AFH Ambrosia for Heads

News

Mike Dean Works With Rap’s Masters. So Who Does He Consider The Best? (Video)

Mike Dean is one of Rap's most prolific producers of the last 25 years. Dean has been responsible for much of Rap-A-Lot Records 1990s and early 2000s successes, before joining Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music production team, and relocating to New York City. From Scarface and Devin The Dude, to Seagram... Read more

Here Is a Previously Unreleased Sean Price Cypher & A Way to Help His Family (Video)

As the Hip-Hop world still processes the shocking and tragic loss of Sean Price over the weekend, tributes to the Heltah Skeltah co-founder, Boot Camp Clik member and all-around dope MC, are starting to surface. Sean P has already been immortalized by a mural in his hometown of Brooklyn by... Read more

Souls Of Mischief’s Opio & Free The Robots Recorded An LP In A Redwoods Forest. Hear Some (Audio Premiere)

Earlier this year, Souls Of Mischief/Hieroglyphics MC Opio and producer Free The Robots teamed for The Subconscious Mind EP, including "Let The Bass Go." Moving forward, the Oakland, California veteran and the accomplished producer (Capital STEEZ, Nocando, Busdriver) merge towards Sempervirens (September 18). The duo recorded this full-length in a California... Read more

A$AP Rocky’s Jukebox Joints Visual Shows The Timeless Response To Good Music (Video)

From A$AP Rocky's At. Long. Last. A$AP, "Jukebox Joints" is a standout. The Kanye West and Che Pope (a longtime Dr. Dre ensemble producer)-created track infuses Soul sampling with Rocky's brand of psychedelia. Moreover, A$AP masters the ceremony with command in the single's lyrics. For the video, Kanye (who also... Read more

The Making of Sean Price’s Tribute Mural Was Captured On Film (Video)

UPDATE: A tribute video, by Rugged Vision, has been added. The visual captures the making of the mural, along with vigil. Sean Price's wife Bernadette, Illa Ghee, General Steele, Skyzoo and others are shown: Over the weekend, Hip-Hop lost one of its true giants with the death of rapper Sean... Read more

Homeboy Sandman’s Arrows Penetrate The Eardrums While Stating His Top 5 MCs (Audio)

After leaving Heads with a joint project with Blu in the closing week of 2014—Homeboy Sandman has been quiet, relatively speaking. The Queens, New York MC is plugging away as Stones Throw Records' flagship Rap acts, alongside the returning artist, Guilty Simpson. "Arrows" hits the center of the board. H.B.S.... Read more

Illa J & His Booming Sound Are Versed In The Art Of Sidewalk Seduction (Video)

Illa J raps, he produces, and now he's trying to veer into new territory. "Universe" is J Dilla's younger brother's latest single. The Detroit, Michigan native applies that booming bounce into a seductive Dance/R&B track. For the video, one half of the Yancey Boys beckons a female with his beat... Read more

SKAM2? Made A Tribe Called Quest’s Beats, Rhymes & Life Artwork. He Remixes It For Deadpool

Back in 1996, Miami, Florida native MC/illustrator SKAM2? made one of Hip-Hop's most iconic covers: A Tribe Called Quest's Beats, Rhymes & Life. A chance meeting with Q-Tip prompted SKAM to lace the artwork for the would-be platinum-certified album on Jive Records. At the time, as an MC living in... Read more

STS & RJD2 Find The Record-Hustler’s Mentality In The Digital Age (Video)

Perhaps the upcoming Straight Outta Compton N.W.A. biopic will show the Gangsta Rap group selling 12" singles and tapes out of Eazy-E's car. This is a documented part of history in the careers of not only N.W.A., but also T La Rock and DJ Jazzy Jay, E-40 and The Click,... Read more

On the 1-Year Anniversary of Mike Brown’s Death, Run the Jewels Explain Why Riots Work.

One year ago today, Michael Brown, an 18-year old unarmed Black man, was shot and killed by officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, MO. The event, and the subsequent failure to indict Wilson for the shooting, set off widespread rioting in Ferguson and across the country, and also marked the commencement... Read more

Yasiin Bey Clarifies His Rap Challenge & Questions Hip-Hop’s Battling Tradition (Audio)

Yesterday (August 7), the Internet was rattled with a video of Yasiin Bey (f/k/a Mos Def) challenging "anybody and everybody" against a team of himself, The Roots' Black Thought, and King Los. One day later (August 8), an upset Bey released a nearly 10-minute audio clarification. In the message, Yasiin... Read more

Sean Price Passes Away At Age 43. Rest In Peace.

