Fresh Archives

Freddie Gibbs & Mozzy Update “Colors” For 2018 & It’s Even More Gangsta (Audio)

Thirty years ago, Ice-T released "Colors" as a companion to Dennis Hopper's film of the same name. Both the song (which climbed up the Top 100) and the movie starring Sean Penn and featuring early appearances by Don Cheadle, Damon Wayans, and Leon were timepieces of 1980s gang culture. Ice-T... Read more

April 13, 2018 Audio

Chris Rivers Is Man Enough To Take A Kanye Classic & Make It His Own (Audio)

Still in his early twenties, Chris Rivers often makes vivid and powerful records about growing into manhood and taking on responsibility. The Bronx, New Yorker who was just entering grade school when his famous father Big Pun passed away, had a lot of navigating to do on his own. He... Read more

April 13, 2018 Audio

Bow Wow Details His Days With Death Row & Says He Was An Original Dogg Pound Member (Video)

UPDATE: Following Thursday's Bow Wow interview with The Breakfast Club and Ambrosia For Heads' report, rapper CPO Boss Hogg contacted AFH to clarify a point. In yesterday's interview, Bow Wow appeared to reference a belatedly-released Death Row Records song called "After 3." Describing his time with Dr. Dre and Suge... Read more

April 13, 2018 Video

Rakim Explains Why He Refused To Do A Gangsta Rap Album With Dr. Dre (Video)

When word broke in the early 2000s that Rakim was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, the Hip-Hop world went crazy. The prospect of arguably Hip-Hop's greatest MC working with a GOAT producer, was mind-blowing. At the time, Rakim was seen as an MC who was a celebrated member of a group... Read more

April 12, 2018 Video

Nas & Black Star Will Share The Stage This Summer

Nas and Black Star are two championed Hip-Hop acts. Whereas Nas has released 11 solo albums, in addition to compilations, and group work with The Firm and Distant Relatives, Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey have just one group LP. In 2018, reports are lingering that both entities have album plans... Read more

April 12, 2018 Fresh

Nicki Minaj Releases A Hard HIP-HOP Track To Show She’s Still The Queen Of Rap (Audio)

It seems highly unlikely that Nicki Minaj's choosing to release her first new music of the year at the end of a week dominated by Cardi B was by coincidence. The two have been intertwined for months, as successful women rappers, featured guests on the same song, and potential combatants... Read more

April 12, 2018 Audio

Newly Released Surveillance Footage Shows Just How Real Safaree’s Robbery Was (Video)

Last week, Safaree Samuels--MC, former Love & Hip-Hop star, and Nicki Minaj's previous beau of 14 years--appeared on The Angie Martinez Show visibly shaken. When asked by Martinez if he was OK, Samuels, fighting tears, revealed that he had been robbed at gunpoint just hours earlier. "A couple hours ago... Read more

April 11, 2018 Video

Daniel Caesar & H.E.R. Show Great Soul Music Lives On (Video)

Within only four years time Oshawa, Ontario native Daniel Caesar has stepped forth as one of the most exciting new voices of Soul music. While he did not win the Grammy for "Best R&B Performance" this year, he was nominated in the company of Bruno Mars, SZA, and Kehlani. Further,... Read more

April 11, 2018 Video

Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Visits Meek Mill In Prison & Calls For His Freedom

When the Philadelphia Eagles paraded their Super Bowl LII victory in the streets of the city, Meek Mill's "Dreams And Nightmares" was the soundtrack blasting from speakers. More than five years old, the intro to Meek's album of the same name had become an anthem to the 2017 Eagles. It... Read more

April 11, 2018 Lifestyle, News, Video

Redman Helps Lift A Talented Up & Coming Rapper Above The Clouds (Video)

Cincinnati, Ohio's Cal Scruby has been at it for a while and is known to incorporate the right musicians into his creative work. Whether it be Chris Brown for a White Man Can't Jump-inspired video or Sevyn Streeter to showcase his crossover ability, Cal's wants to be known as a spitter as... Read more

