News Archives

9th Wonder Releases 7 Beats Custom Made For Redman. It’s Time 4 Sum Aksion!! (Audio)

Redman's classic catalog includes some heavy-hitting producers. With a lot of co-production to his credit, Red' made many of his most celebrated hits with Def Squad mentor Erick Sermon. RZA, Pete Rock, Parrish Smith, DJ Scratch, and Rockwilder (who made a critical early appearance on Dare Iz A Darkside) are... Read more

June 1, 2017 Audio, Video

Dear Slim, You Can Officially Find The Word “Stan” In The Oxford Dictionary.

stan - noun, informal An overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity. ‘he has millions of stans who are obsessed with him and call him a Rap god’ verb, informal Be an overzealous or obsessive fan of a particular celebrity. ‘y'all know I stan for Katy Perry, so I was excited to... Read more

June 1, 2017 Fresh

Kool G Rap Is A 30-Year Lyrical Legend. Listen To A Sneak Preview Of His New Album (Audio)

Kool G Rap is frequently considered one of Hip-Hop's greatest MCs. For 31 years, the Queens, New Yorker has helped bring Rap out of an era of simpler deliveries to compound rhyme structures, fast paced flows, and an unrivaled use of cadence. Additionally, he is one of the pioneers of... Read more

June 1, 2017 Audio, Exclusive

Tupac Shakur’s Early Poems Showed The Sensitive Side Of Thug Life (Video)

Celebrated the world over for his prophetic words on the mic, Tupac Shakur was not only a gifted lyricist but also an accomplished poet. Bridging "thug life" with "fine art," the controversial MC brought up amidst the worlds of political activism, theater, and dance was killed before reaching his full... Read more

May 31, 2017 Food for Thought

Nas, Ghostface Killah & Just Blaze To Headline 2017 A3C Festival

2017 marks 13 years of A3C. The Hip-Hop festival and conference in Atlanta, Georgia has announced its headliners and confirmed performers for this year (taking place October 4-8). With an album done (and possibly released ahead of his A3C concert), Nas is the headliner. After more than 25 years on... Read more

May 31, 2017 Fresh

Joe Budden & Charlamagne Battle Over L.A. Reid’s Sexual Assault Allegations (Video)

The business side of Hip-Hop was shaken up earlier this month with Antonio "L.A." Reid's swift dismissal at Epic Records. Stemming from allegations that he sexually assaulted an assistant at the record label, Reid's departure ignited heated debate from the industry's biggest talking heads, including two of the most outspoken -... Read more

May 31, 2017 Video

Kanye West Or Shakespeare: Who Is More Relevant Right Now? (Video)

One made Hamlet, and one made "H•A•M." William Shakespeare and Kanye West may appear to be very different kinds of artists. However, both creators (one an author and playwright, the other an MC, producer, and designer) greatly shaped the popular culture of their times. Across centuries, mediums, and more, both... Read more

May 31, 2017 Food for Thought, Video

Kendrick Lamar Has Gucci Mane’s Head Hanging From A Mirror In The “Perfect Pint” Video

Kendrick Lamar will not allow himself to be put in a box. In his early days, he was seen as an underground rapper, willing to take on his entire peer group with his ferocious bars. When he released his major label debut good kid, m.A.A.d. city, Kendrick was transformed into... Read more

May 30, 2017 Video

Ras Kass Spits Dragon Fire In His “Game Of Thrones” Season 6 Recap (Video)

Over the last 6 years, few television shows have captured the cultural Zeitgeist like HBO's Game Of Thrones. In fact, the epic drama that was adapted from fantasy novels created by George R. R. Martin has grown into the number 1 show on pay television, the lone series preventing 50 Cent's... Read more

May 30, 2017 Video

Nas Says “Action Speaks Louder Than Words” In These Troubled Times (Open Letter)

Nas has never been an MC to wear his politics on his sleeve. However, that doesn't mean that he has not been deeply conscious of the happenings in the world around him. Rather than joining protests and talking on news shows, the Queensbridge MC has let his music do the... Read more

