Video Archives

Token Recaps The Week In Hip-Hop News In A Hard-Hitting Freestyle (Video)

Salem, Massachusetts MC Token has made quite a name for himself over the last year. From an incredible collaboration with Joell Ortiz and Snow Tha Product to a show-stopping Sway In The Morning freestyle, the 17 year-old is one of the most exciting MCs to burst on the scene as... Read more

May 9, 2016 Video

Large Professor Gifts Powerule With A Knocking Beat & He Makes The Most Of It (Video)

Throughout the last 25 years, Large Professor tracks have maintained the gravitas to introduce Hip-Hop Heads to the likes of Nas, Mobb Deep, Akinyele, Non-Phixion, Mad Skillz, and REKS, among others. Powerule is a veteran MC, who many listeners are still coming around to discover. He has appeared on a... Read more

May 7, 2016 Video

Masta Ace Says To KRS-One & MC Shan About Their New Battle: “Please, No More” (Video)

Last month, in a surprising move, MC Shan launched a full-scale verbal attack against KRS-One, re-igniting their 30-year old "Bridge Wars" rivalry that most thought had long been settled. Shan and KRS put what was one of Hip-Hop's earliest and most high profile battles to rest years ago, and have... Read more

May 6, 2016 Video

Nas, Erykah Badu & Kanye West Are Involved In A Film About the Search for a Way Out (Video)

Erykah Badu, Kanye West, and Nas are all involved in an upcoming film, one for which a trailer has been released. The Land sports Esco as Executive Producer, Ms. Badu as star, and 'Ye as a soundtrack contributor. West will be in good company, as the score will also feature... Read more

May 6, 2016 TV/Film

Chance The Rapper Premieres A New Song About His Many “Blessings” (Video)

Jimmy Fallon said it best on last night's episode of The Tonight Show. "People are going crazy over this tonight. The internet's gonna go nuts for this one," he said before introducing Chance the Rapper as his musical guest. The Chicago MC will be releasing his third mixtape - fittingly... Read more

May 6, 2016 Video

Jakk Frost Has 1 Of The Year’s Best Freestyles. This Is How It Should Be Done (Video)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania veteran MC Jakk Frost has worked extensively with guys like DJ Premier, Freeway, Sean Price, and Jedi Mind Tricks' Vinnie Paz. While Frost has showered the mixtape game for more than a dozen years, the Beard Gang bully has not released a studio LP. For more than two... Read more

May 5, 2016 Video

At 50, Janet Jackson Still Has The Goods To Make You Say “Dammn Baby” (Video)

Today (May 5), the world has been gifted with two huge pieces of Janet Jackson-related news. First, reports have shared that the 49-year-old superstar and her husband Wissam Al Mana are expecting, which of true would mean Ms. Jackson would become a first-time mother at the age of 50. While... Read more

May 5, 2016 Video

Maxwell Performs A New Song On TV For The First Time In 7 Years (Video)

From the beginning of his career, Maxwell has shown that live performance is a major component of who he is as an artist. Shortly after his debut, Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite, he recorded an MTV Unplugged episode that still stands as one of the finest in the series. In fact,... Read more

May 5, 2016 Video

Nas, Kanye West & French Montana Are Trying To Figure It Out Like The Rest Of Us (Video)

This month marks three years since French Montana's studio debut, Excuse My French. Backed by both Puff Daddy and Rick Ross, the Coke Boys veteran caught up fast in the music industry machine with an album featuring Drake, The Weeknd, and Scarface, among many others. A Top 5 debut, Montana... Read more

May 5, 2016 Video

Run the Jewels Deliver An Ominous Warning In Virtual Reality (Videos)

Don't let the first several seconds of darkness fool you - Run the Jewels' new video is immersive, conceptual, and dope. The black-and-white 360-degree virtual reality ready visual for "Crown" is deceptively simple at its outset, with some thunder and lightning serving as understated effects as Killer Mike drops the track's... Read more

