Audio Archives

Fat Joe, O.C. & A.G. Remind Listeners How Lethal D.I.T.C.’s Lineup Is (Audio)

The Diggin' In The Crates reunion is burning strong. After several new crew-thick songs in 2016, the fresh week yields something especially fresh from a D.I.T.C. trio. "Diggin' Number" takes Fat Joe, O.C., and A.G., and assigns them numbers on a knocking quick-strike. Like De La Soul's "Plug" numbers, the... Read more

January 25, 2016 Audio

Adrian Younge’s Latest Is Uncut Soul Featuring Bilal & Raphael Saadiq (Album Stream)

Adrian Younge has just released his latest solo album, Something About April II. The Los Angeles, California-based producer/musician is renowned for his brand of throwback Soul and Funk, as heard alongside Ghostface Killah, Souls Of Mischief, and original source, The Delfonics. Also a member of PRhyme, Younge initially gained recognition... Read more

January 23, 2016 Audio

TDE’s President Punch Rhymes Better Than A Lot Of MCs (Audio)

Over the last 5 years, Top Dawg Entertainment, more commonly known as TDE, has grown into one of the most powerful record labels in Hip-Hop. The company's roster includes Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad and SZA. As impressive as that group of artists may be, it... Read more

January 22, 2016 Audio

Game Shows Sometimes Less Is More As He Rides Solo On A Beautiful Piano-Driven Track (Audio)

Once Game signed to G-Unit/Aftermath in the mid-2000s, he had access to the best producers in Hip-Hop. From Dr. Dre to Timbaland, Just Blaze to Buckwild, Jayceon Taylor had a wish-list of not only producers, but some of the best beats ever made from each. In the next decade, he... Read more

January 22, 2016 Audio

Macklemore Releases a New Song About White Privilege And It’s a Powder Keg (Audio)

Recent events have made it exceptionally clear that we are living in a modern-day Civil Rights Era. Despite all the progress American society has made in many ways - a Black President, LGBTQ rights, allowing women to serve in the military, and so forth - there is still an untenable... Read more

January 22, 2016 Audio

Jamila Woods Makes an Anthem for Black Girls Everywhere (Audio)

Chicago-based singer Jamila Woods first turned Heads on a major level through her work on Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment's 2015 Surf album on "Sunday Candy." Currently gearing up for the release of her debut solo project, she has announced her signing to the Closed Sessions label, and has... Read more

January 21, 2016 Audio

MC Eiht Reveals How He & DJ Quik Ended One Of Hip-Hop’s Ugliest Beefs (Video)

For nearly 6 years, DJ Quik and MC Eiht were embroiled in one of Hip-Hop's most vicious feuds on record. However, around 1997, the two men ended their infamous beef with little fanfare. While Eiht has discussed their extended war of words in the past, he recently sat down with... Read more

January 21, 2016 Audio

Yasiin Bey Declares 2016 Album Will Be His Last & Announces Industry Retirement

This week, Yasiin Bey (f/k/a Mos Def) left a very unique voicemail on Kanye West's phone. West, who signed Bey to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint after years of collaboration, shared the message with the public yesterday (January 19). The Brooklyn, New York MC reacted to West's latest song, "No More... Read more

January 20, 2016 Audio, News

Curren$y Strikes With A Project Produced Entirely By Cool & Dre (EP Stream)

Curren$y is one of Hip-Hop's most prolific artist. The JetLife founder and captain steers into 2016 with his latest project. The Owners Manual pairs Spitta Andretti with Miami, Florida-based platinum production pair, Cool & Dre. Cool & Dre, who worked with Curren$y on some mid-2000s Young Money projects, have done... Read more

January 19, 2016 Audio

Dr. Dre’s “Compton” Is Remixed By One Of His Chronic Collaborators (Premiere)

Chris "The Glove" Taylor is the epitome of a West Coast Hip-Hop O.G. Taylor, who appeared alongside a young Ice-T in the film (and on the soundtrack) Breakin', has been creating sounds ever since. In addition to lots of work with King T, The Firm, and Xzibit, The Glove was... Read more

