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Ladies First: Here’s a Mix in Celebration of the Women of Hip-Hop (Audio)

As we enter March, Women's History Month, today we celebrate some of the countless contributions to Hip-Hop by women, starting with this mix. You will hear music from MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, Bahamadia, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Missy, Da Brat, The Lady of Rage, Jean Grae, Yo-Yo, Salt-n-Pepa... Read more

Pete Rock Makes A Roy Ayers Mixtape & It’s Amazing (Mixtape)

Pete Rock knows a thing or two about the great Roy Ayers. The Chocolate Boy Wonder has sampled some of Roy's CTI Records catalog and other material throughout his own vast discography of head-nodding hits. With the release of a new t-shirt at Pete's site (where he has a number... Read more

Tommy Hilfiger Gear & Death Row Records’ Reign Covered In Part 3 Of The Tanning Of America (Video)

Yesterday (February 26), Steve Stoute's week-long, four-part documentary series, The Tanning Of America, continued on Vh1. Part Three ("Gimme The Loot"), aired. The third installment highlighted commercial Hip-Hop's plateau in the mid-1990s, including the uber-success of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Death Row Records (and how New York Hip-Hop reacted).... Read more

Marvin Gaye & Mos Def’s Yasiin Gaye Mash-Up Is Here. The Departure: Side 1 (Mixtape)

One of the biggest hits of 2014 on Ambrosia For Heads has been Yasiin Gaye. The mash-up experiment by Amerigo Gazaway, combining the music of Marvin Gaye and Mos Def, crosses time, space, and genre to show that great, enduring music has no confines. It's almost eerie how one artist... Read more

ScHoolboy Q Comes Clean on OXYMORON (Album Review)

UPDATE: Click here to stream the album via iTunes Last night (2/17), ScHoolboy Q held a listening session for part of his highly-anticipated OXYMORON album, and AFH was in the building. Compared to other listening sessions, it was a laid-back affair that perfectly suited Q’s personality. There were about 150... Read more

Kanye West Explains Why He Calls Himself a Genius…and It Makes Perfect Sense (Video)

Much has been made of Kanye West's infamous "rants" at his concerts but, as is often the case, his actions and words make much more sense in full context. Kanye played the Prudential Center in Newark on 2/15 and he had a lot to say. Yeezy spoke for 20 minutes... Read more

Rick Ross’ Mastermind Album is His Finest Yet. Some May Say Classic (Food For Thought)

Last night (February 11), Rick Ross hosted a Mastermind album release party at New World Stages in New York City and AFH was in the building. The event was a star-studded affair, with Ross and Meek Mill there from MMG, as well as DJ Khaled, Fabolous, Busta Rhymes, Mack Wilds,... Read more

The Week in Video Brought Stage Tossing By Action Bronson, a Tech N9ne/Kendrick Lamar Collabo & More (Video)

The past week in video played like a pro wrestling tour for Action Bronson. The big man had 3 on stage "altercations" that led to pushing, shaving and stage tossing. The week also brought an Isaiah Rashad documentary, new music videos from Tech N9ne & Kendrick Lamar, Yo Gotti &... Read more

Here’s a Playlist of Some of the Best Hip-Hop to Drop in January 2014 (Audio)

Before we get too deep into February, here's a look back at some of the best Hip-Hop to drop in January 2014. After a slow start, we got new music from Phonte, Talib Kweli, Elzhi, Schoolboy Q, Yasiin Bey (pka Mos Def), Phife, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib, Pete Rock, Astro,... Read more

The Week in Video Brought Out the Best in Kendrick Lamar, Redman’s Crib, New Phonte & More (Video Playlist)

This week was dominated by Grammy coverage, and there were some clear highlights like the Kendrick Lamar/Imagine Dragons mashup, but there were also several other gems that might have gotten lost in the swirl. Here's a video playlist of some of the best visual programming of the week. You'll find... Read more

Macklemore & Kendrick Lamar: How Hip-Hop (Not The Grammy’s) Turned Sunday Into a Fail (Food For Thought)

The day after the Grammy Awards, the conversation about Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ win for Best Rap Album over Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city (G.K.M.C) grew from a buzz to a roar. Social media platforms and the web, generally, were on fire. The frenzy was fueled in part by... Read more

Today It All Makes Sense: A Retrospective on the Chicago Hip-Hop Sound (Food For Thought)

Published by: Bandini “This the city of Chicago, the state of confusion The style I'm using is free or at least it would be if my mind was…” – Malik Yusef, “My City” (One Day It’ll All Make Sense) Since the 1990s, Common Sense has always been among my favorite... Read more

