Fresh Archives

Ras Kass Reworks “Soul On Ice” With Some New Lyrics That Burn (Video Premiere)

Ras Kass is recognized as one of the most talented lyricists to ever come out of southern California. Between the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. and Ab-Soul, Razzy kept Carson, California on the Rap map. And while commercial success has never been an adequate reflection of his talents (partially prompting a self-comparison to... Read more

November 8, 2018 Exclusive, Video

Common’s Production Company Is Telling Meaningful Stories Just Like His Music (Video)

Common has been a known activist and philanthropist for well over a decade. His socially conscious raps weren't the only lane for the Soulquarian to get his blessings off; the once-Vegan PETA supporter remains a part of the "Knowing Is Beautiful" movement, which supports AIDS/HIV awareness, is the founder of... Read more

November 7, 2018 TV, TV/Film, Video

The Story Of How ODB Recorded His Verse For Mariah Carey’s Remix Is Fantastic

In 1995 Mariah Carey scored her ninth #1 single with "Fantasy." From her fifth album, Daydream, the song offered a nod to Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, by sampling The Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love," a staple from New York City's Downtown scene a dozen or so years... Read more

November 7, 2018 Audio, Throwback, Throwback, Trending Stories

Reef The Lost Cauze’s Video Shows What’s Golden About Hip-Hop Can Never Fade Away

Bearing a lengthy Hip-Hop resume, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based MC, Reef The Lost Cauze (born Sharif Lacey) is a certified authority when it comes to the genre. From the Army Of The Pharaohs (A.O.T.P.) member's early days of battling, to his various mixtapes and albums, a current six-year window of podcasting, and... Read more

November 7, 2018 Ready Or Not

Erykah Badu Dedicates A Mix To Roy Hargrove & Shares A New Song That’s Money (Audio)

In the last week, a principal musician within the Soulquarians family passed away at 49 years old. Trumpeter Roy Hargrove, Jr. played on Common’s Like Water For Chocolate, D’Angelo’s Voodoo, and Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun. On the last of the three, the Waco, Texas native played on "Green Eyes" as... Read more

November 7, 2018 Audio, Mixes

Too Short’s Career Documentary Includes Rare Footage From MC Breed & More (Video)

Too Short is a pioneer within Rap. While Todd Shaw has been churning out albums for 31 years, his career in music goes back even further. With such an extensive resume in Hip-Hop, Too Short takes a moment to reflect on some key moments in his career. He produced 3... Read more

November 6, 2018 TV/Film, Video

DJ Premier Reveals He’s The Person Who Sequenced Nas’ Illmatic Album (Audio)

DJ Premier has an extensive background in Hip-Hop music and production. This week the legendary Gang Starr member (deemed "The Greatest Hip-Hop Producer Of All-Time" by Ambrosia For Heads readers) native casually dropped another line to add to his already lengthy resume. On the latest episode of crooner Anderson .Paak's .Paak... Read more

November 6, 2018 Audio, Throwback, Throwback

Ice Cube Readies 1st Album In Nearly A Decade & He’s Coming Out Swinging (Video)

After years of preparation, Ice Cube's first album since 2010 is due in just over a month. Following his recent celebration of Death Certificate's 25th birthday, the N.W.A. and Westside Connection alum is keeping politically and socially-minded Rap on his agenda. Everythang's Corrupt is currently planned for a December 7... Read more

November 6, 2018 Fresh, Video

J.I.D. Pushes J. Cole To His Limits On A Fast & Furious Collabo (Audio)

In 20 days, Dreamville's J.I.D. will drop his DiCaprio 2 project. The follow-up effort to 2017's exceptional The Never Story (named one of Ambrosia For Heads' top LPs of the year) may be the most anticipated body of work from the East Atlanta, Georgia lyricist with shape-shifting flows. Following September's... Read more

November 6, 2018 Audio

Q-Tip Explains How His Renaissance Birthed A New Movement In Hip-Hop

November 4, 2008 was a day laced in change. Marking the Presidential election that led Barack Obama to Office, American politics and culture was in the midst of a transformation. Hip-Hop artists became increasingly vocal in the conversation of change in America. In addition to US politics, Rap music seemed... Read more

