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Slaine & Termanology Confront Addiction Over Stellar Evidence Production (Video)

Last month, Slaine and Termanology combined forces for a star-studded LP. The artists who rep La Coka Nostra, 1982, and Special Teamz find a unique energy together, coming from a place of realness. With the Evidence-produced beat that keeps everything contained within a cycle of a few notes, Slaine and... Read more

Mick Jenkins Calls Out Blood Suckers In His Circle & Still Spreads Love (Audio)

Mick Jenkins is up to something. The Chicago, Illinois MC released "Vampire In Brooklyn." It is neither a Halloween hangover or an homage to Eddie Murphy's film. Instead, Mick emphatically spits about those not showing love within his circle. The creator of 2014's acclaimed The Water[s] and strong '15 follow-up... Read more

Defari Unleashes His First Album In 11 Years, Produced By Evidence. Stream It All. (Audio)

In 1999, Defari was one of the most exciting emerging voices in Hip-Hop. Mentored by The Alkaholiks' E-Swift, the southern California MC appeared on Dr. Dre's massive 2001 the same year he released Focused Daily on Tommy Boy Records. Like affiliates Xzibit and Dilated Peoples, the Likwit MC appeared capable... Read more

N*E*R*D Return With A New Bounce That’s Got Rihanna Rapping (Video)

In the early 2000s, N*E*R*D put forth one of the ultimate fusions of Hip-Hop, Rock & Roll, and Pop. Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shay Haley brought their infectious Neptunes rhythms and melodies to the live stage. Two gold albums followed, along with major radio singles that showed just another room... Read more

All Signs Say Eminem’s New Album Is Less Than 3 Weeks Away (Video)

Hip-Hop news and culture move fast, and it’s easy to miss significant developments. Every week, Ambrosia For Heads takes a look back at the LAST 7 days. This video series, hosted by Justin “The Company Man” Hunte examines the current issues with a colorful rundown of the what, where, and why. While the LAST... Read more

Andre 3000 Said Big Boi Was The Best In OutKast. He’s Really 1 Of The Best In The South (Video)

Big Boi’s latest single from his Boomiverse album (Epic Records) is just as the title has it: a southern affair. Bringing together two of Atlanta’s favorite sons, Gucci Mane alongside Big Boi and featuring a prominent sample from the Underground King from the Lone Star state, Pimp C. Big Boi’s... Read more

Reuben Vincent Is Jamla’s Teenage Prodigy. He Hits His Target On “BB Guns” (Video)

After signing with 9th Wonder's Jamla Records, Charlotte North Carolina teenager Reuben Vincent released  “Chains On Me,” produced by one the most innovative producers around, Khrysis – another member of the Jamla Records family, Soul Council, and The Away Team. “Chains On Me” showed off the 15-year-old’s supreme confidence and precocious... Read more

Kanye West Claps Back At His Haters On A New Collabo With CyHi The Prynce (Audio)

While Kanye West has been a mainstay in the news this year, almost none of it has been because of his music. Early in the year, Ye made headlines for his decision not to attend the 2017 Grammy Awards. In the past, he has made his disdain for their process... Read more

Fabolous & Jadakiss Put Their Masks On For A New Collabo With Future (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

Hannibal Burress Tells The Story Of Being Scolded By JAY-Z Because Of This Photo (Video)

Over the years, a photo of Vic Mensa, Chance The Rapper, JAY-Z and Beyoncé has taken on a few different lives. The original picture surfaced in on June 6, 2016, as the celebs gathered at Jay's 40/40 club, in celebration of Vic's 23rd birthday. A little more than a year... Read more

Erick Sermon Reveals The Source Of The Def Squad Album Samples To Prince Paul (Video)

Recently, Redman told New Jersey's Grass Routes Podcast that he hopes Def Squad can record a sophomore album. Next year marks 20 years since he, Keith Murray and mutual mentor Erick Sermon came together for El Niño. The album debuted at #2, following the group's covering of 1979 breakthrough Hip-Hop... Read more

Lyor Cohen Explains How Redman Led Def Jam’s Comeback (Video)

During the 1980s Def Jam Records reigned supreme. The label, which burgeoned in co-founder Rick Rubin's New York University dorm room, issued several classic albums from legendary artists. These include LL Cool J's Radio, Slick Rick's The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, Rock & Rock Hall of Fame inductees Beastie Boys and... Read more

Andre 3000 Explains Why Big Boi Is The Best Rapper In OutKast

OutKast's André 3000 is in a season of transformation. The Georgia—born MC, producer, actor, and fashion designer now calls New York City his home. He's leading a line with Tretorn and breaking some of his silence surrounding beats, rhymes, and life. Following his summer conversation with Complex, 3 Stacks spent... Read more