I Got a Story to Tell…Here’s a Playlist Dedicated to the Art of Storytelling in Rhymes (Audio)

Many MCs have witty punch lines, but a rare few have the ability to tell a full and engaging story over 48 bars and 3 hooks. Here's a playlist dedicated to some of Hip-Hop's artful storytellers. You know the names: Nas, Biggie, Slick Rick, Eminem, KRS-One, Ice Cube, Jay Z,... Read more

Here Are the 50 Most Compelling Visual Moments in Hip-Hop of 2013 (Video Playlist)

In our final 2013 wrap up, we tackle the most compelling visual moments in Hip-Hop of 2013. This is not a playlist of the best videos for hot songs (though there are some dope music videos included) nor freestyles (we did that already). Instead, it is a compilation of the... Read more

Ambrosia For Head’s 13 Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2013 (Food For Thought)

2013 was a different kind of year in music. Not only did Rick Rubin return to crafting Hip-Hop albums, but he had a hand in three of the genre's biggest releases from top artists like Jay Z, Eminem, and Kanye West. Meanwhile, as has been the case over the last... Read more

This Week in Video Brought Tough Love From Arsenio to Kanye West, New Videos from Talib Kweli & Snoop and More (Video Playlist)

This week in video brought some OG advice from Arsenio Hall to Kanye West, new music videos from Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco, Timbaland, Snoop, Jay Z & Drake, and a hilarious joy ride with Ice Cube, Kevin Hart and Conan O'Brien. Check out the playlist below to catch up on... Read more

This Week in Video Brought New Music From Dr. Dre & Kendrick Lamar, Method Man & A$AP Mob and More (Video Playlist)

This week in video brought new music from Dr. Dre & Kendrick Lamar, as well as new videos from Method Man & A$AP Mob, Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper, Talib Kweli, Stalley, Astro and more. Check out the Video Playlist. Related: This Week in Video Was Dominated By Kanye West’s... Read more

AFH: Best Hip-Hop of November 2013 (Audio Playlist)

The year is winding down, no doubt, but the good music kept coming in November. Here's a playlist of the best Hip-Hop to drop last month, including songs from Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, Joey Bada$$, Eminem, Masta Ace, Raekwon, Posdnuos, Rah Digga, Elzhi, Jay Z, Childish Gambino, Mac Miller, Jhene Aiko,... Read more

You May Have Heard the Audio of Kanye West Going Nuclear on Sway Earlier…Here’s the Full Video (Video)

Kanye West and Sway are friends. That's why it was all the more surprising that Kanye flipped so hard on Sway today during their interview. So how does an interview starting with Sway introducing Kanye as "the most important artist of this generation" get so heated? Check out the video... Read more

Vic Mensa Talks Life, Death, Music, Save Money and More in His Most Candid Interview Yet. Get to Know On of Hip-Hop’s Most Talented MCs on the Rise (Video)

Vic Mensa is one of the most talented MCs to burst onto the music scene in a long time. Though not technically new to Hip-Hop, having been a member of the band Kids These Days for four-plus years, Vic's solo move earlier in 2013 has allowed him to showcase all... Read more

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

Catch up on the Best in Hip-Hop Videos for the Week featuring RZA, Just Blaze, Young Buck, Pusha T, 9th Wonder, Childish Gambino, A$AP Rocky, Slum Village & More (Video Playist)

This week in video brought one of the best lyric videos of the year from Childish Gambino, new music videos from Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Roc Marciano, Ka, Slum Village and Young Buck, interviews celebrating 20 years of Wu-Tang Clan and the 10th anniversary of Jay-Z's Black Album, and... Read more

Remembering Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) 20 Years Later (Food For Thought)

There are certain albums in Hip-Hop that were complete game-changers. Run-DMC’s 1983 self-titled album ripped the Disco out of Rap and, with a new look of Kangol hats, leather jackets and shell-toed Adidas along with crossed arms and boasts of college pursuits, took ownership of the culture.  Five years later,... Read more

AFH: Best Hip-Hop of October 2013 (Playlist)

Here's a look back at some of the Hip-Hop highlights from October. You'll hear new music from Eminem & Kendrick Lamar, Scarface, Jadakiss, Meek Mill, J. Cole, Dead Prez, Tha Dogg Pound, Common, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Large Professor, Childish Gambino, Rapsody, Crooked I, Jean Grae, Game and many, many more.... Read more

Take a Look Back at the Best Video Content of the Past Week (Video Playlist)

