News Archives

This Feel-Good Lord Finesse Mix Is The Cure For The Post-Holiday Hangover

Let's face it, the first Monday of the new year can often be a drag. For many, this means (fully) back to work, often some challenging weather, and a long haul to the next reason to celebrate. The all knowing Lord Finesse seems to have forecast such a feeling. The... Read more

January 4, 2016 Mixes

9th Wonder Protege GQ Delivers A Powerful Sidewalk Freestyle (Video)

Previously, Jamla Records artist GQ has made poignant poetry in natural elements. Less than one year ago, the Oakland, California basketball star-turned-MC appeared rapping alongside Locksmith in a Lyft. This time, under a Grand Avenue Oaktown movie-house marquee, GQ demonstrates a deft freestyle, with some powerful lines about race, mortality,... Read more

January 3, 2016 Video

Ever Hear When Ghostface Killah, Jeru The Damaja & Cappadonna Blazed Freestyles Together? (Audio)

Wu-Tang Clan and Gang Starr Foundation appeared to run in different circles in the late 1990s. While RZA and DJ Premier reportedly go back to the Prince Rakeem days, Gang Starr only worked with Inspectah Deck by Y2K (care of "Above The Clouds"). That does not mean, however, that two... Read more

January 2, 2016 Throwback

BJ The Chicago Kid Celebrates D’Angelo On A Special Anniversary (Audio)

BJ The Chicago Kid has stepped into the role of one of Motown Records' biggest male soloists. While the Illinois native's albums have been lower-key in the case of 2012's Pineapple Now-Laters, he is gearing up for a hefty 2016 care of In My Mind. Meanwhile, as BJ's discography is... Read more

January 2, 2016 Audio

MC Eiht Gives The Raw & Uncut Story Of What Turned Compton Into A “War Zone” (Video)

For nearly 30 years, MC Eiht has been delivering raw and uncut stories from the streets of Compton. Whether as part of Compton's Most Wanted or solo, songs like "Growin' Up In The Hood" and "Hood Took Me Under" gave the world a look into a scene that was far... Read more

January 2, 2016 Video

This Quiz About 2015 May Leave You Feeling Beaten. See How You Fare.

Regardless of what part of the globe you call home, 2015 is officially a wrap. Plenty happened in the year that was, especially in Hip-Hop. There was some great music, care of albums, freestyles, and videos. Artists reached new milestones and commercial benchmarks. Sadly, the culture also lost more of... Read more

January 1, 2016 Fresh

Stream Murs & 9th Wonder’s Brighter Daze Album (Audio)

Just hours ago, it was announced that Murs & 9th Wonder's sixth album would release today (December 31). Heads can now dive right into Brighter Daze, the first in the duo's catalog, since 2012. Rapsody, Problem, Mac Miller, Bad Lucc are the guests among the Jamla Records LP's 12 tracks.... Read more

December 31, 2015 Audio

Skillz’s Rap Up Masterfully Covers The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Of 2015 (Audio)

Like clockwork, Skillz serves up his annual summary of the year that was, with a masterful rap. There is nothing like his blow by blow rhyme to remind us all of the good, bad and often bizarre happenings of 2015. In his latest installment, Skillz covers seemingly everything that dominated... Read more

December 31, 2015 Audio

RZA Raps On A Razor Sharp Remix Inspired By The Hateful 8 (Audio)

Adrian Younge has become one of the most successful Wu-Tang Clan affiliates of the 2010s. The producer/musician (and member of PRhyme) has made several heralded albums with Ghostface Killah in the 36 Reasons To Die saga. Additionally, the Los Angeles, California native has worked extensively with RZA and other Clansmen... Read more

December 31, 2015 Audio

Kendrick Lamar Ends 2015 With 1 Of The Most Emotionally Raw & Visually Stunning Videos

When we look back at 2015 years from now, the annum for Kendrick Lamar will be viewed as one of the most complete for any artist in any genre or medium. Lamar achieved levels of success by any metric--commercial, critical, social importance--with the release of his album To Pimp A... Read more

