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Ski Beatz Admits To Throwing Away An Entire Pre-Reasonable Doubt JAY-Z Album & Big L Music

Hip-Hop lore often provides Heads with stories of triumph, classic moments, and past situations that, at the time, those involved didn't know how legendary they'd be. Sometimes though, disheartening news will emerge when the greats do recall their musical past. RZA's studio was flooded multiple times, which caused the creation... Read more

Robert Glasper Claims Lauryn Hill Stole Credit From Other Writers On Her Miseducation Album (Video)

Every Hip-Hop artist uses some sort of musical inspiration in their music. However, Robert Glasper believes Lauryn Hill stepped over the line into biting. What's worse, is it pertains to her classic debut LP. Appearing on 97.9 The BOX's Madd Hatta Morning Show in Houston, the veteran pianist and Grammy-award-winning... Read more

A Ghostface Killah Lost Tapes Album Filled With All-Stars Is Coming. Here Is The 1st Song & Tracklist

In 2002, Nas famously released The Lost Tapes. The album reportedly pulled from records not used during the sessions for I Am..., Nastradamus, and Stillmatic. Boasting production from Alchemist, Kanye West, and Illmatic alum L.E.S., the Ill Will/Columbia Records release with the catchy artwork snuck into the Top 10, despite... Read more

Uncle Ralph McDaniels Details 35 Years Of Making The Original Rap Video Show (Video)

"Uncle" Ralph McDaniels is a pioneer in bringing video to Hip-Hop culture. The New York City native co-created and co-hosted Video Music Box, a show that would help bring some of the top names in Hip-Hop, and their music, to TV screens across the world. Subsequently, McDaniels would use his... Read more

Nas Names 5 Of His Favorite Rap Songs In Celebration Of Hip-Hop’s 45th Birthday (Video)

This past Saturday, Hip-Hop celebrated a significant milestone. August 11, 1973, marks the day that DJ Kool Herc (aka Clive Campbell) rocked a benchmark party in the rec room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. As a result, many Hip-Hop Heads, scholars, and even tech giants honor that day as the culture's... Read more

Smif-N-Wessun Join Termanology On A Song That’s Rugged & Raw (Video)

It has been a busy season for Smif-n-Wessun. Last week, Tek joined Pharoahe Monch on Wu-Tang Clan and Sean Price's remix to "Pearl Harbor." Meanwhile, General Steele joined Buckshot for a Sean P tribute video, "Apartheid." Both solo appearances came after 9th Wonder confirmed producing Smif-n-Wessun's next album with his... Read more

Nicki Minaj Updates Biggie’s “Dreams” With Her Fantasies About Today’s Artists (Audio)

The Notorious B.I.G. made an audacious move with 1993's "Just Playing (Dreams)," a promotional single in which he lasciviously name-dropped female artists. Contemporaries like SWV and TLC got attention, as did treasured icons Patti LaBelle and Chaka Khan. It was raunchy, pompous and potentially risky for an MC whose debut... Read more

Lakeith Stanfield Returns To His Hip-Hop Roots Alongside Tune-Yards (Video)

Before Lakeith Stanfield was an actor best known for his roles as "Darius Epps" in Donald Glover's FX comedy Atlanta, "Cassius 'Cash' Green in the sci-fi comedy Sorry to Bother You, Civil Rights activist "Jimmie Lee Jackson" in Selma, and a young "Snoop Dogg" in Straight Outta Compton, Stanfield rapped as... Read more

Killer Mike Is Running Fine Art Now Too

In the world of visual and fine art, some if not all topics of discussion revolve around the grey area between traditional and nontraditional forms of art. Museum culture is often depicted as intensely exclusive with a missing link to the world of music, specifically in Hip-Hop. In recent years,... Read more

DOOM & DJ Muggs Assassinate Kanye West In Their Latest Video

Artistically, DJ Muggs pulls no punches. The Cypress Hill co-founder is known for a raw and uncompromising style. His brand is Soul Assassins, and from GZA to Sick Jacken, Ill Bill to Planet Asia, he historically aligns with MCs that are not afraid to speak their mind on the microphone.... Read more

Pharoahe Monch Bodies An Official Wu-Tang Clan Remix With Sean Price & Tek (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

30 Years Ago, The Source Set A New Standard For Hip-Hop Journalism

This week, Hip-Hop culture is celebrating its 45th anniversary. The first documented South Bronx rec room party with DJ Kool Herc behind the wheels of steel was on August 11, 1973. Like the origins of the culture, that event's significance would live by word of mouth if Hip-Hop had no... Read more

Method Man Is Back In The Lab & His New Song Goes At Full Speed (Audio)