November 5, 2018 Throwback

Atmosphere’s Graffiti Video Provides Poetic Closure To The Group’s Album Trilogy (Video)

“I wrote this one while I was still alive,” Atmosphere's Slug spits on the opening line of “Graffiti.” Setting the stage for a metaphoric glance at both the romantic MC’s inner workings and the heavily layered track, the video takes that authentic grittiness a step further. Directed by longtime collaborator... Read more

November 5, 2018 Video

Swizz Beatz Reveals The Hidden Secrets He Learned At Harvard (Video)

Less than one week ago, Swizz Beatz released his first album in more than a decade. The arrival of POISON has the hit-maker for DMX, JAY-Z, Beyoncé, T.I., and Styles P promoting the Epic Records LP. However, few interviews in Swizzy's 20-plus-year career are as engaging as his second sit-down... Read more

November 5, 2018 Video

KRS-One Recalls How Battling On Scott La Rock’s Behalf Led To The Formation Of BDP

Boogie Down Productions is a Hip-Hop outfit that is revered for its combative nature. The collective launched by KRS-One and DJ Scott La Rock would challenge Rap peers including MC Shan, Marley Marl, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Roxanne Shanté, and others throughout its late 1980s run. However, according to Blastmaster KRS-One,... Read more

November 5, 2018 Throwback, Throwback, TV, TV/Film

Swizz Beatz Explains Why The JAY-Z, Nas & DMX Collabo Has Not Come Out (Video)

Yesterday, Swizz Beatz released his POISON album. For the Bronx, New York representative, it is his third retail release over the last 16 years. Rather than bring attention to his catalog, the Grammy Award-winning producer, rapper, DJ, and musician has spotlit so many moments for his peers in Rap, R&B,... Read more

November 3, 2018 Video

Rapper Big Pooh Makes Up For Lost Time With His New LP. Listen In. (Audio)

While Rapper Big Pooh has consistently dropped at least one album, EP, or mixtape every year since 2008, he seemingly sat last year out. The MC known for his role in the Little Brother trio dropped full albums with Nottz (Home Sweet Home) and Apollo Brown (Words Paint Pictures) in... Read more

November 3, 2018 Audio

Slick Rick Shares A 30-Year-Old Song That Missed His Great Adventure (Audio)

This week, Slick Rick is celebrating the 30th-anniversary of his landmark debut album, The Great Adventures Of Slick Rick. On Def Jam/Columbia Records, the nimble storyteller offered a collection of shorts about crime, sex, stick-ups, and messages to the youth. The moment was pivotal for Hip-Hop as Rick enhanced Rap... Read more

November 2, 2018 Audio, Throwback

Nas Flips His Rhyme Style & Travels Back To The ’80s With Swizz Beatz (Audio)

Swizz Beatz just released his first album in more than 11 years. This hit-maker has seemingly been able to work with all sides of Rap music, branching into other genres. From hardcore to Pop polish, the Bronx, New York representative has thrived since his days as the low-key sound-provider on... Read more

November 2, 2018 Audio

16 Years After Jam Master Jay’s Passing, A Run-D.M.C. Mural Goes Up In New York City

It's an undeniable fact that Run-D.M.C. remains one of the most influential music groups in all of music history. The Hollis, Queens trio's success and crossover appeal set the commercial stage for many Rap crews afterward – such as The Beastie Boys, who are enjoying their run of Beastie Boys... Read more

November 1, 2018 Fresh, Lifestyle

A Haunting DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Music Video Makes Its Return After 30 Years

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's 1988 sophomore, the He's The DJ, I'm The Rapper double album is iconic for many reasons, but one of them may have been forgotten during the commotion of the project's success. "A Nightmare On My Street" is one of the most memorable Hip-Hop adaptations of... Read more

November 1, 2018 Throwback, Video

Action Bronson’s New Album Is Available For Full Stream. Listen Here (Audio)

