T.I. in the Studio With Dr. Dre (Video)
T.I. has been in the studio with Dr. Dre. Check out what he had to say about the experience, as well as a sneak preview of the track they laid down.... Read more
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Ambrosia For Heads’ 2011 Best Hip-Hop Albums/Mixtapes of the Year: Here’s a look at our picks for the best of the best in 2011. You’ll find words on each as well as samples of the music. Tell us your picks for 2011.
It's that time of year again, when you're hit with a ton of year end, best of lists. We're going to keep it simple. We have 2 lists: best hip-hop albums/mixtapes of the year and songs of the year. First up, here are our picks for the best hip-hop albums/mixtapes... Read more
Hip-Hop Christmas Playlist
Here's a Hip-Hop Christmas playlist. Merry Christmas from AFH.... Read more
Freddie Gibbs & Statik Selektah – Rap Money ft Daz Dillinger
Freddie Gibbs and Statik Selektah link with Daz Dillinger. Check out the video for Rap Money. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WRRnMG0G1Hk... Read more
Action Bronson & Statik Selektah – Cirque Du Soleil (Video)
Wow. This new video from Action Bronson and Statik Selektah is HOT! The beat is tough, the rhymes are on point and the concept is ill. It's a mini-murder mystery revolving around JFK. Check out Cirque Du Soleil. The Statik Selektah/Action Bronson album is about to set 2012 off right.... Read more
XV – The Kick (Video)
XV's dope song The Kick dropped back in September. Here's the video. Also, click here to see XV's incredible story about the first time see he heard Jay-Z's The Blueprint (at the end of the video). http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aWpC7PC7Sck... Read more
Slim Thug – Can’t Stop ft Curren$y & Dre Day (Video)
Slim Thug, Curren$y and Dre Day hold it down for the South. Check out the video for Can't Stop (it starts 20 seconds in). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adZyYTj8MgE&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Evidence, Zion I, The Grouch & Eligh – Amp Live For President (Video)
Here's an ill collabo from some West Coast underground legends. Evidence, Zion I, The Grouch and Eligh go in over an Amp Live track. 4 MCs, 4 different beats. Check out the video for Amp Live for President. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=14GoLqtP4ZY... Read more
Drake – The Motto ft Lil Wayne & Tyga (Video)
Here's the latest video from Drake. Check out The Motto featuring Lil Wayne and Tyga. Drake ~ The Motto Featuring Lil Wayne & Tyga (Official Video) from OctobersVeryOwn on Vimeo.... Read more
Who was your first favorite rapper? We asked Big Daddy Kane, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kendrick Lamar, Murs, Statik Selektah, Freddie Gibbs, 9th Wonder, Stic Man, Skyzoo, Chuuwee, Skillz, tabi Bonney and more. The answers ranged from EPMD to 2Pac and everything in between. Check out who was you favorite rapper’s favorite rapper.
Where It All Began (Part 3) - Who Was Your First Favorite Rapper? Click here for parts 1 and 2 of Where It Began where many of the same stars discuss the first piece of music they ever bought and who first exposed them to hip-hop.... Read more
Asher Roth – Common Knowledge (Video)
Here's a new video for another dope song from Asher Roth. Check out Common Knowledge. Also, click here if you missed his Pabst & Jazz mixtape.... Read more
TiRon & Ayomari – All My Love ft Yummy Bingham (Video)
2011 is finishing strong. Here's a new video from TiRon and Ayomari. Check out All My Love featuring Yummy Bingham. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynUV-c0onos&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Evidence Speaks – Interview (Video)
Here's a cool interview of Evidence from 2DopeBoyz. He talks about his album Cats & Dogs, the pros and cons of signing a major label deal, a new Dilated Peoples album and more. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KaJRASrXIo&feature=player_embedded... Read more
ElzHi – Memory Lane (Video)
ElzHi dropped ElMatic, his mind-blowing ode to Nas' Illmatic, earlier in the year. It was definitely one of the best albums of the year. Here's the video for Memory Lane, from that project. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=V2vtiFZ7nrs... Read more
Slaughterhouse – Hot 97 Freestyle (Video)
The Slaughterhouse crew dropped by New York's Hot 97 and dropped bombs in the form of verses with Funkmaster Flex. Check out the video.... Read more
Was there ever any question that Def Jam Recordings would be the #1 most important hip-hop record label of all time??? Here’s a 30-song playlist of music from some of the legendary Def Jam artists: LL, Public Enemy, The Beastie Boys, Redman, Method Man and more.