May 4, 2016 Video

Prince & Kendrick Lamar’s Full Performance Surfaces & They Tear Down The Stage (Video)

In October of 2014, video surfaced of Prince and Kendrick Lamar performing together. The Twin Cities Pop icon and King Kunta from Compton (a title he was six months away from claiming) would rock 1998 Prince box set inclusion, "What's My Name." K-Dot, who was just a mere 11 years... Read more

May 3, 2016 Video

Big K.R.I.T. & Lupe Fiasco Join Dee-1 In The Fight Against Reckless Hip-Hop (Video)

In April, Dee-1 recruited Big K.R.I.T. and Lupe Fiasco for the remix to his song "Against Us." With lyrics like "I ain't in this game to prostitute my soul for dollar bills" and "What you rappin' about, killing folks? You don't see the times we in? You ain't real,” the... Read more

May 3, 2016 Video

Nas Joins The Weeknd To Premiere The “Tell Your Friends” Remix At The Met Gala (Video)

Last night, the annual Met Gala took place in New York City. Billed as "the party of the year," the event is a benefit ball for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute, the only department of the Met that has to fund itself. As "the Oscars of the East,"... Read more

May 3, 2016 Video

“Space Jam 2” Is Coming…& It’s Starring Lebron James

In late 1996, Space Jam hit theaters and unleashed a phenomenon. Equal parts sports film and children's cartoon, it featured Michael Jordan in his heyday and the iconic Bugs Bunny in starring roles. It launched countless forms of merchandise and helped make Jordan's profiles as both a basketball player and an... Read more

May 2, 2016 TV/Film

Russell Simmons Crowns Def Jam’s Greatest Album & His Favorite Artist (Video)

Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin began releasing Def Jam Records singles in 1984. Started in a New York University dorm room (occupied by Rubin), the company would expand to become a reported $115 million property by the late 1990s. From original flagship artist LL Cool J, Def Jam would play... Read more

May 2, 2016 Throwback, Video

Prince’s Cover Of An 1800’s Spiritual Shows All Aspects Of His Greatness (Video)

Part of what made Prince so great was his supreme talent on so many levels. He could dance, sing, play 27 instruments and, despite his prodigious gifts, his work ethic was legendary. To play with Prince was often a 24-hour a day job and required incredible precision. A video has... Read more

May 1, 2016 Video

Anderson .Paak’s “Malibu” Visuals Are Worth Every Bit Of The Wait (Video)

Anderson .Paak's Malibu is far and away one of 2016's most-talked about albums, especially in terms of acclaim. Now signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, the Californian opened the year with an Empire-backed release that features ScHoolboy Q, Rapsody, Game, and others. Independently released, Malibu shot into the Top 100,... Read more

May 1, 2016 Video

Freeway & Scholito Freestyle On Sway In The Morning (Video)

Today (April 29), Freeway releases his fifth studio LP, Free Will (which is available for full stream). The North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC appeared on Sway In The Morning to celebrate the Babygrande Records release. With him, he brought his New Rothschilds protege, MC/producer Scholito. Freeway comes from the State Property... Read more

April 29, 2016 Video

Queen Latifah To Play Master P’s Mom In Upcoming Biopic

Master P is moving forward with his biopic. The No Limit Records founder and multi-platinum rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana has announced an Academy Award-nominated actor (and peer) attached to the King Of The South: The Ice Cream Man film: Queen Latifah. Speaking with HipHopDX, Percy Miller confirmed the casting.... Read more

April 29, 2016 News, TV/Film

Nia Long Reveals Just How Real Boyz N The Hood Was For Her (Video)

Though she was there to promote her appearance in Keanu, Nia and Snoop spend a good amount of time discussing other roles she has inhabited over the years. Early in the conversation, Snoop notes that Nia has been in some great comedy films, notably Friday with Ice Cube and Chris... Read more

April 29, 2016 Video

Here’s A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Connection Between Dr. Dre & Anderson .Paak (Video)

