Ultramagnetic MCs perform in London in 1990 (Video)
Wow. Here's a dope back in the day gem. Check out this video of a full Ultramagnetic MCs set from 1990. Props: Tim Westwood Related: Kool Keith – Goodbye Rap (Video)... Read more
Throwback
The People vs. Action Bronson (Video)
Here's a hilarious video from Noisey of Action Bronson responding to YouTube comments about him and his video for The Symbol. Check it out below. Related: Action Bronson – The Tim Westwood Freestyle (Video)... Read more
Mister Cee – The Best of Redman and Method Man Mix
Mister Cee's Best of Tuesday mixes return with a BANG. First off in 2013? The best of Method Man and Redman. You can listen to the entire mix below. Related: Redman – White People Are Rioting (Prod. Erick Sermon) (Video)... Read more
Hood Life: A Hip Hop Guided Tour Of Compton (Video)
If you've been a fan of hip-hop at any time over the last 25 years, you know the significance of Compton to the culture. Here's a video of a guided tour of South Central LA that is conducted by Game's stepfather. It includes stops at Eazy-E's home (where the first... Read more
The (Lost) Art of Beatboxing (Playlist)
Whatever happened to beatboxing? There was a time back in the day when it was so prominent, some even considered it the 5th element of hip-hop. Here's a playlist of old school joints showcasing some of the skills of legendary beatboxers. You'll hear music for DJ Jazzy Jeff & The... Read more
The Battle for LA – Back in the Day vs. Current Day (Playlist)
As you watch the Clippers and the Lakers battle for LA on the court, here's a playlist of some back in the day LA hip-hop (NWA, Dr. Dre, Snoop) and some current day LA hip-hop (Black Hippy, Still Dre) that symbolizes the proverbial passing of the torch. No matter who... Read more
Blu – Amnesia (Video)
Here's a previously unreleased video from Blu for his 2011 song "Amnesia." Blu dedicates the video to Capital STEEZ, who recently passed — and you'll understand why if you watch to the end. Heavy video. Check it out below. Related: Blu – On the Porch (Video)... Read more
Frank Ocean – Wiseman
Frank Ocean created a new song for the Django Unchained soundtrack but though Quentin Tarantino thought it was dope, he didn't think there was a scene in the film for it. Frank let the song loose via tumblr. Check out Wiseman. Related: Frank Ocean – Pyramids (Video)... Read more
Masta Killa speaks on the early days of Wu-Tang Clan (Video)
Here's a really dope interview of Masta Killa speaking on the early days of Wu. He breaks down why he missed his opportunity to be on Protect Ya Neck and how he got his slot on Da Mystery of Chessboxin'. Check out the video. Related: Masta Killa – R U... Read more
Public Enemy will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2013
Salute to Public Enemy! The iconic group will be the latest hip-hop act to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Below is our playlist featuring the music of PE and Ice Cube. Related: Public Enemy - RLTK ft DMC (Video) Ice Cube vs. Chuck D by... Read more
DJ Dallas Green Presents…Old School Hooky Party Part 2 (Mixtape)
Here's a TREMENDOUS mix of 80's and early 90's hip-hop and R&B from DJ Dallas Green. You'll hear music from LL Cool J, Whodini, Heavy D, Chubb Rock, Big Daddy Kane, Jade, Levert, Al B. Sure, Keith Sweat, Guy, BBD and more. You can listen to and download the entire... Read more
This is…the REMIX (Audio Playlist)
It used to be remixes were a BIG deal. Unlike now, where an extra verse from a featured rapper constitutes a remix, remixes were often wholly-different takes on a song. The track was substantially different than the original and sometimes there were completely new verses. Here's a playlist of some... Read more
Happy Thanksgiving from AFH (Playlist)
Happy Thanksgiving to all the Heads out there. Here's a mini-playlist celebrating BIG appetites. Related: A video playlist celebrating the one and only Heavy D (Video)... Read more
AFH: What makes a hip-hop album a classic?