Before record labels were considered “the enemy” their brands actually meant something. Artists dreamed of being on the same label as the MCs they grew up idolizing and some labels had such credibility fans would buy the record just because it was on that label. We decided to look at... Read more
Talib Kweli – Distractions (Video)
Here's the video for Talib Kweli's new song, Distractions. It features footage from his trips to Occupy Wall Street. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JlWDgOe_Is&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Murs – ’67 Cutlass (Video)
Murs' new video, '67 Cutlass is genius. It stays true to the comic story Murs tells in the song about a road trip gone bad. '67 Cutlass is from Murs' Love & Rockets Vol. 1: The Transformation, one of the best albums to drop this year. Check out the video.... Read more
Common – Celebrate (Video)
Here's the latest video from Common. Check out Celebrate. This is feel good music. Common's album The Dreamer, The Believer is in stores tomorrow. Click here to stream the whole album. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJmaQgh-cGk&feature=player_embedded... Read more
1982 (Statik Selektah & Termanology) – Play Your Role ft Reks (Video)
The audio for 1982's (Statik Selektah & Termanology) Play Your Role dropped a few weeks ago. The song featured Reks and, like much of 1982's material, is a not toward vintage 90's hip-hop. Here's the video. Check it out. Also, click here to see what Statik Selektah, Termanology, Big Daddy... Read more
Wiz Khalifa – California (Video)
Wiz Khalifa goes back to that G-Funk sound that he had on Kush & OJ on his new song, California. Check out the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=37-y1qRnVNw... Read more
Kanye West – VOYR: Church (Video)
Here's a journey into the mind of Kanye West. Check out the behind the scenes video VOYR: Church. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkFK1b8ZW4I&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Death Row Records was the most feared record label in the music industry. They are the 2nd most important hip-hop record label of all time. For the full scoop on Death Row and a video playlist of its classics, click here.
#2 Death Row Records The history of Death Row Records reads like a season of The Sopranos. Suge Knight was the Godfather figure who rose to power as quickly as anyone ever in entertainment, and he ruled with an iron fist once he got to the top. The label was... Read more
Bad Boy Records made the East Coast relevant again in rap music, making it the 3rd most important hip-hop record label in history.
#3 Bad Boy Records While East Coast Rap music was never dead, there is no question that from mid-1992 to mid-1994 commercial hip-hop was dominated by the West Coast, primarily by Death Row Records. It was not until Sean "Diddy" Combs was fired from Uptown Records and decided to launch... Read more
Nardwaur vs. Ghostface Killah (Video)
Here's an extended interview of Ghostface Killah by Nardwaur. If you know Nardwaur and you know Ghostface, you know what to expect...Check out the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmmxXmoqW-s&feature=player_embedded... Read more
The Funk League – On & On ft Sadat X (Video)
Here's a cool new video from a production team called The Funk League that features Sadat X on the vocals. The Funk League is a French duo that is paying homage to 90's hip-hop on their project, Funky As Usual. Their new album features Sadat X, Diamond D, A.G., Large... Read more
Sugar Hill Records introduced hip-hop to most of the world. Nuff said. They are the 4th most important hip-hop record label of all time.