The Roots’ Tiny Desk Concert Is BIG, Brassy And Beautiful (Video)

The Roots are the latest musicians to perform at NPR's Tiny Desk concert series. Questlove, Black Thought, and the rest of the legendary band brought Bilal along for a moving rendition of 2017 single, "It Ain't Fair." The performance of the song from the film Detroit is bold and brilliant.... Read more

JAY-Z Combats 1 NFL Owner’s Divisive Words With A Message Of Unity (Video)

This weekend, ESPN magazine reported on just what transpired behind the National Football League's closed doors. Earlier this month, several owners, players, and league officials met to discuss the ongoing National Anthem protests. Criticism, TV boycotts, and declining attendance continue to plague the NFL's revenue and public image. Thereby, the... Read more

An Argument For Why Ghostwriting Is Good Starting With Exhibit D-R-E (Video)

The biggest MCs in Hip-Hop are talking about ghostwriting more than ever right now. Sixteen years after Puff Daddy proudly proclaimed, "Don't ask me if I write rhymes, I write checks," authorship in Rap verses is not something that anybody takes lightly. Since Meek Mill outed Drake's involvement of emerging... Read more

Big K.R.I.T.’s New Collabo Shows He’s A True Descendant Of The Dungeon Family (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

Rapsody Has All The Power In A Stunning New Video

Rapsody's newly-released Laila's Wisdom remains a centerpiece album in the 2017 Hip-Hop space. In a career that's seen notable releases in nearly every format, the Jamla/Roc Nation MC brought out the strongest presentation in an effort that features Kendrick Lamar, Black Thought, and Busta Rhymes just to name a few.... Read more

Talib Kweli Details How He And Mos Def Became Family Before They Were Black Star (Video)

This week, Talib Kweli appeared on Desus & Mero to promote November 17's Radio Silence album. That LP reunites Kweli with Jay Electronica and Anderson .Paak, as well as features a range of guests, from Waka Flocka Flame to Freestyle Fellowship's Myka 9 to Rick Ross. In making his return... Read more

Jermaine Dupri Describes Biggie Threatening Lil’ Kim At Gunpoint (Video)

NOVEMBER 4 UPDATE: Lil' Kim has since confirmed Jermaine Dupri's report, with some additional clarifications. ORIGINAL OCTOBER 27 STORY: The Notorious B.I.G. and Junior M.A.F.I.A. protege, Lil' Kim had a complicated relationship. Biggie Smalls groomed Kim in his group offshoot, and had a documented romantic affair, despite the rapper's marriage... Read more

IDK’s Freestyle Delivers Knowledge With Some Humor & Ignorance Too (Video)

IDK (formerly Jay IDK) is one of 2017's more exciting voices. This month, the artist whose acronym means "Ignorantly Delivering Knowledge" released IWASVERYBAD, a 12-track-album that features luminaries such as DOOM, Del The Funky Homosapien, and Swizz Beatz. Following in Logic's path, the MC born Jason Mills intends to re-brand... Read more

Daz Tells B-Real Who Supplied The Chronic For Dr. Dre’s Masterpiece (Video)

Dr. Dre named his 1992 solo debut album The Chronic and had millions of consumers aiming to catch a contact. The first LP released on Death Row Records took its name from a notoriously powerful strain of marijuana circulating around Southern California at the time. Combined with old Funk records... Read more

Joey Bada$$ Turns His Amerikkkan Idol Into A 2017 Version Of JAY-Z’s Dead Presidents (Video)

Joey Bada$$ is fast at work promoting his 2017 sophomore album. All AmeriKKKan Bada$$ is the Brooklyn, New Yorker's second consecutive #5 debut. While stopping by the BBC, the Pro Era front man performed LP closer "AMERIKKKAN IDOL." The DJ Khalil (of Self Scientific) cut features such strong lyrics as "Now you tryna... Read more

Lauryn Hill Celebrates Queen Latifah With A Blazing Performance Of Ladies First (Video)

Just over a week ago at the Revolt Music Conference, Queen Latifah was the recipient of the annual Jimmy Iovine Icon Award. Named after the record mogul, recently showcased in The Defiant Ones documentary, who helped shape the careers of Dr. Dre, Tupac, U2, Tom Petty, Will.I.Am and many more,... Read more

Kxng Crooked & Royce 5’9 Are More Than Enough To Slaughter Most MCs (Audio)

As fans eagerly await a third Slaughterhouse album, Kxng Crooked (fka Crooked I) and Royce 5'9 get ready for Halloween with a bloodbath of bars. "Truth (Why You Mad)" is the first glimpse of Crooked's Good vs. Evil 2: The Red Empire (December 8) the follow-up to 2016's RBC Records... Read more

