Food for Thought Archives

Kendrick Lamar interviews and XXL review (Video)

The (much-deserved) love for Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d. city album continues. Here are videos from 2DBZ and Google Play showcasing the talented MC (and members of the TDE family--Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Dave Free (his manager and longtime friend)) discussing the history of Kendrick, the stories behind the album and... Read more

October 24, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Kendrick Lamar – m.A.A.d. Monday: interviews and performances (Video)

It's been a m.A.A.d. Monday, indeed, and with good reason. Kendrick Lamar has dropped one of the most important albums in hip-hop in a long, long time. A lot of videos documenting Kendrick's journey have premiered today, including our own. Here's a playlist of some of the better ones, including... Read more

October 22, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Becoming: Nas (Video)

Here's another installment of the Becoming: Nas mini-documentary. In this part, Nas talks about Rock the Bells, the difference about performing now vs in 1994, his lack of motivation during the era of Nastradamus and more. It also features Large Professor giving some insights on Nas. Check out this episode... Read more

October 22, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Yasiin Bey: A Modern Marvel in Marvelous Times (Video)

Here's a cool video on Yasiin Bey (formerly the Mighty Mos Def). It features some recent performance footage and an interview with Yasiin where he talks about living in New Orleans, working with Mannie Fresh and more. Check Yasiin Bey: A Modern Marvel in Marvelous Times. Related: The making of... Read more

October 22, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Here’s an exclusive interview of Kendrick Lamar talking about just what it took for the good kid to make it out of the m.A.A.d. city (Video)

With good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Kendrick Lamar has dropped a modern day classic...but don't call it instant. This album was a lifetime in the making. Here's an interview of Kendrick where he talks about just what it took to get to this point. This was not 1, not 2, not... Read more

October 21, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

RZA speaks on the making of The Man With the Iron Fists (Article)

Here's a great article on the RZA from the New York Times. It gives an in-depth look into the making of The Man With the Iron Fists and the evolution of Bobby Digital. RZA discusses how Russell Crowe became involved in the project, his desire to do 10-12 more films,... Read more

October 21, 2012 Food for Thought

DJ Quik interview with Bootleg Kev (Video)

DJ Quik sits down and talks with Bootleg Kev about being underrated as a producer, working on new projects, his producers he admires, his favorite beat he ever produced, when he'll drop a new album and much more. Check out the video. Related: The Making of the 2012 BET Hip-Hop... Read more

October 17, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Each dropped game-changing first albums in 1993. Each is a legend for his respective coast and hip-hop, generally. As you can imagine, Snoop and RZA have a LOT to discuss. Check out the video of their conversation below (Video)

Related: Raekwon, Ghostface Killah & Kool G. Rap – Rivers of Blood (Audio)... Read more

October 17, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Yasiin Bey recites Muhammad Ali (Video)

A short version of Yasiin Bey reciting Muhammad Ali's "Float" poem surfaced a few months ago. Here's the full video. Check it out below. Related: Mister Cee - The Best of Black Star Mix (Mixtape)... Read more

October 17, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Ice Cube vs. Public Enemy (Playlist)

Many issues will be discussed tonight in presidential debate #2 but how many will be relevant to the hip-hop nation? Before we look forward, let's re-examine the history of the state of the union through the eyes of 2 of hip-hop's strongest political voices: Ice Cube and Chuck D. Here's... Read more

October 16, 2012 Audio, Food for Thought, Playlists, Throwback

RZA speaks on The Man With the Iron Fists and breaks down the music on the soundtrack (Video + Article)

Here's a double play from RZA on The Man With the Iron Fists. First up is a video of him talking about the making of the film and its soundtrack. Next, is a dope article where he breaks down every song on the soundtrack, song by song. Check out both... Read more

October 14, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Kendrick Lamar interview on the Bootleg Kev show (Video)

Here's a great interview with Kendrick Lamar. He goes deep about what to expect from good kid, m.A.A.D. city (10/22), the Compton record (it was from his first session ever with Dre), the evolution of California hip-hop, participating in the West Coast Cypher with legends like Snoop, DJ Quik, Xzibit... Read more

October 13, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Joe Budden makes his 2012-2013 NBA predictions (Video)

