Fresh Archives

Producer Mike Mosley Reveals Several MCs Who Witnessed Tupac Record “Hit ‘Em Up” (Video)

In the mid-1990s, Tupac Shakur revamped his production personnel. While 1996's All Eyez On Me would be his first album at Death Row Records, working extensively with the label's production staff, those changes started taking shape even prior. On 1995's #1 LP, Me Against The World, 'Pac maintained a close... Read more

April 26, 2016 Throwback, Video

Joey Bada$$ Freestyles a Potent Call for Revolution (Video)

Less than a month after annihilating the infamous "5 Fingers of Death" freestyle exercise while visiting "Sway in the Morning," Brooklyn, New York's Joey Bada$$ has destroyed yet another early-morning radio show. This time around, he's in Los Angeles where he brought his distinctly East Coast sensibilities to the mic for... Read more

April 26, 2016 Video

Questlove Remembers Prince & Says “He Was More Hip-Hop Than Anyone”

For decades, Questlove has unabashedly worn his fandom of Prince on his metaphorical purple sleeve. The Roots Crew drummer and music savant has referenced His Royal Badness countless times in interviews and, it was that shared mutual love that helped to forge a bond between Quest and D'Angelo. On the... Read more

April 25, 2016 Fresh

Lin-Manuel Miranda Raps a Plea to Congress to Help Puerto Rico (Video)

Puerto Rico was the main subject of yesterday's episode of Last Week Tonight, an HBO show that merges comedy and news-telling in a format that approaches issues around the world from a highly detailed perspective. Hosted by John Oliver, last night's installment aimed its focus on Puerto Rico, the United States territory... Read more

April 25, 2016 Lifestyle

Listen To Aesop Rock’s Next Album While Watching A Shot-For-Shot Remake Of “The Shining”

Since the late 1990s, Aesop Rock has been an artist in every since of the word. The Long Island, New York MC, poet, and visual artist has tackled multiple mediums in a career that includes six solo albums, as well as work with the Weathermen, The Uncluded, and Hail Mary... Read more

April 25, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Nas Is Venturing Into What May Be His Career’s Most Successful Chapter

Fresh off winning Ambrosia for Heads’ contest to name the greatest Hip-Hop album of all time (based on your votes), Illmatic continues to stand the test of time. The debut album from then 20-year-old Nasir Jones is widely considered to be the perfect masterpiece, but Nas Heads are well aware... Read more

April 25, 2016 Lifestyle

From Jay-Z To Ghostface, The Rub Touches Everything That Made 2000 To 2010 So Great (Mix)

Today (April 25), duo The Rub (DJ Eleven & DJ Ayres) release Oodles Of OOs. The Brooklyn, New York-based unit's latest highly-curated mix pays tribute to Hip-Hop and R&B music from 2000-2010. Ranging from Lil Jon to JayLib, this 57 minute master-mix features blending, scratching, and very engaging turntablism. Elsewhere... Read more

April 25, 2016 Mixes

This Lyrical Autobiography of Kendrick Lamar is Genius

Storytelling is arguably one of the most important facets of a skilled MC's artistry, and few contemporary lyricists maintain that quality as consistently as Kendrick Lamar. With a penchant for the conceptual as it relates to albums, Lamar's deftly delivered verses are often chronological in order, anecdotal in format, and... Read more

April 25, 2016 Fresh

Black Thought Recites The Verse Of His Lifetime…Literally (Video)

Last week, The Roots' Black Thought appeared at Harvard's Innovation Lab. The South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling MC reportedly kicked a freestyle in the Cambridge, Massachusetts lunchroom. Afterwards, during an audience with the Hip-Hop veteran, he was asked to reprise his verse. Instead, Thought chose to do a nearly... Read more

April 25, 2016 Video

Listen To Prince’s Final Concert In Full (Audio)

Just days before his sudden and tragic death on April 21, Prince had been embarked on a tour as the sole performer. Although he famously surrounded himself with some of the world's (other) most talented musicians in the past, his "Piano & A Microphone" tour featured no one but Prince,... Read more

