Fresh Archives

Kendrick Lamar Reacts To The Grammy Snubs & Macklemore’s Wins

Kendrick Lamar is not one to speak much on controversy. Following his 2013 "Control" verse, K-Dot evaded press and social media to fuel the fire, and let his Rap verse speak for itself. Following Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' four Grammy Award wins on Sunday night, many Heads speculated what Kendrick... Read more

January 31, 2014 Fresh

The Latest Episode of Unsung Covers the Life That is Too Short (Full Video)

Having been in the game for more than 25 years, Too Short is one of the most enduring figures in Hip-Hop. The latest episode of TV One's Unsung bioseries takes a look at the the life of Todd Shaw. Check out the full episode below. Related: Geto Boys are Truly... Read more

January 31, 2014 Video

Rapper Big Pooh Signs With Mello Music Group, Plans To Release Album With Nottz

Founding Little Brother member Rapper Big Pooh has had a busy solo career for almost a decade. The Virginia native famously made Sleepers, the first solo project from the (other) LB Fam, back in 2005. He's followed with a series of retail mixtapes, albums, series, and a host of projects... Read more

January 31, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Meek Mill Has Got 5 On It With Jadakiss (Video)

Meek Mill flips The Luniz's I Got 5 On It track (or Why You Treat Me So Bad by Club Nouveau for the back in the day Heads) on his song Heaven or Hell, which also features Jadakiss and Gourdan. Check out the video. Related:... Read more

January 30, 2014 Video

Ever Sing in the Shower? Maybe Not Like This…Denitia & Sene Make an Amazing Video (Video)

Denitia and Sene have made an elegant and amazing video for their song trip.fall. They take the simple act of singing in the shower and turn it into art. Check out the video. Related: Denitia & Sene Show What It Means To Be A Casanova (Video)... Read more

January 30, 2014 Video

Lauryn Hill Performs a Funked Up Version of Final Hour (Video)

Lauryn Hill's latest re-arrangements of her Miseducation classics have been winning. After releasing a scorching reggae-tinged performance version of Ex-Factor in December, she's now released a funked up performance of Final Hour. Check out the video. Related: Lauryn Hill Performs an Inspired 11-Minute Reggae-Influenced Version of Ex-Factor (Video)... Read more

January 30, 2014 Throwback

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Perform 1st of tha Month at The Freakiest Show on Earth (Video)

For Karmaloop's Freak-A-Thon holiday live stream event, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Krazyie, Layzie and Flesh-N-Bone linked up to perform one of their breakthrough hits. The gold 1995 first single from E. 1999 Eternal produced by DJ U-Neek helped get the B.T.N.H. in the door, before their multi-platinum international superstar climb. Check this... Read more

January 30, 2014 Video

Big Sean Starts Off 2014 With A 1st Quarter Freestyle On A G.O.O.D. Music-Made Beat (Video)

After taking a rhyme hiatus in late 2013, Big Sean is ramping up for the new year. Teaming with frequent G.O.O.D. Music producer Key Wane, with some help on the mix from Travi$ Scott, Detroit's latest superstar breaks his short-term silence with a video featuring some special effects and a... Read more

January 30, 2014 Fresh, Video

Some Classic Marvin Gaye & Some Classic Mos Def Mixed Together Like They’re Soul Mates (Audio)

The quality in mash-up mixes are really improving lately. From Girltalk to DJ Z-Trip to others, the once-gimmicky (to some Heads) practice of intermixing songs from different genres and eras has gotten technically strong, and artful. 2DopeBoyz put the spotlight on this new "Yasiin Gaye" project from Amerigo Gazaway, who... Read more

January 30, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Here’s a New Mobb Deep Track From the Upcoming Infamous Deluxe Album (Audio)

As we previously reported, Mobb Deep is releasing a deluxe version of their album the Infamous to commemorate its 20th anniversary. The album will have 2 discs, with disc 2 featuring previously unreleased tracks from the Infamous recording sessions, as well as some new tracks. Here's one of those new... Read more

January 29, 2014 Audio

Nas Touches On If He’s Ever Considered A Sequel To Illmatic (Video)