The Hip-Hop and music community is saddened to learn that Sean Price has died. The MC formerly known as Ruck reportedly passed away this morning (August 8) at his home in Brooklyn, New York. Details are emerging, but the 43 year-old Price was found unconscious in his sleep. Cause of... Read more

Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise Is 20 Years Old Today. Take A Walk Back Through The Valley

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Coolio seemed to be living in the shadows. A product of Southern California, the MC born Artis Leon Ivey, Jr. made some of his first noise alongside WC, DJ Crazy Toones and the collective known as WC & The Maad Circle. As the... Read more

It’s All The Way Live: Public Enemy To Release Their Second Concert Album

Boogie Down Productions, Tupac, and Lyrics Born are just some of the Hip-Hop artists to release live albums. For the second time in 10 years, Public Enemy is doing the same. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, DJ Lord and company will release Live From Metropolis Studios on September 4,... Read more

CyHi The Prynce Attacks a Thunderous Beat Like a L.I.O.N. (Video)

Over the years, CyHi The Prynce has shown a penchant for concept projects. Since 2010, he's released several thematic mixtapes, from his Royal Flush series to the Ivy League collection to his Black Hystori Projects. Now, the G.O.O.D. Music MC has announced a new project, L.I.O.N. (Like It Or Not),... Read more

Blackalicious Make A Grand Return To Lung Collapsing Lyrics (Audio)

For more than 20 years, Blackalicious have been a beacon of dope in the Hip-Hop landscape. From the capitol city of Sacramento, California, Gift Of Gab and Chief Xcel made distinct releases that exemplified the creative freedoms of the Underground Hip-Hop spirit, also while earning a place in the mainstream... Read more

Happy Birthday to Kool Moe Dee, Who Transformed the Nature of Battle Rap (Video)

On August 8, 1962, a man was born who would revolutionize the way freestyle battles operated, forever leaving his mark on Hip-Hop. Years before he would have that impact, however, he was already forging the path of a pioneer, finding success in the early days of a culture that many... Read more

Markis Precise’s Debut Features Elzhi, Fashawn, Brother Ali & Ras Kass (Album Stream)

Fresno, California producer/musician Markis Precise just released his debut album, The Feeling Of Flying. The Ineffable Music Group LP is no compilation, but a carefully-crafted album featuring a cross-section of lyricists including fellow Fresno native Fashawn, as well as Elzhi, Brother Ali, Ras Kass, Murs, Strong Arm Steady, and Oddisee,... Read more

Yasiin Bey Says He, Black Thought & King Los Can Take ANYBODY in a Battle (Video)

Although Mos Def came up through freestyles and ciphers (as chronicled in Kevin Fitzgerald's 2000 film, Freestyle), the Brooklyn, New Yorker is not typically thought of as a battle MC. Often outspoken about his peers, the artist now known as Yasiin Bey released a video today (August 7) by YouTube user... Read more

Chris Rivers & Sheek Louch Have Got It Made With Their Throwback Freestyles (Audio)

For the last several weeks, Chris Rivers and Sheek Louch have released rugged verses over throwback beats. Rivers has covered everyone from Black Moon to his father, Big Pun, and even tackled a LOX standout. Sheek has gone a bit more contemporary, with verses over Jay Rock, The Clipse and... Read more

Golden Rules Have The Golden Ticket To A Proper Group Introduction (Album Stream)

In the new artist category of 2015, Golden Rules shine brightly. The tandem of MC Eric Biddines and producer Paul White draw from the Dungeon Family movement of the 1990s, and broad-minded production sensibilities that challenge genre. The group's Lex Records, Golden Ticket releases today (August 7). The Consequence Of... Read more

DJ Premier Details the Inside Story on Working With Dr. Dre & Names His Top 5 Producers (Interview)

DJ Premier and Dr. Dre are widely considered to be two of Hip-Hip's greatest producers of all-time. While the two have worked on the same projects occasionally over the last two decades, and maintained a friendship along the way, they had not had released a full collaboration, until now. The... Read more

Atmosphere Heat Up An 8-Year Old Album Cut With Solar-Powered Technology (Video)

Atmosphere released "Sunshine" back in 2007, but the Minneapolis duo have proven there is no expiration date for innovation. Slug and Ant have released a music video for their popular Sad Clown Bad Summer 9 single, eight years after its release. The reason? The always forward-thinking Rhymesayers apparently saw an... Read more

Vince Staples Challenges His Comfort Zone with Major Lazer Co-Founder (Audio)

After releasing his debut solo album, Summertime '06, in June, Vince Staples has been enjoying his busiest season yet. The ambitious 20-track project features Jhené Aiko, fellow Cutthroat Boyz Joey Fatts & ASton Matthews, and extensive production from No I.D. The Long Beach, California rapper already has a spot in... Read more

Jay Rock Examines Watts’ Treachery In A Style He’s Never Before Used (Audio)