December 31, 2015 Video

Murs & 9th Wonder Announce 6th Collaborative Album…Coming Today

In late 2012, Murs & 9th Wonder released The Final Adventure. The Jamla Records album was the fifth, and said to be final release from the pair—a Los Angeles, California MC and a North Carolina producer. The tandem's work stemmed back to early 2004, with the acclaimed Definitive Jux release,... Read more

December 31, 2015 News

Logic, Slug & Killer Mike Show All Hip-Hop Is Fruit From The Same Tree (Audio)

There's a lot of intolerance in Hip-Hop these days. The youth are accused of having a lack of respect for the history of the culture, and Heads who are older often look down on current Hip-Hop, glorifying the past and incorrectly lumping all of today's music together. The truth is,... Read more

December 30, 2015 Video

J. Cole Explains Keeping Friday Night Lights A Shining Part Of His Career (Video)

In the last year, J. Cole has stacked his career accolades with a gold-certified, #1 charting album with no features in 2014 Forest Hills Drive. The Roc Nation MC continues to complement his benchmarks with a steadfast connection to his fans and causes. When marches and protests have taken place,... Read more

December 30, 2015 Video

KRS-One Interviews Rakim About The Genesis Of His Rhyme Style (Video)

In a moment that can only be described as "surreal," Rakim and KRS-One had a conversation about the genesis of Rakim Allah's rhyme flow, while observers looked on in reverent silence. KRS-One took on the role of interviewer, saying that he'd heard part of Rakim's rhyme writing style came from... Read more

December 29, 2015 Video

Kendrick Lamar Witnessed His First Murder When He Was 5 Years Old (Audio)

Kendrick Lamar recently spoke, at length, with NPR. While fans of Kendrick likely have heard bits and pieces of a number of the subjects Kendrick addressed in the interview, he reflected on a number of deeply personal topics in greater detail than he often does, outside of his most introspective... Read more

December 29, 2015 Audio

The Best Freestyles of 2015 Left Heads Spinning and Microphones Smoking (Video)

In Hip-Hop, there are few things more exciting than watching an MC get on the mic and spit a freestyle. The definition of the word "freestyle" has been fluid over the years. Originally, the term was used to denote any rhyme, written or off the top, that was not about... Read more

December 29, 2015 Video

DJ Chuck Chillout Has “The Breaks” To Revisit 1990 In Style (Mix)

DJ Chuck Chillout has nearly 35 years of making soundwaves special and parties pop. The Bronx, New York DJ/producer brought his sonic style to New York City signals such as KISS and WBLS in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as the biggest clubs. Also a mentor to Buckshot and... Read more

December 28, 2015 Mixes

Ghostface & MF DOOM Aren’t Masking Their 2016 Release Plans… (Video)

This past February, Ghostface Killah and MF DOOM added to their storied collaborative discography with "Ray Gun." The video single from Sour Soul further whetted the appetites surrounding a DOOMstarks album. According to the Wu-Tang Clan MC (who released two 2015 LPs), the album is just months away. Speaking with... Read more

December 28, 2015 News, Video

Rest In Peace To Harlem Globetrotter Legend Meadowlark Lemon (Video)

Rest in peace to George "Meadowlark" Lemon who died in Scottsdale, AZ on Sunday, December 27. For fans of the Harlem Globetrotters from the 1960s and beyond, Lemon was synonymous with the team for more than two decades. Nicknamed "The Clown Prince of Basketball," Meadowlark was a huge personality on... Read more

December 28, 2015 News

Mobb Deep Revisted a Classic Eminem Track to Show Off a Different Flow (Audio)

For 21 weeks, DJ Absolut has been dropping heat for his ongoing Mixtape Mondays series and today's installment features infamous Queensbridge duo Mobb Deep. Havoc and Prodigy can be heard delivering some serious freestyle measures over Eminem's 2000 sinister single, "The Way I Am." In its original form, the song... Read more

December 28, 2015 Audio

Obama is Overturning Life Sentences to Combat the War on Drugs.

