Fresh Archives

Pusha T & Beanie Sigel Make A Snow Powdered Collabo That Closes 2015 With A Bang (Audio)

Pusha T's newly-released King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude packs a lot of punch. The sophomore studio album features production by Q-Tip, Kanye West, Timbaland, J. Cole, and Puff Daddy, as well as appearances by Jill Scott, The-Dream, and Re-Up Gang's Ab-Liva. One of the most interesting appearances... Read more

December 26, 2015 Audio

9th Wonder Shows The Pure Joy In Making A Neck-Snapping Beat (Video)

9th Wonder is the latest to step up and take Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette challenge, where he is blindfolded, chooses 3 random records and asked to make a beat using them. He joins a long line of impressive producers who have participated in the series, including Large Professor, Organized Noize,... Read more

December 25, 2015 Video

LeBron James Goes To Work Over Public Enemy’s “Welcome To The Terrordome” (Video)

Right after he looks into the camera vowing to bring a championship to "The 'land," LeBron leads the charge as countless people are shown doing the type of hard work that leads to greatness. In a sign that times have definitely changed, the soundtrack is none other than Public Enemy's... Read more

December 25, 2015 Video

Timbaland’s New Song With Unreleased Aaliyah Vocals Sounds Like Their Vintage Music (Audio)

Over the years some tracks with unreleased Aaliyah vocals have surfaced, including the high profile "Enough Said," featuring Drake. Those songs often have been met with mixed reviews, with some believing the music did not add to her legacy. However, when Timbaland announced he was releasing a new mixtape on... Read more

December 25, 2015 Audio

Busta Rhymes’ New Mixtape Features DOOM, Raekwon, The LOX & Leaders Of The New School

Busta Rhymes has released his new mixtape, The Return Of The Dragon (The Abstract Went On Vacation), and while Q-Tip may have taken this one off, Busta brought in an all-star lineup to fill the void. In fact, to call this a mixtape seems a disservice, as it's really an... Read more

December 25, 2015 Mixes

Kxng Crooked Takes A Rare Jay Z Beat & Gets Absolutely Savage (Audio)

2015 has been a relatively quiet year for Kxng Crooked (pka Crooked I). The part-time Slaughterhouse member and full-time wordsmith did not have a full album or mixtape release, though he did drop a few poignant raps about police brutality, trying circumstances he overcame and other substantive messages. As the... Read more

December 24, 2015 Audio

How Sean Price Stole Christmas (Animated Video Short)

As Hip-Hop Heads collectively reflect on the year that has been, Sean Price's gargantuan absence is easily felt. In August, the world lost the father, husband, and 20-plus-year veteran MC from Brooklyn, New York. Throughout all of the changes in Hip-Hop and the world around it, the rapper formerly known... Read more

December 24, 2015 Video

Golden Rules Makes A Holiday Song That Celebrates All That Goes Into Giving (Audio)

This year, some of the best holiday music has been drenched in reality. Macy Gray's "All I Want For Christmas" looked at bigger issues (Black Lives Matter, poverty, world peace) on her personal Christmas list. Now, Golden Rules, the Lex Records duo of Paul White and Eric Biddines makes a... Read more

December 24, 2015 Audio

Here Are Ambrosia For Heads’ Picks For The Best Music Videos Of 2015

2015 might very well be remembered as the year the video took over the song in Hip-Hop. While audio platforms like SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music are growing in strength, high profile mixtapes decreased in number, and an increasing amount of releases were presented as videos even before the audio-only... Read more

December 23, 2015 Video

The Role Of Biggie Is Cast In The Tupac Biopic. And You’ve Seen Him Before…

In 2016, the Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez On Me is slated to reach movie theaters. Starring Demetrius Shipp, Jr. as the late Hip-Hop superstar, the L.T. Hutton-produced film also stars veteran Hollywood actor Hill Harper. The role of Tupac's close friend-turned-nemesis has also now been cast. Jamal Woolard has... Read more

December 23, 2015 News, TV/Film

Wu-Tang Clan & Bill Murray Are Stealing Once Upon A Time In Shaolin From Martin Shkreli (Video)

