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Break Out Your Shiny Suits, Puff Daddy & Ma$e Make New Music Together (Audio)

After appearing together at 2013's OVO Fest in Toronto as well as the storied Beats By Dre live-playlist party before the Grammy Awards, Puff Daddy and Ma$e appear to be in full force. The Bad Boy Records mogul, and mentor to Ma$e throughout the mid-to-late 1990s linked up with one... Read more

A Day Later, Angie Martinez Announces Power 105 Is Her New Home

The good news: Angie Martinez is staying on radio. The bad news: For almost 24 hours, Heads (New York tri-state ones, especially) were duped into believing that Ang's HOT 97 exit was her farewell to radio. Au contraire. Today (June 19), it was announced that the Bronx native is headed... Read more

Watch Out For Chicago’s Chris Crack On #JackedTape (Mixtape)

What would you do if you just got robbed? While most people may find themselves in a fit of rage with no outlet, up and coming Chicago artist Chris Crack a.k.a. "Captain James Withers" stuck himself in the studio and turned a 36 hour recording session into his latest project,... Read more

Big Gipp Brings A New Single Out With Cee-Lo Sounding Especially Worldly (Audio)

Blood runs thicker than water in The Dungeon Family. Through label-drama and creative impasses, Big Boi and Andre 3000 stayed working together, even if not in the traditional Outkast capacities. When Jive Records baller-blocked 3 Stacks from rapping on Sir Lucious Left Foot, 'Dre let his production skills tell the... Read more

Tariq Trotter Meets Harry Potter, As Black Thought Has Latenight TV Fun (Video)

The Roots are so much more than a "house band" for "The Tonight Show." The Philadelphia crew, long-labeled as one of host Jimmy Fallon's favorite acts, has been interwoven into the show's nightly sketches, comedy, and a heavy hand in collaborating with various musical guests. At the request of one... Read more

Mac Miller Lets Go Of A Pete Rock-Produced Track Featuring ScHoolboy Q (Audio)

One year ago this week (June 18 to be exact), Mac Miller released his critical sophomore album, Watching Movies With The Sound Off. Famously released the same day as Kanye West's Yeezus, and J. Cole's Born Sinner, many Heads professed that the then-Rostrum Records MC made the best album within... Read more

The O.G. Turntablist/Producer DJ Scratch Remixes Nas’ It Ain’t Hard To Tell (Audio)

Back in 1994, DJ Scratch was relatively quiet. Transitioning from his run as EPMD's DJ, the New Yorker was gearing up to work closely with Busta Rhymes on establishing a sound for the Leaders Of The New School front-man's next wave, Flipmode Squad. Heads in '94 did hear Scratch however,... Read more

Black Milk Looks At Risk-Rewards With For What It’s Worth (Audio)

Despite chart success, major label placements, and a celebrated catalog, Black Milk is still an underdog—especially in his native Detroit. On "For What It's Worth," B.M. looks at the disdain from haters and misunderstanders, and why great art doesn't necessarily equate to big ends. Self-produced, dreamy, and brutally honest...this is... Read more

Cormega Is The Self-Proclaimed Rap Basquiat, On A Large Professor Groove (Audio)

From the recluse to the disenchantment with fame, to the exceptional, enduring body of work, Cormega and Jean-Michel Basquiat aren't all that different. After all, they are two New Yorkers from a special era in time that took their city's image and represented it with style and grace. From justifying... Read more

Add-2 & Nitty Scott, MC Channel The Depression-Era Sound For A Bonnie & Clyde Cut (Audio)

Aside from OutKast's Idlewild LP, Hip-Hop rarely goes back to the 1930s for inspiration. Add-2 and Nitty Scott, MC ignored the memo, as the Chi-City voice of hope and the Brooklyn-based flower-child put on new costumes in art and in verse. Not like Jay Z & Beyonce's rendition of Bonnie... Read more

