News Archives

Kanye West Aims To Go Swish In Madison Square Garden On Release Day

If anybody knows how to make an album release an event, it is Kanye West. 2011's Watch The Throne would be the "leak-proof" album during the perceived zenith of online bootlegging. Two years later, Yeezus would be played, in part, with projected video footage on buildings across the globe. For... Read more

January 26, 2016 News

A Grand Jury Investigating Planned Parenthood Instead Charges Anti-Abortion Activists (Audio)

Last year, Planned Parenthood experienced a tumultuous few months that brought the family healthcare facility more criticism than usual. Often the subject of protests and negative attention from Conservatives, the clinic known for providing sexual and reproductive health services to millions of families came under fire after a series of... Read more

January 26, 2016 Lifestyle

DJ Jazzy Jeff & James Poyser Took A Snowstorm & Made Some Hot Beats (EP Stream)

This past weekend, a snow storm by the name of Jonas swept through the Mid-Atlantic states, and left its mark in the form of inches of accumulation. DJ Jazzy Jeff, living in his Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was among those affected. So was James Poyser, a fellow Grammy Award-producer known for his... Read more

January 26, 2016 Audio

Your Old Droog Walks Down 42nd Street With Some Fresh Nu Shooz (Audio)

Coney Island, Brooklyn's Your Old Droog represents a different kind of New York City experience. In his twenties, Y.O.D. is a bit young to remember the 42nd Street of the Mayor Koch-era NYC, filled with grind-house movie theaters, peep shows, greasy food, and an assortment of sidewalk hustles. However, the... Read more

January 26, 2016 Audio

Action Bronson & Roc Marciano Make The Perfect Way For AG Da Coroner (Audio)

In the 2010s, a collective of MCs has helped revive the grimy New York City sound. In many ways, Roc Marciano's 2010 solo debut Marcberg was the jump-off. The sparse, self-produced Fat Beats Records affair celebrated the ills of Hempstead, New York street life, and how the underbelly of NYC... Read more

January 26, 2016 Audio

Earl Sweatshirt Sails Around His Mind Over A Flipped Madlib & Flying Lotus Beat (Audio)

Earl Sweatshirt has been fairly quiet since releasing his sophomore major label album in 2015. The Tan Cressida/Columbia Records artist appears back in action now. Reportedly on a secret Soundcloud account he created, the Los Angeles, California MC/producer gets busy on a beat made by Madlib and Flying Lotus. As... Read more

January 26, 2016 Audio

With Or Without Funk Volume, Dizzy Wright Is Plotting His Future & It Looks Bright (Video)

Over the last several weeks, there has been a lot of chatter about the demise of Funk Volume, the label home to Hopsin, Jarren Benton, Dizzy Wright and more. As the recent rift between, and possible reconciliation of, Lil Wayne and Birdman has shown, people in labels are often like... Read more

January 25, 2016 Video

2 Chainz Makes A Video That Is Funny, Odd & Unsettling, For “Watch Out” (Video)

So many videos these days are paint by numbers. Seemingly, the vast majority fall into the category of ridin' 'round shinin', hangin' with the homies or ballin' in the club. In addition to a dearth of creative concepts, the production value of these clips have also been on a rapid... Read more

January 25, 2016 Video

Stalley’s “Saving Yusuf” Mixtape Is A Return To His Soulful Slap (Mixtape)

For several years, Stalley has excelled in creating what he has dubbed "Intelligent Trunk Music." As the name suggests, the sound is characterized by Stalley's own brand of thoughtful lyrics, enveloped in car-rattling soulful beats. When Stalley signed to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, the contrast in the two MCs'... Read more

January 25, 2016 Mixes

The D.O.C. Calls Erykah Badu His Closest Friend & Talks Co-Parenting (Video)

Dallas, Texas rapper the D.O.C. is best known for his extensive working relationship with N.W.A., with whom he co-wrote much material before ushering in a celebrated solo career. The platinum-selling MC who almost lost his ability to speak in a near-fatal car accident has re-emerged triumphantly, after an announcement in the... Read more