January 19, 2016 Audio, Exclusive, Mixes

Kanye West’s First Kendrick Lamar & Madlib Collabo Is Worth The Wait (Audio)

"I know some fans thought I wouldn't rap like this again / But the writers block is over, MCs cancel your plans." - Kanye West Last Friday (January 8) Kanye West showcased the 2016 return of "G.O.O.D. Fridays" in the Ty Dolla $ign assisted-"Real Friends." After the song finished playing... Read more

January 18, 2016 Audio

M.O.P. Always Rhyme Like Their Lives Depend On It (Audio)

The M.O.P. co-sign is big in Hip-Hop. Lil Fame and Billy Danze have helped introduce acts ranging from Teflon to Termanology in their illustrious 25-year career. The Brownsvillains come out to support Patterson, New Jersey veteran MC/producer Ran Reed. Ran produced his own single, "Gun Boy Interlude." With a distorted... Read more

January 17, 2016 Audio

This Far Reaching Mix Sprinkles Some Of J Dilla’s Best & Rarest Donuts

Next month (February 5-7), the second annual J Dilla Weekend will take place in Miami, Florida. The three-day event features music performances, exhibits, panels, and more. Pre-sale ticket packages are available. At present, Dilla's onetime group Slum Village, and a host of collaborators are signed on for the event. Additionally,... Read more

January 17, 2016 Audio, Mixes, Throwback

Snow Tha Product Will Be Here Long After Lesser MCs. Lyricism Lasts (Audio)

Always keeping her pen game sharp, Snow Tha Product has released a new track with a wicked rapid-fire verse, venting about how much harder she has to work as a female MC who isn't about showing off her skin. She raps about being able to go on tour even without... Read more

January 14, 2016 Audio

Snoop & Too Short Give Colonel Loud Some of That OG “California” Love on the Remix (Audio)

In 2015, Colonel Loud's "California" became one of the more unexpected breakthrough records of the year. The Fort Lauderdale-born artist, who now resides in North Carolina, after spending 10 years in Atlanta, made a song about the virtues of the Golden State, using the throwback Cali funk sound of the... Read more

January 14, 2016 Audio

MCs Say They’re Freestyling…But They Ain’t Been Rhyming Like Common Sense (Audio)

Over the years, the definition of the term "freestyle" has blurred. The word initially referred to a rhyme, written or spontaneous, that was not about a particular topic but, instead, was "free of style." In the 90s, it came to mean a rhyme that was impromptu, or "off the top... Read more

January 14, 2016 Audio

It’s Hard To Make A Good Hip-Hop Love Song. Black Milk Makes A Great One (Audio)

Black Milk's biggest songs have dealt with church, Detroit Hip-Hop, and looming apocalypse. The veteran producer/MC is not often thought of for his tracks about intimate relationships. "For 4Ever" kind of changes that. The record looks at career pressures versus relationship demands. As it often goes, that conflict leads to... Read more

January 14, 2016 Audio

Ab-Soul Recounts His Travels on the Dark Side on Unreleased Track (Audio)

It's been more than a year and a half since Ab-Soul released his third and most recent solo LP, These Days..., and while his TDE cohorts Kendrick Lamar and Jay Rock both had major releases in 2015, many are missing the self-described "black-lipped bastard"'s presence in the Rap game. Appearances... Read more

January 13, 2016 Audio

Killer Mike Owns The Moment On A Wavy, Electronic Track With Lushlife (Audio)

Killer Mike has worked with a complete cross-section of the music industry. Mike Bigga has cut tracks with Ice Cube, Gucci Mane, Cunninlynguists, and Jay Z, all resulting in satisfied fans. That's before Heads even get to Run The Jewels, Purple Ribbon, or Grind Time Rap Gang works. Today, Mike... Read more

January 13, 2016 Audio

Ghostface Killah Teams Up With Omarion On A Stone Cold Groove (Audio)

Ghostface Killah and Omarion might seem like an unlikely combination, but the Wu-Tang Clan veteran has never allowed himself to be put in a box. From Babyface to Beyonce, Tony Starks has laid verses on plenty of records outside of Hip-Hop. His latest collaboration is a Wu-Tang/MMG connection, but it... Read more