Moments before he was honored by J. Cole at a VIBE magazine event during Grammy weekend, Nas sat with the publication. Asked if he's ever considered a Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Pt. II-esque sequel to his classic debut, Illmatic, Nas answers what he answers with few words more than... Read more

January 29, 2014 Fresh, Video

Smoke DZA Blows Some Cloud Rap Overtop An Experimental Flying Lotus Beat (Audio)

Although Flying Lotus has built his following in the Electric music and Instrumental Hip-Hop genre, the California native has roots in Rap. He's worked with Finale, D. Prosper, and Blu, but now the Los Angeles-based musician links with Kush God? Well, not completely. But DZA hops on a FlyLo beat... Read more

January 29, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Audio Push Make Some Chillout Music to Help You Turn Down (Video)

Audio Push is showing exponential growth lately. The former Interscope duo from Cali's I.E. (Inland Empire) makes a vignette-based video for "Turn Down." Kind of in the "Passin' Me By" wheelhouse, the song focuses on the excuses people give each other to not hang. Beautiful women in costume with an... Read more

January 29, 2014 Video

Cam’ron Comes Back To His Mid-2000s Glory With A-Trak On Humphrey (Audio)

Around the same time Cam'ron and Kanye West were crossing paths in Baseline and Roc The Mic Studios in New York City, A-Trak was 'Ye's DJ. The mid-2000s found Cam famously at the Roc for a three solo album deal, while Kanye's own career skyrocketed. Shortly thereafter, A-Trak, who had... Read more

January 29, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Need to Explain Sampling To Somebody In 3 Ear-Bending Minutes? Watch This (Video)

Heads love samples, from Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" in Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force's "Planet Rock" to Twin Sister's "Meet The Frownies" in Kendrick Lamar's "The Recipe." The folks at Eclectic Method made a three-minute reel that traces the chronology of sampling through the years, stopping in some pretty... Read more

January 29, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

Macklemore & Kendrick Lamar: How Hip-Hop (Not The Grammy’s) Turned Sunday Into a Fail (Food For Thought)

The day after the Grammy Awards, the conversation about Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ win for Best Rap Album over Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city (G.K.M.C) grew from a buzz to a roar. Social media platforms and the web, generally, were on fire. The frenzy was fueled in part by... Read more

January 29, 2014 Featured-homepage, Food for Thought, Fresh

Pharoahe Monch Gets His Sam Jackson On, In Bad MFer (Audio)

Release dates are coming in heavy this week. The same seven days that celebrate the 20th anniversary of Organized Konfusion's Stress: The Extinction Agenda sees Monch map out P.T.S.D. for April 15th (tax day, as it's also known). The LP on W.A.R. Media will include contributions from Black Thought, Marco... Read more

January 29, 2014 Audio, Food for Thought, Fresh

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib Team With Earl Sweatshirt & Domo Genesis On New Song, Get Album Release Date (Audio)

After years in the waiting, EPs whetting the appetites of distinct fanbases, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib have a release date for Pinata. No longer called Cocaine Pinata, the collaborative full-length arrives March 18th from The Loop Digger's own imprint, Madlib Invazion. A press release confirmed that guests include Scarface, Mac... Read more

January 29, 2014 Audio, Fresh

J. Cole’s Label Partners With Interscope & He Releases 11 Track Revenge Of The Dreamers (Album Stream)

J. Cole is making big moves this week. Like collaborators Meek Mill and Mac Miller, Cole is building a label simultaneous to his own expanding career. Dreamville, as his imprint is known, has inked a distribution deal with Interscope Records, home to Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, and Eminem. This squad... Read more

January 29, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Diamonds Are Forever: Jay Z Gives J. Cole His Original Roc-A-Fella Records Chain On Stage (Video)

While J. Cole did not join his Roc Nation leader at Sunday's Grammy Awards, despite being nominated for Best Rap Album, the two reconvened this week. Last night, while Cole took the stage at Madison Square Garden, his fans were treated to surprise appearances by Kendrick Lamar, and Jay. While... Read more

January 29, 2014 Fresh, Video

The Lox Are Back With Some Boom Bap and a KRS-One Hook (Audio)