January 25, 2016 Video

Spotlight: Tim Gent Aims To Put Clarksville, Tennessee On The Lyrical Rap Map

Today (January 25), Clarksville, Tennessee MC Tim Gent is releasing his latest project. For The Love is a free effort by the impressive sensation, who balances precise lyricism with the trends of today. Already with individual videos reaching beyond 30,000 plays, the 22 year-old not only shows promise for putting... Read more

January 25, 2016 Food for Thought

Big K.R.I.T., Killer Mike & Nick Grant Are Royalty In Rap And Life (Audio)

Atlanta MC Nick Grant turned heads last year with not one, but two of the strongest freestyles of the year. Grant put on dazzling lyrical displays for 5 minutes at a time, as he seemed to thrive on the newfound national attention. However, Grant also showed that he was about... Read more

January 25, 2016 Audio

Flint, Michigan Was Poisoned & An Investigation Points to the Government (Video)

The ongoing crisis in Flint, Michigan is one at the nexus of economics, health, politics, and potentially criminal activity. Over the course of the last several weeks, mainstream media has been focusing more and more on a story that, despite sounding hyperlocalized to one specific community, potentially has similarities to conditions... Read more

January 25, 2016 Lifestyle

Fat Joe, O.C. & A.G. Remind Listeners How Lethal D.I.T.C.’s Lineup Is (Audio)

The Diggin' In The Crates reunion is burning strong. After several new crew-thick songs in 2016, the fresh week yields something especially fresh from a D.I.T.C. trio. "Diggin' Number" takes Fat Joe, O.C., and A.G., and assigns them numbers on a knocking quick-strike. Like De La Soul's "Plug" numbers, the... Read more

January 25, 2016 Audio

Black Thought, Jay Electronica, & Bun B Added To 2016 J Dilla Weekend Lineup

There have been some major changes surrounding the 2016 J Dilla Weekend. The second annual event in Miami, Florida will take place February 5-7. The event, hosted by J Dilla's mother, Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey, features concert performances, art exhibits, panels, record swap meets, and more. The main venue for... Read more

January 25, 2016 News

Kanye West Unveils Swish Tracklist & Says It’s “The Best Album Of All Time”

It is less than three weeks away from the release of Kanye West's seventh solo album. Swish will release on February 11, and already its maker is calling it "the best album of all time." The Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records release is West's first since 2013's Yeezus. So happy to be... Read more

January 25, 2016 News

Just Blaze Flipped This Supertramp Song & Made It Breathe For Fabolous (Audio)

Whether or not 1970s Rock & Roll is part of your playlist, chances are you've heard Supertramp. The London, England group was active from the late 1960s to the late '80s, and last year began some reunion touring and recording. "The Logical Song" and "The Long Way Home" are two... Read more

January 24, 2016 Sample Sundays

Leave It To SNL To Provide Comic Relief To Oscar Controversies (Video)

Since its days known as Saturday Night Live, SNL has been a podium for making light of headline news and strong social discourse. This month, the specific 2016 Oscar nominations (and lack thereof) prompted very public dialogue surrounding the diversity of its nominating committees. Meanwhile, the Academy of Motion Picture... Read more

January 24, 2016 TV/Film, Video

A Tribe Called Quest & Leaders Of The New School Perform Scenario Remix in 1992 (Video)

Footage of A Tribe Called Quest and Leaders of the New School performing "Scenario" is rare. Video of them performing the remix of that classic? Priceless. However, earlier this month, that's exactly what happened. A clip from a 1992 performance featuring both ATCQ and LONS at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater... Read more

January 23, 2016 Throwback

Chasing The Cat Makes Key & Peele Gangsta In Their First Feature Film (Video)

When word broke that Key & Peele was ending after its fifth season last year, fans were dismayed. The outrageous sketch comedy show had filled a void that had been lacking for several years after Chappelle's Show left the air. Not to worry, though. The dynamic duo of Keegan-Michael Key... Read more