Joe Budden's new album A Loose Quarter drops on 11/23. Before then, Joey gets his prediction on for the 2012-2013 NBA season. Check out the video below to hear his top 5. Who you got this year? Related: Slaughterhouse interview with FUSE and playlist of their non-hip-hop musical influences (Video)... Read more

October 13, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

RZA interview on the Sway in the Morning Show (Video)

A brand new Wu banger dropped earlier today. Here's an interview with RZA on the Sway in the Morning Show discussing a new Wu album (to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of 36 Chambers), his new film The Man With the Iron Fists and more. Check out the video. Related: Wu-Tang... Read more

October 10, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Xzibit – Close Up Documentary (Video)

Here's a dope mini-documentary on Xzibit. It takes you through the story of his life before hip-hop, shows footage of him on tour and gives a glimpse of his preparation for the release of his new album Napalm. Check out Xzibit: Close Up. Related: Xzibit – Enjoy the Night ft... Read more

October 9, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Ski Beatz interview with Montreality (Video)

As Jay-Z's live stream from the Barclays Center draws closer (9:30 EST), here's an engaging interview with Ski Beatz, architect of early Jay-Z classics like Dead Presidents and Feelin' It, as well as tracks for Camp Lo, Curren$y, Murs, Stalley and many of today's underground kings. He talks about working... Read more

October 6, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

MC Eiht discusses his guest verse on Kendrick Lamar’s upcoming album

We mentioned hearing an incredible collabo between Kendrick Lamar and MC Eiht in our recap of Kendrick's listening session for good kid, m.A.A.d. city in NYC a couple of weeks ago. MC Eiht recently spoke to DUBCNN about the experience. You can read what he had to say below. Djeahh...Related:... Read more

October 4, 2012 Food for Thought

Behind the Scenes with DJ Quik at the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards Cyphers (Video)

DJ Quik talks about the origins of Cyphers, the difference between MCs and rappers and more behind the scenes at the BET Hip Hop Awards West Coast Cypher. Check out the video. Related: Sneak peek of the West Coast and Ruff Ryders Cyphers (Video)... Read more

October 4, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

9th Wonder to release collabo albums with both Murs and Buckshot on 11/13 (Video)

The mighty 9th Wonder is handling all the production on not 1 but 2 albums that will be released on November 13th. The will include The Final Adventure, his 5th and final collabo album with Murs and The Solution, his 3rd album with Buckshot. Check out a video featuring the... Read more

October 4, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Snoop Dogg & Action Bronson on GGN (Video)

Action Bronson stopped by Snoop's GGN (Double G Network) to talk hip-hop, food, critics and more. Check out the video. Related: Snoop discusses his change from Dogg to Lion (Video)... Read more

October 3, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Joey Bada$$ – The Montreality Interview (Video)

Joey Bada$$ sat down with Montreality and talked about, his biggest fear, keys to success, who he would have been in a previous lifetime, his desire to collaborate with Nas and much more. Check out the video below. Related: Joey Bada$$ - Rejex (Mixtape)... Read more

October 3, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Becoming: Nas (Video)

UPDATE: Part 2 is included below. Here's part 1 of a really dope mini-documentary on Nas. It features behind the scenes footage of him preparing to perform, interview footage, stories of his beginnings (watching MC Shan perform, Queensbridge, meeting Large Professor) and more. If you're a Nas fan, you need... Read more

October 1, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Kendrick Lamar – Interview + Toca Tuesdays Freestyle (Video)

Here's a double dose of Kendrick Lamar. First up is an interview where he discusses the status of his collaboration with J. Cole, why he respects Cole, what he talks about with Lady Gaga and more. Next is Kendrick's Toca Tuesdays Freestyle. Check out both videos below. Related: Kendrick Lamar... Read more

September 27, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Snoop Dogg and Dom Kennedy talk hip-hop, food, women and more (Video)

Here's a dope conversation between Snoop Dogg and Dom Kennedy, 2 generations of West Coast MCs. They discuss their influences, West Coast rap, women and more. The discussion takes place on a mock nightly news set and hilarity ensues. Check out the video. Related: A playlist celebrating the career of... Read more

September 25, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Murs and Fashawn interview each other at the Skatepark (Video)