Action Bronson's career, no matter the territory, has never been pigeonholed. Before Action turned rapping from a hobby into a monetarily viable option, the 34-year-old began life in the working world as a well-respected kitchen commander in New York City. Action even started his own cooking show on YouTube during... Read more

November 1, 2018 Audio

Cypress Hill Recall Filming A Video With Ice Cube & Tim Dog On The Same Set (Video)

It's been nearly a decade since Cypress Hill released a group studio album, but that changed late last month with their new LP Elephants On Acid. That effort restores the production to DJ Muggs, a welcomed shift both for the group and its legions of fans. In honor of the project,... Read more

November 1, 2018 Throwback, Video

Xzibit Recalls Moving To LA Alone As A Teen & The Likwit Crew Taking Him In (Video)

Falling on Halloween yesterday, the team of Xzibit, B-Real, and Demrick released the second installment in their Serial Killers series since 2015's The Murder Show with the seven-tracked, Day Of The Dead. In promotion of the freshly released project, Xzibit sat down with Adam22, aka Adam Grandmaison, of the No... Read more

November 1, 2018 Throwback, Video

Method Man And Redman Are Still Kings Of The Rap Jungle (Audio)

On December 11, Method Man will release Meth Lab II: The Lithium, a follow-up to its 2015 predecessor. The self-released album will feature Snoop Dogg, N.O.R.E., Heltah Skeltah’s Rock, Cappadonna, Masta Killa, Sheek Louch and more, including everyone's favorite co-hort, Redman. Together, Red and Meth are kings of the Rap jungle... Read more

November 1, 2018 Audio

Dave Chappelle & Jon Stewart Talk Politics Unusual (Video)

As comedians, Jon Stewart and Dave Chappelle are inherently political. Both have led illustrious careers in their respective fields, utilizing humor to comment on and critique policies, politicians, social movements and more. As the anchor of Comedy Central's Daily Show, Stewart brought high-brow, intricate political topics into everyday discourse. With Chappelle's... Read more

November 1, 2018 Lifestyle

50 Cent Announces He Is Producing A Prequel To Power

Fifteen years after launching one of the biggest Rap careers of the 2000s, 50 Cent has found a new source of artistic and commercial success through Power. Since 2014, the Starz series has become a top draw for the network and premium cable shows of its kind. Following its fifth... Read more

November 1, 2018 News, TV, TV/Film

Martin Lawrence Confirms Bad Boys 3 With Will Smith & Details Surface About The Story

Fifteen years after Bad Boys II, a third film is cemented. For those anticipating Bad Boys For Life, this is not the first time they have heard this. Back in mid-2015, fans were promised a third and fourth installment in the action-comedy franchise starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. With... Read more

November 1, 2018 News, TV/Film

Curren$y, Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist Are Money. Stream The Fetti Project (Audio)

In the Spring of 2015, Grand Theft Auto V was released for Microsoft Windows. It was a couple of years after the video game had initially hit consoles. So, to hype the release, Rockstar introduced new in-game features and commissioned Alchemist and Oh No (who had already formed Gangrene at... Read more

October 31, 2018 Audio

Pharoahe Monch & Lil Fame Team Up To Make A Record Executive Pay (Video)

Pharoahe Monch is wrapping up 2018 in a big way, and just in time to celebrate his birthday (October 31). This past September, Pharoahe Monch sat down with Take It Personal Radio for a tribute episode dedicated to the Queens MC in which he revealed the release of his latest... Read more

October 31, 2018 Video

Apollo Brown & Joell Ortiz Discuss Their Album, Slaughterhouse & More (Video)

Apollo Brown and Joell Ortiz released their Mona Lisa album on Friday, October 26 (embedded below). These two stalwarts of the culture have put together 11 tracks of soulful, insightful, and competitive-spirited Hip-Hop. Having had a chance to digest this nuanced body of work, Ambrosia For Heads' Editor-in-Chief Jake Paine... Read more

October 31, 2018 Exclusive, Interview, Video

Busta Rhymes Leads A Cypher Between His 2 Crews. He’s Still The Top Dragon (Video)