The Pharcyde’s Slimkid3 & DJ Nu-Mark Cook Up With Murs & Del (Audio)

Three years removed from the release of their EP, Another Day Another Dollar, and just over a year since their Rayman Legends inspired track with current Incubus drummer Jose Pasillas II and ex-Incubus bassist Alex “Dirk Lance” Katunich on "Picture Perfect Phantasy," Slimkid3 of The Pharcyde and Jurassic 5's DJ... Read more

Game Means Everything He Said In Bigger Than Me, Cause He Filmed It (Video)

What could've been dismissed as yet another "feeling myself in the booth" moment, Game's "Bigger Than Me" is bigger than that. The Compton star visioned the song as a single, with a Matt Alonzo-directed visual as deliberate and dramatic as the bars themselves. Themed in Horror-style, Game chainsaws his way... Read more

Common & Hype Williams Release a Visually Stunning Short Film for Kingdom (Video)

With its swelling Gospel chorus and Common's piercing lyrics about the plight facing his hometown of Chicago, it's hard to imagine his song "Kingdom" could be any more powerful. However, when you combine that penetrating soundtrack with the visuals of Hype Williams, the song soars to a new level. Williams... Read more

Angie Martinez Announces Final Day On Air, Resigns From HOT 97

After nearly 25 years at HOT 97, Angie Martinez announced today via social media platforms that she is resigning. Dating back to the 1980s, as a teenager, Angie, a Bronx native, began at the New York City-based station in one of their lowest capacities: answering phones, and paying dues. A... Read more

The N.W.A. Biopic is 100% Official…and it Has a Release Date

Last year, Ice Cube discussed the upcoming N.W.A biopic with Arsenio, which is being directed by F. Gary Gray (Friday, Set it Off), and it's been confirmed on numerous occasions, including by Dr. Dre. New details have surfaced, including cast names and a release date, that make the film all... Read more

GQ, Problem & Bad Lucc Create a New East/West Coast Connection over a 9th Wonder Beat (Audio)

If you're not familiar with GQ, 9th Wonder's latest protege, this is a good place to start. The North Carolina spitter's crisp lyrics penetrate 9th's dense beats with precision. He links with Problem and Bad Lucc, 2 of the finest of Cali's new generation on "Falls Down." Hip-Hop, stand up.... Read more

DJ Jazzy Jeff Recounts His Surprise Performance with The Fresh Prince on Graham Norton (Video)

Remember the surprise performance by DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Fresh Prince, Jaden Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro on The Graham Norton Show last year? Jeff breaks down the story of how it all came to pass in the latest episode of Vinyl Destination. It was not an easy trip...Check out the... Read more

Ep. 2 of The Message Documentary Covers East vs. West Beef, The Rise of The South & More (Full Video)

Part 2 of The Message, BET's 4-part documentary chronicling the history of Hip-Hop, covers the Bad Boy vs. Death Row beef, the rise of Southern Hip-Hop, the "bling" era, the attempted censorship of Rap music and more. The episode features commentary from Snoop, Uncle Luke, Master P, Juicy J, The... Read more

Get Ready. Chris Rock is Spreading the Black Plague…(Video)

Dave Chappelle is not the only comedic giant returning to stand up this year. Fresh off his announcement as host of the BET Awards, Chris Rock sat down with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show and told Fallon he is going on tour. Rock revealed the name is "The Black... Read more

It’s Not Just Studio & Stage, G-Unit Is Back With A Proper 4-Man Visual (Video)

Simple, but effective. G-Unit's first four-man video in over six years comes to the light. Just like 50 Cent's Animal Ambition roll-out, the clique goes back to the first song they cut since the Summer Jam stage. Called "Nah, I'm Talking About," the mixtape-style track on a Hit-Boy beat has... Read more

Scarface Says Album With Nas Is A 99.99% Done Deal (Audio)