One of the most bizarre Hip-Hop stories in 2015, or any other year, has centered around the Wu-Tang Clan's infamous and mysterious album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. The album's existence was first reported in March 2014, when it was revealed that the group would only be selling one... Read more

December 23, 2015 Video

Why Many Black Radio Stations Refused to Play Hip-Hop in the ’90s

Dan Charnas is a celebrated author whose book The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop is a masterful road map to the people, places, and events that helped contribute to the culture's emergence into mainstream and financial dominance, both behind-the-scenes and in headlines. Part of his tome... Read more

December 23, 2015 Lifestyle

Pusha T Exorcises His Demons On “M.F.T.R. (More Famous Than Rich)” (Video)

Pusha T's "M.F.T.R. (More Famous Than Rich)" is a brilliant single from the just-released King Push: Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude. Featuring The-Dream, the song is very much about style, but as much substance. With 2015's headlines largely about celebrity financial woes (including Pusha T's rival Lil Wayne), the record... Read more

December 23, 2015 Video

Ambrosia For Heads Present…Our Picks For The 15 Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2015

2015 watched a lot change in the music industry. Streaming culture kept Heads on the edge of their seats, as Hip-Hop superstars "pushed the button" on a whim. Reclusive legends released new product, while patient veterans made massive breakthroughs. No matter large or small, burgeoning or veteran, all artists seemed... Read more

December 22, 2015 Food for Thought

DJ Spinna’s Pharcyde Mix Features A Song They Did With Bobby Brown & Ralph Tresvant (Audio)

DJ Spinna is not your average mixmaster. The Jigmastas alum has been able to go incredibly deep in honoring musicians he admires. He and Bobbito did this exceptionally in their Wonder Wrote It series (and corresponding parties), and now he's turning the (turn)tables onto The Pharcyde. Celebrating the 20th anniversary... Read more

December 22, 2015 Mixes, Throwback

These New Socks Will Pause Netflix If You Chill Too Much (Video)

One major takeaway from 2015's internet culture is "Netflix & Chill," a phrase that took on a life of its own in the form of memes, Vines, jokes, and more. For those not in the know, it refers to that all-too-frequent occurrence when two (or more, depending on what kind... Read more

December 22, 2015 Lifestyle

Forget Kris Kringle. Santa Claus is from Harlem & His Name is Cam’ron (Video)

Earlier this year, Comedy Central's The Nightly Show brought in an unexpected Human Resources professional in a sketch responding to the summertime report that Amazon's work conditions were horrible. Host Larry Wilmore introduced the sketch by explaining their desire to make sure the show's offices weren't committing the egregiously awful... Read more

December 22, 2015 TV/Film, Video

Killer Mike & Big Boi Are Helping Bring Hip-Hop’s First Amendment Rights to the Supreme Court (Audio)

On Monday (December 21), the Supreme Court received a plea for justice involving a Mississippi high-school student who in 2011 faced charges relating to an alleged threat he made against another, a threat law enforcement argued he delivered in the form of Rap lyrics. Taylor Bell was a senior when... Read more

December 22, 2015 Lifestyle

Da Beatminerz Rock A 90 Minute Radio Party Covering Rock, Funk, Jazz & Hip-Hop (Mix)

Da Beatminerz and Q-Tip go back. Although not collaborators in the traditional sense, DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt joined the Abstract at those storied Roosevelt Hotel Record Conventions in the early 1990s New York City. Black Moon and A Tribe Called Quest were running in the same circles, advancing... Read more

December 22, 2015 Mixes

Pusha T Interviews With Sway & Spits A Verse For MCs Who Act Like They Don’t Know (Video)

Last Thursday (December 17), Pusha T was a guest on Sway In The Morning. There, just hours before King Push: Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude, the Clipse co-founder got really deep about his 2015 headspace. Before leaving, and after 40 minutes of nuggets, Push' spit a freestyle that was very... Read more