April 24, 2016 Audio

Prince & Big Daddy Kane’s 1989 “Batdance Remix” Is Finally Released (Audio)

In 1989, the Batman franchise relaunched with the title film starring Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, and Kim Basinger. For the soundtrack, Warner Bros. Records tapped Prince for an entire album companion to the blockbuster film. Led by single "Batdance," Prince's 11th album (and a #1 on the charts) appeared to... Read more

April 24, 2016 Audio, Throwback

“MTV Cribs” & “Unplugged” To Return In 2016

MTV is bringing back two of its legacy programs for 2016, closely associated with the network's programming of the 1990s and early 2000s. MTV Cribs launched in year 2000, and included more than 100 episodes. The series was a behind-the-scenes look at musicians and celebrity homes, toured by the owner.... Read more

April 24, 2016 News, TV

KRS-One Explains Why Drake Is “Underrated” & Says Some The Best MCs Have Writers (Audio)

KRS-One is the latest guest on N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN's Drink Champs Podcast. There, the iconic Boogie Down Productions MC sipped hand-crafted mai tai's and discussed a litany of topics, at incredible length. Known for lecturing at some of the most prestigious universities around the globe, publishing books, and educating... Read more

April 23, 2016 Audio

People Under The Stairs Share A 6-Song Slice Of Their 10th Album (Audio)

2016 marks 20 years of People Under The Stairs. The Los Angeles, California duo of Thes One and Double K were among the artists who helped showcase the West Coast Hip-Hop Underground during the time when Jurassic 5, Planet Asia, Dilated Peoples, and Saafir signed major label deals. P.U.T.S. never... Read more

April 23, 2016 Audio

Ever See The Time Prince Surprised Q-Tip On Stage & Started Jamming? (Video)

In addition to his mind-blowing talent and off the charts charisma, part of what made Prince so legendary was his mysteriousness. Even in a world where every millisecond is documented by a share, a photo or a video, he fiercely guarded his privacy, rarely granting interviews and simply letting his... Read more

April 23, 2016 Video

The Beatnuts Confirm Onetime “Secret Group” Including Q-Tip, Posdnuos & Juju (Audio)

For 25-plus years, The Beatnuts have been Hip-Hop multi-threats. The Queens, New York duo of Juju and Psycho Les (that also at times included Fashion and V.I.C.) have stories to go with their hits. Beyond their own prominent recording career, the pair has made beloved songs for Ghostface Killah, Fat... Read more

April 22, 2016 Audio, Throwback

In a Major Step Towards Political Revolution, Some Felons Are Getting Voting Rights Reinstated

It has been a watershed several months for criminal justice reform. With much, much more to be done to offset the detrimental repercussions of political initiatives like the war on drugs, a few but altogether mighty moments have contributed to a deep-seated sense of impending change. In 2015, President Obama... Read more

April 22, 2016 Lifestyle

One Of J Dilla’s Most Respected Collaborative Peers Makes A Beat From Scratch In His Style (Video)

Nottz and J Dilla had a colorful history. Both production purists, these MC/producer double-threats each benefited from the support of Busta Rhymes, Skillz, and Ghostface Killah placements at critical career junctures. Thereby, the artists from Norfolk, Virginia and Detroit, Michigan (respectively) ended up on a few albums together. More than... Read more

April 22, 2016 Video

The Game Releases “Rest In Purple,” A Powerful Tribute Song To Prince (Audio)

Over the course of the next several weeks, there are going to be a slew of tributes to Prince, who passed away suddenly yesterday (April 21) at the age of 57. They will come in all forms, from all walks of like, as his influence transcended genre, race, gender and... Read more

April 22, 2016 Audio

Celebrate The Life & Legacy Of Prince With This Mix Of Deep Cuts & Rarities (Audio)

How do yo begin to celebrate the catalog of an artist who released upwards of 50 albums and reportedly had hundreds in the vault (some of which found their way to starving fans)? It's impossible, certainly not without multiple installments. As the world begins to process the loss of Prince,... Read more

