listed his age as 46). The Bronx-born, Long Island-raised artist who used his real name on records deceased from what coroner's declared as natural causes at his home in Walterboro, South Carolina. Other sources close to... Read more

Delicious Vinyl Co-Founder & Hit Producer Matt Dike Has Passed Away At Age 55

UPDATE: While the news of Matt Dike's death was revealed to the public yesterday (March 13), the music executive, producer, and DJ is confirmed to have died in mid-January. A report in The Los Angeles Times, which claims Dike was 56 (other sources, including Delicious Vinyl's obituary, suggest he was... Read more

U-God Says The $2 Million Wu-Tang Album Ain’t Nuthin’ To Get Excited Over (Video)

Wu-Tang Clan co-founder U-God is the latest guest on The Breakfast Club. This week, the Staten Island, New York MC published his memoir, Raw: My Journey Into The Wu-Tang. According to Charlamagne Tha God, who read the text, Lamont Hawkins' pre-music days may be the most compelling aspect of the... Read more

Tech N9ne Knows The Plan To End Racism But Questions Whether We Can Follow It (Video)

Last Friday (March 2), Tech N9ne released his album, The Planet. It is a fitting title for the 46-year-old Kansas City, Missouri MC-turned-mogul. With platinum and gold singles now under his belt, Aaron Dontez Yates labored to create a bustling universe that existed beyond commercial radio, music video channels, and... Read more

Vince Staples’ CrowdFunding Campaign Is Doomed To Fail & That’s The Best Thing For Hip-Hop

The Hip-Hop industry is adapting to the times. A-list rappers release albums through cellphone carriers, cryptocurrency is accepted as a form of payment by artists, and the idea of a project being for sale is being challenged by some of the genre’s top earners. One of the tech trends that... Read more

Erick Sermon Is Executive Producing Redman’s “Muddy Waters Too” & Says It Will Be Classic (Audio)

Approaching 30 years since EPMD released Strictly Business, Erick Sermon is in the midst of a creative renaissance. Last month, the Green-Eyed Bandit secured more than $60,000 of crowd-funding for his upcoming ninth solo album (now titled Vernia). As E-Double gets underway on that release promised to feature Method Man,... Read more

Eric B. & Rakim Announce First Tour Dates In 25 Years

Last July, Eric B. & Rakim reunited on stage for the 30th anniversary of Paid In Full. At Harlem's Apollo Theater, the Hip-Hop legends added a new chapter in their history, performing a plethora of hits from their early catalog. Ambrosia For Heads filmed from the audience as more than... Read more

Sade Releases Her First Song In 7 Years & It’s Spectacular (Audio)

Already, 2018 has been a surprisingly big year for soundtracks. Just when that appeared to be a medium misplaced in the decade, some of music's most powerful voices are proving otherwise. Last month, Kendrick Lamar and his Top Dawg family hit fans with the musical companion to Black Panther. The... Read more

Common Did Not Win Another Oscar But His Freestyle Still Gave Him Glory (Video)

Common did not win his second Oscar award last night (March 4). The Chicago, Illinois MC, actor, and author was nominated for “Best Original Song" for his "Stand Up For Something," which appeared in the film, Marshall. That category (also featuring a nomination for past Common collaborator) Mary J. Blige... Read more

M.O.P.’s Lil Fame Is Releasing His 1st Solo Album But He’s Still Mashing Out MCs (Audio)

Twenty-five years ago, M.O.P. asked "How About Some Hardcore?" They have been offering it ever since. Lil Fame and Billy Danze appear to have one of Rap's strongest group bonds. The Brownsville, Brooklyn duo has remained in tact through the independent grind, mainstream recognition surrounding 2000's Warriorz, and fruitless tenures... Read more