Scarface sits down to talk with DJ Whoo Kid to discuss his rumored retirement, his refusal to work on more Geto Boys projects, his latest single, "No Problem," and the huge potential for an upcoming collaborative album with Nas. The potential for a Nas and Scarface album is incredibly enticing,... Read more

Ab-Soul & Lupe Fiasco Set Their Sights On Global Domination (Audio)

Less than two weeks away from the release of his latest album These Days, Top Dawg Entertainment artist Ab-Soul drops yet another single, "World Runners" featuring soft vocals from Nikki Jean and competitive lyricism from Chicago artist Lupe Fiasco. Ab and Lupe are no stranger to one another, as the... Read more

Joell Ortiz Is Finally Feeling Comfortable In His Own Shoes (Video)

Joell Ortiz is having quite the active first half of 2014. The Slaughterhouse affiliate has completed House Rules, a mixtape with the rest of the Shady Records Hip-Hop group, and has recently signed to Penalty Entertainment to assist in the release of his upcoming solo album, House Slippers. Housing such... Read more

T.I. Gives a Taste of Brazil That is Far From Mediocre in His Latest Visual (Video)

T.I. conducted a listening party in NYC earlier tonight at the School of Visual Arts. He had a spirited and engaging conversation with Lil Duval. As part of the talk, he told the story behind the video for No Mediocre, his collaboration with Iggy Azalea. He explained that, despite the... Read more

Action Bronson Chases Caribbean Cuisine In Miami, Sandwiches In Philly (Video)

Action Bronson's F*ck, That's Delicious food series for Noisey gets a much-needed follow-up episode. Bam Bam raids the I-95 corridor for goodies, from Miami to Atlanta, with a bonus stop in Philly. With plenty of humor along the way from Bronson as well as his just-released right-hand-man Big Body Bes,... Read more

Game Shakes It Up, Promises The Documentary 2, With Dr. Dre & Just Blaze

On January 18, 2005, Compton rapper Game made arguably one of the finest debut albums in Hip-Hop history with The Documentary. Eventually reaching multi-platinum status in the United States, the LP was a critical moment for West Coast Hip-Hop, which had not seen a breakout star commercially since the decline... Read more

Fabolous Wants You To Keep The S.O.U.L. Tape 3 In Your Playa (Video)

For 15 years, Fabolous has prided himself on a cinematic style. The Brooklyn mainstay and one of Def Jam's flagship artists is still hard at work promoting late 2013's The S.O.U.L. Tape 3. One of the mixtape's standouts was The Notorious B.I.G.-inspired "Playa." For the just-released visual, 'Loso rocks in... Read more

Joell Ortiz Joins In On Nicki Minaj’s Pills N’ Potions With Heartfelt Realness (Audio)

The same morning Joell Ortiz drops off the visual to a status-checking single in "House Slippers" with Penalty Records, the Bushwick, Brooklyn MC's other label, Shady Records, lets go of an unofficial remix to Nicki Minaj's "Pills N' Potions." On Barbz' single that's re-centering her abilities and direction, the former... Read more

50 Cent & G-Unit Rip Their Next Joint Over A Vintage Wu-Tang Clan Deep Cut (Audio)

As they motion towards a reported third studio album, G-Unit is incredibly active. The reunited lineup of 50 Cent, Young Buck, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks has hopped on instrumentals from Hit-Boy, Trey Songz, and Drake in the last two weeks. Now, the Hip-Hop heads (remember that Fif's favorite rapper... Read more

Futuristic Stamps One Out For Arizona In His Sway In The Morning Freestyle (Video)

Sway In The Morning has become a destination for artists to make severe noise with amazing freestyles. This should come as no surprise to anybody who ever listed to Sway & King Tech's The Wake Up Show, or heard Crooked I, Tech N9ne, and Eminem on an early gold-certified album... Read more

Murda Ma$e & Timbaland Come Together To Show Support For Jo’Zzy (Audio)