Method Man has been working on music lately and announced that he's dropping his next project Meth Lab II: The Lithium soon. During an interview with Billboard's Kathy Iandoli, the Wu-Tang Clan MC recalled some of the backlash that he received on the first edition of the release series, which mostly... Read more

Ludacris Has Been Randomly Buying Strangers’ Groceries For Years

Ludacris is a 2000s superstar of music, film, and more. The Atlanta, Georgia-based rapper has delivered numerous hits over the years with the albums to match. But his prowess as an MC is matched by who he is outside of the studio. The New York Times recently ran a story... Read more

Tyler, The Creator’s Album Is Still Taking Off. His New Video Is On An Aircraft Carrier

Tyler, The Creator has been releasing some very good quality content as of late and he's continuing with his latest video from 2017's Flower Boy. The Odd Future MC/producer dropped the visual for "See You Again" from his Grammy-nominated fourth solo studio album and it features him dancing and rapping... Read more

The Producer Of Ether Attempted To Offer The Beat To JAY-Z Before Nas (Video)

The term "ether" is forever implanted in the Hip-Hop lexicon and beyond. Heads can thank Nas for that one. The song is the title from Nasir's 2001 campaign against JAY-Z, in response to JAY-Z's "The Takeover." Two of the most respected MCs in Hip-Hop became entrenched in one of Rap's... Read more

John Singleton Reveals He Wanted N.W.A. To Star In Boyz N The Hood

Thirty years ago today, on August 8, 1988, the N.W.A. released its proper debut album, Straight Outta Compton. Bursting onto the scene with rawness and aggression fueled by the Reagan-era Compton climate and lifestyle, Ni**az Wit' Attitudes presented an LP that would shape the sound and narrative in Rap for... Read more

TDE Adds A New MC To Its Championship Roster. Meet Reason. (Audio)

Much like the Golden State Warriors, Top Dawg Entertainment continues to add more pieces to its roster after coming off of The Championship Tour. The newest addition to one of Hip-Hop's most winningest teams comes in the form of Reason, the Carson, California MC whose signing to the label was... Read more

Pete Rock Says Biggie Wanted The Main Ingredient Interlude Beats For His Album (Audio)

UPDATE: Pete Rock clarified today's earlier report regarding his Touré Show interview. The legendary producer, MC, and DJ points out that it is 1994's Main Ingredient, and not Mecca & Soul Brother, whose interlude beats Biggie Smalls wanted: it was main ingredient not mecca ????????‍♂️ — PETEROCK.COM (@PeteRock) August 9,... Read more

3 Years After Sean Price’s Passing The Boot Camp Clik Is Still Saluting Him (Video)

Three years ago today (August 8, 2015), the world lost a true original with the passing of Sean Price. The Brownsville, Brooklyn MC was a deft lyricist as a vocation, and also renowned for his role as a father, a husband, and a mentor and ally to so many peers.... Read more

J. Cole Says He Has The Best Flow Since Biggie On A Devastating New Freestyle (Video)

J. Cole is about to embark on his KOD Tour, hitting 36 cities across North America, and has been strategically building anticipation as the days get closer to the kickoff in Miami (August 9, 2018). Having previously tweeted out "Feed me beats. Everything gettin murdered.," Cole has now dropped a... Read more

Atmosphere’s Song About Depression & Heartache Addresses More Than Relationships (Audio)

The past few years have been rough for so many people across the globe, and that may be putting it far too gently. Many are facing depression, addictions of all kinds, and just an overall sense of helplessness. Watching the news or scrolling social media often intensifies these feelings of... Read more

LeBron James Is Now Using His Talents To Make Social Change (Video)

Even in the NBA off-season, LeBron James drives to the lane. Above and beyond his aspirations on the court, the four-time NBA MVP is out to effect lasting change through his charitable work. The recent opening of the I Promise public elementary school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio has... Read more

A Report Suggests Beyoncé & Kanye’s TIDAL Streaming Numbers Were Inflated (Video)

In recent weeks, several of the major streaming platforms have been under public fire for some of their hate speech policies and excessive marketing. While JAY-Z's Tidal service has avoided those headlines, an ongoing investigation into the platform raises some other questions entirely. VICE News has published a video that... Read more

Black Thought Explains Why Kool G Rap’s “Road To The Riches” Is His Favorite Verse (Video)

In 2004, The Roots released their sixth album, The Tipping Point. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania group's final album for Geffen Records contained an Easter egg of sorts for Hip-Hop Heads. The Dice Raw-assisted "Boom!" featured band front-man Black Thought paying homage to two of his MC inspirations: Big Daddy Kane and... Read more

Mac Miller Makes His Great New Album Larger With A Tiny Performance (Video)