Much has been written about the connection between Anderson .Paak and Dr. Dre, since the rising star appeared on six of the tracks on Dre's 2015 Compton album. While Dre had long before co-signed .Paak, in word and deed, he gave Anderson the ultimate stamp of approval by signing him... Read more

April 28, 2016 Video

BJ the Chicago Kid Sings His Way Through His Musical Influences (Video)

Steadily rising as one of this generation's most gifted Soul artists, BJ the Chicago Kid has come a long way since his appearance on Kendrick Lamar's debut album, 2011's Section.80. The singer-songwriter released In My Mind in February, following up his 2012 full-length debut Pineapple Now-Laters and with it came... Read more

April 28, 2016 Video

In 2016, Public Enemy Still Brings The Noise Like Few Others Can (Video)

No doubt some of the greatest recording artists of all time, the members of Public Enemy are also serious contenders when it comes to high-energy and memorable live performances. Known for including thought-provoking visuals and often incorporating live bands into their sets, the Long Island, New York legends continue to put... Read more

April 28, 2016 Video

Vince Staples Hits a Trippy House Party & Invites Us Along for the Ride (Video)

Last summer, Major Lazer's Switch released "Ghost," an Electronica inspired Hip-Hop party anthem. Now releasing music as part of a newly founded group With You, he left Major Lazer back in 2011 and has since worked with everybody from M.I.A. to Christina Aguilera. Today, With You. dropped the song's music... Read more

April 27, 2016 Video

J Dilla, Nas & Madlib’s Visual Is So Sick It’s Hallucinogenic (Video)

A week and a half ago, J Dilla's The Diary album finally released. Ten years after the producer/MC's death, his family and the Nas-backed Mass Appeal Records delivered an album that began in 2001 to the fans at last. The final Dilla vocal album, this was what was on James... Read more

April 27, 2016 Video

D’Angelo Performs Prince’s “Sometimes It Snows In April” In An Emotional Tribute (Video)

Earlier today, D'Angelo released a stirring and subdued version of Prince's "Venus De Milo," as a tribute to his fallen hero. The song is featured on Prince's Parade (Music from the Motion Picture Under the Cherry Moon). The film ends in tragedy, with the death of a major character, and... Read more

April 27, 2016 Video

Prince’s Vault Of Unreleased Recordings Is Detailed By Jimmy Jam & Close Associates (Video)

It has been less than one week since Prince Rogers Nelson died (April 21). As information releases about Prince's cause of death and last days, fans and historians are trying to understand the life—often private—of the 57-year old pop icon. One of the biggest questions lingering is what will happen... Read more

April 26, 2016 Video

Producer Mike Mosley Reveals Several MCs Who Witnessed Tupac Record “Hit ‘Em Up” (Video)

In the mid-1990s, Tupac Shakur revamped his production personnel. While 1996's All Eyez On Me would be his first album at Death Row Records, working extensively with the label's production staff, those changes started taking shape even prior. On 1995's #1 LP, Me Against The World, 'Pac maintained a close... Read more

April 26, 2016 Throwback, Video

Joey Bada$$ Freestyles a Potent Call for Revolution (Video)

Less than a month after annihilating the infamous "5 Fingers of Death" freestyle exercise while visiting "Sway in the Morning," Brooklyn, New York's Joey Bada$$ has destroyed yet another early-morning radio show. This time around, he's in Los Angeles where he brought his distinctly East Coast sensibilities to the mic for... Read more

April 26, 2016 Video

Listen To Aesop Rock’s Next Album While Watching A Shot-For-Shot Remake Of “The Shining”

Since the late 1990s, Aesop Rock has been an artist in every since of the word. The Long Island, New York MC, poet, and visual artist has tackled multiple mediums in a career that includes six solo albums, as well as work with the Weathermen, The Uncluded, and Hail Mary... Read more

April 25, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Black Thought Recites The Verse Of His Lifetime…Literally (Video)