Calling himself "Murda" again (as in "Murda Ma$e"), Ma$e is back, alongside fellow 1990s peer Timbaland in support of Memphis, Tennessee rapper-songstress double-threat Jo'Zzy. "Tryna Wife" may be supported by veterans, but it's a whimsically, youth-themed song about guys hooked on females that they're desperately trying to wife down. With... Read more

Jon Conner, Isaiah Rashad, Vic Mensa & More Link With DJ Drama For 2014 XXL Freshmen (Mixtape)

In XXL magazine's ultra-expanded Freshmen roll-out, so comes the DJ Drama-helmed mixtape. While Chance The Rapper notably sat out the tape, other high-profile 2014 Freshmen including Isaiah Rashad (who is the only freshman this year who can claim a Top 40 album under his belt), Vic Mensa, and Jon Connor... Read more

Your Wish For New Raekwon Has Been Granted (Audio)

With the dispute between himself and the Wu-Tang squashed and seemingly no other road blocks in the way, Raekwon has the open door to release a slew of new content, including the flipped Brand Nubian sample on "Oh God" with Busta Rhymes and O.T. Genasis, his upcoming album F.I.L.A. (Fly... Read more

You Thought That They Were Gone For Good, But Dilated Peoples Are Back (Video)

Dilated Peoples, who have a vibrant underground following and most notably made their way onto the Billboard 100 ten years ago with John Legend and Kanye West on their collaborative track, "This Way," are back with all new material for your ears. The Los Angeles Hip-Hop collective meet out in... Read more

Game Calls Out XXL Freshmen Covers, Soft Lyrics & States What Class He’s In (Audio)

For the last decade, few artists are as outspoken as The Game. Between the storied beefs, DVD antics, the public squabbles, and mic-checking (and some subsequent truces with) everybody along the way from Joe Budden to Lil B to Ras Kass to Jay Z to Suge Knight, it's been an... Read more

Kendrick Lamar’s Versatility Continues To Expand, Appearing Alongside Lil Wayne & Future On A Mike WiLL Made It Beat (Audio)

Heads may forget, but one of Kendrick Lamar's breakthrough performances was all the way back in 2009, alongside Black Hippy cohort/mentor Jay Rock, and Lil Wayne on "Colors." Five years later, and the self-proclaimed "The Best Rapper Alive" on that cut may be feeling some pressure from his Compton cohort... Read more

Everybody Loves The Sunshine Of Summer, Which Is Perfect For A Dope Soul Sample-Source Mix (Mixtape)

Back in the day, Urb magazine was a top music publication. Covering several genres, this Los Angeles-based publication was front-and-center for House, Trance, Jungle, Drum & Bass, Techno, Breakbeat, and various integral 1990s and 2000s waves of Electronic Dance Music (long before Heads were calling it "EDM"). What was more,... Read more

Five Years Later, J. Cole Drops A Visual For Lights Please & A Letter To Fans (Video)

Time flies. Five years ago yesterday (June 15), J. Cole liberated one of the greatest free projects in recent memory. The Warm Up would be Cole's major introduction to the same masses who would help him reach Gold-status in his albums to come. One stand out track on that '09... Read more

Jay Z Adds A Soccer-Themed Verse To Remix X Ambassadors & Jamie N Commons’ Hit Jungle (Audio)

Between The Black Album and Kingdom Come, Jay Z picked and chose his spots to keep a reigning lyrical spot in Hip-Hop strong. From addressing the Roc-A-Fella break-up on "Diamonds Are Forever (Remix)" to the illusive, Hip-Hop and relationship-driven "Dear Summer" solo track on Memphis Bleek's 534 LP (which began... Read more

AFH Salutes the Father’s of Hip-Hop (Video Playlist)

In celebration of Father's Day, we salute some of the Fathers of Hip-Hop. Here's a video playlist with some key moments in time from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5, Afrika Bambaataa, The Rock Steady Crew, The Cold Crush Brothers, Kurtis Blow and more. Check it out. Related: Episode 1... Read more