9th Wonder Explains Why Soundbombing & Rawkus Kept His Hip-Hop Dreams Alive (Video)

Hip-Hop news and culture move fast, and it’s easy to miss significant developments. Every week, Ambrosia For Heads takes a look back at the LAST 7 days. This video series, hosted by Justin “The Company Man” Hunte examines the current issues with a colorful rundown of the what, where, and why. While the LAST... Read more

The D.O.C. Speaks About Idolizing Rakim & Making Plans To Work On New Music Together (Video)

On August 1, 1989, The D.O.C. released his debut album, No One Can Do It Better. The Ruthless/Atco/Atlantic Records album was the solo debut from the Dallas, Texas MC, formerly of the Fila Fresh Crew. Produced by N.W.A.'s Dr. Dre, it was not only an important mainstream representation of Southern... Read more

Redman Says Phife Dawg’s Final Album Is “RIDICULOUS” & He’s On One Of The Songs (Audio)

In 1998, Redman was among the guests on A Tribe Called Quest's The Love Movement album. He appeared alongside Busta Rhymes on The Ummah-produced "Steppin' It Up." For nearly 20 years, Heads perceived the gold-certified, Grammy-nomimated Jive Records LP would be the last from Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, and Ali Shaheed... Read more

Big K.R.I.T. Is Releasing A New Double Album. Here’s The Artwork, Tracklist & Guests

UPDATE: Big K.R.I.T.'s team has revealed the features to this Friday's (October 27) 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time. The self-released double album features UGK, T.I., and a number of Dungeon Family members, ranging between Cee Lo Green and Sleep Brown to Joi. Jill Scott, Bilal, Robert Glasper, Jr., and... Read more

Justin Timberlake Will Perform At The Super Bowl In The Worst Year He Could Have Chosen

On February 1, 2004, Justin Timberlake was part of arguably the most memorable, and certainly the most controversial Super Bowl halftime concert. In the middle of the halves of battle between the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers, the fledgling solo star (two years removed from NSYNC) shared the stage... Read more

Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city Turns 5. It’s Past Time To Call It A Classic (Video)

For those who were already familiar with Kendrick Lamar in 2012, good kid, m.A.A.d. city was not his debut album. That distinction belonged to Section.80, the 2011 masterpiece released independently through Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), Kendrick's label home since the beginning. Even before that, Kendrick had shown he was a... Read more

Big K.R.I.T. Has The Subs In The Trunk. Pass The Aux Cord To Hear This Jam (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

Russell Simmons To Make A Film About Def Jam’s Unsung Hero: T La Rock

Before LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys, a fledgling Def Jam Recordings had another MC in mind for its legendary path: T La Rock. Brother to Treacherous Three MCs member Special K, the Manhattan-born, Bronx—raised MC (aka Clarence Ronnie Keaton) would work with Rick Rubin and DJ Jazzy Jay (pioneering... Read more

Blu & Exile Release A Prequel To Their Below The Heavens Album (Full Stream)

Ten years ago, Blu & Exile’s Below The Heavens debut sparked an enthusiastic reaction, with fans and critics immediately claiming it as a classic and last call of the booming Underground Hip-Hop movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Listening now to previously unreleased tracks from the same sessions,... Read more

This Mix Salutes 1987’s Def Jam Tour With LL Cool J, P.E., Eric B. & Rakim and Whodini

By 1987 Def Jam Records had solidified a foothold in the Hip-Hop music landscape. While labels like Sugar Hill, Enjoy, Jive, and Profile Records had released some truly incredible singles, Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin's three-year-old outfit was fast embracing the Rap album format. Moreover, they had a diverse roster—in... Read more

Redman Blasts Critics Of Eminem’s BET Cypher & Says EVERYONE Should Respect It (Video)

Redman and Eminem are friends. Over the years, each has showered the other with praise, great MC to great MC. It started with Eminem showing his love for Reggie Noble's music by remaking "Pick It Up" in 2002, alongside Proof. Years later, Redman returned the favor, by flipping Em's "Just... Read more

Snoop Dogg Releases One Of His Most Powerful Political Songs Yet (Audio)

Snoop Dogg may not first come to mind as a political rapper. However, since his fame has ascended into household name status, Tha Doggfather has proudly become just that. In recent years, Snoop has called for peace in the streets and the industry. This March, his BADBADNOTGOOD collaboration "Lavender" commented... Read more

Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge’s Latest “Yes Lawd” Remix May Be Their Best One (Audio)