Last week, The Roots' Black Thought appeared at Harvard's Innovation Lab. The South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Grammy Award-winning, platinum-selling MC reportedly kicked a freestyle in the Cambridge, Massachusetts lunchroom. Afterwards, during an audience with the Hip-Hop veteran, he was asked to reprise his verse. Instead, Thought chose to do a nearly... Read more

April 25, 2016 Video

Ever See The Time Prince Surprised Q-Tip On Stage & Started Jamming? (Video)

In addition to his mind-blowing talent and off the charts charisma, part of what made Prince so legendary was his mysteriousness. Even in a world where every millisecond is documented by a share, a photo or a video, he fiercely guarded his privacy, rarely granting interviews and simply letting his... Read more

April 23, 2016 Video

One Of J Dilla’s Most Respected Collaborative Peers Makes A Beat From Scratch In His Style (Video)

Nottz and J Dilla had a colorful history. Both production purists, these MC/producer double-threats each benefited from the support of Busta Rhymes, Skillz, and Ghostface Killah placements at critical career junctures. Thereby, the artists from Norfolk, Virginia and Detroit, Michigan (respectively) ended up on a few albums together. More than... Read more

April 22, 2016 Video

A$AP Ferg Clears His Throat And Spits Like He Never Has Before (Video)

The runaway success of singles like "Work," "Shabba" and "New Level" has caused some to misjudge A$AP Ferg as an MC. On each of the songs, he chopped big trap beats with a simplified, sing-songy flow that fueled a belief that Ferg, along with his fellow A$AP brother, Rocky, was... Read more

April 21, 2016 Video

Pairing Rihanna and “Kids” Writer Harmony Korine Is Not Safe On Any Level (Video)

Last year, the iconic film Kids celebrated a milestone, and with it came a tremendous outpouring of support, nostalgia, and love for the movie that documented teenage sexuality, angst, and identity in some of the rawest scenes ever on the silver screen. Its screenwriter, Harmony Korine, has since gone on... Read more

April 20, 2016 Video

DJ Quik Says Kanye West’s Celebrity Supersedes His Talent & Challenges Him (Video)

Yesterday (April 19), DJ Quik and Problem announced they were releasing a joint EP today, titled Rosecrans. The project, which is named after the storied street that travels through the entire city of Compton, links two generations of Hub City MCs. While promoting the release of the EP, DJ Quik... Read more

April 20, 2016 Video

This Video Shows The Power Of Graffiti Is Limitless In The Best Possible Way

Some things are timeless. While graffiti has been around for decades (or millennia, depending on how it is defined), its position in Hip-Hop has waxed and waned over the years. Rapping and DJ'ing have stood at the forefront of the culture, since the mid-80s, but every once in a while... Read more

April 20, 2016 Video

Unreleased Footage Shows Tupac Speaking Incredibly Powerfully About Income Inequality (Video)

MTV News has released never before seen footage of Tupac from 1992, speaking about income equality. Shakur, the son of two Black Panthers, often incorporated strong political messages in his music and everyday discourse, and often his words carried themes of uplift and revolution. In the MTV clip, after citing... Read more

April 20, 2016 Video

Ice Cube Explains Staying “True To The Game” & Family-Friendly At Once (Video)

Ice Cube is the latest guest on Snoop Dogg's GGN TV. The pair who would perform "The Next Episode" without its host, Dr. Dre during Coachella weekend enjoyed discussing music, film, and some items in between. The segment opens with the "Only In California" collaborators discussing Cube's 1991 Death Certificate... Read more

April 19, 2016 TV/Film, Video

Bas Points To The Stat Sheet. He Believes It’s His & Dreamville’s Time (Video)

Last month, J. Cole's Dreamville artist Bas released his second album in as many years, Too High To Riot. Backed by Interscope, the New Yorker (by way of Paris, France) MC cracked the Top 50 of the charts. "Matches" is the latest single, and serves as a rich gumbo to... Read more

April 19, 2016 Video

Rapsody’s Superhero Draws On Kindness, Inner-Beauty & One Bad Chariot (Video)

