News Archives

Jam Master Jay To Be Honored With Limited Edition Adidas Superstar

Run-D.M.C. helped bring the Adidas brand to the forefront of urban fashion. Even before 1986's "My Adidas," the Queens, New York trio embraced the German sneaker and apparel maker during the 1980s wave of Rap-endorsed sneaker fashion. That connection, which many say started from the late Jam Master Jay (a/k/a... Read more

November 4, 2015 Fresh

Eminem’s Lyrical “Genius” Only Grows With His Latest Partnership

For many years, Rap Genius was the go-to place for Heads looking to peep the lyrics to favorite songs, making the website one of the first to cater to the needs of a particular genre demographic. Now they're just Genius, and their user-submitted arsenal of song lyrics continue to be... Read more

November 4, 2015 News

Bad Lucc & DJ Rhettmatic Are An Unlikely Pair, But They Make One Bangin’ Tape (Mix)

On paper, Bad Lucc and DJ Rhettmatic may seem like they come from the opposite sides of Los Angeles, California's Hip-Hop. Lucc is a Diamond Lane Music Group flagship, and one of the veterans who first made noise care of Snoop Dogg's Dubb Union. Rhettmatic, is a Beat Junkies and... Read more

November 4, 2015 Mixes

A New Book Catalogs The History of Hip-Hop Through Hard To Find T-Shirts

Forever an influence on fashion, nostalgia for a certain era is prevalent in all elements of couture, from the high-brow clothing found on catwalks to the mass-produced tour tees sold at concert venues. It used to be that in order to purchase your favorite artist's merchandise, you had to attend... Read more

November 4, 2015 Lifestyle

An Attorney Is Seeking to Re-Open an Investigation of RZA & Raekwon For Murder

In 1999, two reported Staten Island, New York drug dealers, Jerome "Boo Boo" Estella and Corey "Shank Bank" Brooker were murdered in unrelated incidents. Two rival drug dealers, Anthony and Harvey Christian have been convicted of running a 20-year drug empire, as well as ordering the fatal Estrella attack. According... Read more

November 4, 2015 News

The Story Of Hip-Hop’s Creation Is Being Re-Examined By Some Of Its Most Respected Pioneers (Video)

Editor's Note: The first edition of this story credited Crazy Legs as Rock Steady Crew founder. It has been brought to Ambrosia For Heads' attention that Crazy Legs is in fact the president of the organization. The mistake has been corrected, in the story below: Last night (November 2), Crazy... Read more

November 3, 2015 News, Video

50 Cent Writes A Letter To His Younger Self & Notes Lessons From Jam Master Jay

Last week marked the 13th anniversary of Jam Master Jay's murder. J.M.J.'s tragic death coincided with the same 2002 that saw the meteoric rise of one of his former pupils, 50 Cent. For The Big Issue, Fif conceptually wrote a piece aimed at advice toward his younger self and he... Read more

November 3, 2015 Fresh

Anonymous Released Names of Alleged KKK Members. Are They Right & Who Should Be Next? (Video)

Anonymous, by its very existence, is a paradox. Meaning, quite literally, "unknown" or "unnamed," Anonymous has made one of its main tenets the identification, by name, of those involved in illegal, elicit, or embarrassing activities. The decentralized, loosely organized team of activists and hactivists has risen to prominence over the... Read more

November 3, 2015 Lifestyle

Norman Lear’s TV Shows Inspired the Hip-Hop Generation, But It Wasn’t Always “Good Times” (Audio)

As television royalty goes, there are few whose pedigrees compare to that of Norman Lear. Quite literally a living piece of Americana, Lear is the 93-year-old creative zeitgeist whom we have to thank for All in the Family, Diff'rent Strokes, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Sanford & Son. But that's... Read more

November 3, 2015 Audio

Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq Comedy Stars Dave Chappelle, Wesley Snipes & More. See The Trailer (Video)

Spike Lee is fast at work in his first film in more than a year. Following 2014's Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus, the heralded Brooklyn, New York filmmaker is using the violence epidemic of Chicago to apparently elicit some comic relief and food for thought in Chi-Raq. The feature film... Read more