[slider_pro id="13"] Here's a look at the criteria for a classic hip-hop album and our list of all-time classics.... Read more
A mix and video playlist to celebrate the life of Heavy D (Mixtape & Video Playlist)
Today marks the 1-year anniversary of the day we lost Heavy D. As has become customary on the anniversary of these losses, Mister Cee did a tribute mix celebrating the life and music of the Overweight Lover. You can listen to and download the mix (props to 2DBZ) and also... Read more
What makes an album a classic? Here are our criteria and 15 albums we think make the cut (with songs from each) (Food For Thought)
With the release of Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d. city album, many are using the word "classic" (including us--though we said "modern day classic"...more on that later) about a hip-hop album for the first time in a long, long time. No doubt, just the utterance of the "c" word is... Read more
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
Here’s a playlist celebrating the career of the legendary Method Man (Audio)
Clifford Smith. Johnny Blaze. Tical. No matter the moniker used, after nearly 20 years of shredding mics, Method Man is the epitome of a hip-hop Living Legend. He is the latest hip-hop icon we recognize in our series where we celebrate our legends while we still have them. Here's a... Read more
Here’s a playlist celebrating the legendary career of Mary J. Blige (Audio)
Mary J. Blige is not an MC...but she has been the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul for more than 20 years. She is the next artist we salute as part of our Living Legends series where we celebrate the careers of our hip-hop icons while we still have them. Here's a... Read more
Throwback: Classic Audio of Rakim and Biz Markie Rhyming in High School (Audio)
Wow. Wow. WOW. Here's a super rare gem--audio footage of Biz Markie and Rakim rhyming in high school. It's so vintage Rakim rhymed under a different name...SUPER FRESH. This is from a project called the Lunchroom Battles. Check it out. Related: Rakim vs Big Daddy Kane: the playlist that settles... Read more
Here are playlists celebrating the 20+ year career of Common (Audio & Video)
If Common had stopped rhyming in the NINETIES he'd still be a Living Legend. But, he didn't stop...Now, after more than 20 years in the game, he is a hip-hop titan and continues to release some of the best music of his career. Whether solo or collabo he has some... Read more
Big Daddy Kane vs. Rakim: here’s the playlist that settles the debate once and for all…or does it? (Playlist)
Rakim's recent interview discussing the rivalry he had at one time with Big Daddy Kane rekindled the chatter about which MC would win in a battle. Since that battle likely will never occur, we decided to take matters into our own hands to settle the debate once and for all.... Read more
Here’s a playlist celebrating the 21+ year career of the legendary DJ Quik (Audio)
DJ Quik is in the muthaf*ckin house! And, he's been here for more than 21 years dropping joint after joint after joint. People often forget there's more than 1 legendary producer/MC from Compton. Not today. DJ Quik is the latest legend we pay tribute to in our Living Legends series.... Read more
Here’s a (mostly) video playlist of Redman joints to take you on a journey through his 20-year career (Video Playlist)
Redman. Reggie Noble. Whatever name you use for him, it's synonymous with dope MC. 2012 marks 20 years since the release of Redman's debut album Whut? Thee Album and his mind-bending verse on EPMD's Headbanger, and he has been blazing the mic ever since. Because of his undeniable contribution to... Read more
Salute to Eric B & Rakim. 7/7 marks the 25th anniversary of the release of their landmark album Paid in Full. Hip-hop has never been the same since that day. Here’s a video playlist of some of the gems from that classic album (Video)