Here's a really engaging conversation between Murs & Fashawn. The 2 talk about the common elements between skateboarding and hip-hop, the origin of their names, philanthropy, fatherhood and more. Check out the video.... Read more

September 21, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Kendrick Lamar reflects on his Career Path (Video)

Here's a cool interview of Kendrick Lamar where he breaks down the meaningful milestones of his career path. Check out the video. Related: A recap of Kendrick Lamar's 1st ever listening session for good kid, m.A.A.d city... Read more

September 21, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Ghostface Killah & Sheek Louch interview with fuse (Video)

Ghostface Killah and Sheek Louch dropped a red hot song last night. Here's an interview of the duo where they explain how they came together to record their forthcoming Wu-Block project, speak on 90's hip-hop and discuss current MCs they like (not surprisingly, Ghost likes Action Bronson). Check it out... Read more

September 20, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Kendrick Lamar Interviews & Freestyles (Video)

Here are 2 interviews of Kendrick Lamar and he drops a verse at the end of each. In the first interview, he discusses the album, cover art, a song called Black Boy Fly which addresses the cover and more, then flows over the Mobb Deep Eye for an Eye beat.... Read more

September 20, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Nas & Lauryn Hill Announce Life is Good/Black Rage Tour

Nas & Lauryn Hill are coming to a town near you (hopefully). The 2 announced a joint tour today called Life is Good/Black Rage. Check out the dates and locations below. Related: Nas performs Hate Me Now (Video) Oct. 6 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion (NAS ONLY) Oct.... Read more

September 19, 2012 Food for Thought

Here’s a recap of the first ever public listening session for Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city (Food for Thought)

Related: Kendrick Lamar freestyles on the Funkmaster Flex Show (Video) “Martin have a dream. Malcolm have a dream. Kendrick have a dream.” Those might not be the first words you hear on Kendrick Lamar’s album, but they were the first words we heard last night on the first of 9... Read more

September 19, 2012 Food for Thought

Kendrick Lamar speaks with fuse about good kid, m.A.A.d. city (Video)

Here's a great interview with Kendrick Lamar by fuse. Kendrick speaks in detail about the meaning of his album cover for good kid, m.A.A.d. city and also touches on the message of Swimming Pools (Drank) and what music means to him, generally (it's more than music...). Check out the video.... Read more

September 18, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap (Full Video)

We've posted a lot of content over the last few months from Ice-T's documentary Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap. Now, you can watch the whole film which features extensive interviews with Redman, Eminem, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Nas, Q-Tip, DJ Premier, Chuck D, Afrika Bambaataa, KRS-One and... Read more

September 14, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

DJ Premier speaks on life (Video)

Here's an incredibly compelling interview of DJ Premier. Rather than survey his career, the focus is on who he is as a human being. Primo talks about how thankful he is for life now; his first experiences with death; spending time with Guru's son and how life has changed since... Read more

September 14, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Dom Kennedy – DECODED: My Type of Party (Video)

Dom Kennedy is the latest to participate in the DECODED series. Check out the video of his breakdown of the lyrics to My Type of Party. Related: Dom Kennedy – Yellow Album (Mixtape)... Read more

September 14, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Kanye West and Dr. Donda West discuss one of his verses (Video)

Here's a really dope and candid video from back in the day of Kanye West and his mother Dr. Donda West discussing some of his verses. Check out the video. Related: Big Sean, Jay-Z & Kanye West – Clique (Audio)... Read more

September 14, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, m.A.A.d City (Artwork)

Kendrick Lamar's album Kendrick Lamar – Good Kid, m.A.A.d City drops on 10/22. Here's a look at the artwork. The top photo is for the standard edition and the bottom is the deluxe version. The countdown is on. Related: Kendrick Lamar – Westside, Right On Time ft Young Jeezy (Audio)... Read more

September 14, 2012 Food for Thought

Slaughterhouse – Interview + Crooked I Freestyle (Video)

Here's a double dose of Slaughterhouse. First up is an interview of Royce Da 5'9" and Crooked I where they give props to Black Hippy and next is a 7-minute a capella lyrical assault from Crooked I. Check out the videos below. Related: Slaughterhouse - On the House (Mixtape)... Read more

