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AZ, Papoose & Mysonne Are Grown Men Who Are Unafraid To Rap Like It (Video)

Rap music about street exploits is a lot of what is made every single day. AZ, Papoose, and Mysonne have all done this, quite effectively, at various points in their respective careers. However, these three New York City MCs also know when it's time to spit about the exit strategy—not... Read more

TiRon & Ayomari Get The Money, The Life & Girl Of Their Dreams In “It’s A Trip” (Video)

Since 2009, Los Angeles MCs TiRon & Ayomari have built a cult following after releasing several critically acclaimed albums as a duo and solo artists. This includes A Sucker For Pumps in 2011, and their independent label Cafeteria Line's 2012 compilation HNGRY. The latter deserves credit for bringing City of Angels-based artists Breezy... Read more

Masta Killa’s New Album Will Be A Wu-Tang, Prodigy & Redman Affair

Later this month, Wu-Tang Clan member Masta Killa will release his fourth album, Loyalty Is Royalty. The Brooklyn, New York veteran remains a Nature Sounds artist, the label with whom he released his acclaimed solo debut, 2004's No Said Date. The 1st Rhyme Masta Killa Ever Wrote Was For Wu-Tang... Read more

Jay Lonzo Shows JAY-Z Is Not The Only Brooklyn MC Dropping Jewels (Video)

Proving that often the best Hip-Hop is grounded in the local, albeit with international notes, “Last Drop” the most recent single from Crown Heights, Brooklyn MC Jay Lonzo, only further consolidates his status as one to watch. Jay Lonzo Spits More Knowledge at 17 Years Old Than Many Do In... Read more

21 Years After Tupac’s Death, The Game Questions How He’d Fit In Today (Audio)

Twenty-one years ago today, the physical world said goodbye to Tupac Shakur. Even with a week spent fighting for his life in a Las Vegas hospital, the 1996 news was sudden and scary, surrounding a Rap star that seemed, at times, immortal—and other times, doomed. Kanye West Killed 50 Cent... Read more

Oddisee Is In Amazing Stride. He Pops His Collar On A New Single (Audio)

Oddisee has been mostly self-contained in 2017. He produces, he raps, and he does not do a ton of guest vocal features in modern times. Rather, attention is deserved on the Diamond District member's albums, most recently The Iceberg. Oddisee Is Having The Best Year Of His Career & The... Read more

Scarface Rides Hard With The Outlawz In Search Of True Justice (Video)

Scarface and Tupac Shakur were close friends. The "Smile" collaborators are incredible artists, who climbed up the charts but took the ghetto with them. After Pac's 1996 death, 'Face showed tremendous loyalty to his people, including Death Row artists, Thug Life, The Outlawz Immortalz, and others. That is true through... Read more

Rapsody’s Album Tracklist Features Some Of The Best MCs, But She’s In The Driver’s Seat

UPDATE: One day after confirming the features, Rapsody has shared the tracklist to Laila's Wisdom: The September 22 album tracks are as follows. The "Oooweee" collaboration with Aftermath Entertainment's Anderson .Paak previously appeared on late 2016's Crown EP. 1. "Laila's Wisdom" 2. "Power" (featuring Kendrick Lamar & Lance Skiiiwalker) 3. "Chrome... Read more

Spike Lee & Jordan Peele’s New Movie Tells The True Story Of A Black Man Who Joined The KKK

When it comes to films about modern race relations in America, there may be no greater filmmakers than Spike Lee and Jordan Peele. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lee and Peele are teaming up to create a joint film project titled Black Klansman. The film will be directed by Lee... Read more

NFL Ratings Are Down & Big Media’s Too Scared To Cite The Boycott

With season-opening kickoff and Monday Night Football behind us, what promises to be one of the most politically tinged seasons in the NFL is underway. Still mired in controversy surrounding Colin Kaepernick, the league is also defending itself against those who believe the organization is too lenient with players who've committed... Read more

Viktor Vaughn’s Return Spells DOOM For Low Budget MCs (Audio)

It's Tuesday, meaning that for the foreseeable future, DOOM is going to be dropping villainous verses. Today, he laces "Notebook #5" with the return of Viktor Vaughn. Heads may recall that this was one of many MF DOOM personas during one of Hip-Hop's greatest comeback strides, in the early 2000s.... Read more

Nipsey Hussle Has Been On The Grind Relentlessly & It’s Paying Off (Audio)

Artists like Chance The Rapper and Kanye West have challenged the old music industry model through making award-winning, critically-acclaimed albums without seeking a sales transaction. In his own lane, Nipsey Hussle has done something similar. The L.A. rapper has stayed relevant without ever dropping an official LP. He made paying... Read more