January 12, 2016 Audio

Raekwon Flexes on a Hot Reggae Track & the Result is Straight Fire (Audio)

On his 46th birthday, Raekwon can be heard destroying the mic on a track that doesn't sound like much else that he's released over the course of his prolific career. The Wu-Tang Clan's resident Chef was last heard on Busta Rhyme's Christmas-Day mixtape, The Return Of The Dragon (The Abstract... Read more

January 12, 2016 Audio

TDE’s Resident Engineer Ali Has Compiled 2 Epic Mixes of Their Throwback Music (Audio)

"Let it run, Ali" is a familiar-sounding phrase for Top Dawg Entertainment Heads. The crew featuring Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul (as well as their collective group, Black Hippy), SZA, and Isaiah Rashad was founded back in 2004 before any of their roster members were making it big,... Read more

January 12, 2016 Audio

Erykah Badu Mixes Kanye With Whodini And Gets All The Way Trill (Audio)

Erykah Badu's "covers" have become something to look forward to. After her grabbing rendition of Drake's "Hotline Bling" in late 2015, Ms. Badu wastes no time reworking Kanye West's "Real Friends," which was released less than one week ago (January 8). "Trill Friends: Badu Whodini Rough Mix" is an experiment... Read more

January 12, 2016 Audio

O.C. Looks At A World Gone Wrong & Vents In The Best Way Possible (Audio)

Veteran D.I.T.C. artist O.C. is highly-respected for his crisp cadence and masterful way about rapping about life and art. Acclaimed albums like Word...Life, Trophies, Jewelz, and Starchild have honed in on O's experiences and vision, and done so eloquently. On the just-released "My City," the former Payday Records artist takes a more universal approach.... Read more

January 12, 2016 Audio

The Game & Trey Songz Release A Record About The Ladies That Might Make Many Blush (Audio)

The Game released 36 songs in 2015, via his The Documentary 2 and 2.5 albums. The star-studded albums were considered by many to be among the finest in Game's catalog, and covered wide-ranging topics, from continued gang banging in L.A. to the void left by Tupac to recently re-captured drug... Read more

January 11, 2016 Audio

Hit-Boy Puts His Raps In Front On Yadda Yadda Featuring Wale (Audio)

Hit-Boy has amassed a number of hit records. The Southern California delegate in the G.O.O.D. Music production family has been a mastermind behind Kendrick Lamar's "Backseat Freestyle," the posse cut "Clique," and Jay Z & Kanye West's "N***as In Paris." However, as Hit has shown in that time, he raps... Read more

January 11, 2016 Audio

Dr. Dre Leaks A New Song With T.I. To Show He’s Back To Business (Audio)

Although not much music has officially been released by them, Dr. Dre and T.I. have been collaborating for years. T.I. is rumored to have been in the lab often with Dre, during the Detox years, and a number of tracks and snippets from those sessions have hit the web, since... Read more

January 10, 2016 Audio

Anderson .Paak Gives You One More Chance To Get Into The Party, On A Hi-Tek Funk Track (Audio)

Anderson .Paak spent 2015 making so many artists' albums all the more dope. From Dr. Dre's Compton to The Game's Documentary 2.5, to the Blended Babies' own Anderson .Paak EP, the Southern California drummer-singer-MC sprinkled his musical seasonings into some real delicacies. Related: Anderson .Paak’s Music Excited Dr. Dre &... Read more

January 10, 2016 Audio

A.G. & Damu The Fudgemunk Escape To A Nostalgic Place On A K-Def Track (Audio)

For 25 years, A.G. has been delivering verses that are mental excursions. Showbiz & A.G.'s most lyrical half is a guest on the new album by New Jersey veteran producer K-Def (LL Cool J, Lords Of The Underground, DJ EFN). There, he is joined by producer/MC double-threat Damu The Fudgemunk... Read more

January 9, 2016 Audio

Mick Jenkins Eloquently Makes Sense Out Of His Windy City (Audio)

Mick Jenkins has been fast at work entering the new year. The Chicago, Illinois MC has been recording a lot with producer THEMpeople. Today (January 7), Mick unveiled "Grenade Theory," and pulled a pin, before exploding some profound thoughts and rhymes into the microphone. The song is a here-and-now for... Read more