After dropping a surprise EP in December, The Lox reunion continues. Here's their latest, Boom Bap. Related: The Lox Give Sway In The Morning A Mini Concert & An In-Depth Interview (Video)... Read more

January 28, 2014 Audio

ScHoolboy Q Rocks Early 2014 With Tour & Some Fresh OXYMORON Music (Audio)

With two Top 200 independent albums already under his belt, all eyes are on ScHoolboy Q's first Interscope Records-backed LP, OXYMORON. The longtime Top Dawg Entertainment artist has garnered mainstream appeal, all from his perch as a straight-talking, easy-going G from the streets of South Central Los Angeles. TDE confirmed... Read more

January 28, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Def Jam Records Started With A Smash. 30 Years Ago Today T La Rock Declared It’s Yours

The same week that LL Cool J hosted the Grammy Awards, there is another important memory milestone for Def Jam Records. Thirty years ago today (January 28), the label started by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin (in a New York University dorm room), released blockbuster single "It's Yours" by Manhattan/Bronx... Read more

January 28, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

25 Tracks From Stars & Emerging Voices Affirm That Jamla Most Definitely Is The Squad (Album Stream)

Just in the last five years, 9th Wonder's Jamla Records has released critically-acclaimed and commercially-dominant albums from the likes of Skyzoo, Rapsody, and Murs, among a host of others. The North Carolina-based label is ramping up for its latest wave, with a blossoming expanded roster, which includes TP, Add-2, and... Read more

January 28, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Bronze Nazareth Checks In With His Wu-Tang Roots In The Beat He Gives Willie The Kid (Video)

Willie The Kid and Bronze Nazareth might both come from Michigan, but each have strong ties to the sons of Shaolin: the Wu-Tang Clan. W.T.K. is younger brother of La The Darkman, who was one of the early successful artists under the Wu umbrella. Bronze Nazareth came up with Cilvarings,... Read more

January 28, 2014 Fresh, Video

The Foreign Exchange Camp’s Visuals Are Really Uplifting Lately. Check Better (Video)

Phonte and Nicolay have been making captivating music (from Internet to in person) for a decade now. However, the group and affiliates with so much musical and social personality is really shining in video form lately. After Zo!'s "We Are On The Move" video (which featured 'Tay and Eric Roberson)... Read more

January 28, 2014 Fresh, Video

DJ Jazzy Jeff Shows The Link Between DJ’ing & Technology, Visits Sway In The Morning (Video)

In the newest episode of DJ Jazzy Jeff's Vinyl Destination, the A Touch Of Jazz crew hits the Bay area, one of the basins for technology. There, in the backyard of DJ Q-Bert, Mixmaster Mike, and Shortkut, the clique discusses how the innovations on the turntable over the last 30... Read more

January 28, 2014 Fresh, Video

J-Live Makes A Topical Video About Trying To Get Over With Money Matters (Video)

For over 15 years, J-Live has been an outstanding MC at making clever Hip-Hop songs that his audiences can relate to. The Triple Threat MC/DJ/producer makes a compelling video timed perfectly with the postage increases and State Of The Union address. "Money Matters" explores how working folks, off the grid... Read more

January 28, 2014 Fresh, Video

Nipsey Hussle Barks Some Reality Raps On The THC-Produced Between Us (Audio)

With the sounds of Hip-Hop changing, Nipsey Hussle breathes his brand of realness into all of his works. "Between Us" implements the kind of altered choruses you hear in Future, Kevin Gates, and the like—this one courtesy of K.Camp. However, in between the bridges, Nip' talks his life in simple,... Read more

January 28, 2014 Audio, Fresh

With Temperatures Dropping, Kool G Rap, Cormega, Roc Marciano & J-Love Want You To Look Outside (Audio)

Roc Marciano and Cormega have a great working relationship. Although Queensbridge's 'Mega has about a 10-year jump in the game from Hempstead's Marci, the two are very much about the intricacies of street life. Both of these qualities hail from the Kool G Rap archetype, dating back to the '80s.... Read more

January 28, 2014 Audio, Fresh

UMG is Re-Releasing Several Classic Hip-Hop Albums on Vinyl. Which is Your Favorite?