#4 Sugar Hill Records Much has been written about the allegedly shady past of Sugar Hill Records and the lack of credibility of the Sugar Hill Gang (many of Big Bank Hank's rhymes were actually bitten from Grandmaster Caz). Regardless, it cannot be denied that most people had never even... Read more
Ski Beatz – Gentleman’s Quarterly ft Stalley (Video)
Stalley sounds incredible on this soulful new Ski Beatz track. Check out the video for Gentlemen's Quarterly. The song is from the upcoming next installment of Ski Beatz's 24 Hour Karate School project. If you missed Ski Beatz talking about the first music he ever bought, click here. Also, click... Read more
What’s the first piece of music you ever bought with your own money? We asked that same question to Big Daddy Kane, DJ Jazzy Jeff, 9th Wonder, Murs, Kendrick Lamar, XV, Statik Selektah, Fashawn, tabi Bonney, Serius Jones, Rapsody, Skillz and Stic Man. Watch below to see what they had to say. Many of their answers will surprise you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr9U_LKvko0 Also, if you missed it, check out Part 1 of Where It All Began where Stic Man, Murs, Skyzoo, DJ Jazz Jeff, Kendrick Lamar and more talk about who first turned them on to hip-hop. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztoUtSAtz74... Read more
Tommy Boy kicks off the Top 5 as the 5th most important hip-hop record label of all time.
#5 Tommy Boy Records More than any other hip-hop record label on this countdown, Tommy Boy Records is noteworthy not for impressive stats or significant accomplishments of individual artists, but for the overall breadth and impact of its entire catalog. For more than 20 years, the label released hip-hop records... Read more
DJ Premier Interview With Hard Knock TV (Video)
Here's a long interview of DJ Premier from HardKnock.TV. He speaks about creating his first classical music track, his relationship with Guru, doing a full album with Nas, collaborating with Slick Rick for the first time and more. Click here to download Need Some Bad by Slick Rick (and produced... Read more
T.I. – Hear Ye, Hear Ye ft Pharrell (Video)
Skateboard P laced T.I. with a verse and a tough beat on Hear Ye, Hear Ye. Check out the video. Big Daddy Kane rocked over the same Albert King sample Pharrell used for the horns. Check it out below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIvFp8YLlsw Here's the Albert King original. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bpzxeF_1BzU... Read more
Hip-Hop may never have been anything more than a fad without Profile Records, the 6th most important hip-hop record label of all time.
#6 Profile Records Founded in 1981 by Steve Plotnicki and Cory Robbins, Profile Records was the first label to establish hip-hop with the mainstream as an enduring genre. There had been some hit singles, previously, but Profile was the first record label to have a rap album certified gold (500,000+... Read more
Pac Div – Top Down ft Skeme & Casey Veggies (Video)
Top Down is the latest video from Pac Div. Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbsnwjZPx2o&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Curren$y – First Place ft Trademard Da Skydiver, Young Roddy & Sir Michael Rocks (Video)
Curren$y dropped First Place a few weeks ago. It's his new song with The Jets and the first since they added Sir Michael Rocks to the group. Check out the new video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ku9xOVw_TVc&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Common – Hartford’s Hot 93.7 Freestyle (Video)
Remember when the word "freestyle" actually meant rhyming off the top? Common does. Check out his true freestyle from a couple of days ago in Hartford. If you're home chilling, you can also check out the movie Freestyle here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epg-cnodvbk&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Ruthless Records re-defined the boundaries of rap music, making them the 7th most important hip-hop record label of all time. Click here to read more about Ruthless and to hear a playlist of some of its key artists: NWA, Eazy-E, The D.O.C., Bone Thugs N Harmony and more.
#7 Ruthless Records Ruthless Records, founded by Eric "Eazy-E" Wright and Jerry Heller, in 1987 re-defined rap music in several ways. The label was the first to put the West Coast on the map as a force to be respected in hip-hop. Before Ruthless, there were outliers like Ice-T, but... Read more
Cash Money Records comes in as the 8th most important hip-hop record label of all time. It’s getting serious.