November 3, 2015 TV/Film, Video

Talib Kweli & 9th Wonder’s Indie 500 Drives For A Star-Studded Win (Album Stream)

Last year, Talib Kweli, 9th Wonder, and Pharaohe Monch announced that they were combining forces and resources to launch Indie 500, an independent label, marketing, and distribution conglomerate. Nearly a year to the date after the announcement, Indie 500 (the album) arrives. While it doesn't release until November 6, Heads... Read more

November 3, 2015 Audio

Big Boi & Phantogram Aid Daylight Savings With A Sun-Drenched Visual (Video)

Big Boi and Phantogram's full EP collaboration Big Grams has a warm, fuzzy feel to it. The Decatur to New York City collabo uses embracing synths, sweet melodies, and buttery rhymes to envelope the listener in their own Rap/Rock/Electro galaxy. "Fell In The Sun" thrives as an audio single, but... Read more

November 3, 2015 Video

Thousands of Released Prisoners May Help Reform America’s Criminal Justice System (Video)

Criminal justice reform has been an agenda-topping issue for many Americans for decades, and it's only in recent months that its visibility has landed into the living rooms of mainstream American politics. Just this year, President Obama became the first sitting president to visit federal inmates, a touching exchange caught... Read more

November 3, 2015 Lifestyle

Mac Miller & His Multiple Personalities Show Up For A Dreamy, Supernatural Affair (Audio)

Mac Miller's contributions to "Creatures of the Night," an ambitious track that sounds like it could belong to an album from the Gorillaz, make it one of those joints that Heads and Hip-Hop novices can all dig their musical heels into. The track is actually a single from Njomza, a... Read more

November 2, 2015 Audio

Here’s A Difficult DJ Quik Quiz, Even If There Are Eazy Questions

DJ Quik's career has a lot of bends and turns. One of Compton, California's finest artists can rap, he can produce, and he has always been a dope behind the two turntables. Along the way, Q-U-I-K has been attached to several incredible albums (his own, and others'), and multiple groundbreaking... Read more

November 2, 2015 Fresh

Royce Da 5’9″ & Killer Mike Are Hungry…& They Leave Nothing For Other Rappers To Eat (Audio)

Ever since their collaboration on "Underground Kings" from PRhyme's 2014 eponymous LP, Royce Da 5'9" and Killer Mike have left plenty of Heads wanting more. On tracks together, toe to toe is an understatement, and the two ridiculously skilled MCs continue to release unrelenting bar after bar on their respective... Read more

November 2, 2015 Audio

The D.O.C. Breaks Down His “Formula.” He Says Yawning Helped Him Speak Again (Video)

In late August, it was revealed that The D.O.C. had regained use of his vocal chords. Displaying the regenerated ability in a Sirius XM interview then, the Dallas, Texas native has enjoyed a busy few months since. The former Ruthless Records star and Dr. Dre protege was portrayed in blockbuster... Read more

November 2, 2015 News, Video

Gentrification Is Giving the Boogie Down New Meaning & Not Everybody’s Feeling the Message

For decades, just the name "South Bronx" conjured up images of inner city turmoil, with all of its abandoned buildings, overcrowded schools, high crime rates, and a disproportionate level of poverty and its side effects - lack of access to healthy food, healthcare, and jobs. In fact, films like "80... Read more

November 2, 2015 Lifestyle

Your Old Droog Shows Why He Looks Back to Move Hip-Hop Forward (Video)

Over the last year, Your Old Droog has carved out a lane that is reminiscent of 90s-era New York Hip-Hop, but which is distinctly contemporary. Droog's cadence is influenced by predecessors like Kool G Rap and Nas, but his subject matter and wry sense of humor have allowed him to... Read more

November 1, 2015 Video

These Pictures Show Where Iconic Hip-Hop Album Covers Were Photographed

Earlier this year, Mass Appeal put together an amazing gallery of pictures that showed the locations where some of the most iconic album covers in Hip-Hop were photographed. That collection showed the real-life settings for the artwork for Nas' Illmatic, Ice Cube's Amerikkka's Most Wanted, LL Cool J's Bad and... Read more