May 30, 2017 Lifestyle

Nas & Lauryn Hill Plan To Rule The World Together On Tour

On September 7, Nas and Lauryn Hill will kick off a 17-date joint tour that will bring the "If I Ruled the World" collaborators across the United States and into Canada. Though Ms. Hill has been touring (sometimes in notorious fashion) on and off for nearly two decades off the... Read more

May 30, 2017 News

On Big L’s 43rd Birthday, This Freestyle Shows Why His Rhymes Are Immortal (Video)

May 30 marks the birthday of Lamont "Big L" Coleman. The Harlem, New Yorker was born 43 years ago today. While he died more than 18 years ago, at a time when many believe his career was reaching its next level, the member of D.I.T.C. and Children Of The Corn... Read more

May 30, 2017 Throwback

Mr. Lif & Akrobatik Are Reuniting As The Perceptionists. A Short Film Shows Their Journey (Video)

El-P's Definitive Jux Records introduced a number of talented MCs and producers. While Mr. Lif had been on wax dating back to the mid-1990s, the Boston, Massachusetts-based MC released Def Jux's first expanded project, care of 2000's Enters The Colossus EP. Lif would remain a Jukie for much of the... Read more

May 30, 2017 Video

Redman Is Working HARD On Muddy Waters 2 & It Sounds Like Fire (Video)

For Redman fans, Muddy Waters 2, the sequel to his beloved 1996 album, is starting to take on a lore rivaling mythic albums like Dr. Dre's now-scrapped Detox, and Jay Electroncia's debut album. Redman teased the album, back in 2013, and even released a prelude mixtape. Now, nearly 4 years... Read more

May 29, 2017 Video

Kool G Rap Reveals Def Jam Passed On Nas Because He Sounded Too Much Like Him (Video)

There are few, if any, record labels that have a more storied tradition than Def Jam Recordings. The company started by Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons would be the musical home of countless Hip-Hop legends over time, including LL Cool J, Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Redman, Method Man, Jay Z,... Read more

May 29, 2017 Video

Developers Who Destroyed A Graffiti Landmark Aim To Use Its Heritage In Their Redesign

Queens, New York's 5Pointz Aerosol Art Center was a Hip-Hop landmark that endured for decades. Dubbed "The Institute Of Higher Burning," the Long Island City art space was home to a living shrine of graffiti. Curated by writer Meres One (aka Jonathan Cohen), the five-story warehouse building built in 1892... Read more

May 29, 2017 Lifestyle

Dizzy Wright’s Ear Is To The Street. He Listens Then Puts His Plan To Action (Video)

Dizzy Wright has transformed from one of the key players of Funk Volume boom to the flagship artist of Still Movin'. The Las Vegas, Nevada native has proven throughout the decade that he has many styles, a variety of flows, and is capable of personal imagery and dazzling style. Visually,... Read more

May 29, 2017 Video

What Happens When You Make An Old Head Listen To New Hip-Hop (Video)

Last November, Long Beach, California hosted ComplexCon, a two-day event featuring performances, panels, and more all devoted to music and culture. As part of the convention, veteran radio personality and Hip-Hop artist Angie Martinez led a discussion focused on the so-called "generation gap" in Hip-Hop. The group of experts who... Read more

May 28, 2017 Video

Elzhi-Era Slum Village Rip The Mic In A Never Before Released 2002 Freestyle (Audio)

Few Hip-Hop groups have experienced the setbacks of Slum Village. Two founding members, J Dilla and Baatin, died from health complications in the 2000s. Elzhi left the group, with reports of a less than amicable split between himself and anchor T3. Dilla's brother Illa J also had a stint in... Read more

May 26, 2017 Audio

Papoose Blacks Out On A Remix With Rick Ross That’s No Bull (Audio)

Last year, Papoose dropped one of the strongest singles of his career. Not yet attached to any album, video single "Back On My B.S." was 100% welcomed. The track featuring extended family Fat Joe and Jaquae put the Brooklyn, New York spitter's fast-rap talents on a tremendous beat, and let... Read more