Related: Playlist celebrating the career of Rakim (Video)... Read more
Here’s a playlist celebrating the career of the legendary blastmaster KRS-One (Audio)
KRS-One has been in the game for 25 years. Ever since Criminal Minded dropped in 1987, the Blastmaster has been teaching and repping hip-hop culture. We celebrate him and his music in this latest installment of our living legends series where we pay homage to our hip-hop greats while we... Read more
AG (from Show & AG) – Toca Tuesday Freestyles (Video)
AG from Show & AG has not lost a step. He represented hard for 90's MCs on Tony Touch's Toca Tuesday Freestyles. Check out how he flows on the head-nodding, neck-snapping, slept on track Dr. Dre did for Jay-Z a few years back. Related: New music from Show & AG... Read more
Here’s a back in the day (mostly) video playlist to get you through the day. You’ll hear music from Redman, Grand Puba, The Roots, Chubb Rock, Mobb Deep, Heavy D, The Beatnuts and more (Video Playlist)
Just press play, sit back and take a journey back to the 90's. Related: Back in the Day 80's Hip-Hop Playlist (Audio)... Read more
Ice-T discusses Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap (Video)
Ice-T dropped a bunch of incredible freestyles from the likes of Eminem, Redman, Lord Finesse, Nas and more leading up to the premiere of his documentary Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap. The film hit theaters today. Here's an interview of the OG Ice-T discussing the movie. Check out... Read more
Living Legends: A Playlist Celebrating the Career of the One and Only Rakim (Playlist)
Watching Rakim perform last night (see footage below) was a reminder of why he has nicknames like the God MC and Rakim Allah. There was a good 5-10 year stretch where there was NO QUESTION who the GOAT was. The debate started at #2, after the R. For these reasons... Read more
2DBZ: Bring the muthaf*cking Rawkus!
Here's a great article from 2DBZ on the rise and fall of Rawkus Records. Check out the intro to the article below, as well as a re-post of our Rawkus Records playlist below. Click here for the full article. Also, click here to see where Rawkus landed on our list... Read more
Scarface kicks off the first playlist in our new Living Legends series dedicating to celebrating Hip-Hop icons that have not received their proper shine lately. You can listen to a playlist that highlights 2 decades of Scarface music below (Playlist)
The loss of MCA was a reminder of how much love we show to fallen hip-hop legends. It's time to show some to the LIVING Legends too. We're kicking off a new series of playlists where we celebrate those hip-hop icons still with us (especially those who may not have... Read more
Old School Hip-Hop playlist featuring The Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Whodini, Kool Moe Dee, Slick Rick, Biz Markie, The Fat Boys, LL Cool J and more (Playlist)
Why so serious? As I've listened to Licensed to Ill over the last 24 hours, it reminded me how much the subject matter of rap music has changed. Back in the day of The Beastie Boys, even the most serious rappers still had a sense of humor. In the spirit... Read more
Here’s a back in the day playlist of 80’s hip-hop classics from Melle Mel, Rakim, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Slick Rick, Kurtis Blow, Whodini and more (Playlist)
This back in the day playlist was inspired by hearing Nas talk about his love for 80's hip-hop legends like Melle Mel, Kurtis Blow, KRS-One, Slick Rick, Rakim and others. In addition to those MCs, you'll hear tracks from The Fat Boys, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, LL... Read more
The latest installment of our Producer Series features classic cuts produced by Large Professor. Click below to listen to the playlist.