Most people have visions of superhero grandeur. Hip-Hop artists from Curren$y to Raekwon have described theirs. Rapsody's superhero alter-ego would be known simply as "Queen Rap'." Just as her albums The Idea Of Beautiful and Beauty And The Beast have done with sharp lyricism, the North Carolina MC would use... Read more

April 18, 2016 Video

Rittz Opens A Vividly Clear Window To The Drama In His Life (Video)

Rittz' upcoming album Top Of The Line (May 6) includes the gripping single, "My Window." The track appears to be an autobiographical look into the Georgian MC's world, beneath the high-profile tours and touted chart placements. For the video, Heads can see the 2010s independent Hip-Hop success in a no-tell... Read more

April 18, 2016 Video

11 Veteran Lyricists Break Ground In One Video With Another In MC Spiritual Essence

In today's musical age, assembling collaborations seems relatively easy. Translating that to a compelling, well-produced video is not quite as accessible. Especially in hardcore, purebred Hip-Hop, making videos like Sway & King Tech's "The Anthem" seems implausible without big budgets like the one the two iconic radio personalities had at... Read more

April 18, 2016 Video

Run The Jewels Celebrate The Birds & The Bees In Their Video For “Love Again”

Run The Jewels is known for their hard raps and nostalgic Hip-Hop aesthetics. Killer Mike and El-P channel the likes of 2 Live Crew, Eazy-E, and even Lil' Kim when they team with Gangsta Boo for "Love Again (Akinyele Back)." Even in its title, the late 2014 Run The Jewels... Read more

April 17, 2016 Video

Anderson .Paak Slows Down The Tempo & Turns Up The Funk In A Performance With ScHoolboy Q (Video)

When Anderson .Paak released "Am I Wrong," his first single from his album Malibu, last Summer, it was an uptempo Funk jam that featured ScHoolboy Q and a retro, almost Disco feel. As with almost all of his music, .Paak changes things up on the live version. With Q joining... Read more

April 16, 2016 Video

Masta Ace Announces His Latest Concept Album & Gives A Glimpse

From Masta Ace Incorporated to Disposable Arts, Brooklyn, New York veteran MC Masta Ace has been known for cohesive album-length concepts. His latest, in a career that dates back to the mid-1980s is upon us, as the Juice Crew and eMC alum announces The Falling Season. Releasing May 13, the... Read more

April 15, 2016 News, Video

D.L. Hughley Offends Everybody. No Politician, Athlete Or Doctor Is Safe (Video)

King of comedy D.L. Hughley recently visited Sway's Universe for an interview that played like a set from the celebrated stand-up. As great comedy is prone to do, topics that are often uncomfortable to talk about are brought right to the surface, where Hughley poked and prodded through astute observation... Read more

April 14, 2016 Video

On A Great Night For Cali, Planet Asia Is Another Agent Of State Pride (Video)

Planet Asia's career benefited greatly from Sway & King Tech's The Wake Up Show. When P.A. (along with Jurassic 5) were Interscope Records label picks from the West Coast Hip-Hop Underground, they got massive spots on 1999's This Or That, the hallmark album from Sway, Tech, and DJ Revolution. In... Read more

April 13, 2016 Video

Daz Explains Why Lady Of Rage & Inspectah Deck Verses Did Not Make “All Eyez On Me” (Video)

Daz Dillinger produced five of the 27 tracks on Tupac's All Eyez On Me double album. Tha Dogg Pound MC/producer was a close affiliate of Shakur during his year with Death Row Records. The blockbuster album would eventually reach diamond certification, with Daz producing singles such as "I Ain't Mad... Read more

April 13, 2016 Video

Robert Glasper & Bilal Re-Interpret Miles Davis’ “The Ghetto Walk” (Video)

Last month, Robert Glasper unveiled the first audio glimpse of his Everything’s Beautiful album (May 27). The Jazz musician is bridging the generations on an album inspired by and featuring some works by the late Miles Davis. In a season that looks at the trumpeter's life and times, courtesy of Don... Read more

April 13, 2016 Video