News Archives

Lupe Fiasco’s Metaphors Extend With A Yoga-Inspired Message To The People (Audio)

Lupe Fiasco's Tetsuo & Youth is slated to drop on January 20. With the day on its way, the 1st & 15th veteran star graced the new year, and new month, with some music. 'Lu, who is often praised for his ear for production sources, turned to hit-maker DJ Dahi... Read more

January 5, 2015 Audio, Fresh

Aesop Rock Unleashes Two Sinister New Songs Filled With Cynicism & Wordplay (Audio)

Aesop Rock's solo interests have been largely quieted since 2012's Skelethon album (which marked a charting pinnacle for the veteran). Focused on his Hail Mary Mallon crew, and other artistic interests, the Def Jukie-turned-Rhymesayer spent most of 2013 and 2014 in such a mind-frame. 2015 returns to form, directionally as... Read more

January 5, 2015 Audio, Fresh

It’s a New Year and Young Buck is Having His Cake and Eating it Too (Video)

"Y'all don't know how hard it is to keep 50 calm...Imagine a soldier talking to the Don, saying "That's enough cuz. The war is won...'" Young Buck goes in over Drake's "Pound Cake" beat and commands it like a warrior rising up the ranks. There's a lot of real talk... Read more

January 4, 2015 Video

Master P Releases His Power No Limit/Young Money Collabo with Lil Wayne (Audio)

Master P shook up the Hip-Hop world last week when he announced he and Lil Wayne were working on a song together, representing a No Limit and Cash Money/Young Money collaboration of the highest order. Today (1/4), he releases the song, which is their first ever collaboration. It's aptly-titled "Power."... Read more

January 4, 2015 Audio

RIP Stuart Scott. The Hip-Hop Nation Has Lost Its Sports Anchor Icon (Video)

Tragically, Stuart Scott, longtime ESPN sports anchor, died this morning at the age of 49, after a long battle with cancer. Scott re-defined broadcast sports journalism with his fusion of consummate professionalism with swagger, trademark catchphrases and an ethos that embodied the Hip-Hop generation. We send our deepest condolences to... Read more

January 4, 2015 Video

Start the New Year with Some Old School Videos (Playlist)

Should old acquaintance be forgot...never that. Today, we ring in the new year with some Old School. Here's a video playlist featuring Nas, Common, OutKast, The Roots, Black Moon, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, The Beatnuts, a rare performance by The Notorious B.I.G. & Method Man and more. Check it... Read more

January 3, 2015 Playlists, Throwback

When Stitched Together, Ludacris’ Ludaverses Is A Sharp Reminder Of Lyrical Prowess (Audio)

For several weeks now, Ludacris has been dropping little tidbits of promotion. "Ludaverses" have been one and two-minute drops of the Atlanta, Georgia mainstay freestyling with tracks. On their own, these nuggets spoke to core DTP fans, especially those wanting to see the Def Jam Records superstar free from concept... Read more

January 2, 2015 Audio, Fresh

Lil Wayne to Release a Song With…Master P. Catch the Snippet (Video)

In the same two-week span that saw LL Cool J and Canibus set aside more than 17 years of differences, another Hip-Hop beef may be coming to an end. Lil Wayne and Master P have never exactly been nemeses, New Orleans, Louisiana has played host to a longstanding rivalry between... Read more

January 2, 2015 Fresh, Video

Do Remember: Killer Mike & M.O.P. – Push Back (Audio)

With Killer Mike on the minds of Ambrosia For Heads staff and readers this week, "Do Remember" looked deep within the Adamsvillain's catalog this week. Back in 2008, Killer Mike was in a major transition. The MC now stealing the show alongside El-P with Run The Jewels was in the... Read more

January 2, 2015 Audio, Throwback

Dipset’s Core 4 Members Are Together, Recording A New Mixtape

2015 marks five years since Cam'ron and Jim Jones laid to rest their differences, and began what has become a slow crawl back to restoring The Diplomats activity. In 2010, the clique was photographed in the studio with Dr. Dre, an artist who had never previously worked with Cam'ron, Jim... Read more

January 2, 2015 Fresh

Atmosphere Release a Visually-Arresting New Video for January on Lake Street (Video)