Since his Leaders Of The New School days in the early 1990s, Busta Rhymes has always had a posse surrounding him on stage and in the studio. For most of the last 25 years, it was the Flipmode Squad, which included DJ Scratch, Rampage The, Rah Digga, Baby Sham, Spliff... Read more

October 30, 2018 Video

Remy Ma Breaks Down Voter Suppression & The Importance Of This Election (Video)

Midterm Election Day is less than one week away, and as always, Hip-Hop is assuming a big role in trying to get people to the polls. Whether it's in the music or conversations outside of the studio, issues surrounding racial injustice, economic imbalance, gender discrimination and more often find the... Read more

October 30, 2018 Lifestyle, TV, TV/Film, Video

Slug Unpacks Atmosphere’s New Album & Puts His Rumored Alchemist LP To Bed (Video)

Atmosphere dropped their seventh studio album Mi Vida Local earlier this month. It was the conclusion to a trilogy of thematic full-lengths that, according to Slug, "are based around the idea of mortality." The trio began with 2014's Southsiders and followed in the form of 2016's Fishing Blues, before this month's final... Read more

October 30, 2018 Exclusive, Interview, Video

Ava DuVernay Is Making A Prince Documentary Series

Ava DuVernay has been reshaping the landscape of Hollywood for years. Just last year, she made history as the first Black woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for "Best Documentary Feature," thanks to her searing film on prison reform, 13th. This year marked her first big-budget film, A Wrinkle in... Read more

October 30, 2018 TV, TV/Film

Jimmy Fallon Details How He Convinced The Roots To Be His Show’s House Band (Video)

Next March marks a decade for The Roots and Jimmy Fallon working together five nights a week. The partnership began in 2009 when the Grammy Award-winning band from Philadelphia joined The Late Show With Jimmy Fallon in the midst of one of their strongest album-making strides. That relationship carried over... Read more

October 30, 2018 TV, TV/Film, Video

Anderson .Paak’s New Video Shows An Unmasked World & It’s 1 Sick Puppy

There is great anticipation for Anderson .Paak's upcoming album Oxnard (November 16). It marks a major label debut for Andy, and his first record overseen by Dr. Dre. The Southern California singer, MC, drummer, and producer recently released his "Tints" single with Kendrick Lamar. Now comes the video, and it... Read more

October 29, 2018 Video

D’Angelo Stands Unshaken In A Spooky New Song From Red Dead Redemption (Audio)

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a video game boasting an unexpected star on its soundtrack. Developed by Rockstar Studios, the game takes place in a fictionalized Wild West at the turn of the 20th century and was released on October 26. For gamers, it's an anticipated prequel to 2010's Red Dead Redemption... Read more

October 29, 2018 Audio

Rapper Big Pooh Has A New Album Coming. Here’s The 1st Song (Audio)

Last month, all three members of Little Brother reunited in Durham, North Carolina. Few could have anticipated that Phonte, 9th Wonder, and Rapper Big Pooh coming together under the moniker that birthed their three respective careers more than 15 years ago. It was a key moment for a group that's... Read more

October 29, 2018 Audio

50 Cent Buys 200 Ja Rule Concert Tickets To Make The Front Rows Empty

50 Cent and Ja Rule have been beefing for more than 18 years. Over time, the crosstown Queens, New York feuding parties have expanded to include Fif's G-Unit (as well as Eminem, Dr. Dre, and others for a time) as well as Ja's mentor/producer, Irv Gotti, and Murder Inc Records.... Read more

October 28, 2018 Fresh, News

Sean Price Teamed With Mic Handz In His Last Days. Listen To The Music They Made (Video)

UPDATE: Mic Handz' video to "Conceit," featuring Sean Price: ORIGINAL OCTOBER 27 STORY: "More than three years since he passed away, Sean Price's legacy burns bright. Last year, Duck Down Music and Sean's wife Bernadette released Imperius Rex, an album that was selected among Ambrosia For Heads' best of 2017.... Read more

October 27, 2018 Audio, Video

Pharoahe Monch Refuses To Be Boxed In. He Makes Soul-Jazz With Marcus Strickland (Audio)