Don Flamingo’s Vibrant Depiction Of New Orleans Gives Hope For Cities Devastated By Hurricanes (Video)

The legacy of New Orleans' Bounce movement during the late '90s through mid-2000s still heavily overshadows several of the city's imitable rappers' individual contributions to Hip-Hop lyricism (i.e. Lil Wayne, Curren$y, Jay Electronica, among others). Having vital co-signs from NYC legends The Lox and JAY-Z, Don Flamingo is coming up... Read more

Talib Kweli & Blu Gang Up On A Beat. It’s Fight Night For 2 Great MCs (Audio)

In 2007, the same summer Blu & Exile released Below The Heavens, Talib Kweli dropped Eardrum. One MC made an indelible underground debut, while the other, from a similar trajectory, released a #2 overall LP on the charts, marking a new plateau. Ten years later, these two artists from opposing... Read more

Black Thought Performs A New Verse With Statik Selektah & Melts The Mic (Video)

Black Thought is one of Hip-Hop's consummate showmen. Flip on the TV five nights a week, attend a Roots Picnic, or search the web, and it's well documented. As if Tariq Trotter does not already work hard enough, the Philadelphia MC swung through Statik Selektah's Blue Note show in New... Read more

Common Becomes The First Rapper Ever To Win An Oscar, An Emmy & A Grammy

JAY-Z famously rapped on "Moment Of Clarity": "Truthfully I wanna rhyme like Common Sense / But I did 5 mill' – I ain't been rhyming like Common since." That was 2003. In the nearly 15 years following those bars, Comm' has scored a #1 LP (Finding Forever), and filled his... Read more

A Tribe Called Quest Have Performed Their Last Show Ever (Video)

In a career that lasted more than 29 years, A Tribe Called Quest have completed their final concert. Over the weekend, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi White played Bestival in East Lulworth, United Kingdom before hanging up their mics and turntables as a collective. The 90-minute-show followed an international run... Read more

Rock Apologizes To Sean Price In A Compelling Autobiographical Song (Audio)

After Black Moon and Smif n' Wessun, Heltah Skeltah was a critical expansion within the Boot Camp Clik and Duck Down Records family. Brooklyn's Rock (aka Rockness Monsta) and Ruck (aka Sean Price) combined clever writing with distinct deliveries over hardcore Hip-Hop production. Two albums debuted in Top 40, without... Read more

Lloyd Banks Assists As Conway Campaigns To Prove That He’s The Grimiest, Ever (Audio)

That highly distinctive deep-atmosphere, kept so twitchy and tense, that defines the Griselda Records sound is on full display in “Bullet Club” – the first single taken from Conway The Machine’s upcoming G.O.A.T.  The track sees him paired up with G-Unit MC Lloyd Banks and fellow Griselda affiliate Benny. DOOM &... Read more

Kanye West Killed 50 Cent AND Gangsta Rap 10 Years Ago (Video)

Ten years ago this week, Hip-Hop experienced a real watershed moment. On September 11, 2007, 50 Cent and Kanye West squared off. It was not physical. It did not even include diss tracks or beef of any kind. Instead, Graduation faced off against Curtis. Two of Hip-Hop's biggest stars of... Read more

Sean Price’s Wife Bernadette Discusses Her Husband & Completing His Last Album

Sean Price stated on Heltah Skeltah’s debut about his longtime rhyme partner Rockness Monsta, “behind every great Ruck there’s a Rock.” But throughout the late great Price’s career stood a great woman named Bernadette Price. She has become one of Rap’s most famous widows who paralleled "Edith Bunker" to Sean’s "Archie... Read more

2017’s Hip Hop Honors Will Salute Martin Lawrence

For more than a decade, VH1's Hip Hop Honors has been a stage that honors key contributors to the music and culture. Launched in 2004, honorees include founder DJ Kool Herc, Big Daddy Kane, Beastie Boys, Salt N Pepa, Wu-Tang Clan, Slick Rick, and A Tribe Called Quest, among many... Read more

Mr. Lif & Akrobatik Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em With Heavy Rhymes & Hard Drums (Video)

In late July, Boston MCs Mr. Lif and Akrobatik revived The Perceptionists. The former Def Jux group (which then featured DJ Fakts One) made a strong return on Resolution (which premiered at Ambrosia For Heads), releasing through the Mello Music Group—a label that may be reminiscent of El-P's 2000s imprint.... Read more

The LOX Make Some Of That Beautiful Hip-Hop From Back In The Day (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So...let AFH fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it's ever been. Not only are we able to go back... Read more

The 2017 Paid Dues Festival Is Postponed

Less than two months ago, it was reported that Murs' Paid Dues Festival was revived after a hiatus since 2013. With the news came word that Ghostface Killah & Raekwon, Lil Wayne, PRhyme, Rapsody, and others would headline the Los Angeles, California event on September 16 and 17. That event... Read more