January 23, 2016 TV/Film

Adrian Younge’s Latest Is Uncut Soul Featuring Bilal & Raphael Saadiq (Album Stream)

Adrian Younge has just released his latest solo album, Something About April II. The Los Angeles, California-based producer/musician is renowned for his brand of throwback Soul and Funk, as heard alongside Ghostface Killah, Souls Of Mischief, and original source, The Delfonics. Also a member of PRhyme, Younge initially gained recognition... Read more

January 23, 2016 Audio

TDE’s President Punch Rhymes Better Than A Lot Of MCs (Audio)

Over the last 5 years, Top Dawg Entertainment, more commonly known as TDE, has grown into one of the most powerful record labels in Hip-Hop. The company's roster includes Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad and SZA. As impressive as that group of artists may be, it... Read more

January 22, 2016 Audio

J. Cole & Ryan Coogler Show Why They Are 2 of the Most Important Voices Of Their Generation (Video)

"This is just two young Black men having intelligent dialogue," summarized J. Cole at this week's #MLKNOW event (January 18) in New York City. The heralded MC/producer was interviewed by filmmaker Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed). Together, the two artists engaged in a conversation about race, police brutality, and promoting... Read more

January 22, 2016 Video

The Oscars’ Voting Body May Have Twice the Women & Minorities by 2020

Since announcing its list of nominees for this year's Academy Awards, the Association behind the Oscars event has been forced to face some loud criticisms for its lack of diversity. With not a single minority nominated for any lead or supporting roles (and a paltry few among those nominated in... Read more

January 22, 2016 News

Lecrae Says He’s a Jacked-Up Person & Needs a Savior (Video)

In today's world, religion and politics are two subjects that are often kept separate. However, there are some who feel that their faith and their political views are intrinsically linked. Christian leadership speaker Kurt Uhlir is one of those individuals who believes that one's spiritual beliefs should inform their political... Read more

January 22, 2016 Video

RZA Was Politically Correct About His Opinion of Martin Shkreli. Ghostface Is More Blunt (Video)

The lore around Once Upon A Time In Shaolin, the album for which Wu-Tang Clan created a single copy and sold it to the highest bidder, has grown to be as fascinating as the music, itself. As many know, after a months-long process, the album was ultimately sold to controversial... Read more

January 22, 2016 Video

Snoop Dogg Revisits Donny Hathaway’s “Little Ghetto Boy,” With His Daughter, Lalah (Video)

A recent match-up between Snoop Dogg, Lalah Hathaway, Terrace Martin, and Robert Glasper is a glorious collaboration which in many ways was thought of years ago. Hathaway, the daughter of the late Soul icon Donny, has released an updated version of her dad's 1972 classic, "Little Ghetto Boy." However, it's... Read more

January 22, 2016 The Bridge, Video

Game Shows Sometimes Less Is More As He Rides Solo On A Beautiful Piano-Driven Track (Audio)

Once Game signed to G-Unit/Aftermath in the mid-2000s, he had access to the best producers in Hip-Hop. From Dr. Dre to Timbaland, Just Blaze to Buckwild, Jayceon Taylor had a wish-list of not only producers, but some of the best beats ever made from each. In the next decade, he... Read more

January 22, 2016 Audio

Macklemore Releases a New Song About White Privilege And It’s a Powder Keg (Audio)

Recent events have made it exceptionally clear that we are living in a modern-day Civil Rights Era. Despite all the progress American society has made in many ways - a Black President, LGBTQ rights, allowing women to serve in the military, and so forth - there is still an untenable... Read more

January 22, 2016 Audio

Jamila Woods Makes an Anthem for Black Girls Everywhere (Audio)

Chicago-based singer Jamila Woods first turned Heads on a major level through her work on Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment's 2015 Surf album on "Sunday Candy." Currently gearing up for the release of her debut solo project, she has announced her signing to the Closed Sessions label, and has... Read more

January 21, 2016 Audio

Masta Ace & Beneficence Ride Together & Get Fly Together (Video)