President Obama has been proactive in addressing some of the major concerns of Americans, many of which were issues he campaigned on before his inauguration into the White House. One of those issues was that of incarceration, namely the exceedingly high rates of imprisonment of Americans, the overwhelming majority of... Read more

December 28, 2015 News, Throwback

These Videos Made Us Feel Like We Could Fly In 2015 (Video)

2015 might very well be remembered as the year the video took over the song in Hip-Hop. While audio platforms like SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music are growing in strength, high profile mixtapes decreased in number, and an increasing amount of releases were presented as videos even before the audio-only... Read more

December 28, 2015 Video

This 1998 Cypher By Eminem & Royce Da 5’9″ Was A Preview Of Much Greatness to Come (Mix)

As a DJ at NYC's legendary Fat Beats record store, as well as on college radio and about town, during the 90s and beyond, DJ Eclipse had a critical role at helping to break some of the most acclaimed MCs in Hip-Hop history. Similar to the Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito... Read more

December 27, 2015 Mixes, Throwback

Columbia House May Go Back To Its Roots…Mailing Vinyl Records

Many music Heads undoubtedly remember Columbia House Music. In junk mail and in magazine tear-out ads (with lick-and-stick album covers), the distributor offered vinyl, 8-tracks, cassette tapes, and eventually compact discs to consumers by mail. To gain subscribers, the Terre Haute, Indiana-based company often promised bulk mailings of music, for... Read more

December 27, 2015 News

Every Holiday Season, Funkmaster Flex, DJ Red Alert & Chuck Chillout Make Radio Amazing (Mix)

Every Christmas Eve (December 24), Funkmaster Flex assumes his HOT 97 post as usual, but invites in two fellow legends of radio. Funk Flex brings in DJ Red Alert and DJ Chuck Chillout, two masters of the 1980s airwaves. There, the trio ring in Christmas by playing hours upon hours... Read more

December 26, 2015 Mixes

Pusha T & Beanie Sigel Make A Snow Powdered Collabo That Closes 2015 With A Bang (Audio)

Pusha T's newly-released King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude packs a lot of punch. The sophomore studio album features production by Q-Tip, Kanye West, Timbaland, J. Cole, and Puff Daddy, as well as appearances by Jill Scott, The-Dream, and Re-Up Gang's Ab-Liva. One of the most interesting appearances... Read more

December 26, 2015 Audio

9th Wonder Shows The Pure Joy In Making A Neck-Snapping Beat (Video)

9th Wonder is the latest to step up and take Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette challenge, where he is blindfolded, chooses 3 random records and asked to make a beat using them. He joins a long line of impressive producers who have participated in the series, including Large Professor, Organized Noize,... Read more

December 25, 2015 Video

LeBron James Goes To Work Over Public Enemy’s “Welcome To The Terrordome” (Video)

Right after he looks into the camera vowing to bring a championship to "The 'land," LeBron leads the charge as countless people are shown doing the type of hard work that leads to greatness. In a sign that times have definitely changed, the soundtrack is none other than Public Enemy's... Read more

December 25, 2015 Video

Timbaland’s New Song With Unreleased Aaliyah Vocals Sounds Like Their Vintage Music (Audio)

Over the years some tracks with unreleased Aaliyah vocals have surfaced, including the high profile "Enough Said," featuring Drake. Those songs often have been met with mixed reviews, with some believing the music did not add to her legacy. However, when Timbaland announced he was releasing a new mixtape on... Read more

December 25, 2015 Audio

Busta Rhymes’ New Mixtape Features DOOM, Raekwon, The LOX & Leaders Of The New School

Busta Rhymes has released his new mixtape, The Return Of The Dragon (The Abstract Went On Vacation), and while Q-Tip may have taken this one off, Busta brought in an all-star lineup to fill the void. In fact, to call this a mixtape seems a disservice, as it's really an... Read more