#8 Cash Money Records As we discussed in our entries about #16 Rap-A-Lot Records and #12 No Limit Records, the South currently runs hip-hop (and has for at least the last 5 years) and Cash Money is by far the most successful hip-hop record label to come out of the... Read more
Stalley – Go On (Video)
Here's a tight new video from Stalley. It's for his song Go On, another gem from the Lincoln Way Nights project (which you can download for free here). Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgzDiyFVSo8&feature=player_embedded... Read more
KRS-One – AZTECHNICAL (Video)
Here's another hot new joint from KRS-One. Just like his last track, Just Like That, it was produced by Mad Lion. KRS' new album is sounding like it's going to be fire. Check out the video for AZTECHNICAL. He breaks down the math behind Mayan culture and the buzz around... Read more
Roc-A-Fella Records is the 9th most important hip-hop record label of all time, and not just because of arguably the greatest rapper of all time…
...though he is a big part of it. #8 Roc-A-Fella Records EVERYONE knows that Roc-A-Fella records was the home to Jay-Z. He, along with his partners Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke, founded the label back in1996 and Jay-Z repped the label as hard as any artist ever has represented... Read more
The Roots Perform My ft Big K.R.I.T. (Video)
The Roots performed with Big K.R.I.T. last night at New York City's Highline Ballroom. Check it out below. Also, click here to check out our playlist of music from The Roots spanning the last 2 decades. You can buy undun here. Make My ft Big K.R.I.T. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_Ir05jYMD7Y... Read more
Every journey has a beginning. Our new documentary, Where It All Began, takes a look at the musical journey of many hip-hop luminaries. In part 1 (of 5), we asked them who first introduced them to hip-hop. You’ll hear from DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kendrick Lamar, Termanology, Ski Beatz, The Kid Daytona, Chuuwee, Serius Jones, Skyzoo, and Stic Man (from Dead Prez). Check it out below.
In upcoming installments, you'll hear about other important moments in their journey to hip-hop. In addition to the above personalities, you'll also hear from Big Daddy Kane, Murs, Freddie Gibbs, XV, 9th Wonder, J-Live, Skillz, tabi Bonney, Statik Selektah, Fashawn and Rapsody in parts 2 -5. Stay tuned each week... Read more
EVITAN (Dres & Jarobi) – P.T.I. (Occupy Wall Street)
Dres from Black Sheep and Jarobi from A Tribe Called Quest team up as EVITAN to put out a strong song about the Occupy Wall Street movement. Check out the video for P.T.I. (Occupy Wall Street). Salute to them for still making great music.... Read more
Aftermath Entertainment kicks off the Top 10 as the 10th most important hip-hop record label of all time.
#10 Aftermath Entertainment In 1996, Dr. Dre was wounded from his departure from Death Row Records. He had virtually given up everything (ownership of his masters, future revenues and equity interest) to extricate himself from the madness that had swallowed up Death Row, not the least of which was the... Read more
B.o.B. – Strange Clouds ft Lil Wayne (Video)
Here's the video for B.o.B's collabo with Lil Wayne. Check out Strange Clouds.... Read more
Here’s a (mostly) video playlist celebrating the nearly 20-year career of The Legendary Roots Crew
The Legendary Roots Crew's new album, undun, drops on 12/6. Although they have been around for nearly 20 years, it still seems very likely their best material is still ahead of them...and that's saying a lot because their past material is DAMN GOOD. In anticipation of the new album, here's... Read more
Terrace Martin – Do It Again ft Kendrick Lamar & Wiz Khalifa (Video)
Terrace Martin dropped his new song with Kendrick Lamar and Wiz Khalifa a couple of months ago. Here's the video. Check out Do It Again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fmkIziXMSmg... Read more
Here’s a sneak preview for our new documentary Where It All Began which takes a look at the journey to hip-hop by Big Daddy Kane, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kendrick Lamar, Freddie Gibbs, Stic Man (from Dead Prez), Skillz, XV, Statik Selektah, Termanology, Murs, J-Live, The Kid Daytona, Termanology, Chuuwee, 9th Wonder and many more.
Every journey has a beginning. Ambrosia For Heads' documentary Where It All Began is a look at the journey to hip-hop by many of its current stars, rising stars and reigning legends. For the next several weeks, starting next week, Ambrosia For Heads will show you where the love for... Read more
Today most people know Jive Records for Britney and Justin. Here’s why they’re the 11th most important hip-hop record label of all time.
Long before Clive Calder built Jive Records into the pop music juggernaut that featured Britney Spears, Nsync, The Backstreet Boys, R. Kelly and Justin Timberlake, the label was the home to some of the most important acts in hip-hop. These artists achieved both commercial and critical success and some went... Read more