January 7, 2016 Audio

MC Eiht & Beneficence Drop Coast To Coast Wisdom On A Scratch-Driven Beat (Audio)

Newark, New Jersey's Beneficence keeps the interesting collaborations coming. Following his Masta Ace-featured "When The Sun Come," Bene' brings in another 1980s alum in MC Eiht. While Brick City and Hub City are more than 3,000 miles apart, the two rhyme veterans find common ground on "Anyway It Goes." The... Read more

January 6, 2016 Audio

New Year, So Black Milk Takes His Sound To A Whole New Place (Audio)

Black Milk's artistic evolution is interesting, and often tends to be demarcated by the calendars. Entering 2016, the Random Axe co-founder keeps his Electronic-tinged sounds in tact. However, B.M.'s arrangement and accents get a bit more spacey and celestial in making "Like I Need It All." The self-produced track takes... Read more

January 6, 2016 Audio

“12 Years a Slave” Writer John Ridley Is Turning Real-Life Tragedy Into Powerful Forms of Art (Audio)

John Ridley is an award-winning screenwriter whose celebrated works in film include 12 Years a Slave, a powerful film for which he won the 2013 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Longtime fans of his love him for the writing he did on iconic television shows like The Fresh Prince... Read more

January 5, 2016 Audio

Freeway’s Soulful Mixtape Features Beats By J Dilla & A Jake One Reunion (Audio)

It has been nearly four years since Freeway released an official mixtape. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC and State Property member returned to the medium in early 2016 with Fear Of A Free Planet. Following a year that witnessed Freezer publicly battle kidney disease and lose close friend and collaborator The... Read more

January 5, 2016 Audio, Mixes

Listen To The Best Hip-Hop Of December 2015 In One Playlist (Audio)

The number of Hip-Hop releases in December slowed, but the quality did not. In fact, it was one of the densest months of the year in terms of audio dope. Here's a playlist of the best the month had to offer. You'll hear music from PRhyme (DJ Premier & Royce... Read more

January 4, 2016 Audio

Nappy Roots Expertly Blend That Southern Soul With Concrete Grit (Audio)

While it's been more than a decade since the Nappy Roots were shooting up the charts with major label backing, the Bowling Green, Kentucky collective has pushed on consistently. In the last six years, Skinny DeVille, B. Stille, and Fish Scales have made several albums, including Nappy Dot Org, with... Read more

January 4, 2016 Audio

Fat Joe, Diamond D & A.G. Show They’re Still Diggin’ For Perfection (Audio)

2016 is off to a promising start for the storied collective known as Diggin' In The Crates. First, D.I.T.C.'s "underboss," Lord Finesse released a top-of-year DJ mix. Now, three members are back in action, together. Fat Joe and his onetime mentor, Diamond D join A.G. for "Make Em So Proud."... Read more

January 4, 2016 Audio

BJ The Chicago Kid Celebrates D’Angelo On A Special Anniversary (Audio)

BJ The Chicago Kid has stepped into the role of one of Motown Records' biggest male soloists. While the Illinois native's albums have been lower-key in the case of 2012's Pineapple Now-Laters, he is gearing up for a hefty 2016 care of In My Mind. Meanwhile, as BJ's discography is... Read more

January 2, 2016 Audio

Stream Murs & 9th Wonder’s Brighter Daze Album (Audio)

Just hours ago, it was announced that Murs & 9th Wonder's sixth album would release today (December 31). Heads can now dive right into Brighter Daze, the first in the duo's catalog, since 2012. Rapsody, Problem, Mac Miller, Bad Lucc are the guests among the Jamla Records LP's 12 tracks.... Read more

December 31, 2015 Audio

Skillz’s Rap Up Masterfully Covers The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Of 2015 (Audio)

Like clockwork, Skillz serves up his annual summary of the year that was, with a masterful rap. There is nothing like his blow by blow rhyme to remind us all of the good, bad and often bizarre happenings of 2015. In his latest installment, Skillz covers seemingly everything that dominated... Read more