December 25, 2015 Mixes

Kxng Crooked Takes A Rare Jay Z Beat & Gets Absolutely Savage (Audio)

2015 has been a relatively quiet year for Kxng Crooked (pka Crooked I). The part-time Slaughterhouse member and full-time wordsmith did not have a full album or mixtape release, though he did drop a few poignant raps about police brutality, trying circumstances he overcame and other substantive messages. As the... Read more

December 24, 2015 Audio

How Sean Price Stole Christmas (Animated Video Short)

As Hip-Hop Heads collectively reflect on the year that has been, Sean Price's gargantuan absence is easily felt. In August, the world lost the father, husband, and 20-plus-year veteran MC from Brooklyn, New York. Throughout all of the changes in Hip-Hop and the world around it, the rapper formerly known... Read more

December 24, 2015 Video

Golden Rules Makes A Holiday Song That Celebrates All That Goes Into Giving (Audio)

This year, some of the best holiday music has been drenched in reality. Macy Gray's "All I Want For Christmas" looked at bigger issues (Black Lives Matter, poverty, world peace) on her personal Christmas list. Now, Golden Rules, the Lex Records duo of Paul White and Eric Biddines makes a... Read more

December 24, 2015 Audio

Here Are Ambrosia For Heads’ Picks For The Best Music Videos Of 2015

2015 might very well be remembered as the year the video took over the song in Hip-Hop. While audio platforms like SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music are growing in strength, high profile mixtapes decreased in number, and an increasing amount of releases were presented as videos even before the audio-only... Read more

December 23, 2015 Video

The Beatles Are Going Full Stream Ahead…

It has been more than 45 years since The Beatles stopped working together as a unit. The four Rock & Roll musicians from Liverpool, England came from an era when streams were not thought of as a technology, and nor were clouds, periscopes, or likes. With Paul McCartney and Ringo... Read more

December 23, 2015 News

The Role Of Biggie Is Cast In The Tupac Biopic. And You’ve Seen Him Before…

In 2016, the Tupac Shakur biopic All Eyez On Me is slated to reach movie theaters. Starring Demetrius Shipp, Jr. as the late Hip-Hop superstar, the L.T. Hutton-produced film also stars veteran Hollywood actor Hill Harper. The role of Tupac's close friend-turned-nemesis has also now been cast. Jamal Woolard has... Read more

December 23, 2015 News, TV/Film

Wu-Tang Clan & Bill Murray Are Stealing Once Upon A Time In Shaolin From Martin Shkreli (Video)

One of the most bizarre Hip-Hop stories in 2015, or any other year, has centered around the Wu-Tang Clan's infamous and mysterious album, Once Upon A Time In Shaolin. The album's existence was first reported in March 2014, when it was revealed that the group would only be selling one... Read more

December 23, 2015 Video

Why Many Black Radio Stations Refused to Play Hip-Hop in the ’90s

Dan Charnas is a celebrated author whose book The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop is a masterful road map to the people, places, and events that helped contribute to the culture's emergence into mainstream and financial dominance, both behind-the-scenes and in headlines. Part of his tome... Read more

December 23, 2015 Lifestyle

Pusha T Exorcises His Demons On “M.F.T.R. (More Famous Than Rich)” (Video)

Pusha T's "M.F.T.R. (More Famous Than Rich)" is a brilliant single from the just-released King Push: Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude. Featuring The-Dream, the song is very much about style, but as much substance. With 2015's headlines largely about celebrity financial woes (including Pusha T's rival Lil Wayne), the record... Read more

December 23, 2015 Video

Ambrosia For Heads Present…Our Picks For The 15 Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2015

2015 watched a lot change in the music industry. Streaming culture kept Heads on the edge of their seats, as Hip-Hop superstars "pushed the button" on a whim. Reclusive legends released new product, while patient veterans made massive breakthroughs. No matter large or small, burgeoning or veteran, all artists seemed... Read more

December 22, 2015 Food for Thought

DJ Spinna’s Pharcyde Mix Features A Song They Did With Bobby Brown & Ralph Tresvant (Audio)