May 26, 2017 Audio

Vinnie Paz Takes It Back To 1993 & Shows The Infinite Power Of Hip-Hop (Video)

In 1993, some truly great Hip-Hop music released. Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, and Black Moon made powerful impact with stellar debut albums. They were not alone either. Critical first LPs dropped from The Alkaholiks, Digable Planets, Fat Joe, Spice 1, Souls Of Mischief, and The Roots hit record store shelves... Read more

May 26, 2017 Video

Kool G Rap & Raekwon Are Out For That Life (Audio)

With June 2's Return Of The Don, Kool G Rap will share with the world his first truly solo album since 2011's Riches, Royalty, Respect. Produced entirely by MoSS, the LP features Freeway, Noreaga, Cormega, Raekwon, Sheek Louch, Saigon, Termanology, Fame, KXNG Crooked, Conway The Machine & Westside Gunn, and the late... Read more

May 25, 2017 Audio

Teddy Riley Says A Fatal Fight With New Edition Led To His Leaving Guy (Audio)

In 1990, Guy was one of the biggest R&B acts in the world. Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, Damian Hall (following the exit of Timmy Gatling) would release two platinum albums for Uptown/MCA Records. Pioneers of the New Jack Swing, the group released an onslaught of hits like "Groove Me," "Let's... Read more

May 25, 2017 Audio, Throwback

Aesop Rock Mourns A Fallen MC & Spits Personal Bars Of Pain (Video)

Nine years ago today (May 25, 2008), MC/producer Camu Tao (aka Tero Smith) died after a battle with lung cancer. At a time when his solo career was gaining strong traction, the Columbus, Ohio native was a linchpin to The Weathermen, MHz, S.A. Smash, Nighthawks groups and El-P's Definitive Jux... Read more

May 25, 2017 Video

Angie Stone & The Sequence Explain How They’re Being Robbed Of Their Place In History

Last summer, women in Rap music were celebrated at the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, a televised spectacle with Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, Lil' Kim, and Eve as honorees. Certainly not the only women who have contributed to the culture's growth, these women being singled out and honored in such a ceremonious... Read more

May 24, 2017 News

Tupac’s Spoken Words: Why His Interviews Are Even More Compelling Than His Music (Video)

"I want when they see me, they know that every day that I'm breathing, it's for Us to go farther. Every time I speak, I want the truth to come out. Every time I speak, I want a shiver. I don't want them to [predict] what I'm gonna say 'cause... Read more

May 24, 2017 Food for Thought

Showbiz Keeps It 100 About The Emotions That Got In The Way Of D.I.T.C. Business (Video)

The Diggin' In The Crates collective released their first album in more than 15 years in 2016. While Big L died in February of 1999, surviving members Lord Finesse, Showbiz, A.G., Diamond D, O.C. Fat Joe, and Buckwild came together for a reunion album in celebration of the group's Bronx,... Read more

May 24, 2017 Video

Token Is Learning Success In The Industry Doesn’t Come Without New Problems (Video)

At 18 years young, Salem, MA MC Token has done more at his age than most musicians get the opportunity to do in a lifetime, but that's not to say his accolades have merely fallen into his lap. Token has found himself on Sway In The Morning and on an international... Read more

May 23, 2017 Video

Royce 5’9 Drops A Heat Rock. Joell Ortiz Sayz 2 Can Play That Game (Audio)

Today (May 23), both Joell Ortiz and Royce 5'9 dropped fresh material, shaking up things in what has otherwise been a relatively quiet week for major new releases. On "iLL," Royce joined Conway The Machine and DJ Green Lantern for some Get Out-inspired madness, while his Slaughterhouse cohort's offering is a solo... Read more

May 23, 2017 Audio

Royce 5’9’s Ill Rhymes Put Other MCs In The Sunken Place (Audio)