Seeing vintage footage of Large Professor at Nas' SXSW show reminded us that we had not done an installment in our Producer Series in a while and, more importantly, we had not done one featuring the music of Large Professor, one of the all-time greats. Below is a playlist of... Read more
Mister Cee 3-hour Biggie Tribute Mix (Mixtape)
True to his nickname of The Finisher, Mister Cee shut down a day of Biggie tributes with a 3-hour mix (yes, 3 hours) of music by The Notorious Big on the 15th anniversary of the date of his passing. You can listen to the whole thing and download it below.... Read more
Miami (Bass) vs. Los Angeles (G-Funk) (Playlist)
5 on 5. Miami vs. LA. Big game today between the Lakers and Heat. As you wait for the game (or not) here are 2 playlists featuring 5 back in the day songs each that represent the distinctive sound generated in hip-hop from each locale. For Miami, it was the... Read more
Joell Ortiz – You Can’t Stop the Prophet
The cats from Slaughterhouse have been taking their name really seriously lately. They've dropped several hot joints as a collective lately and Joell Ortiz is keeping the momentum going on the solo tip. Check out how he murders the track for the remix to Jeru tha Damaja's classic You Can't... Read more
EPMD Perform Headbanger With K-Solo and Redman (Video)
EPMD reunited in NYC last night. For the finale, they brought out fellow Hit Squad members K-Solo and Redman and smashed Headbanger. Check out a video of the performance below. Also, click here to check out our playlist of songs produced by Erick Sermon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OwDzpBxumQ... Read more
Here’s a video playlist some classic hip-hop commercials (Video)
Commercials are always a big part of Super Bowl Sunday. With that in mind, here's a video playlist of some vintage hip-hop commercials. You'll hear verses from Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Large Professor, Grand Puba, Biggie, Snoop, 2Pac, Warren G, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Wu-Tang, Ice Cube, EPMD, Geto Boys... Read more
Here’s a back in the day (mostly) video playlist of joints from the late 80’s and early 90’s. You’ll hear songs from Chubb Rock, Eric B. and Rakim, Queen Latifah, Kwame, Arrested Development, Naughty By Nature, Salt N Pepa, Digable Planets, Brand Nubian and D-Nice. This one is comfort food. Just press play, sit back and marinate.
... Read more
Organized Noize Tells All: The Stories Behind Their Classic Records
Complex has been doing an incredible series where they interview legendary producers and have them break down their classic songs track for track. In the past, they've done DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Diamond D and others. The latest is Organized Noize, the production team behind some of best joints by... Read more
Rest in Peace, Love and Soul to Don Cornelius. Though he was the creator of Soul Train, his impact went FAR beyond Soul music. He was one of the biggest influencers of pop culture in the last 40 years.
Peep this interview he did of Run-D.M.C. to witness just a taste of his impact on hip-hop. Also, click here for a heartfelt tribute to Don Cornelius written by ?uestlove. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay9n68HBKM4... Read more
Fokis – Salute (King Tee) (Video)
Fokis pays homage to the great King Tee on Salute (King Tee). Check out the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke4JESFo8yQ&feature=player_embedded Here's King Tee's At Your Own Risk (the beat Fokis used), as well as Just Flauntin', one of my favorite King Tee joints. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pZKdIYr-UA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL-idMUSekU... Read more
Erick Sermon Performs What Happened (Video)
Salute to the Green Eyed Bandit, Erick Sermon. He seems to be well down the road to recovery after suffering a heart attack a few months ago. In fact, he recently made his first public performance. Click below to see him rip his song What Happened, in the studio with... Read more
Super Soul Sunday (Playlist)
Having withdrawal from the NFL playoffs? Here's a Super Soul Sunday playlist to ease the pain. If names like Roy Ayers, Earth, Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, The Brothers Johnson and Stevie Wonder mean anything to you or you just like good, soulful music, this one's for you.... Read more
Here’s a tribute mix to Jam Master Jay by Funkmaster Flex (Mixtape)
The late, great Jam Master Jay would have been 47 years old yesterday. In celebration of his birthday, Funkmaster Flex did a tribute mix filled with Run-D.M.C. classics. You can listen to the mix and download it below. When asked who's best, y'all should say....Also, click here to listen to... Read more
KRS-ONE Speaks on the evolution of his career, The Return of the Boom Bap and the death of conscious rap (Video)
Wow. Here's an unbelievable interview of KRS-One from DJ Premier's blog. He identifies the moment conscious rap died...Check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erwJzZxaWXs&feature=player_embedded... Read more
Bring That Funk Back (Playlist)
Here's an old school playlist of songs from the 70's and 80's that influenced a lot of the funk in hip-hip. If you like music from Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, Erick Sermon or just appreciate some of that rich back in the day goodness, this one's for you. You'll find... Read more
Cinematic Soul Playlist
Hip-hop has long been influenced by the cinematic soul of the 70's. Whether you're a fan of Big K.R.I.T. or Biz Markie, UGK or Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre or Just Blaze...you can hear the influence of music from films like Shaft, Super Fly, The Mack, The Payback. Here's a playlist... Read more