NPR's Tiny Desk concerts have been remarkable in recent months. While the cramped performances have historically been something that Hip-Hop Heads keep an eye on, June, July, and August's shows have been especially impressive. Heads will surely want to check out the summer installments from Rakim, The Midnight Hour (Ali Shaheed... Read more

Taylor Bennett Speaks Candidly About Coming Out & Creating His Own Lane (Video)

In the last month, Taylor Bennett released a six-song project called BE YOURSELF. The DIY project is the latest from the Chicago, Illinois MC. For many Hip-Hop Heads, two things come to mind surrounding the 22-year-old. He is the younger brother of Grammy Award-winning Rap star Chance The Rapper. Additionally,... Read more

Prodigy Discusses Living A Lifetime Filled With Excruciating Pain (Video)

June marked the first anniversary of Prodigy's passing. His death blindsided the Hip-Hop community, despite his frequent, frank discussions about living with sickle-cell anemia. He even used his 2000 debut solo album, H.N.I.C, as an opportunity to share his struggles with the illness on "You Can Never Feel My Pain." Though... Read more

Token Blacks Out On One Of His Most Lyrical Songs Yet (Video)

Since his emergence in 2016, the profile of Token continues to rise with his immense vocal talent as one of the fastest spitters in Rap. The Salem, Massachusetts-born MC seamlessly delivers a technical, multi-layered fusillade of bars with a great storytelling ability has organically grown his fan base, not solely based on... Read more

Freddie Gibbs Plays One Crazy & Playalistic Uncle In His Latest Video

In recent months, Freddie Gibbs has gone from Gangsta Gibbs to well... just "Freddie." The Gary, Indiana MC, whose last few albums have brandished street life and many a thug tale, has softened his approach up a bit. His recently self-released Freddie album plays on Teddy Pendergrass' eponymous 1979 LP,... Read more

Drake’s New Video Shows No One Is Better At Being In Their Feelings Than He Is

Drake has released a music video to his #1 single, "In My Feelings." The Scorpion track produced by Noah "40" Shebib, TrapMoneyBenny, and Blaqnmild has created a viral moment with its "Kiki, do you love me? Are you riding? / Say you'll never ever leave from beside me / 'Cause... Read more

The NFL Won’t Even Let Colin Kaepernick Play In A Video Game

Madden NFL 19 won't be released until August 10 but is already making headlines. Advance copies of the forthcoming EA Sports NFL game were released to criticism relating to its soundtrack (or, rather, something missing from the soundtrack). The game has developed a reputation for pairing its technology with music... Read more

Cypress Hill Are Releasing Their 1st Album In 8 Years. The 1st Video Is A Trip.

It has been eight years since Cypress Hill's last album, Rise Up. That 2010 effort marked a transitional period for B-Real, Sen Dog, DJ Muggs, and percussionist Eric Bobo. While Muggs co-produced two songs on the Priority Records LP, the Hill welcomed in outside sound providers ranging from Pete Rock... Read more

Raekwon & DJ Muggs Make A Wu-Tang/Cypress Hill Connection Over Luxury Beats & Rhymes (Video)

After chopping up a couple of singles with MF DOOM, and dropping some Sin City-esque, revenge-fueled animated visuals featuring both DOOM and Freddie Gibbs for the single, "Death Wish," Cypress Hill co-founder DJ Muggs enters the fold once again. Belonging to Muggs' forthcoming album, Dia Del Asesinato (August 10), Muggs... Read more

Russ Buries A Generation Of Lil SoundCloud Rappers With A Fiery Freestyle (Video)

Like many artists who will be sure to come into the fold of the music industry in a similar wake, Russ' career ultimately began on the Internet. Between 2011 and 2014, Russ released 11 albums for free on Soundcloud. In 2016, Russ' single, "What They Want," hit the Billboard Hot... Read more

Moonlight’s Director Shares A Trailer To His Next Film, A James Baldwin Adaptation (Video)

In celebration of James Baldwin’s 94th birthday, Academy Award-winning film director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) revealed a glimpse of his next movie's trailer. Jenkins shared his on-screen adaptation of Baldwin’s 1974 novel, If Beale Street Could Talk. A follow-up to the Oscar-decorated Moonlight, the story follows couple "Tish" and "Fonny," portrayed... Read more

Mac Miller Rocks The Mic On The Spot To A Thundercat Beat (Video)

Mac Miller is set to release his fifth solo studio album Swimming tomorrow (August 3), but he's giving fans a little something extra and early. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native MC/producer dropped a video titled "Inertia," which shows him spitting some heat to a fast-paced beat that is produced by Thundercat... Read more

Pusha-T Travels To Shaolin To Explain The Importance Of Raekwon’s Purple Tape (Video)