The past week in video brought new music videos from Ice Cube, Schoolboy Q and DJ Khaled featuring Scarface, Jadakiss, Meek Mill, Akon, John Legend & Anthony Hamilton, dope freestyles from Crooked I and Childish Gambino and pieces on Mike Tyson, J. Cole, Ab-Soul and more. Check out the video... Read more

Can you DeCypher Kendrick Lamar’s Cypher Verse? (Lyrics & Video)

Now that you’ve witnessed Kendrick Lamar’s Cypher verse (Control Pt. 2?), it’s time to de-cypher it. The verse was incredibly complex. Many shots were fired—some specific, some general. Take a look at the Cypher and lyrics below and see if you can crack the Da Vinci code. Before you get... Read more

Here’s a Video Playlist of Some of the Best Music Videos, Performances and Interviews From the Past Week

This week in video brought new music videos from Black Milk, Pusha T, Slum Village, Murs, Childish Gambino and Prince, words from Kanye West & Jimmy Kimmel, Pharrell & Spike Lee, Devin the Dude, Bun B, Common and Questlove, a performance from MC Lyte, a great documentary on Ice Cube... Read more

Astro Speaks on His New Mixtape and Drops a Verse (Video)

Think you know the Astronomical Kid from X Factor? Think again...The "kid" has grown up and what has emerged is Astro, a supremely talented lyricist and MC. We sat down with Astro in his hometown of Brooklyn to discuss his mixtape Starvin' Like Marvin for a Cool J Song and... Read more

AFH: Best Hip-Hop of September 2013 (Audio Playlist)

Summer brought the official start of Fall but the heat kept coming, musically. Here's a playlist of the best Hip-Hop to drop in September, including Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Jay Z, The Lox, Cam'ron, AZ, Rapsody, Juvenile, Freddie Gibbs, Common and Organized Konfusion. And even though it's not Hip-Hop,... Read more

KRS-One’s Return Of The Boom-Bap 20 Years Later (Food For Thought)

This weekend, the first KRS-One album to not be billed as Boogie Down Productions turns 20 years old. On September 28, 1993, Jive Records and Kris Parker teamed to release Return Of The Boom-Bap. The album was exactly one decade removed from the arrival of Run-DMC, the "boom-bap" was a... Read more

AFH: The Week in Video (9/29/13) (Video Playlist)

This week brought new music videos from Pusha T, A$AP Rocky, Drake and Talib Kweli, as well as performances from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and J. Cole and a freestyle from Slaughterhouse. And, of course, a one of a kind interview from Kanye West. You can watch it all in the video... Read more

De La Soul’s Buhloone Mindstate 20 Years Later (Food For Thought)

By: Bandini There are some great “win-win” debates out there. For instance, which era of the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Lakers really was the best? Sean Connery or Roger Moore,…or Daniel Craig? Reasonable Doubt or The Blueprint? One such debate that I’ve found to be recurring is "The... Read more

AFH: The Week in Video (9/14/13) (Video Playlist)

This was an exceptionally strong week in video. We got new music videos from Eminem, Eddie Murphy, 50 Cent, Macklemore & Schoolboy Q, Wiz Khalifa, The Weeknd and The Foreign Exchange, as well as performances from Drake (after he tries to holler at Scarlett Johansson), Kanye West and Nas. Check... Read more

Living Legends: Big Daddy Kane (Audio/Video Playlist)

"The name Kane is superior to many people. It means King Asiatic Nobody's Equal." No truer words were ever spoken, even though they were from the man, himself. Along with Rakim, Kane has had one of the most enduring influences on Hip-Hop as we know it today, having been one... Read more

Souls Of Mischief’s 93 ’til Infinity 20 Years Later (Food For Thought)

By:  Bandini My biggest gripe with the cliché-use of the word “classic” is the freshness in which it’s pulled out. In order to be a classic, you must endure the tendency to forget, overlook, and turn the page. The 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Baritz is classic—with its long lines, razor-sharp edges... Read more

AFH: Best Hip-Hop of August 2013 (Audio Playlist)

August may well go down as the hottest month of the year (literally and musically) when all is said and done. It will no doubt be remembered as the month Kendrick Lamar set the Hip-Hop world aflame with 1 verse and woke up the Hip-Hop Nation. In addition to Big... Read more

AFH: The Week in Video (8/31/13) (Video Playlist)

This week in video brought an epic new video from Jay Z for Holy Grail, Kendrick Lamar talking Control with Chelsea Lately, Big Boi going in-depth about his likes and dislikes, a new video from The Lox and much more. Check out the video playlist below to catch anything you... Read more

Sometimes I Rap Fast, Sometimes I Rap Slow: The Evolution Of JAY-Z’s Flow (Food For Thought)