DJ Spinna is not your average mixmaster. The Jigmastas alum has been able to go incredibly deep in honoring musicians he admires. He and Bobbito did this exceptionally in their Wonder Wrote It series (and corresponding parties), and now he's turning the (turn)tables onto The Pharcyde. Celebrating the 20th anniversary... Read more

December 22, 2015 Mixes, Throwback

These New Socks Will Pause Netflix If You Chill Too Much (Video)

One major takeaway from 2015's internet culture is "Netflix & Chill," a phrase that took on a life of its own in the form of memes, Vines, jokes, and more. For those not in the know, it refers to that all-too-frequent occurrence when two (or more, depending on what kind... Read more

December 22, 2015 Lifestyle

Forget Kris Kringle. Santa Claus is from Harlem & His Name is Cam’ron (Video)

Earlier this year, Comedy Central's The Nightly Show brought in an unexpected Human Resources professional in a sketch responding to the summertime report that Amazon's work conditions were horrible. Host Larry Wilmore introduced the sketch by explaining their desire to make sure the show's offices weren't committing the egregiously awful... Read more

December 22, 2015 TV/Film, Video

Rapsody Had One Of The Best 2015’s Imaginable. From Kendrick To Dre, She Reflects…

"My year was awesome," Rapsody states in her latest interview. The Wilson, North Carolina MC born Marlanna Evans has garnered lots of acclaim in recent years. Her 2012 debut studio album, The Idea Of Beautiful made strong waves in a tipping point year for new Hip-Hop talent. 2013's She Got... Read more

December 22, 2015 News

Killer Mike & Big Boi Are Helping Bring Hip-Hop’s First Amendment Rights to the Supreme Court (Audio)

On Monday (December 21), the Supreme Court received a plea for justice involving a Mississippi high-school student who in 2011 faced charges relating to an alleged threat he made against another, a threat law enforcement argued he delivered in the form of Rap lyrics. Taylor Bell was a senior when... Read more

December 22, 2015 Lifestyle

Da Beatminerz Rock A 90 Minute Radio Party Covering Rock, Funk, Jazz & Hip-Hop (Mix)

Da Beatminerz and Q-Tip go back. Although not collaborators in the traditional sense, DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt joined the Abstract at those storied Roosevelt Hotel Record Conventions in the early 1990s New York City. Black Moon and A Tribe Called Quest were running in the same circles, advancing... Read more

December 22, 2015 Mixes

Pusha T Interviews With Sway & Spits A Verse For MCs Who Act Like They Don’t Know (Video)

Last Thursday (December 17), Pusha T was a guest on Sway In The Morning. There, just hours before King Push: Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude, the Clipse co-founder got really deep about his 2015 headspace. Before leaving, and after 40 minutes of nuggets, Push' spit a freestyle that was very... Read more

December 21, 2015 Video

38 Hours of Hip-Hop Playlists Map Out Hip-Hop’s Early Phases. Was Anything Left Out? (Audio)

The web has made it possible for anyone with the interest, time, and energy to create individual worlds which can then be shared with the masses. Perhaps nowhere is this most evidently displayed than in the world of playlists, which dominate much of the streaming digital landscape of today. From... Read more

December 21, 2015 Audio

Buying Votes is Nothing New, But Now the Website We Use the Most Might Also Be Guilty

It's no secret that over its history, American politics has often been accused of being easily influenced by lobbying, that insidious form of influence which allows members of an organization to sway votes in Washington by contributing millions of dollars to campaigns and then expecting the favor to be returned... Read more

December 21, 2015 Lifestyle

This K’naan & Bob Dylan Mash-Up Gets A Visual That Further Mashes The Message

In 2009, K'naan and J. Period teamed for the third volume of The Messengers. The authorized mixtape series was a promotional vehicle for Troubadour, K'naan's third and United States breakthrough album. The third of three volumes set the A&M Records MC/singer against the work of Bob Dylan, which K'naan deemed... Read more

December 21, 2015 Video