AFH Ambrosia for Heads

DJ Premier’s HeadQCourterz / D&D Studios To Become Luxury Apartments?

For 30 years, D&D Studios has been a destination recording studio in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Encased above 320 37th Street, the lab has been a longtime home to Gang Starr's DJ Premier, who co-owns the studio today, re-named HeadQCourterz in honor of Gang Starr's slain friend. A report... Read more

DJ Premier Honors Fab 5 Freddy With A Wild Style Quick Mix (Video)

Whether as a filmmaker, a VJ, or an artist, Fab 5 Freddy has played an integral role in Hip-Hop culture since the early 1980s, and even before. A New York icon, Freddy connected the Downtown art and Punk scenes of the 1980s with the Hip-Hop musical movement of The Bronx,... Read more

Eminem & DJ Whoo Kid Have Released an Epic 66-Song Mixtape of Shady Classics (Mixtape)

Eminem is pulling out all the stops for the 15th anniversary celebration of Shady Records. In the span of two weeks, he released an instant classic 18-minute cypher featuring himself, Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf, and he's released some absolute killer records. He has an anniversary album coming soon and, as we... Read more

Eminem, Yelawolf & Slaughterhouse Are All Killer, No Filler (Audio)

The treats keep falling off the Shady tree gearing up for Shady XV. "Psychopath Killer" is an Eminem song, featuring his 2011-present star signings, Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf. Just Blaze, Boi-1da, and The Maven Boys team up to make a track that's quite Horrorcore-themed, something you might expect to hear on... Read more

Crooked I’s Intimate Freestyle Chronicles The Formation Of Slaughterhouse (Audio)

Crooked I, or Kxng Crooked as he's now known, is gearing up for his SMH Records debut, Sex, Money & Drugs. To kick things off in style, Crook' takes the stand, under oath, and tells it like it is in this slow, intimate freestyle. Within, he recalls sitting in his... Read more

The Tension Is Captured In Common & Snoh’s Bad Things (Video)

In addition to the acclaimed work on Nobody Smiling, and his upcoming (amazing) appearance on Royce Da 5'9" & DJ Premier's PRhyme, one of Common's more interesting 2014 moments is "Bad Things" alongside Snoh Aalegra. Produced by No I.D., the track is a heavily stylized narrative. So for the video,... Read more

Finding The GOAT: Elzhi vs. Blu…Who You Got?

As we continue the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups in a sequence not... Read more

Eminem Released Infinite 18 Years Ago Today

With the anticipated release of his 9th studio album, Shady XV, Eminem continues to prove that he still has a ton of fire left in his gut. Look no further for proof of this fact than with the release of his 18 minute lyrical massacre, "Shady CVXPHER," that recently set... Read more

Shady’s cXVypher Features Eminem, Slaughterhouse & Yelawolf. Get Your Rewind Finger Ready (Video)

Crooked I: Covering topics from Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson killing Michael Brown to his own poverty, Crooked I fires off verbal rounds like a Thompson machine gun as he delivers his thesis from a Long Beach chop-shop. Joe Budden: Joe looks within his family to discuss the stresses weighing... Read more

Finding The GOAT: Nicki Minaj vs. Big Sean…Who You Got?

As we continue the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups in a sequence not... Read more

Slaughterhouse & DJ Premier Open Up Shop Then Tear It Down (Video)

Less than 24 hours after Slaughterhouse's "Ya'll Ready Know" released in audio, the DJ Premier collaboration comes in living color. The impact of Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, and Joe Budden's full-fledged run-in with DJ Premier is clear in the video, as Preem is prominently featured, arguably the... Read more

Slaughterhouse & DJ Premier Come Together Fully? Results Are As Expected! (Audio)

Half of Slaughterhouse (Royce Da 5'9" and Joell Ortiz) have extensively worked with DJ Premier, while Crooked I and Joe Budden have not. Back in 2009, before Eminem and Shady Records took backing of the four-man lyrical militia, on a tight eOne Entertainment budget, it was DJ Premier who hosted... Read more

Here’s a Playlist of the Best Hip-Hop of October 2014 (Audio)

October yielded some of the hardest Hip-Hop of the year. Whether it was seasonal, Mercury in retrograde or something in the water, MCs brought their A-games. Here's a playlist of some of the best music of the month. You'll hear tracks from Redman, Big K.R.I.T., Logic, The Lox, Rah Digga,... Read more

Joe Budden Shifts Gears and Releases a Song That’s All About Those BARS (Audio)

"Still in my prime but this ain't Nickel or Primo..." Joe Budden takes a break from love-related songs and releases one that's all about those BARS--there's no hook, just lyrics. In fact, Joey says: "I Might Need More Than 16 Tho." Check it out. Related: Joe Budden Opens Up About... Read more