Conway The Machine is set to drop a midweek project titled Reject On Steroids tomorrow (May 25), and a new collaboration with Royce 5'9 for DJ Green Lantern will inject Hip-Hop Heads with enough bars to last a good while. "iLL" partners the Buffalo, New York rapper with the Detroit, Michigan MC for... Read more

May 23, 2017 Audio

T.Y.E Is An Opera Singer Who Can Rap With The Best Of Them (Video)

On June 9, Dallas-bred rapper T.Y.E Harris will release 32, an exploratory album with song titles like "UFOs & Aliens," "Universe," and "La La Land." Hailing from the grim surroundings of the Oak Cliff neighborhood, his music serves as an exercise in escaping not only the confines of his external circumstances,... Read more

May 23, 2017 Ready Or Not

Kendrick Lamar Asks How We Let A Conscious MC Go Commercial On “Mask Off” Remix (Audio)

Earlier this year, Future earned the acclaim and astonishment of many when he dropped two full-length albums within one week of each other, first February 17's eponymous offering and then February 24's HNDRXX. The multi-platinum selling rapper has released three chart-topping singles from the back-to-back LPs, though "Mask Off" is the... Read more

May 23, 2017 Audio

9th Wonder’s Soulful Boom Bap Takes G-Eazy To His Maximum Potential (Audio)

9th Wonder is having an incredible year. The veteran producer already has had an incredible career, working with the likes of Jay Z, Beyonce, Erykah Badu, Black Thought, Murs, De La Soul, Raekwon, KRS-One, Anderson .Paak, and countless others, not to mention his own beloved group, Little Brother. In 2017,... Read more

May 23, 2017 Audio

Hip-Hop Fought For Biggie & Won. His Mural Will NOT Be Destroyed.

Late last week, reports circulated that a Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn mural honoring rapper Biggie Smalls would be coming down. A property owner of the building holding the mural near the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Quincy Street reportedly intended to make improvements to the building exterior, including more windows on the... Read more

May 22, 2017 News

Snoop Dogg & KRS-One Release Their First Ever Collabo & It’s Lights, Camera, Action (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So...let us 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

May 22, 2017 Audio

Skyzoo’s New Video Plays Out A Childhood Dream Of Performing On Stretch & Bobbito’s Show

Last month, Hip-Hop Heads rejoiced to learn that Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito The Barber are returning to radio, thanks to an NPR podcast. The move is the latest in a story that extends nearly 30 years, back to their post on Columbia University's WKCR airwaves. For New Yorkers and surrounding... Read more

May 22, 2017 Video

The Story Of Biggie’s Ominous Life After Death Photo Shoot Is Told By The Photographer

On March 25, 1997, The Notorious B.I.G.'s posthumous album, Life After Death, dropped. In one of the eeriest examples of art imitating life (or is it the other way around?), the album's title, artwork, and much of its track list dealt with foreshadowing mortality. On the LP cover, Biggie posed with... Read more

May 22, 2017 Throwback

A Harvard Student Made A Rap Album For His Thesis & It Earned Him Honors (Audio)

Over the last several years, Harvard University has established itself as one of the leading institutions of higher learning to embrace Hip-Hop and its role in academia. In 2012, producer 9th Wonder (Little Brother, Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar) was named a Harvard Fellow, and taught a course titled The Standards... Read more

May 21, 2017 Audio

Save This Biggie Mural By Signing A Petition To Make It A Landmark

UPDATE: Nia Raquelle, who created the petition, has taken it down. She has issued the following statement: "At the request of Spread Art NYC, the community organization that owns the rights to the mural, I am taking this petition down. The organization has stated they are working on a solution... Read more

May 20, 2017 News

Treach Flies To L.A. & Wages War To Protect Tupac’s Legacy

UPDATE: Just over 48 hours after Hip-Hop Heads were questioning whether Naughty By Nature's Treach and The Game's manager Wack 100 made an online beef a physical altercation, that conflict has been declared resolved. Moments ago today (May 22), Treach publicly apologized the the veteran music executive tied to Ray... Read more