A-F-R-O, R.A. The Rugged Man & Gift Of Gab Put On 1 Of The Year’s Best Lyrical Displays (Video)

Three MCs, united by a spitfire, rapid delivery, as if sped-up on steroids, make this release from Bay Area’s Gift of Gab (one-half of Blackalicious) a masterclass in the art of rhyming. “Freedom Form Flowing.” Blackalicious’ Gift Of Gab Tackles Gentrification With Artisanal Rhymes (Video) The mellow beat produced by... Read more

Z-Ro, Trae Tha Truth & Killa Kyleon Discuss Houston’s State Of Crisis After Harvey (Audio)

With mandatory evacuations in Florida, Georgia and possibly more on the way as Hurricane Irma barrels towards the United States (after decimating islands in the Caribbean), the country continues to reel from the effects of Hurricane Harvey. Houston and some coastal parts of Texas were ravaged by the storm, which... Read more

DOOM & Westside Gunn Are Releasing An Album. Here’s A Taste (Audio)

In the midst of DOOM's weekly music series, it appears there is going to be even more product from the masked villain. While the veteran MC has his Missing Notebook roll-out underway, his latest collaboration project has been announced: with Griselda/Shady Records rapper Westside Gunn and producers Alchemist and Daringer.... Read more

Kid From Kid N Play Impersonates Colin Kaepernick For Jason Whitlock (Video)

Fox Sports 1 host and sports commentator Jason Whitlock is known for his polarizing takes about the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing discourse regarding the embattled NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. On Tuesday (September 5) during the network's show Speak For Yourself, Whitlock discussed the still-unsigned QB. During this,... Read more

The Game, Busta Rhymes & Tech N9ne Have Bars That Jealous Ones Envy (Audio)

Last month, DJ Kay Slay orchestrated quite the collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Kevin Gates for "Cold Summer." The Drama King is not backing down as he reloads with "Jealousy." This collabo links up The Game, Busta Rhymes, and Tech N9ne for an attack on people that hate... Read more

JAY-Z Reveals He And Prodigy Made Peace Before His Death (Video)

While the JAY-Z vs. Nas battle of the early 2000s may be the one that gets the most ink in the history books, Hov's beef with late Mobb Deep MC Prodigy is one of legend too. From Summer Jam photo reveals to disses on both sides, these two artists had... Read more

Strong Arm Steady’s Krondon Moves To Acting For DC Comics’ “Black Lightning” Role

A decade ago, Krondon and his group Strong Arm Steady were signed to Talib Kweli's Blacksmith imprint at Warner Bros. In the 10 years since, the Los Angeles, California veteran and S.A.S. teamed with Madlib for In Search Of Stoney Jackson, and has followed with projects with Statik Selektah and... Read more

Run The Jewels Discuss Homophobia In Hip-Hop With Stretch & Bobbito (Audio)

During Hip-Hop's formative years through the 1990s, homosexuality was a taboo topic that held little to no real estate in the culture. For years, highly regarded MCs used facets of gay lifestyle as emasculating punchlines. But, during the past two decades, popular artists like Kanye West, Murs, Macklemore and Lil... Read more

Nas Details What Made Biggie One Of The Greatest To Ever Touch The Mic (Video)

Nas and The Notorious B.I.G. were both friends and rivals. With a complicated history—one of legend, the two artists tragically never were able to share a song—despite plans for a "Gimme The Loot (Remix)" in 1994-1995. Looking at the life and work of his man, Nas gives it up for... Read more

Busta Rhymes Says Rapsody’s New Album Is The Best Hip-Hop LP He’s Heard In 10 Years

Rapsody continues to raise her stock as one of Rap's most lyrically gifted MCs. The North Carolina native has a new album titled Laila's Wisdom (September 22), which features a Barry White-inspired verse from Busta Rhymes on "You Should Know." Bussa Buss even took to his socials this week to... Read more

Vic Mensa’s Explosive Freestyle May Be Banned From TV Like Kaepernick (Video)

Vic Mensa is a gifted rarity. The Save Money star makes compelling, highly personal albums. That's evident in July's The Autobiography, Mensa's Roc Nation full-length debut. However, so many MCs who are conceptual and vulnerable on wax can be a bit restrained in the freestyle. That's never been the case... Read more

Large Professor & Craig G Put Hip-Hop On A Pedestal & Celebrate H.E.R. (Audio)

Belgian DJ and producer Koss has been linking with some of the most defiant MCs in the game for many years now. With inspiration from Soul, Funk, Jazz, and Psychedelic Rock from the 1960s and the '70s, he intertwines these musical genres with the infectious boom bap of Hip-Hop from... Read more