Twenty-three years ago today (August 1, 1995) Raekwon released his classic debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... The approach to the album was to give off the essence of a John Woo feature film with Raekwon as the star, Ghostface Killah in the supporting role, and audio cameos from Wu-Tang... Read more

Royce 5’9 Performs Caterpillar & Infests Red Rocks With His Wordplay (Video)

Already this year, Royce 5'9 has released two hearty albums. The first is the second installment of his collaboration with producer DJ Premier, PRhyme 2. He quickly followed with his latest solo set, Book Of Ryan, which featured a smorgasborg of A-list MCs including Eminem, J. Cole, Jadakiss, and others.... Read more

Black Star Show Why One Of Their Defining Messages Remains Timeless (Video)

Black Star represented a needed voice in the late 1990s when Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def) and Talib Kweli first emerged under the group name. Their “Definition” single and its next track reprise, “RE:DEFinition,” spoke out against violence in Hip-Hop at a time when the community was mourning the losses... Read more

Tragedy Khadafi Says Marley Marl Did Him Dirty. His New Song Tells All (Audio Premiere)

Tragedy Khadafi (fka The Intelligent Hoodlum) has been releasing music steadily over the three decades but it's been nearly four years since he released his last solo album. That's all changing now though. The Queensbridge legend has been in the booth heavy since 2014's Pre Magnum Opus and is slated... Read more

The Jungle Brothers Are Recording Their First Album In More Than A Decade (Audio)

2018 marks the 30th anniversary of the Jungle Brothers' debut album, Straight Out The Jungle. The trio of Mike Gee, Afrika Baby Bam, and Sammy B came together with an Idlers/Warlock Records release that showcased a fusion of Hip-Hop and House as well as forecast the Native Tongues movement. That... Read more

NoNameDisciple Is Out To Leave An Impression When She Grabs The Mic (Video)

In the last 20 years, once-underground acts like Braille, Pigeon John, and Grits started making Hip-Hop that dealt with faith and spirituality, without sounding preachy or dogmatic. Artists like Lecrae, Tedashii, and Trip Lee have found commercial success on new levels in recent years. United Kingdom MC, NoNameDisciple, is the... Read more

Charlamagne’s DNA Was Not Found On The Person Accusing Him Of Sexual Assault

This weekend, media personality and author Charlamagne Tha God declared his innocence regarding a very serious accusation from more than 17 years ago. At that time, in C.T.G.'s home state of South Carolina, the radio station employee was accused of rape by a then-15-year-old girl named Jessica Reid. Those charges... Read more

Wu-Tang Clan Are Going On Tour To Celebrate 25 Years Of 36 Chambers (Video)

Later this year, the legendary Wu-Tang Clan will celebrate the 25th-anniversary of their classic debut album, Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). In November of 1993, nine MCs came together for the Loud/RCA Records release that would lay a foundation for the "killa bees" to swarm the industry with an unconventional... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Discusses His Upcoming Role On Power & How It Came To Be (Video)

Earlier this week, 50 Cent and Courtney A. Kemp, the producers of Starz's hit show Power, announced that Kendrick Lamar would be joining this week's episode. While Kendrick has starred in a number of increasingly cinematic music videos, this believed to be his first acting role in a TV series... Read more

Termanology & Conway Are Termanator And The Machine (Video)

Termanology has paid more than enough dues over the last two decades. Today, the Massachusetts MC who has divided his years in New York is one of the most prolific voices in the independent scene. "Term Brady" has done tracks with legendary producers like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Large Professor,... Read more

N.O.R.E. Is Already A Drink Champ. He & Fat Joe Go For Dodge Ball Next (Video)

For more than 20 years, N.O.R.E. has been a beacon for New York Hip-Hop. The Lefrak City-born, Queensbridge representative is one half of respected duo in Capone-N-Noreaga who shaped a style in the streets since the late '90s. However, in modern years, the rapper once known by Noreaga is a... Read more

Wiz Khalifa Returns To His Underground Roots On A Sizzling Beat By Alchemist (Audio)

Alchemist has been collaborating with some really interesting MCs for his "45 Craft Singles" series, and for his latest, he's enlisted a pretty big star of the moment. Wiz Khalifa's made a move over into the commercial echelon over the past few years, but he hasn't forgotten his humble mixtape... Read more

Songstress Mereba Takes A 9th Wonder Beat On A Soulful & Personal Journey (Video)

Songstress Marian Mereba is unapologetic about following her intuitions and remaining her authentic self. This quality applies to life's trials and her music. Latest video single "Black Truck" presents a multifaceted artist who intertwines Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul, and Folk storytelling. After self-releasing music like her 2013 EP, Room For Living, Mereba is... Read more