For a group that did not always have videos at their disposal in the '90s and early 2000s, Atmosphere's made up for lost time. The Rhymesayers Entertainment duo—which now includes a full band—released another Top 10 debut in 2015 in Southsiders. Slug and Ant are still working the LP. "January... Read more

January 2, 2015 Fresh, Video

Snoop Dogg Makes 2015 Funktafied With A Dam-Funk & Daz Dillinger Double-Take (Audio)

It's always a celebration for Snoop Dogg. Tha Doggfather brings in the new year by heating up one of his many, many side projects. 7 Days Of Funk brought Snoop to Stones Throw Records to link with producer/vocalist Dam-Funk for a retro, free-form 2013 Funk project that brought each Southern... Read more

January 2, 2015 Audio, Fresh

Action Bronson & Alchemist Hot Box With B-Real, Talk Wrestling & Cookbooks (Video)

B-Real's Smokebox TV is a cool series for unrestricted, totally different interviews. The Cypress Hill front-man gets stoned with his friends and peers in what appears to be an old 1980s Cadillac Fleetwood sedan, somewhere in a garage (other episodes are in other cars and locales). While plenty of Rap... Read more

January 2, 2015 Fresh, Video

Kool Keith Officially Supports This Limited Edition Dr. Octagon Action Figure

While some Kool Keith fans—including Ice-T—tend to celebrate the Bronx, New Yorker's Ultramagnetic MC's days, a large contingency asserts that Keith's finest work was in fact in the mid-1990s. After all, it was then, in the early days of a solo career, that the lyricist made Sex Style, as well... Read more

January 2, 2015 Fresh, Throwback

Men Of The Year: How Killer Mike & J. Cole Represented Hip-Hop Honorably In 2014 (Food For Thought)

Happy 2015 from Ambrosia For Heads! As we, as Heads, reflect on the year that was, it's important to look for the specific individuals that made it great. In Hip-Hop, this year was something of a rarity, where a spectrum of nominees could be argued for "Album Of The Year."... Read more

January 1, 2015 Food for Thought, Fresh

Kanye West Ends 2014 with a Moving Collaboration with Paul McCartney (Audio)

Kanye West closes down 2014 and opens the new year with a beautiful track dedicated to his daughter, North "Nori" West. The song, titled "Only One," features West singing from the heart over keys played by the legendary Sir Paul McCartney. Check it out. Click here to purchase "Only One."... Read more

January 1, 2015 Audio

Nipsey Hussle Releases a New Mixtape Right Under the Wire. Get Your Mailbox Money (Mixtape)

Nipsey Hussle ends the year with a bang. He drops off his new Mailbox Money mixtape right under the wire. While he offered copies of his last mixtape, Crenshaw, for sale at $100 a pop (100 of which were purchased by Jay Z), he ups the ante with this one.... Read more

December 31, 2014 Mixes

Amerigo Gazaway Does It Again with an Amazing New De La Soul + Fela Kuti Blend (Audio)

Over the years, producer/DJ Amerigo Gazaway has put together some amazing blend projects. His 2012 Bizarre Tribe mix combining the sounds of A Tribe Called Quest and The Pharcyde was one of the year's best, as was this year's Yasiin Gaye project fusing music from Yasiin Bey and Marvin Gaye.... Read more

December 31, 2014 Audio

You Maybe Missed Ali Shaheed’s “Black Lives Matter” Commentary, But It Stands Tall (Video)

Earlier this month, Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest, Lucy Pearl, NPR Hip-Hop) made a song in support of the Black Lives Matter protests. The highly-respected Queens, New Yorker works as he was portrayed in Beats, Rhymes & Life: quietly. However, in making "CPR" with Merna, JaPoet and David... Read more

December 31, 2014 Fresh, Video

David Banner Shuts Decembers Down. Burning Thumbs Is An Uncomprising Look Back At ’14 (Audio)

One of the greatest albums released after the year-end album lists in recent years was 2010's Death Of A Pop Star by David Banner & 9th Wonder. Not out for media accolades, the jarring commentary resonated with many, in an odd year for music. Now, for 2014, the Crooked Lettaz... Read more

December 31, 2014 Audio, Fresh

AFH:14 Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2014 (Food For Thought)