Oddisee Is Having The Best Year Of His Career & The Great Music Keeps Coming (Audio)

In February, Oddisee's The Iceberg (below) helped forecast a great year for Hip-Hop. One of Mello Music Group's flagship artists followed up the stellar 2015 effort The Good Fight with another conversation piece about self-care, race relations, and the modern American immigrant family experience. The 15-plus-year veteran multi-threat shows that... Read more

Ball So Hard: LaMelo Is The Youngest Athlete Ever With His Own Shoe (Video)

Hip-Hop news and culture move fast, and it’s easy to miss significant developments. Every week, Ambrosia For Heads takes a look back at the Last 7 days. This video series, hosted by Justin “The Company Man” Hunte examines the current issues with a colorful rundown of the what, where, and why. While the Last... Read more

Redman Wants Another Def Squad Album & He Explains The Muddy Waters 2 Delay (Audio)

2018 marks 20 years since Def Squad released its one and only album. El Niño debuted at #2 on the Top 200 and marked a long time coming for Erick Sermon and his star pupils, Redman and Keith Murray. A strong branch from the EPMD family tree, that LP featured... Read more

A New Video Shows Why Kanye Was Hip-Hop’s Most Promising Student Upon His Graduation

Marking a dramatic shift in his career from successful producer to stadium star, Kanye West’s third album Graduation celebrates its 10th anniversary this coming Monday (September 11). Proven with time, the Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam Records LP with the upcoming birthday ushered in a new era in Hip-Hop. With Graduation, 'Ye positioned... Read more

DOOM & Kool Keith Are Otherworldly MCs. Their Latest Collab Is On The Moon (Audio)

DOOM reconnects with the MC once known as "Dr. Dooom." Metal Face and Kool Keith make a fitting pair. These are two rhyme revolutionaries of New York City Hip-Hop. For Keith, that's true of more than 30 years. DOOM is not far behind him, with critical work dating back 25... Read more

A New Book Will Teach Kids Their ABCs AND The Importance Of Hip-Hop History

"Back to school season" is heavily upon us. Hip-Hop has increasingly become an integral part of grammar school teachers' pedagogy, and many rappers have contributed to academia with their own children's books. Lordz Of Brooklyn MC, tattoo and graffiti artist Michael "Kaves" McLeer has co-authored a new children's book with... Read more

Wu-Tang Clan & Boot Camp Clik Rock On For Sean Price & ODB (Lyric Video)

Last month, Sean Price's posthumous LP Imperius Rex included the track "Clans & Cliks." Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man, Raekwon, and Inspectah Deck shared the mic with Sean, Rock, and Smif-n-Wessun of the Boot Camp Clik in a massive Hip-Hop union. As Rockness Monsta readies his tribute to his fallen Heltah... Read more

Meet J. Cole’s Newest Artists & Hear Their New Music (Audio & Video)

At the top of this year, J. Cole and his Dreamville Records label signed Atlanta, Georgia MC J.I.D. Quickly after, The Never Story followed, an Interscope-distributed debut LP from the Spillage Village member, which has garnered strong praise, including from Ambrosia For Heads. That album also debuted in Top 200.... Read more

Bobby Brown Claims He Taught Michael Jackson How To Moonwalk (Audio)

The moonwalk has become one of the most renowned dance moves of all-time. Its origins are debated by historians, with some tracing it back to Cab Calloway and the 1930s. However, on March 25, 1983, Michael Jackson skyrocketed the maneuver into pop culture consciousness with his televised Motown 25 performance... Read more

Chuck D Speaks On The Flavor Flav Lawsuit. He Lovingly Checks His P.E. Partner

This past week, Flavor Flav sued Public Enemy co-founder Chuck D. That suit also accused P.E. management and longtime producer Gary "G-Wiz" in holding back royalties. In the suit, the Bronx, New York-born MC and reality TV star claims to have penned more than 50 Public Enemy songs and claimed... Read more

Women In Rap Are Back & They Don’t Dance. They Make Money Moves (Video)

2017 may prove to be a watershed year in Hip-Hop. Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. married concept and advanced technical lyricism with commercial dominance in a way that forced the mainstream to conform. As recently as last week, artists from Logic to Bun B to Trae Tha Truth are taking action on... Read more

Madlib Releases A New Instrumental. Which MC Would Rock It Best? Hmm…(Audio)

It's been a quiet few years for Madlib. Since his 2014 joint album with Freddie Gibbs and his solo LP, Rock Konducta Part 1 & Part 2, the enigmatic producer/MC has been almost completely absent from the scene, save for a couple of records here and there. When he has... Read more

Rapsody Is Releasing A New Album. Her Single With Busta Rhymes Is Downright Scary (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So...let AFH fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it's ever been. Not only are we able to go back... Read more