Ras Kass & Apollo Brown Allow All To Hear The Blasphemy (Album Stream)

Today (October 28), Ras Kass & Apollo Brown release Blasphemy. As label Mello Music Group likes to do, the album is available for free, full stream, enticing your support, should you feel so compelled. This MC/producer tandem brings the Carson, California veteran lyricist to the Michigan-based beat-master/member of The Left,... Read more

If You Love When Ras Kass Challenges Organized Religion, Check This (Audio)

Ras Kass has challenged organized religion since Soul On Ice. The voracious reader proves that he's up on the sacred texts on "How To Kill God." For an MC once criticized for never getting great beats on his albums, Apollo Brown supplies this Blasphemy banger with an undeniable beat that... Read more

DJ Premier Posts Vintage Footage of Gang Starr on Video Music Box in 1990 (Video)

On the heels of announcing he is forming his first group since the legendary Gang Starr (PRhyme with Royce Da 5'9") DJ Premier reposts some vintage footage of Gang Starr on Video Music Box in 1990. Found on Primo's blog Premier Wuz Here, here's what he had to say about... Read more

Black Milk’s Gold Piece With Bun B May Be His Best Collabo To Date (Audio)

For more than a decade, Black Milk has helped give Detroit a different soundtrack. As a producer, Black has made collaborative head-nodders with Royce Da 5'9, Slum Village, Elzhi, and Guilty Simpson (Random Axe). In the years since, partially through his ties to Decon and Duck Down, B.M gave some... Read more

Saigon is Joined By the Legendary Big Daddy Kane on a DJ Premier Track (Audio)

Saigon's GSN3: The Troubled Times Of Brian Carenard is two weeks away (September 30). However, the veteran New York MC unleashed one of the LP's most anticipated tracks in "One Foot In The Door." On the DJ Premier-produced cut (the second Premo premier in less than 12 hours), the Yardfather... Read more

Jeezy’s Holy Ghost Never Left The Hood, In This Intimate Look (Video)

Since released, "Holy Ghost" is one of Seen It All's more chilling moments. There seems to be a lot of subtext in Jeezy's simple song about Rolls Royces. The religious reference perhaps claws at the deities of power and fame. With Don Cannon's menacing production, the record calls back to... Read more

20 Amazing Hip-Hop Projects From 2014, So Far (Videos)

2014 is entering its fourth quarter. As a whole, the year has seen some amazing musical developments in Hip-Hop. Mainstream artists like Common, The Roots, and Rick Ross (coincidentally, all Def Jam Records acts) have made statement albums, adding to respected and evolved catalogs. Veterans such as Cormega, Pharoahe Monch,... Read more

Fashawn & Exile Bring Out The Boom Bap For C.O.B’s Niqle Nut (Video)

Fresno breakout Fashawn has been getting a little retro lately. The MC links with his longtime producer battery brother Exile for "Niqle Niqle Nine." Not Royce Da 5'9's "nick-name," Niqle is one of several artists in the Circle Of Bosses collective that's closely associated with another Slaughterhouse MC: Crooked I.... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Joins Jeezy’s Holy Ghost For A Power-Packed Remix (Audio)

Yesterday (September 2) Jeezy released his Seen It All: The Autobiography album. One of the standouts from the Def Jam/CTE Records release is "Holy Ghost." With a cold Trap beat from Don Cannon, Jeezy immortalizes his Rolls Royce, while speaking to some of his cohorts who caught cases. Keeping the... Read more

It’s A Slaughterhouse Affair On Joell Ortiz’ My Brother’s Keeper (Audio)

Two weeks from today (September 16), Joell Ortiz will release his third solo album, House Slippers via his new home, Penalty Records. The Brooklyn, New York native reached out to onetime Diplomats/Cam'ron producers The Heatmakerz as well as !llmind for production/executive production. The new sound on the album is coupled... Read more

Jermaine Dupri Discusses His Role With Kris Kross, TLC, & Fresh Fest ’84 (Audio)

Jermaine Dupri hits the Hot 97 studio for an in depth interview with Peter Rosenberg to introduce his new artist Rolls Royce Rizzy in which they discuss his latest single, "Hot Damn," and his upcoming EP. The interview quickly shifts focus from Rizzy to Jermaine as Rosenberg and his cohorts... Read more

9th Wonder Calls Nottz “Arguably The Best Beatmaker On The Planet,” Expands Soul Council