September 12, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap Outtakes (Video)

Ice-T's documentary Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap premieres on Vh1 tomorrow night at 9pm EST. Here are 4 sneak peeks from some of hip-hop's biggest icons. Nas speaks on why hip-hop isn't respected, Dr. Dre talks about working with Tupac, Eminem discusses the meaning rap has given to... Read more

September 12, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

DMX – Undisputed Short Film (Video)

DMX has long been one of the most enigmatic artists in hip-hop. Here's a short film that gives a window into the present day life of Dark Man X. Check it out. His new album Undisputed drops on Tuesday. Related: DMX – Sh*t Don’t Change ft Snoop Dogg (Audio)... Read more

September 9, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q interview with Page 31 (Video)

Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock spoke to Page 31 about the timing of a Black Hippy album (no time soon...), voting, how dope Kendrick's album is about to be and more. Check out the video. Related: Jay Rock - Yola (Audio)... Read more

September 7, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

E-40 vs. Nardwaur (Video)

E-40's interview with Nardwar is thorough, even by Nardwaur's standards. E-40 goes deep about his history and music old and new. This is a must for E-40 fans. Check it out. Related: Nardwaur vs. DJ Premier (Video)... Read more

September 7, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Mystikal & DJ Quik in the studio (Video)

Last week Mannie Fresh & Yasiin Bey dropped a video documenting their unexpected yet dope collabo. This week? It's Mystikal and DJ Quik's turn. Check out this behind the scenes video of them in the studio working on what sounds like it could be something special. Related: Here’s a playlist... Read more

September 6, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Q-Tip tells the story of writing his first rhyme (Video)

Here's a cool video of Q-Tip telling the story of the first time he over wrote a rhyme. This is an outtake from Ice-T's Something From Nothing documentary. Check it out. Related: Q-Tip – Black Fist Friday Mix (Mixtape)... Read more

September 5, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

The impact of Chris Lighty

The hip-hop community is still reeling from the sudden and tragic loss of Chris Lighty on Thursday. Here are links to 2 of the better articles written about both the impact Lighty had on hip-hop culture and the man, himself. First is an article written by Rob Kenner of Complex... Read more

September 1, 2012 Audio, Food for Thought

Big K.R.I.T. interview with Ashley Outrageous (Video)

Big K.R.I.T. talks with Ashley Outrageous about working with J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar on Khaled's album, his relationship with Big Boi, performing on national television and his favorite country ish. Check out the video. Related: DJ Khaled - They Ready ft Big K.R.I.T., J. Cole & Kendrick Lamar (Audio)... Read more

August 28, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

The Man With the Iron Fists Soundtrack (Tracklist)

The buzz is growing about RZA's upcoming Man With the Iron Fists film, and with good reason. Today, he released the artwork and tracklist for the soundtrack. The album will feature RZA, Kanye West, Pharoahe Monch, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Pusha T, Method Man, Talib Kweli, M.O.P., Kool G Rap and... Read more

August 27, 2012 Food for Thought

Lupe Fiasco discusses his new album and video on 106 & Park (Video)

Lupe Fiasco stopped by 106 & Park to talk about Food & Liquor 2 and his thought-provoking video for Bitch Bad. Check out the interview below. Related: Lupe Fiasco - Bitch Bad (Video)... Read more

August 25, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Mannie Fresh speaks with SoulCulture TV (Video)

Mannie Fresh is undoubtedly one of the most impactful producers in hip-hop. Many of today's beats were inspired by the sonic landscape he architected in the 90's during the first iteration of Cash Money. He's still in the game, working with G.O.O.D. Music on Cruel Summer and many more. Here's... Read more

August 22, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Nas speaks about the video for Bye Baby (Video)

Nas discusses the video for Bye Baby with Fuse. Check it out below. Related: Nas performs at Rock the Bells (Full Video)... Read more

August 21, 2012 Food for Thought, Video

Raekwon talks Wu history with the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. Leauge Pt. 3 (Video)

Here's part 3 or Raekwon's conversation with the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. In this installment, he discusses ODB's production skills and more. Check out the video below. Related: Raekwon discusses Only Built 4 Cuban Linx with the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League (Video)... Read more

August 20, 2012 Food for Thought, Video