April 11, 2018 Video

N.O.R.E. & Pharrell Playfully Honor Robert Palmer’s Addicted To Love Video

N.O.R.E. has diversified his brand and repertoire in the 2010s. The Lefrak City, Queens rapper now reaches the masses with his Drink Champs platform alongside DJ EFN and his On The Run Eatin' food series. However, the same MC who impressed the Hip-Hop masses alongside partner Capone for C-N-N's 1997 debut, The... Read more

April 10, 2018 Video

Chuck D Is Still Fighting The Power With One Of His Best Verses In Years (Audio)

Today (April 10) marks the 28th anniversary of Public Enemy releasing its third album, Fear Of A Black Planet. The platinum-certified Def Jam Records LP that housed "Fight The Power," "Welcome To The Terrordome," and "911 Is A Joke" contains messages and music that are relevant today. As Public Enemy... Read more

April 10, 2018 Audio

Bas Is More Proof That J. Cole Has Assembled One Of The Best Rosters In Hip-Hop (Audio)

With 2016's Too High to Riot, Bas released a gem of an album that was as much of a visual triumph as it was sonic. He released music videos for nine of the LP's 12 tracks and produced documentaries following his expansive world tours in support of the album. The Dreamville... Read more

April 10, 2018 Video

Michael Millions & His Virginia Crew Rework D’Angelo In A Way That Burns (Video)

Hip-Hop fans may be familiar with Nickelus F. He was an early Drake collaborator, he had a memorable BET "Freestyle Friday" run, and he has been a devoted representative of Richmond, Virginia. However, unless heads are familiar with Nickelus' albums, they may not be up on his crew, AGM (Associated... Read more

April 10, 2018 Ready Or Not

Meek Mill Is Free…At Least In His Powerful New Video

Although he is currently incarcerated 40 miles outside of Philadelphia, Meek Mill continues to represent for his city, and demonstrate the potency of last year's Wins & Losses album. In his latest music video, Robert Rihmeek Williams is a free man delivering some of the best art of his 15-year-music... Read more

April 10, 2018 Video

TDE’s President Makes A Compelling Argument For Why Cardi B Is Like Tupac

Cardi B released her major label debut album, Invasion Of Privacy, last Friday (April 6). Within hours, the Bronx, New York rapper achieved gold certification for the Atlantic Records LP featuring YG, Chance The Rapper, Migos, and SZA, among others. In the days ahead the music industry will see if... Read more

April 9, 2018 Fresh

Drake Celebrates Talented Women Of All Colors In His Latest Video

Last night (April 6), Drake released "Nice For What," a song that may be the first single from the new album he announced he was finishing, earlier in the week. The New Orleans bounce record features a prominent sped up sample of Lauryn Hill's "Ex Factor," and instantly packs feel... Read more

April 7, 2018 Video

Drake Flips A Lauryn Hill Classic For A Hot New Song With That X Factor (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

April 7, 2018 Audio

Rakim Hilariously Details His High Stakes Slap-Boxing Match With LL Cool J (Video)

Being a legendary MC comes with a lot of praise, pressure, and stories. Rakim's faced or experienced a lot of all three, and when it comes to interviews over the years, "the God MC" has treated Heads to a lot of great tales. For example, one of those stories was... Read more

April 6, 2018 Throwback, Video

A$AP Rocky Collides With Moby On His Boldest Collab Yet (Video)

On his 2015 LP At.Long.Last.A$AP, A$AP Rocky collaborated with an unlikely but universally revered artist, Rod Stewart. As the album's second single, "Everyday" aligned the Harlem, New York rapper with a sector of music fans not always connected to the slick, streetwise Uptown Rap crowd. But it wasn't a surprise to... Read more

April 6, 2018 Video

Joey Bada$$ & The Flatbush ZOMBiES Show Brooklyn Is STILL In The House (Audio)

In 2017, The Flatbush ZOMBiES seemed relatively quiet. Other than a couple of appearances on A$AP Mob projects, these eccentric Brooklyn spitters seemed to be laying deliberately low. Well, fans should have known that they were just locked up in the lab concocting a sophomore worthy of their debut, 3001:... Read more