The roll-out for Beneficence's Basement Chemistry is heavy. Fresh off of the video to the Inspectah Deck-assisted "Digital Warfare" single, Bene' releases the visual to "When The Sun Comes." This time, it's Masta Ace who is a welcomed feature on the single from the Newark, New Jersey MC. In the... Read more

January 21, 2016 Video

NBA All-Star Damian Lillard Invokes Powerful Imagery in a Message of Hope (Video)

As a point guard for the Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard has been proving his skills off the court, as well, over the last year. On the mic, he's established himself as a thoughtful, poetic MC. Under the name Dame D.O.L.L.A., he previously dropped a serious freestyle at Shade 45,... Read more

January 21, 2016 Video

MC Eiht Reveals How He & DJ Quik Ended One Of Hip-Hop’s Ugliest Beefs (Video)

For nearly 6 years, DJ Quik and MC Eiht were embroiled in one of Hip-Hop's most vicious feuds on record. However, around 1997, the two men ended their infamous beef with little fanfare. While Eiht has discussed their extended war of words in the past, he recently sat down with... Read more

January 21, 2016 Audio

Mobb Deep’s Prodigy To Perform At The Interactive Play “The Illuminati Ball”

Hip-Hop and the theater are continuing to merge in unexpected ways. With the astronomical success of Hamilton on Broadway and Kurtis Blow's stint in the Hip-Hop Nutcracker, a legacy that began back in the '90s with productions of So! What Happens Now? and Jam on the Groove is blossoming. Today, it's... Read more

January 21, 2016 Lifestyle

Casual & Phat Kat Ride Through A Tunnel That Leads Straight To Pure Grimy Hip-Hop (Video)

Casual and Phat Kat have formed a new group called Ron Jon Bovi. The pair are gearing up to release an album titled Neaux Mursi, a homonym double entre from the French "Non Merci," or "no thank you," and No Mercy. That wordplay, alone gives an indication of how lyrically... Read more

January 20, 2016 Video

Yasiin Bey Declares 2016 Album Will Be His Last & Announces Industry Retirement

This week, Yasiin Bey (f/k/a Mos Def) left a very unique voicemail on Kanye West's phone. West, who signed Bey to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint after years of collaboration, shared the message with the public yesterday (January 19). The Brooklyn, New York MC reacted to West's latest song, "No More... Read more

January 20, 2016 Audio, News

Pusha T Narrates His Inspiring Life Story. It All Began With His Brother. (Video)

Pusha T has had what are arguably the best several months of his career lately. After being named the President of Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music imprint, the Virginia Beach MC is now riding the wave of critical acclaim left in the wake of King Push: Darkest Before Dawn: the Prelude,... Read more

January 20, 2016 Video

Taggers Played an Integral Role in Graffiti’s Rise. A New Film Tells Their Story (Video)

In some form or another, graffiti has been around for millennia. Inscriptions, carvings, frescas, and a host of other places where art meets the streets can be found in nearly every civilization, but something particularly influential happened right here, in the United States. The place which birthed Hip-Hop culture served... Read more

January 20, 2016 TV/Film

Protected: Native Tongues vs. D.I.T.C. : Who’s The Better Crew?

In honor of #HipHop50, BET is celebrating the culture and the music with a bracket-style competition to determine Hip-Hop’s greatest crew. These are legendary collectives from different regions, styles, and generations—all vying for that #1 spot. Twenty-eight crews have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot from... Read more

January 20, 2016 Throwback

Cam’ron Looks Back At Rare Photos With A Signature Dipset Beat (Video)

Cam'ron's life and career are rather unique. Raised in Harlem, New York, Cam' divided his interests between basketball, the streets, and Hip-Hop. Over time, the Diplomats general would work with Big L, Ma$e, and Bloodshed (as Children Of The Corn) before his days signed to Untertainment/Epic Records. In the 1990s,... Read more

January 20, 2016 Video

Peanut Butter Wolf Nearly Stopped Making Music After Meeting Madlib (Video)