Throughout the ages, Nottz and 9th Wonder have worked on the same albums. Including releases from Little Brother, the Virginia and North Carolina producers, respectively, have a strong overlap in the artists and projects they take on. Both producers with history on the mic too, these heralded musical personalities have... Read more

Snoop Goes All the Way in on an Exquisite Statik Selektah Track (Audio)

Statik Selektah drops one more cut, "All The Way (Pimp Hop)," just before the release of his upcoming album, What Goes Around. Snoop Dogg, who is no stranger to pimping himself, leads off the cut with Ransom, Wais P (The Ranjahz), and CharlieRED to spit their pimp game over some... Read more

UGK’s Bun B & De La Soul’s Posdnuos On The Same Track? Statik Selektah Knows (Audio)

Known for assembling jaw-dropping collaborations, Statik Selektah's biggest feat may be "God Knows." Taking a Jared Evan-sang riff from the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds classic, the album's closer pairs UGK's Bun B and De La Soul's Posdnous, an unlikely pair of '80s Rap vets, who take a similar stance on... Read more

Dipset Restakes Its Claim With Reunited Cam’ron, Jim Jones & Hell Rell (Video)

It's all coming full circle for The Diplomats. Cam'ron is as active as he's been since his days on Roc-A-Fella Records. Jim Jones is moving in both music and television. Freekey Zekey is a free man, moving in the streets and performing with his cohorts. Additional affiliates like Hell Rell... Read more

Statik Selektah Assembles Logic, Ab-Soul & Jon Connor For A Soulful Wakeup (Audio)

With What Goes Around three weeks away (August 19), Statik Selektah's roll-out rolls on. In the last seven years, the New England native has rivaled the likes of DJ Khaled and DJ Drama in his ability to make massive collaborations work, all while being thematic. Looking to the new class... Read more

Raekwon Makes A Spinner On Could It Be I’m Falling In Love (Audio)

Raekwon's love of '70s and '80s Soul/R&B continues in the "Throwback Thursday" thematic series. After working with Rose Royce, Horace Brown, The Isley Brothers and Teena Marie, The Chef chops down some bars over The Spinners' 1973 seductive serenade "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love?" for his fifth installment.... Read more

Elzhi Drops a Hot Verse in The Backroom. Prepare to Press Rewind (Video)

For more than a decade, in a storied Hip-Hop and 'dolo, Elzhi has been a lyrical force to be reckoned with. Almost exclusively an independent artist, the Detroit, Michigan MC was a welcomed guest to "106 & Park's" Backroom for a freestyle. Kicking those verbal smart-bombs that Elz' has been... Read more

Shady Records and G.O.O.D. Music Link On CyHi The Prynce’s Huey Remix (Audio)

Soulful vocal samples snare your eardrum as the Black Hystori Project production lays the landscape for the latest CyHi The Prynce cut "Huey (Remix)." The G.O.O.D. Music recording artist laces up his crafty lyricism with Slaughterhouse's Royce Da 5'9" and Joell Ortiz for the remix that initially featured Chicago artist... Read more

Raekwon Gets Open Over Another Hot 90’s R&B Joint. Stop Trippin’ (Audio)

Raekwon has a taste for the "back in the day" goodies. His latest concoction is a verse over Horace Brown's quiet storm staple, "Stop Trippin'." Check it out. Related: Raekwon Puts His Stamp on Rose Royce's Wishing on a Star (Audio)... Read more

Your Wish For New Raekwon Has Been Granted (Audio)

With the dispute between himself and the Wu-Tang squashed and seemingly no other road blocks in the way, Raekwon has the open door to release a slew of new content, including the flipped Brand Nubian sample on "Oh God" with Busta Rhymes and O.T. Genasis, his upcoming album F.I.L.A. (Fly... Read more

Slaughterhouse Release a Surprise New Mixtape (Mixtape)

Crooked I, Royce Da 5'9, Joell Ortiz and Joe Budden take mics by force. On a somewhat sleepy week, the Shady Records lyrical quartet swarmed to claim the conversation with House Rules. The 10-track mixtape features no names (no gimmicks, either) featuring original production from Just Blaze, Nottz, Emanny, and... Read more

Ready for Some New Slaughterhouse? SayDatThen (Audio)

2 weeks after announcing a new album is coming, Slaughterhouse are back with an incredible new song produced by Nottz. The slow and plodding dark chords and hard drums give Joell, Royce, Crooked and Joe the space to do what they do best. Drop BARS. Ready for the weekend? SayDatThen...... Read more

Slaughterhouse Signals That The Third Album Is Closer Than We Think

The four members of Slaughterhouse tried something new today, digitally-speaking. Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Royce Da 5'9 all simultaneously reset their Twitter avatars to what is presumed to be the third Slaughterhouse LP. This will be their second album with Shady Records, following their 2009 indie debut... Read more