As another NFL season loads up, the sports news cycle is dominated by teams, offenses, depth charts and injury reports. Although not a fan (au contraire), I often marvel at the dynamic strategies of Bill Bellichick, Tom Brady, and the New England Patriots. From season-to-season, the three-time Super Bowl champions... Read more

Nice Guys Finish First…But Not By Playing Nice

Kendrick Lamar and Big K.R.I.T. After the late 2000s breakthrough of Blu, Thurz, Fashawn and Torae, it is these two men that truly opened me up to what I considered the youthful unknown in Hip-Hop. In 2010, I was very much the anti-new-rapper’s fan, convinced that labels (large and small)... Read more

Because They Made It That Way (Hip-Hop At 40 Years Old)

If you go by the books, Hip-Hop (I’ll spell it with capital letters since KRS-One told us to do so) turns 40 years old this month. Six summers before Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike and Master Gee drove a Lincoln Continental and great big Cadillac up the charts to a... Read more

AFH: Best Hip-Hop of July 2013 (Audio Playlist)

Jay-Z dominated the headlines in July, but there was a LOT of good music from other artists last month, as well. Here's a playlist of the best hip-hop to drop in July. You'll hear music from MC Lyte, Q-Tip, J. Cole, Rapsody, Pete Rock & Camp Lo, Daz Dillinger, Nipsey... Read more

AFH: The Week in Video (8/3/13) (Video Playlist)

Welcome to the week in video where each week we will showcase some of the best video content to hit AFH over the last 7 days. This 30-60 minute video playlist will feature anything from music videos to interviews to concert footage to short films and more. Just hit play,... Read more

Living Legends: Pete Rock & CL Smooth (Audio Playlist)

Pete Rock has long gotten credit for being one of the most influential hip-hop producers of all time. Recently, there has also been a bit of a spike in interest in Pete Rock & CL Smooth, particularly in light of their announcement that they are remaking their classic Mecca &... Read more

Young-Ye: How Jay-Z and Kanye West Made the World Watch the Throne (Again) and Saved Hip-Hop in the Process (Food for Thought)

For the better part of the last 2 weeks, I was convinced the sibling-like rivalry between Jay-Z and Kanye West had reached epic (and perhaps unseemly) proportions. How else could you explain the 2 dropping albums within 3 weeks of one another with Jay-Z seemingly stepping on little brother Kanye’s... Read more

AFH: Best Hip-Hop of June 2013 (Audio Playlist)

As we ease into July 4th weekend, here's a look back at the best hip-hop that dropped in June. You'll hear music from J. Cole, Nas, Curren$y, Mac Miller, Kanye West, Wu-Tang Clan, Rick Ross, Jadakiss, Posdnuos, Kid Tsunami, Drake, LL Cool J, Slum Village, Wale, Lupe Fiasco, Joey Bada$$,... Read more

Steve-Ography Presents: We Are Alive Ep. 6 (Podcast)

Here's a diverse and truly awesome chill out mix from Steve-Ography. It features artists from multiple genres like Nas, Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Ab-Soul, Zero 7, Joey Bada$$, Kid CuDi and more. It's great food for your mental. You can listen to and download all of We Are Alive... Read more

A Discussion of the Yeezus Album Between Combat Jack, Dallas Penn, Premium Pete and Me (Podcast)

I had the pleasure of joining The Combat Jack Show as a guest this week to discuss Kanye West's Yeezus album. True to the provocative nature of the album, it was a lively discussion with many diverse opinions (starting at about the 1:50 mark). The show also features an in-depth... Read more

5 Things I Like About Kanye West’s Yeezus Album (and none of them are the music)

Happy 1st Father's Day to Kanye West. By now, you may have heard his new Yeezus album. I can't say I like most of the music (though I'm In It, Guilt Trip and Bound 2 are intoxicating), and I probably never will. That said, here are 5 things I like... Read more

AFH: Best Hip-Hop of May 2013 (Audio Playlist)

As the year heats up, so does the music. May brought new and previously unheard tracks from Rakim, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, J. Cole, Aasim & Nas, Styles P, Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, Black Hippy, Joey Bada$$, Action Bronson, Goodie M.o.B., Prodigy, Havoc, Tito Lopez, AZ, Kanye West and more. You can... Read more

Big K.R.I.T. Reflects on Life & Hip-Hop Through King Remembered in Time (Video)

Big K.R.I.T.'s King Remembered in Time mixtape is one of his most personal efforts to date. We sat down and chopped it up with K.R.I.T. about the project and he reflected on the meaning behind every track. In part 1, K.R.I.T. talks about why he named the project King Remembered... Read more