April 21, 2016 Audio

Raising the Roof: San Francisco Enacts Powerful New Law for Buildings (Video)

Arguably one of the world's most coveted cities, San Francisco has experienced an identity crisis of sorts in recent years. Long regarded as the headquarters for much of the cultural and social revolutions in the realms of civil rights, LGBTQ equality, and more, it is now mostly thought of as... Read more

April 21, 2016 Lifestyle

Guru & Common Flow Over Classic Dr. Dre Heat On A Rare Freestyle From 2000 (Audio)

Earlier this week, the sixth anniversary of Guru's passing allowed for a community-wide opportunity to reflect on the still-reverberating effects of the loss of such an influential MC and celebrated producer. The Gang Starr member and accomplished solo artist passed away on April 19, 2010 but his voice continues to... Read more

April 21, 2016 Audio

A$AP Ferg Clears His Throat And Spits Like He Never Has Before (Video)

The runaway success of singles like "Work," "Shabba" and "New Level" has caused some to misjudge A$AP Ferg as an MC. On each of the songs, he chopped big trap beats with a simplified, sing-songy flow that fueled a belief that Ferg, along with his fellow A$AP brother, Rocky, was... Read more

April 21, 2016 Video

Erykah Badu Embraces Her Inner MC On An Aggressive New Remix (Audio)

Most of the time, Erykah Badu is an artist whose creativity focuses on love, light, vulnerability, and positivity. However, her fans know that she has her more aggressive moments. In what may be the most often shared Tweet by a Soulquarian, Ms. Badu reminded folks in June of 2014 that... Read more

April 21, 2016 Audio

DOOM Releases A Live Performance Of “Accordion” (Audio)

It's been more than a decade since DOOM's Live From Planet X was released, and for many of his longtime fans, it's the closest they've gotten to seeing him live. The notoriously private MC and producer has appeared on stage extensively throughout his nearly 30-year career, but many times his... Read more

April 20, 2016 Audio

Pairing Rihanna and “Kids” Writer Harmony Korine Is Not Safe On Any Level (Video)

Last year, the iconic film Kids celebrated a milestone, and with it came a tremendous outpouring of support, nostalgia, and love for the movie that documented teenage sexuality, angst, and identity in some of the rawest scenes ever on the silver screen. Its screenwriter, Harmony Korine, has since gone on... Read more

April 20, 2016 Video

DJ Quik Says Kanye West’s Celebrity Supersedes His Talent & Challenges Him (Video)

Yesterday (April 19), DJ Quik and Problem announced they were releasing a joint EP today, titled Rosecrans. The project, which is named after the storied street that travels through the entire city of Compton, links two generations of Hub City MCs. While promoting the release of the EP, DJ Quik... Read more

April 20, 2016 Video

This Video Shows The Power Of Graffiti Is Limitless In The Best Possible Way

Some things are timeless. While graffiti has been around for decades (or millennia, depending on how it is defined), its position in Hip-Hop has waxed and waned over the years. Rapping and DJ'ing have stood at the forefront of the culture, since the mid-80s, but every once in a while... Read more

April 20, 2016 Video

Unreleased Footage Shows Tupac Speaking Incredibly Powerfully About Income Inequality (Video)

MTV News has released never before seen footage of Tupac from 1992, speaking about income equality. Shakur, the son of two Black Panthers, often incorporated strong political messages in his music and everyday discourse, and often his words carried themes of uplift and revolution. In the MTV clip, after citing... Read more

April 20, 2016 Video

Ice Cube Explains Staying “True To The Game” & Family-Friendly At Once (Video)

Ice Cube is the latest guest on Snoop Dogg's GGN TV. The pair who would perform "The Next Episode" without its host, Dr. Dre during Coachella weekend enjoyed discussing music, film, and some items in between. The segment opens with the "Only In California" collaborators discussing Cube's 1991 Death Certificate... Read more