Beyonce Liberates The Full Version Of Her Up-Tempo Standing On The Sun (Audio)

In addition to being a Covergirl cover-girl, Beyonce is attached to H&M. With her young, hip, and fashion-forward BeyHive in tow, Beyonce released a snippet of a non-album cut not so long ago. On a breezy Saturday afternoon, Mrs. Carter offers up the full version of "Standing On The Sun."... Read more

Crooked I Destroys Another Track and Snow Tha Product Does Too…(Audio)

Few MCs (not named Joe, Royce or Joell) can hold their own on a track with Crooked I. Add Snow Tha Product to the list of those that can...The up and coming fellow Cali MC goes bar for bar with Crook and wrecks shop. This is Not for the Weak... Read more

One Of The Source’s Co-Founders & DJ Mighty Mi Lay Down A 2 Hour Golden Era Mix (Audio)

Back in arguably the greatest year for all things Rap (1988), The Source magazine, the onetime "Bible Of Hip-Hop," started by Publisher Dave Mays and Jon Shecter at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. With some friends (and allegedly Ray Benzino), the magazine would go on to become thee paper of... Read more

Got BARS? These MC’s Do. Here Are The Best Freestyles of 2013 (Video)

There are few things more satisfying in Hip-Hop than a killer verse. It's why Kendrick Lamar shook up the Internet for 3 weeks (an eternity these days) with his Control verse...and then again with his BET Cypher. We've assembled a collection of the best freestyles (mostly "writtens") of 2013. Check... Read more

The Top 10 Most Compelling Hip-Hop Photographs Of 2013 (Food For Thought)

The old adage, "a picture's worth a thousand words" often proves to be true. Let's hope so for 2013, which by way of Instagram, Twipic, and some inner-circle released photos, told Heads plenty of stories. From unlikely reunions to time-pieces, to first steps for Hip-Hop kind, what a year... Here... Read more

Suge Knight & Snoop Hanging Out?? Yeah, 2013 Was a Crazy Year For Hip-Hop. Here’s a Photo Recap (Food For Thought)

The old adage, "a picture's worth a thousand words" often proves to be true. Let's hope so for 2013, which by way of Instagram, Twipic, and some inner-circle released photos, told Heads plenty of stories. From unlikely reunions to time-pieces, to first steps for Hip-Hop kind, what a year... Here... Read more

Slaughterhouse is Back to Attack the Wack in Hip-Hop. Here’s Their New Single, Party (Audio)

Slaughterhouse is back with an aggressive new track going at everything and everyone fake. The song was produced by Just Blaze and Cardiak and Joey, Royce, Joell and Crooked hold no punches. Check out Party...but don't let the title fool you. Related: Eminem & Slaughterhouse Revive Rap City With A... Read more

Marshall Mathers LP 2 Goes Platinum, Eminem Talks Love Game To Zane Lowe (Video)

After two consecutive daily parts of Eminem's sit-down with the BBC's Zane Lowe, the in-studio Q&A video rolls out with part three, just hours after it was confirmed that Marshall Mathers LP 2 reached platinum in less than two weeks at retail (with Em's catalog rocking the charts too). In... Read more

Eminem & Slaughterhouse Revive Rap City With A Backroom Freestyle + Interview (Video)

Although "Rap City" has been largely defunct in the Slaughterhouse-era, the Shady Records super-group is a call-back to the latter years of BET's flagship Hip-Hop program. Individually, Royce Da 5'9, Joe Budden, Crooked I were part of the Basement-era. Eminem was among Rap's biggest stars in the Big Tigger era... Read more

2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards Cypher Artists Announced

Taped tonight in Atlanta, BET's 2013 Hip-Hop Awards is coming on October 15 at 8pm EST. With the cyphers already making big noise on Twitter (especially from the Aftermath Entertainment camp), here are all 34 participants, as reported by BET.com. This year's lineup features the usual breakthrough artists (Action Bronson,... Read more

Jay-Z, Nas, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland in the Studio

Not to be outdone by Eminem (again?) whose currently in the studio with Black Hippy, apparently Jay-Z is also in the studio with Nas, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. It's going to be a cold winter for wack MCs. Who knows what this collabo will sound like. Until then, check this... Read more

Havoc – Converse: Oh, Hello Interview (Video)

Havoc talks how he got into production, 90's era hip-hop, albums vs. singles and more in this interview with Converse. Check out the video. Related: Havoc – Tell Me to My Face ft Royce Da 5’9″ (Audio)... Read more