Since his mid-2000s introduction, Jay Rock's raps have strongly characterized his streets of Watts, California. A product of South Central, Los Angeles, the Top Dawg Entertainment MC chooses a new methodology in describing his 'hood in "90059." Named after his native zip code, the Lance Skiiiwalker-assisted record finds a possessed protagonist,... Read more

Mac Miller Compares 100 Grandkids To A Hundred Grand (Video)

Mac Miller has been more careful to release product than at any time in the last five years. However, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania MC/producer is definitely hard at work. "100 Grandkids," his formal re-entry confirms as much. The showman uses a school-production musical theme to show his versatility in another stream-of-consciousness... Read more

After All the Drake/Meek Mill Hype, Does Waka Flocka Have the Hardest RICO Verse? (Audio)

Waka Flocka Flame is underrated as a spitter. Though he burst on the scene with party-starters, like "No Hands," that showcased a more simplistic MC style, he released a mixtape and several tracks in 2014 where he truly went hard in the paint, lyrically. Now, in a moment that is... Read more

After 25 Years, Scarface Is Still Making Music For Your Mind (Audio)

His name may not be mentioned as often as some, but Scarface has earned the right to be a perennial contender on any top 10 MC list. Whether as part of The Geto Boys or solo, Brad Jordan has been a consistent storyteller, metaphor flipper and straight spitter for the... Read more

Dr. Dre Put Compton On The Map. Now He’s Immortalizing Its Legacy (Album Stream)

Announced just days ago, Dr. Dre's third studio album, Compton, has released as planned. The N.W.A. co-founder named his first LP in nearly 16 years after the Hub City that he hails from. Now, the Beats By Dre namesake drops off the deeply-anticipated work to Apple Music for an exclusive... Read more

Warren G Captures The Many Cultures Of The LBC In His Nate Dogg-Assisted Single (Video)

Long Beach, California is a versatile city. It introduced Snoop Dogg (and 213), Sublime, and T.S.O.L., among others. Warren G (also of 213) helped make it famous in the early 1990s, through hits like "Regulate." Twenty-one years later, "The G Child" is back in his element, making Regulate...G Funk Era,... Read more

Dr. Dre, Nas, KRS-One, B-Real, Scarface & RBX Came Together In The Aftermath Of Coastal Conflict (Video)

Tomorrow (August 7), Dr. Dre is slated to drop his first album in 16 years. Compton, as it is called, follows 2001 in a career that has emphasized quality over quantity. In conjunction with next week's Straight Outta Compton biopic (August 14), Dre returned to his studios and invited friends... Read more

Puff Daddy & Pharrell Bring Their Absolute Best In Finna Get Loose (Video)

Puff Daddy is out to reinvent himself in 2015. That explains why the Bad Boy Records founder/CEO recently went back to his old name. He's put his label logo on flags and jackets again. He's even talking about touring with "The Family," including Lil' Kim, Ma$e, and The LOX. However,... Read more

Bad Boys For Life. Will Smith & Martin Lawrence’s Franchise Gets New Editions

In the 20th anniversary year of Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's Bad Boys film, fans have more than nostalgia to look forward to. Sony Pictures has confirmed box office dates for 20 films, as reported by Variety. Within the extensive lineup, a February 2017 box office date has been set... Read more

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Turns 50 Today. Here’s Why It’s Still Fighting for Survival

In the summer of 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law federal legislation which aimed to tackle racial discrimination in voting. The Civil Rights Era had brought racial tensions to a head, and Black Americans were fighting alongside Asian and Latino citizens for equal treatment under the law. Described... Read more

Method Man, Raekwon & Inspectah Deck Pay Homage To The Purple Tape Era (Audio)

Two weeks removed from The Meth Lab (August 21), Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man, Raekwon, and Inspectah Deck team up. Optimally timed, "Purple Tape" arrives following the 20-year anniversary of Rae's benchmark solo debut, which Meth' and Rebel I.N.S. both worked on as well. The 2015 track uses '95 as inspiration.... Read more

J. Cole Reflects on Art & Life in Jamaica for New Short Film (Video)

Currently on his Forest Hills Drive Tour, J. Cole is a busy man; in addition to promoting his latest album, the MC and producer is turning heads for his collaboration with the one and only Janet Jackson on her much-anticipated return to airwaves, "No Sleeep." Also featured on Houston rapper... Read more

Slick Rick Joins Dynas & Tony Galvin For Some Animated Storytelling (Video Premiere)

In late April, South Florida MC Dynas teamed with timeless lyricist Slick Rick to release "Who U?" In the Tony Galvin-produced collaboration, MC Ricky D found great synergy (and equally "great Miami adventures") with his latest rhyme-partner—who previously worked with storied labels like Rawkus and BBE Records. Now the "Who... Read more

Curren$y & Chase N. Cashe Form A Holy Union In Audio (EP Stream)