2014 was a special year in Hip-Hop music. Rather than a usual suspect front-running in spotlight, this was a democratic crop of albums—where new artists made cohesive introductory works, veterans advanced their skillsets and redefined their reputations, and underground MCs challenged the mainstream. There were artists who released multiple works,... Read more

December 31, 2014 Featured-homepage, Food for Thought

Macklemore Gets Deep About Race, White Appropriation, Grammy Awards & His Biggest Mistake (Video)

In addition to all of the great things that happened in music, especially Hip-Hop, for 2014, there have been some uncomfortable moments. As art parallels life, and life parallels art, America witnessed murders, arrests, protests, actions (and non-actions) and other public issues raise the question of racial equality. In Hip-Hop... Read more

December 31, 2014 Fresh, Video

Who Would You Try, Dej Loaf, T.I. or Young Jeezy? (Audio)

Dej Loaf's break out hit of 2014 gets a super-charged remix. After unofficial re-takes from the likes of The Lox and Raekwon, T.I. and Young Jeezy jump on the official next version of "Try Me." Check it out. Related: The Lox Take Dej Loaf’s Try Me and Make it Their... Read more

December 30, 2014 Audio

Easy Mo Bee Partners With Chuck D’s SLAMJamz For January Album

Easy Mo Bee produced hit records for both 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. He kicked in the door with Big Daddy Kane, and helped Miles Davis close shop in style. The iconic Brooklyn, New York producer/DJ for Hip-Hop, Jazz, and R&B continues to stay dedicated to his love of music.... Read more

December 30, 2014 Fresh

A Year Isn’t A Year Until Skillz’ Wraps It Up With His Rap. 2014, Salute! (Audio)

In less than 48 hours, 2014 is in the bag. Even though he reportedly swore he wouldn't do it anymore a few years back, Skillz pleased the people with a signature "Rap Up." For 2-0-1-4, the Virginia MC chronicles everything, from the lighter hearted (Rick Ross' weight loss, Pharrell's takeover,... Read more

December 30, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Ready for That NWA Film? Here’s a Look at the Trailer…Hood Style (Video)

Hip-Hop fans went crazy at the announcement last year that the long-rumored biopic about N.W.A. would become a reality in 2015 and had the official co-sign from founding members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. At a recent event, Ice Cube gave a sneak preview of the trailer for the film... Read more

December 30, 2014 Video

Joey Bada$$ Keeps Great Music Rolling On & On in 2014 (Audio)

2014 may be coming to a close but Joey Bada$$ is not letting up. After releasing several high quality songs from his promising forthcoming debut album B4 Da $$, "On & On" may be his finest yet. The smooth jazz track, which features Maverick Sabre and Pro Era’s Dyemond Lewis,... Read more

December 30, 2014 Audio

Mick Jenkins Releases the Explosive 11 in Response to Eric Garner’s Death (Audio)

Mick Jenkins' new song "11" is a tour de force. In little more than three minutes, he artfully, intelligently and powerfully addresses the racism that still plagues our country, the downward cycle of selling drugs, the increasing surveillance of us all by the government and corporations, our feeding into the... Read more

December 30, 2014 Audio

It Gets No Grimier Than Sean Price on The Magik (Audio)

Sean Price teams up with Royal Flush and Foul Monday for some super griminess on "The Magik." The sparse, dark track allows each to settle in the pocket and wage war with words. Check it out. Related: Your Old Droog Joins Lil Fame, Sean Price & Milano On This Dusty... Read more

December 30, 2014 Audio

MC Ren Calls Out Lazy Radio DJs & Wack Playlists In A New Song (Audio)

Since the N.W.A. days, MC Ren has never run from the issues. The iconic Compton, California lyricist has asserted equality for race, religion, and understanding for nearly 30 years. Taking a look at the present day commercial radio format, Ren decries "Burn Radio Burn" on a fresh and charged E-A-Ski... Read more

December 30, 2014 Audio, Fresh

5 Things That Made Hip-Hop Proud in 2014 (Food For Thought)

Looking at the culture, 2014 had plenty to offer. In addition to the albums, the mixtapes, the songs, and the videos, there was real action. The year, from the Hip-Hop vantage point, brought everlasting history in some areas, and demanded change in others. The culture, the players, and the people... Read more