April 6, 2018 Audio

Slum Village Release A Lost Song With Q-Tip From The Fantastic Era (Audio)

Twenty years ago, Slum Village finished recording an album that would forever change the trio's path. Fantastic, Vol. 2 took two additional years to release after its completion. Even after unexpected delays, shifting to indie label resources, and a newly-crowded Detroit Rap scene in the marketplace, the LP thrived as... Read more

April 6, 2018 Audio

Mickey Factz Teaches Financial Responsibility Through Taxing Bars (Video)

Bronx, New York native Mickey Factz is the latest guest on Funkmaster Flex's freestyle platform. With his barrage of bars, the veteran lyricist kicked knowledge about something often overlooked in Rap: financial responsibility. Parents who would like to secure their kids’ future should learn when to open a child’s ISA... Read more

April 5, 2018 Video

Tupac Hit Up Many More People Than Biggie In His Original Makaveli Liner Notes

Tupac was not alive for the release of his fifth solo album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. However, he was promoting and working on the LP at the time of his September 13, 1996 death. Fresh off the success of double-album, All Eyez On Me, Tupac wrote and... Read more

April 5, 2018 News, Throwback

With A Clear & Open Mind, Deniro Farrar Aims To Elevate (Video)

The pursuit of self-realization, with an open mind at the forefront, often leads to an abundance of mental liberation. With nearly a decade of releases to his lyrical resume, Charlotte, North Carolina MC, Deniro Farrar, who is the self-proclaimed conductor of “Cult Rap," has confidently arrived to that arena of... Read more

April 4, 2018 Ready Or Not

DJ Premier Speaks About How Real Moment Of Truth Was For Hip-Hop & Gang Starr (Video)

On March 30, 1998, Gang Starr stepped forth with Moment Of Truth. Guru and DJ Premier had taken four years since giving the masses their seminal album, Hard To Earn, and Hip-Hop was at a pivotal place in history. "We had platinum-respect. You'd think we were platinum artists that sold... Read more

April 4, 2018 Exclusive, Food for Thought, Interview, Throwback, Video

Page Kennedy Tells The Story Of Hip-Hop, Bar By Bar (Video)

Page Kennedy very clearly prides himself on his bars. The actor/MC puts a lot of knowledge into what he spits and always seems to give listeners introspection when they seek it. That's what he did by remixing JAY-Z's 4:44 standout track "The Story Of OJ." Last July AFH presented audio... Read more

April 3, 2018 Video

M.O.P.’s Lil Fame Releases His First Solo Video & Billy Danze Is Still By His Side

Lil Fame and Billy Danze have endured many eras of Hip-Hop while consistently giving audiences that hardcore Rap that they entered with during the mid-1990s. While the Mash Out Possé has made songs that brought Brownsville Brooklyn attitudes and antics into the mainstream, the two artists have never done solo... Read more

April 3, 2018 Video

Masta Ace & A Band Rock The House In A Personal & Emotional Tiny Desk Concert (Video)

NPR’s Tiny Desk is not only an intimate performance space, but the video segment has also become an apparent stamp of approval from National Public Radio that identifies an artist as high caliber and culturally significant. Following his Juice Crew band-mate Big Daddy Kane's February performance, Masta Ace hits the... Read more

April 2, 2018 Video

BET’s Executive Producer Explains What To Expect With The Bobby Brown Story (Video)

Jesse Collins is a television-industry veteran whose eponymous production company is responsible for several acclaimed BET programs including the network's Hip Hop Awards. He also features prominently in the production credits for the network's juggernaut 2017 biopic miniseries The New Edition Story, the historic nature of which led to his being named... Read more

April 2, 2018 TV, TV/Film, Video

25 Years Ago, ONYX Knew Just How To Make Heads Back Up & Slam (Video)

On Friday (March 30), ONYX's debut album Bacdafucup turned 25 years old. The LP is quintessential Big Apple "tough-guy Rap" and perhaps one of the more hardcore Hip Hop albums of all-time. Back in 1991, the group sent a demo of some of their earliest music to Jam Master Jay,... Read more