November 1, 2015 Fresh

Pete Rock Is Producing Smoke DZA’s Entire Next Album (Video)

In addition to his acclaimed work with C.L. Smooth, Pete Rock has produced albums for the likes of Smif-n-Wessun, 80 Blocks From Tiffany's, and I.n.I. The Mount Vernon, New York MC/DJ/producer is adding a new artist to the repertoire: Smoke DZA. The Harlem, New York MC worked with P.R. for... Read more

October 31, 2015 News, Video

Outkast’s Stankonia Showed Miss Jackson & The World They Were For Real

Year 2000 was forced to be big in Hip-Hop. As the whole world saw the changes that came with a new millennium, the culture used the newness of things to seemingly reset from the troubling actions, tones, and violent mistakes of the late 1990s. Hip-Hop as a whole seemed to... Read more

October 31, 2015 Food for Thought

Jerry Heller Is Still Ruthless. He Sues Dre & Cube For Straight Outta Compton Biopic Profits

2015 film blockbuster Straight Outta Compton has developed a cultural appreciation for the music, careers, and social obstacles of N.W.A., as well as its individual members. In addition to becoming the highest-grossing music biopic, several of the group's 1980s singles have charted at new highs on Billboard charts. Attention has... Read more

October 30, 2015 News

At A Time When So Many Are Angry, Travi$ Scott & Kanye West Can Really Relate (Video)

Travis $cott's Rodeo has been one of the most exciting debut albums—not only of 2015, but in some time. The Epic Records MC/singer/producer brought a ton of rawness to his Top 3 charting LP, which was largely held down by veteran producer Mike Dean (Scarface, Kanye West, Tha Dogg Pound).... Read more

October 30, 2015 Video

These Comic Book Superheroes Are Taking On Their Arch Nemesis, Uncle Sam (Video)

For decades (probably even millennia), graffiti has served amongst its many purposes the promotion of awareness and politically-driven messages. By its very nature, graffiti is an anarchist's weapon, allowing for the promulgation of anti-government (and other forms of push-back) visible to the masses. But what about comic strips? An art... Read more

October 30, 2015 TV/Film, Video

DMX May Truly Be Rakim’s Biggest Fan. Watch Them Meet To See Why (Video)

Two years ago, DMX and Rakim released collaborative single "Don't Call Me." The two storied New York City MCs worked together for the first time on the song, and had only ever met briefly before. Street Heat TV cameras recently caught the multi-platinum DMX in rare form when he encountered... Read more

October 30, 2015 Video

Pharrell’s NYU Conversation Dissects “Geek Chic” & Native Tongues’ Inspiration (Video)

Earlier this week, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts hosted Pharrell Williams, after naming him their Artist in Residence as part of the school's 50th anniversary. As part of his residency, P visited Tisch for an in-depth talk with host Jason King a part of NPR's "In Conversation"... Read more

October 30, 2015 Video

Method Man Ripped This 1995 Freestyle. Tim Westwood Considers It His Best Ever (Audio)

In 1995, Method Man was out marketing Tical. The Wu-Tang Clan MC had become one of the biggest new artists in Hip-Hop over the prior two years. However, the Staten Island, New York lyricist with the liquid flow was never so big that he was above dropping a freestyle. While... Read more

October 30, 2015 Throwback

This DJ’s Dedication To Jam Master Jay & MCA Rocks To The Heavens (Mix)

Today (October 30) marks the 13th anniversary of the day Jam Master Jay (a/k/a Jason Mizell) was murdered. The iconic Run-D.M.C. co-founder profoundly influenced Hip-Hop's sound, turntable techniques, and fashion—in addition to helping along the careers of ONYX, 50 Cent, and even Jayo Felony. In the 13 years without Jay,... Read more

October 30, 2015 Audio, Mixes

Jadakiss’ “Top 5 Dead Or Alive” Has A Release Date. Hear 2 Singles (Audio)

Less than 24 hours after appearing on Sheek Louch's "Sucka Free," Jadakiss took a major next step in his career. The 20-plus-year Rap veteran gave his highly anticipated fourth solo album, Top 5 Dead Or Alive a release date. The Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records LP will arrive on November 20. That's... Read more