There’s such warmth in some music, coming at you like waves. The remix of NxWorries’ “Best One” is one such wave of feel-good energy. Vocalist Anderson .Paak’s usually peppy, highly theatrical style is (almost) subsumed in the Knxledge mix so that it can sometimes be hard to make out the... Read more

Large Professor Supplies Fashawn With A Vintage Beat & He Skates On It (Video)

Decked out in a red t-shirt supporting one of Mobb Deep's favorite spirits and bandana as a sign of respect to the “late, great Prodigy, The H.N.I.C,” Fashawn takes to Flushing, Queens with a local, Large Professor, in this new eponymous visual. One of XXL magazine’s 2010 Freshmen, Fashawn has... Read more

South Central’s Quincey White Gives New Meaning To Chasing Hollywood Dreams (Video)

Quincey White is an emerging voice within the Los Angeles scene, and he has a lot to say. His latest video single “HOLLYWOOD” is a “metaphor for success.” It is all about achieving status. White, the MC formerly known as DUBB, dropped his EP, The 7, on Sway Calloway &... Read more

Redman Is The Realest. He Explains Why He Still Lives In His Famous Crib (Video)

Over the last 25 years, Redman has amassed a Rap and film career that towers over most others. However, one of the keys to success for the Def Squad product has been staying modest and being humble. Even starring in major films, headlining global tours, and hitting the charts many... Read more

Bahamadia Produced An Entire EP On Her Phone & It’s Dialed Up 2 The Max (Audio)

Revered as one of music's most gifted Philly lyricists, Bahamadia is known for her subdued, under-the-radar persona. However, her presence in the culture has never waned. Largely considered one of the dopest women to have ever touched a mic, her 1996 album Kollage continues to ring bells two decades later.... Read more

Big K.R.I.T. Has Made An Anthem Fit For A King & It Deserves A Second Video

In just over a week (October 27), Big K.R.I.T. will release 4Eva Is A Mighty Long Time. The double-album marks a return to independence, and the DIY days when the Meridian, Mississippi multi-threat made as good of a free project as Heads can get: 2010's KritWuzHere and 2011 follow-up ReturnOf4Eva.... Read more

Method Man Carries The Wu-Tang Flag Solo & Waves It Proudly In A New Video

On 1993's classic debut Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), if one Killa Bee received an isolated look, it was Method Man. At one point, the LP breaks to shine a light on one of the nine members of the crew. The movement fits the album but was rather unique. "Method... Read more

DJ Muggs Is Producing An Album For Action Bronson’s Day 1. The New Video Is Meyhem.

UPDATE: Following last week's debut single from Gems From The Equinox, DJ Muggs & Meyhem Lauren unleash "Murder Rap." With a beat that pounds the listener in the face, Cypress Hill's co-founder uses another MC to rhyme about "how he could just kill a man." With the second video, a... Read more

Large Professor Remixes Masta Ace’s Trip Down Memory Lane (Audio)

Nostalgia and looking back on teenage years is a recurring theme in Hip-Hop, inspiring some of the best work of artists such as Nas and Black Milk and now Masta Ace and Large Professor on this "Extra P Remix" of UK production collective, Son of Sam’s “Come A Long Way.”... Read more

Thundercat’s Guitar Gently Weeps On NPR’s Tiny Desk In This Soulful Set (Video)

Thundercat brought his guitar and his latest album Drunk into NPR's Washington, D.C. offices. At the Tiny Desk, the Brainfeeder artist, the Los Angeles, California native born Stephen Bruner joined his band for several selections, including 2015 crossover hit, "Them Changes." This song, including its innovative homage to The Isley... Read more

DJ Premier Credits Nas With Helping Choose 2 Very Illmatic Samples (Video)

Production is more than just making beats and shopping them to artists. By 1994, DJ Premier had produced three Gang Starr albums, in addition to important records for KRS-One, Heavy D & The Boyz, and Lord Finesse. Nas and his team would seek out the Works Of Mart for three... Read more

Mysonne Used His Turn In The Spotlight To Shed Light In An Underrated BET Cypher (Video)

Hip-Hop news and culture move fast, and it's easy to miss significant developments. Every week, Ambrosia For Heads takes a look back at the LAST 7 days. This video series, hosted by Justin "The Company Man" Hunte examines the current issues with a colorful rundown of the what, where, and... Read more

Talib Kweli Reflects On A “Train Of Thought” Song That Remains Eternal 17 Years Later (Audio)

Last week, Mos Def's solo debut Black On Both Sides celebrated its 18th birthday. Meanwhile, today (October 17), Talib Kweli, Yasiin Bey's Black Star partner, and DJ Hi-Tek honor the 17th anniversary of Reflection Eternal's Train Of Thought. Both Rawkus Records releases are benchmark albums to Hip-Hop, as well as... Read more