December 21, 2015 Video

38 Hours of Hip-Hop Playlists Map Out Hip-Hop’s Early Phases. Was Anything Left Out? (Audio)

The web has made it possible for anyone with the interest, time, and energy to create individual worlds which can then be shared with the masses. Perhaps nowhere is this most evidently displayed than in the world of playlists, which dominate much of the streaming digital landscape of today. From... Read more

December 21, 2015 Audio

Buying Votes is Nothing New, But Now the Website We Use the Most Might Also Be Guilty

It's no secret that over its history, American politics has often been accused of being easily influenced by lobbying, that insidious form of influence which allows members of an organization to sway votes in Washington by contributing millions of dollars to campaigns and then expecting the favor to be returned... Read more

December 21, 2015 Lifestyle

This K’naan & Bob Dylan Mash-Up Gets A Visual That Further Mashes The Message

In 2009, K'naan and J. Period teamed for the third volume of The Messengers. The authorized mixtape series was a promotional vehicle for Troubadour, K'naan's third and United States breakthrough album. The third of three volumes set the A&M Records MC/singer against the work of Bob Dylan, which K'naan deemed... Read more

December 21, 2015 Video

Hip-Hop’s Shining Moments of 2015: The Big, The Small, & The Revolutionary

Each and every year, there is no shortage of moments in time which crystallize the development of Hip-Hop's growth, and 2015 is no different. Over the course of the previous 12 months, the culture played larger-than-life roles in film, health, politics, television, and of course, music history. Here are just... Read more

December 21, 2015 Food for Thought

M-Dot May Be The First MC To Release A 360° Video. It’s A Lyrical Terror Dome (Video)

Hip-Hop videos have come a long way since The Sugarhill Gang released a performance visual to 1979's "Rapper's Delight." Budgets have reached the millions with some visuals, while others have tapped the shoulders of Hollywood directors and stars (and some San Fernando Valley stars). Technology has also lit the path... Read more

December 21, 2015 Video

Cooked Ones: Mobb Deep’s Prodigy To Publish Cookbook & Second Memoir

Mobb Deep co-founder Prodigy has been among the group of Hip-Hop artists that have successfully transitioned into publishing. The Queens, New York native born Albert Johnson released 2011 title, My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep’s Prodigy with author/journalist Laura Checkoway, through Touchstone/Simon & Shuster Books. More than four... Read more

December 21, 2015 Lifestyle, News

DJ Premier, Slum Village, Royce Da 5’9″, Rapsody & 9th Wonder To Perform At 2016 J Dilla Weekend

The second annual J Dilla Weekend has been announced. The Miami, Florida extension of Detroit, Michigan's longstanding J Dilla Day will take place on February 5-7, 2016. Hosted by Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey (Dilla's mother), the event continues a rich tradition of celebrating James Yancey's life and music through performances,... Read more

December 21, 2015 Exclusive, News

DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Holiday Groove Has More Than A Touch Of Jazz (Audio)

DJ Jazzy Jeff knows how to do holidays right. His and MICK's Summertime mixtape series have made the Summer months even hotter. This time, as the year comes to a close, the West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hip-Hop legend sprinkles a new track on fans. "Xmas Is Coming!!" is a straightforward Jazz... Read more

December 20, 2015 Audio

The Role Of Tupac Shakur Has Been Cast For His Biopic. Here Are Photos.

Following a year that saw Tupac Shakur briefly portrayed in N.W.A. film Straight Outta Compton, production of the late Rap star's own biopic is well under way. All Eyez On Me is the title for the Morgan Creek Entertainment work that chronicles the life, music, and controversy surrounding Shakur. The... Read more

December 20, 2015 News, TV/Film

Erykah Badu Discusses The Power Our Phones Have Over Us (Video)

Last month, Erykah Badu released her new mixtape, But You Caint Use My Phone. The mixtape's title drew on the last line of her beloved sendoff anthem, "Tyrone," and telephones are a running theme throughout the project, from its song titles to the lyrics to many of the sounds heard... Read more

December 19, 2015 Video

Quentin Tarantino Says Victims of Police Brutality Are Not Statistics & Murders Have to Stop (Video)