Pharoahe Monch has been busy lately. Ambrosia For Heads recently caught up with the Queens MC last month during J. Period's "live mixtape" show that Monch did with a slew of Hip-Hop legends, including Rakim, Black Thought, Dres, and others. He's also wrapping up a new solo LP he describes... Read more

October 26, 2018 Audio

Anderson .Paak’s Oxnard Album Tracklist Features Dr. Dre, Q-Tip, J. Cole & More

Anderson .Paak is gearing up to release his highly-anticipated third solo studio album, Oxnard, on November 16. Earlier this month, the singer, MC, drummer, and producer dropped the single "Tints" with Kendrick Lamar. Now, fans get to find out all who are slated to be on the Cali native's Aftermath Entertainment... Read more

October 26, 2018 Fresh

Brother Ali Uses Some Baduizm To Show Just How Serious He Is About His Art (Video)

In 2017, Brother Ali gave fans one of the year's most illuminating albums in All The Beauty In This Whole Life. The Rhymesayers Entertainment release was named one of Ambrosia For Heads' best of the year and showed Ali at a new place with his outlook, his family, and his... Read more

October 26, 2018 Video

J. Cole Saves His Best Verse Of The Year For A Collabo With Rapsody (Audio)

J. Cole is on an incredible run in 2018. April's KOD album is a top-tier contender for this year's best albums. In an era marred by overdose and self-medication, the LP offers powerful commentary to millions of listeners that could benefit. Furthermore, infidelity, vanity, greed, and a generational chasm in... Read more

October 26, 2018 Audio

The Black Eyed Peas New Song Reunites The Native Tongues’ Phife & Posdnuos (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let AFH fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to go back... Read more

October 26, 2018 Audio

Jay Rock & Kendrick Lamar Go Back To Basics In Their “Wow Freestyle” Video

Jay Rock may have dropped his highly praised Redemption album at the top of the summer, but he is still working on the TDE project. The “Wow Freestyle” is the eighth video he has dropped off his third full-length project, which is 13 tracks long. Artists have been saying that... Read more

October 25, 2018 Video

Dave East & Styles P Kick Freestyles & Show Why Their Bond Is Thoro (Video)

Styles P and Dave East recently released a joint album, Beloved. For two New York City MCs with proven chemistry, the Def Jam Records LP has the spirit of early 2000s mixtapes (especially of the D-Block variety) with the kind of polish typically reserved for albums. To promote the 13-song... Read more

October 25, 2018 Video

Spice 1 Reveals He Was Considered For The Role Of O-Dog In “Menace II Society” (Video)

Spice 1 was a driving force in 1993's Menace II Society soundtrack. Released on Jive Records, the platinum-certified compilation opens with Spice's "Trigga Gots No Heart." The E-A-Ski and CMT-produced song became a single from the audio companion to Allen and Albert Hughes' film. Spice's longtime collaborator MC Eiht followed... Read more

October 25, 2018 TV/Film, Video

ScHoolboy Q, Westside Gunn & Conway Stick A Fork In The Competition Over An Alchemist Production (Video)

Today (October 25) is The Alchemist's birthday. The legendary producer, DJ, and artist has had the Midas touch in Hip-Hop for over 20 years, across the Rap landscape. From California to a New York City tenure, and an eventual return to the Cali' sunshine, ALC has made so many unforgettable... Read more

October 25, 2018 Video

Edan & Homeboy Sandman Take Hip-Hop Underwater. Literally. (Video)

Queens, New York's Homeboy Sandman has become a Stones Throw Records mainstay, and even though he has been dropping fly solo albums every one to two years faithfully since his debut the Nourishment (Second Helping) in 2007, he may be even better when paired up with other dope lyricists. His three... Read more

October 24, 2018 Video

Jazzy Jeff Demonstrates New DJ Technology That May Mark The End Of Needles (Video)

As the end of 2018 approaches, the art of DJ'ing inches closer to its 85th birthday. The term "disc jockey" itself was first coined in 1935 by New York City-born radio commentator Walter Winchell. Later, in 1943, the first official DJ dance party was curated by then DJ Jimmy Savile... Read more

October 23, 2018 News, Video