Earlier this week, the Beat Konducta himself, Madlib, was introduced to even more new fans thanks to his contributions on Kanye West's "No More Parties in L.A." Longtime Heads have been following the Oxnard, California producer and part-time MC for several decades and many incarnations. The man behind projects released... Read more

January 20, 2016 Video

Questlove’s Trip to a Prince Concert Went from Near Disaster to Epic Win (Video)

For most of us, being able to see the one and only Prince live in concert will likely never happen. Even less likely is being able to hit the show on a first date. For Questlove, it's a bit less far-fetched of a possibility, and in a wonderfully creative animated... Read more

January 20, 2016 Video

2015 Was Hottest Year on Record & Now Sea Levels May Wipe Our Cities Away (Video)

2015 was the hottest year in recorded climate history. In our world of hyperbole, unsubstantiated political discourse, and general laissez-faire attitudes about problems with no immediate effect on our wellbeing, hearing such news doesn't necessarily incite a knee-jerk reaction. Generally speaking, the issues of global warming and climate change don't elicit... Read more

January 20, 2016 Lifestyle

DJ Premier Tells The Story Of This Photo With D’Angelo, Alchemist & J. Dilla, In His Words

DJ Premier tells Ambrosia For Heads the story about the night he, D'Angelo, Alchemist and J. Dilla gathered in the studio and took what would become an iconic photo. These are his words about the photo, that night, and the other supremely talented men with whom he posed: "Gang Starr... Read more

January 20, 2016 Food for Thought

Curren$y Strikes With A Project Produced Entirely By Cool & Dre (EP Stream)

Curren$y is one of Hip-Hop's most prolific artist. The JetLife founder and captain steers into 2016 with his latest project. The Owners Manual pairs Spitta Andretti with Miami, Florida-based platinum production pair, Cool & Dre. Cool & Dre, who worked with Curren$y on some mid-2000s Young Money projects, have done... Read more

January 19, 2016 Audio

This Video Shows Why You Used to Love Hip-Hop…And Still Should (Video)

In the video for "Still Love Her," Albuquerque, New Mexico MC Wake Self incorporates touchstones that any Head will appreciate. With a beautiful visual homage to A Tribe Called Quest's The Low End Theory album cover, a conceptual foundation built on the artwork for Common's Resurrection, a nod to De... Read more

January 19, 2016 Video

Naughty By Nature Reunite With Queen Latifah On A Song Filled With Love (Video)

The ties between Naughty By Nature and Queen Latifah run deep. When NBN first got their start, it was fellow Jersey native Latifah who helped guide them, along with her Flavor Unit management team. Treach, Vin Rock and Kay Gee would go on to record with the Queen on their... Read more

January 19, 2016 Video

“Wheels Are In Motion” For An O.D.B. Biopic, According To RZA

As N.W.A. is now associated with Oscar nominations thanks to their Straight Outta Compton biopic, at least two other Hip-Hop films are under way. Tupac Shakur's biographical film All Eyez On Me is said to be shooting, while Daz Dillinger's Death Row Records vignette, Dogg Pound 4 Life, has begun... Read more

January 19, 2016 News, TV/Film

Dr. Dre’s “Compton” Is Remixed By One Of His Chronic Collaborators (Premiere)

Chris "The Glove" Taylor is the epitome of a West Coast Hip-Hop O.G. Taylor, who appeared alongside a young Ice-T in the film (and on the soundtrack) Breakin', has been creating sounds ever since. In addition to lots of work with King T, The Firm, and Xzibit, The Glove was... Read more

January 19, 2016 Audio, Exclusive, Mixes

Snoop Tells The Oscars Where They Can Go & Says Let’s Have Some “Hood Awards” (Video)

It was all good just a week ago...Last week, it seemed there was cause for celebration regarding the recognition of the contributions of African-Americans in the arts by the key organizations doling out the most respected accolades. Run-D.M.C. were announced as the first Rap act to receive a Grammy Lifetime... Read more

January 19, 2016 Video