Quentin Tarantino has never been a film director shy of controversy. He has, however, been a steadfast proponent of his creative license and the freedom to use the silver screen to create not only some of the most iconic films of his generation, but also those which ruffle some feathers... Read more

December 18, 2015 Video

Busta Rhymes Is Still A Dragon. He Spits Fire Like It’s God’s Plan (Audio)

It's been a while since Busta Rhymes dropped a lyrical napalm bomb, but the 25+ year veteran MC could not let the year end without reminding all that he's still a dungeon dragon breathing that fire. Fresh off announcing that he will be releasing a new mixtape on Christmas, titled... Read more

December 18, 2015 Audio

Chance the Rapper Says Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq Film Is An “Oversimplification Of A Bigger Problem” (Video)

Over the last couple of weeks, acclaimed film director Spike Lee has been on a serious press junket to promote his latest film, Chi-Raq. The film itself is a study of Chicago's notorious South Side, where gun violence has led to so many deaths, it has become a deadlier place... Read more

December 18, 2015 Video

Macaulay Culkin Spoofs Home Alone…By Channeling Reservoir Dogs. (Video)

Film Home Alone has become a holiday classic. The John Hughes-directed Macaulay Culkin franchise is full of elaborate pranks, family-friendly humor, and always a feel-good takeaway. After multiple films (two starring Culkin), several scenes, lines, and Wet Bandits pitfalls are etched in the hearts of generations. Twenty five years later,... Read more

December 17, 2015 Lifestyle, TV/Film, Video

Nelly Tells The Story of Making His Career-Launching Hit, “Country Grammar” (Video)

Nelly's "Country Grammar" was a game changer. As the lead single from his 2000 debut album of the same name, the song was everywhere that summer. Produced by Jason "Jay E" Epperson, the track was built atop drums inspired by David Bowie mixed with the familiar refrain from a popular... Read more

December 17, 2015 Video

Curren$y Fires Up A 15-Year Old Ski Beatz Hit For Nas & Nature & Exhales Dope. (Audio)

One can argue that Curren$y's best music has been that which he made with Ski Beatz. While at the Def Jam-distributed DD172 (Dame Dash's label), the New Orleans, Louisiana MC and the Original Flavor co-founder made two volumes of Pilot Talk, and revamped Spitta's sound in the "Michael Knight" era,... Read more

December 17, 2015 Audio, Video

This Man’s Quest for Healthy Food is Changing Los Angeles, One Garden at a Time (Video)

Los Angeles, though often thought of as a land of palm trees and greenery aplenty, is mostly a sprawling, urban expanse which is now dealing with a statewide drought of historic proportions. That isn't stopping a resident of L.A.'s South Central neighborhood from doing his part to help his beloved... Read more

December 17, 2015 Lifestyle

Khrysis’ Rhythm Roulette Beats Are Soul Council Scorchers (Video)

Khrysis has been one of Hip-Hop's most consistent producers of the last decade. The Durham, North Carolina representative, and one-half of The Away Team, has put in critical production work on albums such as Little Brother's The Minstrel Show, KRS-One & Buckshot's Survival Skills, and Rapsody's The Idea Of Beautiful.... Read more

December 17, 2015 Video

Talib Kweli is a Master MC, but a New Interview Praises his Business Smarts

As an MC, Talib Kweli is one of the most celebrated, his lyrical content being praised for its creativity and its frequent skew towards sociopolitical. As a performer, he is touted as one of the livest and most energetic. As an activist, he is hailed as one of the few... Read more

December 17, 2015 Fresh

Game Releases a 1-2 Punch With Videos for “My Flag” & “Da Homies” (Video)

Having released two acclaimed albums within a week apart, The Game's 2015 campaign has been strong. As Heads debate the greater of The Documentary 2 and The Documentary 2.5 releases, Game drops a two-fer video from the latter. Both "My Flag" and "Da Homies" are rooted in Compton, California street-life.... Read more

December 17, 2015 Video

SWV Releases A New Song That Shows They Can Still Make Us Weak At The Knees (Audio)