Earlier this year, New Orleans' resident Spitta Curren$y released Pilot Talk 3, his fifth studio album and one that was highly anticipated, as it had been five years since the first two albums of the Pilot Talk series were released. Only a few weeks later, he dropped the E.P. Even... Read more

DJ Quik, YG & More Talk About What It Means to Be From Compton…Over New Dre Music (Video)

For fans of Dr. Dre, N.W.A. and Hip-Hop, generally, Friday cannot come soon enough. That day will bring Dr. Dre's first album since 1999's 2001. Thankfully, the good Doctor will be sharing a full preview of Compton: The Soundtrack tomorrow from 9pm to 12pm EST on Apple Music, just prior... Read more

CyHi The Prynce Puts Kanye West on Blast…But It’s All in the Family (Audio)

Over the years, Kanye West has gone on some memorable rants. Now, it appears the quality has rubbed off on his G.O.O.D. Music signee, CyHi The Prynce. Much like Kanye did with Jay Z on "Big Brother," CyHi takes Kanye to task for several transgressions he believes he's suffered over... Read more

Blackface Will No Longer Be Used in One Opera, But There’s Still a Long Way to Go

Blackface, the practice of white performers darkening their skin to portray a person of color, is an ugly vestige of what many would say is a bygone era; in the United States, it was common fare in minstrel-show productions, where whites played the roles of African-Americans by painting their faces... Read more

RZA Says That Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… Made It Possible For Rick Ross To Be Cool

Hip-Hop has a long discography when it comes to albums themed around hustling. Iconic releases such as Jay Z's Reasonable Doubt, E-40's Federal, The Clipse's Lord Willin', and Young Jeezy's Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 are etched in the face of Rap history. However, 20 years past its birthday,... Read more

Celebrate Warren G’s New EP a Day Early & Listen to ‘Regulate…G Funk Era Pt. 2’ (Album Stream)

It's been 21 years since Long Beach, California MC and producer Warren G released his debut album, Regulate...G Funk Era. The triple-Platinum selling LP is home to his duet "Regulate," a West Coast classic featuring the late Nate Dogg that remains his most successful track to date. Also housing the... Read more

M.O.P. & Apollo Brown Collaborate on Detonate and It’s Explosive (Audio)

In recent years, M.O.P. have explored with their sound. The Brownsville, Brooklyn duo of Lil Fame and Billy Danze have made some of their hit records with the likes of DJ Premier, D/R Period, Just Blaze, and manager/producer Laze E. Laze, in addition to board-work with Statik Selektah, Snowgoons, and... Read more

Macklemore & Ed Sheeran Present Lessons To His Daughter & All Of Us (Audio)

After dominating 2012-2014, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are back. The Seattle, Washington MC and producer tandem are masters at finding Pop sensibility through making Hip-Hop songs about issues that seemingly relate to us all. Mack' and his wife recently welcomed their daughter Sloane Ava Simone Haggerty into the world (in May,... Read more

Don’t Wear Purple Raekwon Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Sneakers On Rainy Dayz…

This past weekend, Raekwon's solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... celebrated its 20th anniversary. The Staten Island, New Yorker and co-founder of the Wu-Tang Clan released his Loud/RCA Records debut to Top 5 fanfare and an eventual gold plaque. Famously called "The Purple Tape," the RZA-produced effort was manufactured... Read more

Orange Is The New Black’s Real-Life Inspiration Is Fighting for Female Inmates on Capitol Hill (Video)

Piper Kerman, a former inmate in the United States federal-prison system, published a book called Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison in 2010. Five years later and she is a pop-culture phenomenon and the inspiration behind Netflix's most popular show to date. However, her story... Read more

Here’s a Playlist of the Best Hip-Hop of July 2015 (Audio)

July has traditionally been slow for Hip-Hop releases, but 2015 proved to be the exception. The month brought new music from a wide variety of artists and set the stage for a blockbuster August, with the return of Dr. Dre and Warren G. Here are the best Hip-Hop songs of... Read more

Ice Cube Talks Rap Beef, Jerry Heller, Dr. Dre’s New Album & More (Video)

With the highly anticipated N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton set to be released next Friday (August 14), Ice Cube and the cast of the film sat down with HOT 97's Ebro, Laura Stylez and Peter Rosenberg for an interview. The cast included Ice Cube's son, O'Shea Jackson Junior, who plays... Read more

Glasses Malone Brings Together Killer Mike, Kendrick Lamar & Tupac on A Bone Thugs Track (Lyric Video)

In April, Glasses Malone released "Thuggin'," with Kendrick Lamar. Rather than a celebration of criminality or misguided behavior, the song explored the themes of Tupac's T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. philosophy, an acronym which stood for "The Hate U Gave Little Infants F**ks Everybody." Each MC took turns articulating the complexities of the... Read more