December 30, 2014 Featured-homepage, Food for Thought, Fresh

Stream and Download More Than 35 of the Best Mixtapes of 2014 (Mixtapes)

2014 was a year of incredibly diverse mixtape offerings. There were amazing blend projects like Yasiin Gaye which combined Mos and Marvin, beat-jacking tapes like Jon Connor's amazing takeover of Kanye West tracks, albums in disguise like Travi$ Scott's Days Before Rodeo, remix wonders like Soul Cookin's complete re-imagination of... Read more

December 29, 2014 Mixes

Phonte, DJ Premier & Royce Da 5’9″ Geek Out About Rap, Memories & Battles (Video)

Structure isn't everything in Hip-Hop interviews. Sometimes organic, natural, nonrestrictive discussions go a heck of a lot farther. In their ongoing PRhyme media campaign, DJ Premier and Royce Da 5'9" get an unlikely guest in Phonte. The Stashed orchestrates a casual discussion about a number of things with these three... Read more

December 29, 2014 Fresh, Video

Pimp C Remembered On His 41st Birthday By Bun B, Too Short, Paul Wall & More (Video)

Today (December 29), Chad "Pimp C" Butler would have turned 41 years old. Sadly, the UGK icon passed away seven years ago this month from a heart attack. However, even without him in the flesh, the Port Arthur, Texas MC/producer's impact upon music continues to permeate, from Drake and Big... Read more

December 29, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

Late Producer of Run-D.M.C., Whodini & The Fat Boys Honored by DJ Eclipse Mix (Audio)

Over the Christmas holiday, Non-Phixion member and Halftime Radio Show DJ/host DJ Eclipse paid homage to Larry Smith, the iconic bassist and Hip-Hop producer who died earlier this month (December 18). Smith is remembered for helping cultivate the sound of the mid-1980s, through work with Whodini, Run-DMC, The Fat Boys,... Read more

December 29, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Throwback

With Sounds By The Roots & J Dilla, Preview Snippets Of Joey Bada$$’s B4.Da.$$ (Audio)

Over the weekend, the full artwork, tracklisting and production credits for Joey Bada$$' studio debut, B4.Da.$$ (January 20) were released: 1. Save The Children (prod by Statik Selektah) 2. Greenbax (prod by Lee Bannon) 3. Paper Trails (prod. by DJ Premier) 4. Piece of Mine (prod by Freddie Joachim) 5.... Read more

December 29, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Here’s a Remix of Big Pun’s Beware by Legendary Producer Domingo (Audio)

Domingo opens up his bountiful vault and releases another Big Pun gem. The remix to "Beware" is from Domingo's Pun EP, Bronx Legends Never Die. Related: Domingo Re-Releases Some Rare Big Pun, Fat Joe, Shaq & Easy Mo Bee (Audio)... Read more

December 29, 2014 Audio

Shabaam Sahdeeq’s New Collabo Project Includes Ras Kass, Rah Digga, Masta Ace & Harry Fraud (Mixtape)

Brooklyn, New York veteran MC Shabaam Sahdeeq has maintained an illustrious underground Hip-Hop career for more than 17 years. S-Dub, as he's also known, has combined Lyricist Lounge-tested MC wordplay with '80s and '90s BK imagery that made everybody from Sean Price to Ill Bill, Skyzoo to Kool G Rap... Read more

December 29, 2014 Audio, Featured-homepage, Fresh, Mixes

LL Cool J: Do You Prefer the Lover or the Fighter? (Audio)

Over the last 30 years (yep, you read that right...), there has not been an MC who better straddled the line between lover and fighter than LL Cool J. James Todd Smith has been both the rapper that ladies loved with Hip-Hop ballads like "I Need Love" and "Hey Lover,"... Read more

December 28, 2014 Audio

Waka Flocka Jacks Beats From Nas, Tribe, D.O.C., Mobb Deep and SPITS?? That’s Right…(Audio)

Almost two weeks ago, Waka Flocka Flame rattled even his biggest skeptics with "3:30," a lyrical clinic over-top of J. Cole's "Fire Squad" instrumental. The response was overwhelming for the Brick Squad Monopoly rapper who isn't given his credit as "an MC" just every day. So what does he do... Read more

December 28, 2014 Audio, Fresh

G-Unit Hosts A Ferrari Caravan In Times Square, En Route To The Club (Video)