April 19, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Digable Planets Are Back In Orbit With 2016 Tour Dates

It has been nearly 25 years since Hip-Hop trio the Digable Planets released their hit, "The Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)." Made up of members from Silver Spring, Maryland (Ladybug Mecca), Seattle, Washington (Ish f/k/a Butterfly), and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Doodlebug), the Elektra Records act was part of the early... Read more

April 19, 2016 Fresh

“Hamilton” Is Right On the Money, Which Means Women Have to Wait (Video)

Last year, popular interest in American currency reached new heights thanks to an initiative to finally place a woman on the face of the $20 bill. "Women on 20s" launched an online voting campaign to nominate an important woman from history as the new face of the $20 bill -... Read more

April 19, 2016 Lifestyle

Bas Points To The Stat Sheet. He Believes It’s His & Dreamville’s Time (Video)

Last month, J. Cole's Dreamville artist Bas released his second album in as many years, Too High To Riot. Backed by Interscope, the New Yorker (by way of Paris, France) MC cracked the Top 50 of the charts. "Matches" is the latest single, and serves as a rich gumbo to... Read more

April 19, 2016 Video

Rapsody’s Superhero Draws On Kindness, Inner-Beauty & One Bad Chariot (Video)

Most people have visions of superhero grandeur. Hip-Hop artists from Curren$y to Raekwon have described theirs. Rapsody's superhero alter-ego would be known simply as "Queen Rap'." Just as her albums The Idea Of Beautiful and Beauty And The Beast have done with sharp lyricism, the North Carolina MC would use... Read more

April 18, 2016 Video

This 1982 Profile of Keith Haring is a Must-See For Any Graffiti Art Buff (Video)

When it comes to pop art there are a handful of names which come to mind, at least when asking those in the Hip-Hop generation. Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Keith Haring are three giants of that world, and with their deaths now belonging in the confines of previous generations,... Read more

April 18, 2016 Lifestyle

Rittz Opens A Vividly Clear Window To The Drama In His Life (Video)

Rittz' upcoming album Top Of The Line (May 6) includes the gripping single, "My Window." The track appears to be an autobiographical look into the Georgian MC's world, beneath the high-profile tours and touted chart placements. For the video, Heads can see the 2010s independent Hip-Hop success in a no-tell... Read more

April 18, 2016 Video

Joyner Lucas Is Sick Of “Panda” So He Kills It With A Lethal Verse (Audio)

With 55-million plays on YouTube, Desiigner's "Panda" has become unavoidable to many. So many, in fact, that artists are remixing the track and voicing their displeasure. Enter: Joyner Lucas. Heads may recall his performance during the BET Hip-Hop Awards last October, where he took part in an explosive cypher alongside... Read more

April 18, 2016 Audio

Leaders Of The New School Hold Class Even Without Busta Rhymes (Audio)

In the 25 years since they released their debut album, Leaders of the New School have maintained a low profile from a recording standpoint - but their collective place in the catalogs of Hip-Hop collectors remains steadfast. The Long Island, New York group hit the scene in 1991 with A... Read more

April 18, 2016 Audio

Prodigy & Alchemist Give “Albert Einstein” Album Away For Free

After giving away three different bundles of music in March, Mobb Deep's Prodigy is still in a generous spirit for April. The Queens, New York veteran MC and author has decided to liberate his 2013 collaborative album with Alchemist, Albert Einstein. Released on P's Infamous imprint, the Top 200-performing LP... Read more

April 18, 2016 Fresh

11 Veteran Lyricists Break Ground In One Video With Another In MC Spiritual Essence

In today's musical age, assembling collaborations seems relatively easy. Translating that to a compelling, well-produced video is not quite as accessible. Especially in hardcore, purebred Hip-Hop, making videos like Sway & King Tech's "The Anthem" seems implausible without big budgets like the one the two iconic radio personalities had at... Read more

April 18, 2016 Video

Run The Jewels Celebrate The Birds & The Bees In Their Video For “Love Again”