October 30, 2015 Audio

If “Netflix & Chill” Has An Anthem, Foreign Exchange Made It (Video)

With temperatures dropping, holiday season kicking in, there is often a tug of war between staying in and going out. Phonte, Nicolay, Zo! and Foreign Exchange know this. Their Tales From The Land Of Milk And Honey single "Body" is all about dropping the plans, and picking up some activities... Read more

October 29, 2015 Video

Action Bronson Reveals What Will Keep Him In An Alaskan Hospital For Weeks (Audio)

Yesterday (October 27), Action Bronson posted to Instagram that had undergone an emergency surgery while filming in Alaska. The Queens, New Yorker notified fans that he was okay, but did not reveal a cause for the rush hospitalization. Hours after the news broke, TMZ revealed that prior to his unexpected... Read more

October 29, 2015 Audio, News

Curren$y’s Album Singles Stand Tall. “Boulders” Is Rocky Mountain High (Audio)

Curren$y releases a ton of music. However, after more than 15 years in the game, the New Orleans, Louisiana MC is gifted at making those big records count. After a ton of mixtapes, group work, and lots of touring, Spitta and Warner Bros. Records are back together, marching towards Canal... Read more

October 29, 2015 Audio

Vince Staples Clarifies “Golden-Era” Remarks. In Doing So, He Raises Some GREAT Questions (Audio)

Vince Staples appears in a Time magazine video that published online yesterday (October 27). In it, the Def Jam Records artist from Long Beach, California was asked to reflect on 1990s pop culture. While admitting that he has never heard an album of Justin Timberlake's work with N*SYNC or Mel... Read more

October 29, 2015 Audio, Food for Thought, News

Organized Noize Show Just How They Made That Outkast & Goodie Mob Magic on Rhythm Roulette (Video)

From Outkast to Goodie Mob to Future, Organized Noize have been essential creators to the last 25 years of Hip-Hop. The Atlanta, Georgia-based trio of Sleepy Brown, Ray Murray, and Rico Wade are stellar samplers, as well as amazing musicians. So the latest guests to play Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette... Read more

October 29, 2015 Video

Label Politics, Claims of Song Stealing, Criticism of Selling Out…This Ja Rule Documentary Has It All (Video)

It's been 15 years since Ja Rule released "Put It On Me," his first top-ten hit and one of several charting scorchers on his sophomore album, Rule 3:36. The milestone has set the stage for a look back at the song and its role in shaping Ja Rule's career, and... Read more

October 29, 2015 Video

As Law Enforcer Violence Against Black Citizens Escalates, Talib Kweli Asks Which Side Are You On? (Video)

It's been nearly three years since Trayvon Martin was killed by George Zimmerman. Since then attacks on Black citizens by law enforcement officers (or, in Zimmerman's case, those fancying themselves as such) have continued, seemingly without cessation. The latest such incident happened just this week, when footage of a South... Read more

October 29, 2015 Video

D12 Discuss Their History With Eminem, Battle Rap, Their New Mixtape & Freestyle (Video)

D12 is an appropriate guest for a Halloween week edition of Sway In The Morning. Swifty McVay, Bizarre, and Kuniva swung through the kick it with Sway Calloway and Heather B, for what is one of the Dirty Dozen's best interviews. In celebration of their upcoming Devil's Night Mixtape (October... Read more

October 29, 2015 Video

Snoop Says Nardwuar Is One Of His Best Interviewers. Nardwaur Shows Why (Video)

It's been 15 years since Snoop Dogg and Canadian celebrity interviewer extraordinaire Nardwuar (full name: Nardwuar the Human Serviette) have been choppin' it up, and in their most recent chat, one can really sense the chemistry and genuine friendship the two have with one another. Snoop, holding a Slim Jim-sized... Read more

October 29, 2015 Video

Peter Dougherty, ‘Yo! MTV Raps’ Creator, Has Passed Away (Video)

In today's era, when MTV hardly plays any music, it becomes easy to forget just how influential the television network was to the promotion of music and popular culture. Its "Yo! MTV Raps" program would revolutionize the way Hip-Hop artists were seen in mainstream America, but it took several years... Read more