April 1, 2018 Throwback

Nick Grant Spits A Freestyle That Confirms He’s 1 Of The Best MCs In His Generation (Video)

Even as a major label artist with an acclaimed album under his belt, South Carolina's Nick Grant is committed to building an audience the old fashioned way: through hustle. Over the last three years, the MC co-signed by André 3000, Nas, Bun B, and others made a name for himself... Read more

March 30, 2018 Video

Dr. Octagon Releases Its First Video In More Than 20 Years & It’s Right On Time

One week from today (April 6), Dr. Octagon will release its second album with the founding lineup. Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation packs excitement in the careers of Dan The Automator, DJ QBert, and MC Kool Keith. After releasing their latest album's first two singles "Octagon Octagon" and... Read more

March 30, 2018 Video

SZA Takes Ctrl To Camp…But It Proves To Be No Retreat (Video)

SZA's Ctrl album was one of the most critically-acclaimed releases of 2017, and the parade of quality coming from that effort seems to continue marching. Today (March 30), TDE's First Lady dropped her visual for fourth single "Broken Clocks," and she's taking everyone to camp. Directed by TDE's regular go-to... Read more

March 30, 2018 Video

Tyler, The Creator Calls Himself A Flower Boy But His Rhymes Are As Hard As Steel (Video)

Tyler, The Creator released his Flower Boy album last year to great acclaim. The LP got him a Grammy nod and had the music world took note that, when it comes to Hip-Hop, the Odd Future co-founder is one of the most creative. Now, Tyler's returning with some more eye-opening... Read more

March 29, 2018 Video

Coolio Explains Why His Tupac Collaboration Was Deliberately Erased (Video)

In the mid-1990s, two of the biggest stars in music were rappers, Coolio and Tupac Shakur. At the 38th Grammy Awards in February of 1996, the two men competed for "Best Rap Solo Performance." Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" took the trophy home, while Tupac's "Dear Mama" joined singles by Biggie, Dr.... Read more

March 28, 2018 Throwback, Video

Dessa Is An MC Who Sings & She’s A Tour De Force At Both (Video)

Dessa of Twin Cities Hip-Hop collective Doomtree is a maven of merit and can seemingly do anything. Whether she’s rapping, singing, writing or doing Spoken Word, the Hamilton Mixtape alum does it with a unique and unapologetic style. With four albums cinched under her belt along with two EPs and countless... Read more

March 28, 2018 Video

Skyzoo & Joell Ortiz Reunite For A Collabo That Is Brooklyn To The Bone (Audio)

ChanHays is a producer from Halifax, Nova Scotia and someone who likes to feature spitters on his high tech, boom-bap instrumentals. At the end of last year, he dropped his debut project, Here, which touted some legendary MCs. Everyone from Ras Kass and Pharoahe Monch to Elzhi, Masta Ace, and... Read more

March 28, 2018 Audio, Fresh

Donald Glover’s Deadpool Script Takes Down Racism, Police Violence, Gossip & More

Donald Glover co-created the most-watched comedy on FX during its 23 years as a network. In addition to Atlanta, which is currently in the midst of broadcasting its second season, the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning Glover (and his TV partner/brother Stephen) were working on an animated Deadpool series for the... Read more

March 28, 2018 Lifestyle, News, TV, TV/Film

Virgil Abloh Becomes First African American Artistic Director At Louis Vuitton

Ever since Hip-Hop culture glorified the idea of being "paid in full," Louis Vuitton has become a status symbol of style and success in the community. In the '90s, Raekwon sported a Louis satchel when he was photographed alongside Ghostface Killah in Supreme tees. Busta Rhymes has donned several suits... Read more