SWV (a/k/a Sisters With Voices) are leading up to their first album in nearly four years. February 5, 2016's Still...SWV is a statement LP surrounding Cheryl "Coko" Clemons, Tamara "Taj" Johnson-George, and Leanne "Lelee" Lyons' bond. Smooth single "M.C.E. (Man Crush Everyday)" hits all the right notes. Although it may... Read more

December 17, 2015 Audio

This Film Shows The Amazing Story of The Release Of J. Cole’s 2014 Forest Hills Drive (Video)

On November 17, 2014, J. Cole posted to social media that he was releasing an album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, in less than a month. He did so with no single, no video and no clear idea of how he was going to roll out the new project. Here's an... Read more

December 16, 2015 TV

Pusha T Says Puff Daddy Pushed Him Like No Other Producer To Be Better (Video)

Since its release last week, Pusha T's "CCC (Crutches, Crosses, Caskets)" has had heads nodding vigorously. The Puff Daddy-produced song features a sparse beat, a trunk-rattling bass line and Pusha's merciless lyrics at their coldest. Pusha Ton sat down with Genius' Rob Markman to delve deeper into the meaning of... Read more

December 16, 2015 Video

Supreme Is Knocking Out The Streetwear Competition & Providing Re-Seller Gold (Videos)

In the "hype-beast" era of street-wear, Supreme has lived up to its name. The New York City-originated brand is 21-plus years deep in the game, and popularized by everybody from the late Harold Hunter, to Slick Rick, to Mike Tyson. Behind the red-and-white lettering, is a sub-culture. Supreme's cache extends... Read more

December 16, 2015 Lifestyle, TV/Film, Video

Naughty By Nature Reveal The Origin of “O.P.P.” It Really Was Other People’s Property.

Naughty By Nature was one of Hip-Hop's biggest acts of the 1990s. Still together, recording, and touring, Treach, Vinnie Rock, and Kay Gee broke through with three simple letters: "O.P.P." Now, the title to the 1991 Tommy Boy Records single is permanent part of the pop culture lexicon, approaching 25 years... Read more

December 16, 2015 Throwback

They Don’t Make ‘Em Like Royce Da 5’9″ Anymore. His Newly Leaked Song is Proof (Audio)

And just like that, Royce Da 5'9" has given Heads a holiday gift in the form of "They Don't Make Them Like This Anymore (T.D.M.T.L.T.A.)." Leaked by the man himself, it's another example of the Slaughterhouse and PRhyme MC's lyrical domination over many of his contemporaries. Said Royce about the... Read more

December 16, 2015 Audio

Prison Reform Is Influencing New York to Diminish Use of Solitary Confinement.

2015 has been an important year in the ongoing fight for prison reform. Lately, discussions about reducing the amount of inmates in the United States has been a hotly contested area of political discourse, with many arguing that the country's disproportionate number of incarcerated citizens is a direct result of... Read more

December 16, 2015 Lifestyle

Masta Ace & Veteran Beneficence Gain Clarity In The Sun (Audio)

Newark, New Jersey veteran MC Beneficence has a career that stems back to the early 1990s. Although Bene's name has not extended as far as peers Redman, Lords Of The Underground, or The Artifacts, the dedicated lyricist is still making good on his dream. Teaming with Ill Adrenaline Records, the... Read more

December 16, 2015 Audio

Pusha T Brings Crutches, Crosses, & Caskets (& Some Sunshine) to “The Daily Show” (Videos)

Pusha T is closing out 2015 with an impending release that has been getting buzz for what seems like years. King Push: Darkest Before the Dawn arrives Friday (December 18), and in preparation for it, he's been dropping some serious heat. In November, the Timbaland-produced "Untouchable" arrived, followed up with... Read more

December 16, 2015 TV/Film, Video

“The Breaks” Film Captures The Essence of 90s Hip-Hop Down to the DJ Premier Soundtrack (Video)

Last night (12/14), Vh1 had a screening of its upcoming film, The Breaks. The event took place at Harlem's acclaimed Red Rooster restaurant, hosted by owner Chef Marcus Samuelsson. Several key members of the production were present, including director and writer Seith Mann (Homeland, Ballers, The Walking Dead, Californication), writer... Read more

December 15, 2015 Video