December 31, 2015 Audio

RZA Raps On A Razor Sharp Remix Inspired By The Hateful 8 (Audio)

Adrian Younge has become one of the most successful Wu-Tang Clan affiliates of the 2010s. The producer/musician (and member of PRhyme) has made several heralded albums with Ghostface Killah in the 36 Reasons To Die saga. Additionally, the Los Angeles, California native has worked extensively with RZA and other Clansmen... Read more

December 31, 2015 Audio

Kendrick Lamar Witnessed His First Murder When He Was 5 Years Old (Audio)

Kendrick Lamar recently spoke, at length, with NPR. While fans of Kendrick likely have heard bits and pieces of a number of the subjects Kendrick addressed in the interview, he reflected on a number of deeply personal topics in greater detail than he often does, outside of his most introspective... Read more

December 29, 2015 Audio

Mobb Deep Revisted a Classic Eminem Track to Show Off a Different Flow (Audio)

For 21 weeks, DJ Absolut has been dropping heat for his ongoing Mixtape Mondays series and today's installment features infamous Queensbridge duo Mobb Deep. Havoc and Prodigy can be heard delivering some serious freestyle measures over Eminem's 2000 sinister single, "The Way I Am." In its original form, the song... Read more

December 28, 2015 Audio

Pusha T & Beanie Sigel Make A Snow Powdered Collabo That Closes 2015 With A Bang (Audio)

Pusha T's newly-released King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude packs a lot of punch. The sophomore studio album features production by Q-Tip, Kanye West, Timbaland, J. Cole, and Puff Daddy, as well as appearances by Jill Scott, The-Dream, and Re-Up Gang's Ab-Liva. One of the most interesting appearances... Read more

December 26, 2015 Audio

Timbaland’s New Song With Unreleased Aaliyah Vocals Sounds Like Their Vintage Music (Audio)

Over the years some tracks with unreleased Aaliyah vocals have surfaced, including the high profile "Enough Said," featuring Drake. Those songs often have been met with mixed reviews, with some believing the music did not add to her legacy. However, when Timbaland announced he was releasing a new mixtape on... Read more

December 25, 2015 Audio

Kxng Crooked Takes A Rare Jay Z Beat & Gets Absolutely Savage (Audio)

2015 has been a relatively quiet year for Kxng Crooked (pka Crooked I). The part-time Slaughterhouse member and full-time wordsmith did not have a full album or mixtape release, though he did drop a few poignant raps about police brutality, trying circumstances he overcame and other substantive messages. As the... Read more

December 24, 2015 Audio

Golden Rules Makes A Holiday Song That Celebrates All That Goes Into Giving (Audio)

This year, some of the best holiday music has been drenched in reality. Macy Gray's "All I Want For Christmas" looked at bigger issues (Black Lives Matter, poverty, world peace) on her personal Christmas list. Now, Golden Rules, the Lex Records duo of Paul White and Eric Biddines makes a... Read more

December 24, 2015 Audio

38 Hours of Hip-Hop Playlists Map Out Hip-Hop’s Early Phases. Was Anything Left Out? (Audio)

The web has made it possible for anyone with the interest, time, and energy to create individual worlds which can then be shared with the masses. Perhaps nowhere is this most evidently displayed than in the world of playlists, which dominate much of the streaming digital landscape of today. From... Read more

December 21, 2015 Audio

DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Holiday Groove Has More Than A Touch Of Jazz (Audio)

DJ Jazzy Jeff knows how to do holidays right. His and MICK's Summertime mixtape series have made the Summer months even hotter. This time, as the year comes to a close, the West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hip-Hop legend sprinkles a new track on fans. "Xmas Is Coming!!" is a straightforward Jazz... Read more

December 20, 2015 Audio

Busta Rhymes Is Still A Dragon. He Spits Fire Like It’s God’s Plan (Audio)

It's been a while since Busta Rhymes dropped a lyrical napalm bomb, but the 25+ year veteran MC could not let the year end without reminding all that he's still a dungeon dragon breathing that fire. Fresh off announcing that he will be releasing a new mixtape on Christmas, titled... Read more

December 18, 2015 Audio