Dave Chappelle Recalls Being Mistaken As A Member Of The Roots, Prince Laughing At Himself (Video)

Dave Chappelle had two critical media appearances in the past week. At the top of things, the Ohio native appeared on "The Late Show With David Letterman," discussing his absence from the spotlight, and walking away from $50 million from Comedy Central to fulfill a "Chappelle Show" contract. Later appearing... Read more

Isaiah Rashad Is Still Modest, Even When He’s In The Running For Rap Album Of 2014 (Video)

Isaiah Rashad has a XXL magazine cover (care of 2014's Freshmen class), and he's got a popular runner for the year's Album Of The Year, in his Cilvia Demo EP. The Chattanooga, Tennessee native's status has soared in the last 12 months. From the executive chair, Isaiah tells it how... Read more

O’My, Ab-Soul Is Hot These Days (Audio)

Ten days before the June 24 release, Ab-Soul reveals the title track to his album, These Days. "Swear to God, this the only time I use this flow," he proclaims. Soul epitomizes the cut in more ways than one as the song opens with the vocal prowess of Chicago's "band... Read more

Ice Cube Gets Mad For The Camera On Jimmy Kimmel Live (Video)

Jimmy Kimmel thinks that Ice Cube is pretty good at acting mad, and for good reason. Kimmel dims the lights as the former N.W.A. affiliate and current 22 Jump Street star cracks smiles (instead of faces) from the studio audience by reading nice things with an overly angry tone. And... Read more

Raz Simone Is Far From Where He Wants To Be, But He’s Getting Closer (Video)

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are currently the face of Seattle's scene, but for those on the outside of the Emerald City looking in, there are plenty of others who are steadily grinding their way to relevance in the Hip-Hop industry. One such name to keep your eye on is Raz... Read more

Buckshot’s Stories Reenacted At The Hip-Hop Improv Show (Video)

Hot 97 links up with Buckshot for the latest segment of "Take It Personal: The Hip-Hop Improv Show" at UCB East in New York City. The Black Moon affiliate shares stories about his career, Tupac, and his family for the "Tribe Called Yes" improv crew to reenact in front of... Read more

Philly Underground Vet MarQ Spekt Links With Aesop Rock’s Homie Blockhead & The Results Knock (Audio)

Philadelphia MC MarQ Spekt recently released a whole album with Cunninlynguists' MC/producer Kno. 2011's Machete Vision was an underground favorite in many circles. Now MarQ links with another veteran producer from the Underground Hip-Hop glory days, Blockhead. Block', who just made a stellar 2013 LP with Columbus, Ohio MC/poet/author Illogic... Read more

Mayhem Lauren Tears Down Two Ultra-Rare Vintage 1994 Buckwild Beats With Freestyles (Audio)

Throughout the just-released Silk Pyramids album, Queens' Mayhem Lauren ripped through some timeless Buckwild production on their shared bill. For two bonus cuts on the limited edition vinyl, 'Hem got to touch two rare Buck' (pictured) beats from the mid-1990s. Claiming freestyle, Mayhem went all the way in, in true... Read more

Styles P & Chris Rivers Have Trust Issues, But No Problem Busting Verses (Video)

One of the coldest cuts from Styles P's Phantom And The Ghost is "Never Trust." Assisted by Chris Rivers (who Styles has been cosigning for some time, long before his latest mixtape), this joint is all about not taking people at their word, and carefully navigating agendas. The bleek visuals... Read more

14 Years Ago Today, Slum Village Released Their Defining, Fantastic, Volume 2. AFH Took A Trip Down Memory Lane With The Remaining Founding Member, T3 (Food For Thought Interview)

Fourteen years ago today, the sentinels of Hip-Hop history were forced to chisel out a fraction of its foundation and infinitely reserve the section for a budding, yet unconventional trio's 68-minute audible depiction of the essence of life in Detroit, Michigan. Whether the culture of Hip-Hop comprehended the significance of... Read more