Run The Jewels is known for their hard raps and nostalgic Hip-Hop aesthetics. Killer Mike and El-P channel the likes of 2 Live Crew, Eazy-E, and even Lil' Kim when they team with Gangsta Boo for "Love Again (Akinyele Back)." Even in its title, the late 2014 Run The Jewels... Read more

April 17, 2016 Video

Celebrate Redman’s Birthday With This Rare 1995 Funk Doc Prescription (Audio)

Today (April 17) is Reggie Noble's birthday. The man better known as Redman has been giving Hip-Hop Heads quote-worthy verses, one-of-a-kind charisma, and sheer originality for more than 25 years. In all of that time, he has been one tough mudder on the mic. In 1995, Funk Doc was in... Read more

April 17, 2016 Throwback

C.L. Smooth & Skyzoo Have “Perfect Timing” With A Record Store Day Remix (Audio)

Today (April 16) is Record Store Day. One artist whose catalog has long been celebrated on vinyl albums is C.L. Smooth. With partner Pete Rock, throughout the early 1990s (and for a couple 12" singles in the early 2000s), the pair made sought-after Elektra Records wax. Today, the New Rochelle,... Read more

April 16, 2016 Audio

Remy Ma & Fat Joe Have A Raw Conversation On The Effects Of Prison & Coping With Trauma (Audio)

In a union of two of Terror Squad's major players, earlier this year, Fat Joe and Remy Ma announced they were releasing a joint album. Since then they have been making the rounds discussing the project and their storied shared history. Recently, Remy and Joe were guests on Shawn Setaro's... Read more

April 16, 2016 Audio

The Coup’s Pam The Funkstress Explains Working With Prince On Tour

Although she may not be a household name, Pam The Funkstress is one of Hip-Hop's most acclaimed female DJs. Since 1993's Kill My Landlord, the San Mateo, California native has been riding alongside Boots Riley as one of the steadfast members of Oakland's 20-plus-year political Rap outfit The Coup. From... Read more

April 16, 2016 Fresh

Anderson .Paak Slows Down The Tempo & Turns Up The Funk In A Performance With ScHoolboy Q (Video)

When Anderson .Paak released "Am I Wrong," his first single from his album Malibu, last Summer, it was an uptempo Funk jam that featured ScHoolboy Q and a retro, almost Disco feel. As with almost all of his music, .Paak changes things up on the live version. With Q joining... Read more

April 16, 2016 Video

ONYX & Chris Rivers Unite Against Dirty Cops (Audio)

In 2014, ONYX released their first album in 11 years. While the LP, which was produced by the Snowgoons, maintained the hardscrabble Rap style that is core to ONYX, the substance of their raucous rhymes was different. Rather than slamming and taking out their competitors, Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz... Read more

April 15, 2016 Audio

Big K.R.I.T. Remembers Those He Owes For Where He Is Now, On A Flip Of Kanye West’s 30 Hours (Audio)

There have been a number of re-interpretations of songs from Kanye West's The Life Of Pablo, since he began releasing tracks from the album. The a capella vocals of "I Love Kanye" beckoned remixes from a number of producers, including DJ Premier. Other songs called to various MCs to lay... Read more

April 15, 2016 Audio

Open The Book On J Dilla’s Last Vocal LP, “The Diary” (Album Stream)

Today (April 15) marks the true release of J Dilla's The Diary album. First recorded and plotted in 2001 and 2002, the project was then shelved by MCA Records. Seeing the album properly delivered to fans was a top priority of James Yancey at the time of his 2006 death.... Read more

April 15, 2016 Audio

Masta Ace Announces His Latest Concept Album & Gives A Glimpse

From Masta Ace Incorporated to Disposable Arts, Brooklyn, New York veteran MC Masta Ace has been known for cohesive album-length concepts. His latest, in a career that dates back to the mid-1980s is upon us, as the Juice Crew and eMC alum announces The Falling Season. Releasing May 13, the... Read more

April 15, 2016 News, Video