During last night's 53rd Grammy Awards, show host LL Cool J took a moment to acknowledge Def Jam Records, a label he helped build through his 1985 debut, Radio (and over a dozen Def Jam albums to follow). That LP, which includes "I Need Love" (a song LL also referenced... Read more

January 27, 2014 Fresh

Yelawolf Celebrates His Wheels on His Latest Single, Box Chevy V (Audio)

Pimp C, E-40, King T, and now Yelawolf. Gearheads and Rides subscribers must love the kind of Hip-Hop that gives as much attention to automobilia as these guys. For his third major label go'round, Yelawolf is back to pay great homage to his "Box Chevy" those same late '70s-early '90s... Read more

January 27, 2014 Audio

On the Eve of His EP Release Here Are a New Song and Video From Isaiah Rashad (Audio & Video)

One of the voices poised to break out in 2014 is Top Dawg Entertainment's Isaiah Rashad. The Chattanooga, Tennessee MC is not big on churning out product like some of his contemporaries, instead, the introspective rapper aims to make every dart stick. Today, on the eve of his Clivia Demo... Read more

January 27, 2014 Audio, Video

Macklemore Believes Race & Other Factors Contributed To His 4 Grammy Award Wins

From Macklemore's texts of solidarity to friend/peer Kendrick Lamar before last night's (January 26) 56th Grammy Awards to his words following winning in four categories competing against the Compton, California MC, it's hard not to love the way the Seattle, Washington veteran (who happened to win Best New Artist) handled... Read more

January 27, 2014 Fresh

Macklemore Tells Kendrick Lamar He Got Robbed By Not Winning Best Rap Album. See the Texts (Photos)

Did the 56th Grammy Awards leave the Head in you feeling some kind of way? Especially if you're a Kendrick Lamar fan, watching Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' four awards sweep early in the night, talk of the town performance, and Daft Punk's Random Access Memories taking the Album Of The... Read more

January 27, 2014 Fresh

Big Boi, Phantogram & Sade Have A Kaleidoscope Of Color For CPU 2.0 (Video)

With his name heavy in the mainstream music cycle, courtesy of Outkast tour dates and rumored new recordings, Big Boi has opted to keep on pushin' his most recent album, Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors, which turned one year old last month. As part of a revamped two-month roll-out, Daddy... Read more

January 27, 2014 Fresh, Video

Buckshot & 9th Wonder Come Back Together For Some 3am Square Biz (Audio)

From 2005 to 2012, Black Moon's Buckshot and Little Brother's 9th Wonder made an Interstate 95 link to record three albums together. These works charted new waters for both artists, who when they set out to collaborate, were largely known for the personas created in their respective groups. By 2012,... Read more

January 27, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Keep 45 King In Your Thoughts This Week, He Suffered A Heart Attack

One of Hip-Hop's most important producers in 45 King. The New Jersey native known for founding the original Flavor Unit, and in part, discovering Queen Latifah, also produced major hits for Eminem ("Stan") Jay Z ("Hard Knock Life"), and legendary remixes for Eric B. & Rakim, Diamond D, and Lisa... Read more

January 27, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

Kendrick Lamar Steals The Show At The Grammys. Who Needs An Award? (Video)

So with controversy already in the air after some categorical losses early in the night, what would Kendrick Lamar do with his performance slot? The Compton, California good kid (with a reputation for competition) performed a Heads-approved album cut from his major label debut, "m.A.A.d city." With Imagine Dragons backing... Read more

January 26, 2014 Fresh, Video

Timed Perfectly, Wale J. Cole, Rockie Fresh & Meek Mill Release Black Grammys (Video)

A lover of the viral content, Wale timed "Black Grammys" perfectly. Although the Maybach Music Group artist could not have anticipated the Twitter conversations regarding Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' four straight wins (or did he?), the song as is as topically-released as any. J. Cole does not make the video,... Read more

January 26, 2014 Fresh, Video

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Win The 2014 Grammy Award For Rap Song & Album