May 20, 2017 News, Video

FRESH For 2017: Watch Video Of The Unveiling Of Scott La Rock Boulevard

Boogie Down Productions co-founder Scott La Rock (aka Scott Sterling) was immortalized with a boulevard named in his honor, in the borough he loved. In the Bronx, New York yesterday (May 19), Scott La Rock, Jr., D-Nice, DJ Red Alert, 3rd Bass' Prime Minister Pete Nice, DJ Jazzy Jay, Ultramagnetic... Read more

May 20, 2017 News, Video

Logic Reveals He Would Not Be A Rapper If It Weren’t For J. Cole (Video)

Logic's Everybody is currently the #1 album in the country. This achievement by the Maryland MC puts him in an elite class of artists. Symbolically, "Young Sinatra" joins 2010s Rap peers such as Kendrick Lamar, Drake, A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, ScHoolboy Q, Future, Travi$ Scott, Meek Mill, Mac Miller, and... Read more

May 20, 2017 Video

Mysonne Rips Future’s Mask Off And Says He’s A Fiend (Audio)

Over the last several weeks, there have been a number of freestyles using Future's ubiquitous "Mask Off," but none quite like this. Mysonne, the one-time Def Jam artist whose promising career was derailed by a 7-year prison stint for armed robbery, has taken Future's song and used his own words to... Read more

May 19, 2017 Audio

Dead Wrong: A Bed-Stuy Mural Of Biggie Smalls Is Coming Down For Mo’ Money

Today (May 19), Faith Evans releases her collection of duet remixes with late husband Biggie Smalls. The King & I features Lil' Kim, as well as other figures from B.I.G.'s life including Snoop Dogg, The LOX, Lil' Cease, and Busta Rhymes. While the LP is a celebration of the married... Read more

May 19, 2017 Lifestyle, News

DMX Punching Chris Lighty Drew Blood Money From His Album (Audio)

This spring, the life and death of acclaimed record executive Chris Lighty has been the subject of an investigative podcast series. Combat Jack has created and hosted Mogul, a weekly look at the evolution of the man who managed A Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent,... Read more

May 19, 2017 Audio

David Banner’s New Album Features Black Thought & K.R.I.T. (Full Audio Stream)

It has been six and a half years since David Banner released an album. In some circles, that Death Of A Pop Star collaboration with 9th Wonder was considered some of D.B.'s finest songwriting. The Mississippi MC/producer with three Top 10 LP releases has thrived without the album format. Now... Read more

May 19, 2017 Audio

Tupac Shakur’s Formative Years: The Young Man Before The Myth (Video)

"I loved my childhood, even though it was bad. I love it. I feel like it's taught me so much. Nothing can faze me. Nothing in this world can surprise me. It might set me back, but only momentarily can it set me back. I think it's helped me to... Read more

May 18, 2017 Food for Thought

MC Hammer Shows He Can Still Hurt ‘Em With His Dance Moves At Age 55 (Video)

At the height of his popularity in the early 90s, MC Hammer was one of the most polarizing figures in Hip-Hop. His immense success was both the source of ridicule and respect. His third album, 1990's Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em, spent an astounding 21 weeks at the top of... Read more

May 18, 2017 Video

It Might Cost A Lot More To Hear Hip-Hop On The Internet Without Net Neutrality

Today (May 18), the Federal Communications Commission enacted its latest round in the fight against net neutrality, a somewhat nebulous issue that hasn't become as much of a household name as, say, Russiagate. However, outside of climate change, there may not be another issue that directly affects the daily lives... Read more

May 18, 2017 Lifestyle

Kool G Rap Details How He Helped Launch Nas’ Career & Releases New Cormega Collabo (Video)

In 1995, Kool G Rap released the highest-charting single of his career, "Fast Life." The song merged two Queens legends, as G Rap collaborated with the white-hot Nas, fresh on the heels of his Illmatic debut. While the world may not have known it at the time, the collaboration was... Read more

May 18, 2017 Video