G-Unit has reason to celebrate. At the start of 2014, 50 Cent's collective was seemingly non-existent, with even the core members Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Fif estranged. By late December, with Kidd Kidd added and Young Buck back in the mix, it feels like a decade ago. No longer... Read more

December 28, 2014 Fresh, Video

Revisit The Mind-Melting Beastie Boys VHS Classic, Skills To Pay The Bills (Video)

Often living in the shadow of other Beastie Boys releases, Check Your Head is an excellent progression for the New York City trio. The April, 1992 Capitol Records release maintained a chunk of the sampling and technical advancements made on 1989's Paul's Boutique, but also welcomed some of the group's... Read more

December 28, 2014 Throwback

Premier & Royce Talk About Fighting Through the Hard Times and Being in a Good Place (Audio)

Here's a deceptively candid interview of PRhyme (DJ Premier & Royce Da 5'9") by NW3 Radio. After glossing over fascinating stories like Rock the Bells once offering Gang Starr $2 million to perform and Rakim once being arrested at a Royce show in NYC, the two men speak from the... Read more

December 27, 2014 Audio

Capone-N-Noreaga Reunite With Tragedy Khadafi, Join Raekwon For Flame-Thrower (Audio)

For fans of that militant Queens, New York Hip-Hop, December has been mighty healthy. First Tragedy Khadafi released Pre Magnum Opus, a street album available in full, free stream. Then, Tragedy's star pupils of the mid-1990s, Capone-N-Noreaga revamp their Thugged Out Militainment roster and imprint, and release the digital compilation... Read more

December 27, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Remember This Rakim, KRS-One, Erick Sermon, Chubb Rock & MC Serch Freestyle (Video)

As we gear up for Round 2 of our Battle for the GOAT, there is no doubt that Rakim and KRS-One will be atop many people's lists of the greatest MCs of all time. So, as a sneak preview, here's a look back at part of one of the legendary... Read more

December 27, 2014 Throwback

Do Remember: Shaqueen – Shaqueen Rules (Audio)

From Bumpy Knuckles, to MF DOOM, to NYOIL, Hip-Hop has seen some powerful re-inventive forces with artists. To Heads with deeper knowledge of mid-1990s New York Hip-Hop, Shaqueen certainly comes to mind. In the early 2000s, Shaqueen was reinvented as "Ma Barker," a member of (her spouse) Kool G Rap's... Read more

December 26, 2014 Audio, Throwback

Here Are the Best Freestyles of 2014. Nothing. But. BARS (Video)

Contrary to popular belief, a freestyle does not have to be an "off the top" verse, at least according to Big Daddy Kane and Kool Moe Dee, if you take them as credible sources. Says Kool Moe Dee in his book, There's a God on the Mic: "There are two... Read more

December 26, 2014 Featured-homepage, Video

Hopsin’s Rap Retirement Revealed To Be A Prank…

UPDATE: Following Hopsin's December 18 Instagram retirement announcement and photograph (as reported below), the Funk Volume MC now calls his declaration "a prank." In a new 78-second video titled "The REAL Reason Hopsin Left The Music Industry," alongside Hopsin's artist Jarren Benton and inspired by the film Dumb and Dumber To,... Read more

December 26, 2014 Fresh

Ice-T Interviews Kool Keith, & The Ultramagnetic MC Explains Creating His Groundbreaking Style (Audio)

Heads may not know this, but back in 2000, Ice-T and Kool Keith made an album together in Pimp To Eat. The Analog Brothers, consisting of Keith, Ice, Marc Live, Black Silver, and Rex, was believed to be a response (largely on Keith's part) to RZA's "Bobby Digital" persona. The... Read more

December 26, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Funkmaster Flex, DJ Red Alert & Chuck Chillout Hit Airwaves With 5 Hours Of Master-Mixes (Audio)

For Funkmaster Flex's Christmas Eve show (December 24) Wednesday night on HOT 97, the Bronx, New York DJ invited some of his peers and inspirations to the Manhattan studios. Hip-Hop pioneers Kool DJ Red Alert and Chuck Chillout joined Flex for five hours of merry Hip-Hop from three icons of... Read more

December 26, 2014 Audio, Fresh, Throwback