October 29, 2015 News

Marley Marl Says KRS-One Asked To Be In The Juice Crew & “The Bridge” Leaked (Audio)

Iconic Hip-Hop producer and DJ Marley Marl is the most recent guest on Ice-T's Final Level Podcast. The man largely responsible for introducing the music community to Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Biz Markie, and countless others sat in with Ice and Mick Benzo for nearly 90 minutes. As... Read more

October 29, 2015 Audio

Kendrick Lamar Uses Menace II Society In A Brilliant Video For These Walls

Kendrick Lamar has released several statement videos in his young career. However, today's (October 28) "These Walls" may just be his biggest. The To Pimp A Butterfly single that loves multiple entendres about boundaries, femininity, and sex in its most poetic portrayal, is conveyed in a totally different tone than... Read more

October 28, 2015 Video

Jadakiss & Sheek Louch Keep The Circle Tight By Stayin’ Sucka Free (Audio)

The LOX's Jadakiss and Sheek Louch are out to smash mics and pumpkins this week. "Sucka Free" is not a Halloween record (despite Louch's festive Soundcloud image). However, the tandem aims to bring great terror to sponges, haters, and useless individuals that claw for their time and resources. This record... Read more

October 28, 2015 Audio

Action Bronson Rushed To Emergency Surgery In Alaska

UPDATE: TMZ has obtained exclusive information surrounding Action Bronson's October 28 hospitalization. As the MC/web personality is currently recovering, TMZ.com reports that he consumed whale blubber and raw caribou, among other foods, prior to his emergency hospital trip. However, a spokesman for Bronson did not provide a cause for the... Read more

October 28, 2015 News

Busta Rhymes, Puff Daddy, Mary J. Blige To Rock The Jingle Bells In Newark

Hot97, one of the nation's preeminent Hip-Hop radio stations, has announced a holiday celebration featuring a massive line-up that includes headliner Busta Rhymes as well as Puff Daddy, Lil Wayne, Mary J. Blige, French Montana, Sean Paul, and Jeremih. Taking place on Saturday, December 5, the "Hot for the Holidays"... Read more

October 28, 2015 Fresh

Kevin Powell Releases A Recording of Tupac Discussing The Night He Was Shot in NYC (Audio)

Next year will mark the twentieth anniversary of Tupac Shakur's death, a milestone that will reverberate throughout the Hip-Hop community as Heads reflect on the incredible influence the rapper, poet, actor, and activist had on the world around him. His murder remains one of the music industry's biggest mysteries, and... Read more

October 28, 2015 Audio

Black Lives (& Bodies) Are Being Championed Through Song & Imagery From Supastition (Video)

In what may be the most recent example of the relationship between art and life, North Carolina MC Supastition has released an unflinchingly direct examination of race in America in the form of "Black Bodies," the latest single from June's The Gold Standard. The accompanying video's release comes just hours... Read more

October 27, 2015 Video

DJ Premier Recreates Gang Starr’s “Who’s Gonna Take The Weight”…On The Spot (Video)

Earlier this month, DJ Premier joined Royce Da 5'9" and Adrian Younge for the first concert with all three PRhyme members. The October 13 Gramercy Theatre event also marked PRhyme's first public New York City show. AFH was in the building to catch the historic moment, which also included Younge's... Read more

October 27, 2015 Exclusive, Video

Cee Lo Green Follows A Tribe Called Quest’s Footprints & Flips A Classic (Audio)

As the release date for A Tribe Called Quest's 25th Anniversary re-issue of their People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths of Rhythm album inches closer, more details are being released about what is promising to be one of the most anticipated projects of the season. Dropping November 13, the album... Read more

October 27, 2015 Audio

Afrika Bambaataa Will Receive a Lifetime Achievement Award For Helping to Birth Hip-Hop

Considered to be the Godfather of the culture, Afrika Bambaataa blazed a trail through the New York city club scene during a time when the city's youth culture was experimenting with what would become Hip-Hop (a term credited to Bambaataa). His contributions to that landscape are being recognized by the... Read more

October 27, 2015 Lifestyle