March 27, 2018 Lifestyle, News, Video

Don’t Sleep On will.i.am’s Artist LGP Qua. His Video Is Eye-Opening

will.i.am has a proven ear for talent. Outside of his 2000s uber-success with the Black Eyed Peas, Will has taken Pop acts up the charts while piloting resonant songs for Hip-Hop mainstays Too Short, Talib Kweli, Nas, and The Game. In 2018, the Peas (now will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo) released the... Read more

March 27, 2018 Ready Or Not

Kurupt Recalls Snatching The “New York, New York” Beat Back From Biggie

In September of 1995, Tha Dogg Pound released the first single from their debut album, Dogg Food. "New York, New York" proved to be a controversial record, even if it is rooted in a 1983 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five single. The '95 Death Row Records version arrived five... Read more

March 26, 2018 Throwback

El-P Has Killer Mike’s Back Even Though They Disagree On Gun Control

Over the last decade, one of Hip-Hop's more unlikely and yet, most enduring super-groups is Run The Jewels. The union began when El-P produced Killer Mike's 2012 album, R.A.P. Music. The release marked a new sound for the Adamsville, Georgia MC, and a different kind of collaborator for the Brooklyn,... Read more

March 26, 2018 Lifestyle, News, Video

Royce 5’9 & J. Cole Are At Their Best In A Nostalgic Video About Escape

Last Friday (March 23), Royce 5'9 formally released his anticipated J. Cole collaboration, "Boblo Boat." The MC intersection is the first single to Nickel's May 4 album, The Book Of Ryan, releasing on the heels of PRhyme 2. Cole is the album's lone guest, and the collabo' is anything but... Read more

March 26, 2018 Video

Black Panther Is The Highest-Grossing Superhero Film Of All Time In US

Five weeks ago, Ryan Coogler's Black Panther opened in theaters. The 18th film in the Marvel universe is breaking records that go well beyond its comic company. This weekend, the film starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and Lupita Nyong'o, earned a distinguished place as the highest-grossing superhero film of... Read more

March 25, 2018 Lifestyle, News, TV/Film

Roxanne Shanté Describes How Real “The Roxanne Wars” Got In Concerts (Video)

This weekend, Roxanne, Roxanne is now available on Netflix. The biopic, written and directed by Michael Larnell, covers the life of MC Roxanne Shanté (aka Lolita Shanté Gooden). The Juice Crew rapper co-produced the film and worked with the likes of Pharrell Williams, Forrest Whitaker, and Mimi Valdes to tell... Read more

March 24, 2018 Video

ANoyd Antagonizes The Mic In A Blistering 5 Fingers Of Death Freestyle (Video)

Bloomfield, Connecticut lyricist ANoyd (pronounced "annoyed") has been mashing on the gas ever since he came in the game, about five years ago. That is the year he appeared on Apathy’s album that was dedicated to both MCs’ home state, Connecticut Casual. He has also recorded several songs with another... Read more

March 24, 2018 Video

Kanye Once Said He Had 40 Songs With Kendrick. 2 Collabos Now Surface. (Audio)

Kanye West is reportedly recording an album in the mountains of Wyoming. According to various sources, Nas, Pusha T, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, and producer/musician/engineer Mike Dean are among the artists who have been in his company for the studio sessions dating back to 2017. Some, including Nas and Cudi,... Read more

March 23, 2018 Audio, News

Will Smith & Jimmy Fallon Cover Classic Theme Songs In A Must-See TV Moment (Video)

DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince are responsible for one of the most popular, and regularly-quoted television series themes of all time. Throughout recent years, when Will Smith gets together with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, the two entertainers (often involving The Roots) come together to have some fun—and... Read more

March 23, 2018 TV, TV/Film, Video

Royce & J. Cole Prove Hip-Hop Has Never Been Better On Their 1st Collabo (Audio)

Royce 5'9 shares the first single from the upcoming album he is proclaiming to be his "greatest piece of work." In a career filled with memorable and celebrated releases, those words begin validation with the unveiling of "Boblo Boat," featuring J. Cole. Arriving just one week after PRhyme 2, this... Read more

March 23, 2018 Audio