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have cause for some early celebration at Los Angeles, California's Staples Center. The Seattle, Washington pair's 2012 album The Heist won Rap Album Of The Year and their breakthrough hit "Thrift Shop" won Rap Song Of The Year. The wins were controversial when coupled with two... Read more

January 26, 2014 Fresh

Curren$y & Action Bronson Get Corleone Stoned On Godfather 4 (Audio)

Heads watching TV this Grammy Awards weekend know that AMC has been going hard on the Godfather marathons. Fans of Mario Puzo's novel-turned-Francis Ford Coppola-directed saga may appreciate that Curren$y and Action Bronson opted to make "Godfather 4," as a song. The two sensations within the Atlantic Records/Warner Music Group... Read more

January 26, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Grap Luva’s 2011 Neva Done Comes To Cassette & Gets Liberated (Album Stream & Download)

Founding INI member Grap Luva has been in AFH headlines a lot lately. Co-hosting next month's Detroit Dilla Day with Ro Spit, Pete Rock's brother is now the beneficiary of a cassette tape re-release. Luva's 2011 LP, Neva Done, was put out by Redefinition Records and garnered underground acclaim. Now,... Read more

January 26, 2014 Fresh, Mixes

Pharoahe Monch & Prince Po Chronicle The Cab Racism & Label Tensions That Created Stress

This week, Organized Konfusion's sophomore album, Stress: The Extinction Agenda turns 20 years old. Queens, New Yorkers Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po (fka Prince Poetry) are coming together for a rare headlining concert with longtime affiliates O.C. and Large Professor, among others, for a concert in Brooklyn, New York. NahRight... Read more

January 26, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

The Juice Crew Masters The Ceremony & Orchestrates The Symphony On Stage (Video)

The same night Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Geto Boys, The Pharcyde, Blackstreet, and Ma$e and Diddy reunited in Los Angeles, another seminal Hip-Hop crew came together in New York City. While they never released an album, Heads know the Juice Crew's impact as the sum of its parts, including Big Daddy Kane,... Read more

January 25, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

J. Cole Presents A Complex Speech Honoring Nas At The VIBE Image Awards (Video)

The same night Nas performed "Nas Is Like" and "If I Ruled The World" alongside his Firm collaborator Dr. Dre and Ruffhouse Records label-mates Cypress Hill, he was honored by VIBE. The same magazine that brought Nasir and J. Cole together for a powerful cover-story in 2013, had the Roc... Read more

January 25, 2014 Fresh, Video

Mobb Deep Will Release Unheard Infamous Verses By Nas, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon & N.O.R.E.

So often with classic albums, what was released was almost everything that was recorded. In 2014, it's often hard to imagine that there's much that hasn't leaked over time, with all the deluxe reissues and bootlegs. Mobb Deep is proving this wrong. During the 1994 recording of Prodigy and Havoc's... Read more

January 25, 2014 Fresh, Throwback

Dr. Dre, Nas, Eminem, Diddy & Ma$e & Pharcyde Etc. Come Together To Perform At Beats’ Grammy Party

Earlier this month, Beats Music launched. From the creators of the Beats By Dre headphone and electronics lines, this streaming subscription service is the latest competitor in a space that includes Spotify, Pandora and others. With plenty to celebrate, Beats hosted a Grammy Awards weekend party at Los Angeles, California's... Read more

January 25, 2014 Fresh

Chuck D Talks About the Early Days of Public Enemy & the Need to Preserve Hip-Hop With Arsenio (Video)

Chuck D sat down with Arsenio and spoke about the first time he ever met Flavor Flav, what it meant to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the need to preserve Hip-Hop culture and more. Check out the videos below. Related: Chuck D and DMC over... Read more

January 25, 2014 Throwback

Mary J Blige Brings Her Soul to Disclosure’s Retro Futuristic Dance Jam. Try Not to Move (Video)

Breakthrough artists Disclosure have linked with Mary J Blige on an infectious dance track that is simultaneously retro and futuristic. The funky house-influenced jam makes it hard not to move. Check out the video for F For You. Related: Bishop Nehru Follows in the Footsteps of DJ Premier & Creates... Read more

January 25, 2014 Video