AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (Battle 12): Royce 5’9 vs. Saba

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (Battle 8): Apollo Brown & Joell Ortiz vs. Royce 5’9

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

Ambrosia For Heads’ Top 15 Hip-Hop Albums Of 2018 List

It is that season where “best of” lists abound and, in a year that featured stellar music from artists young and old, 2018 kept Hip-Hop fans on the edge of our seats. Now is an excellent time to reflect on the best ones. Throughout December, Ambrosia For Heads will pit... Read more

Dr. Dre’s Artist Anderson .Paak Is A Bad Boy On This Biggie Freestyle (Video)

Anderson .Paak's ascension into the Hip-Hop limelight is well documented, as icons including Dr. Dre, not only co-sign his work, but have literally taken the Southern California singer, MC, drummer, and producer under his wing to executive produce his forthcoming album, Oxnard, set to release November 16. In preparation of... Read more

Anderson .Paak’s Oxnard Album Tracklist Features Dr. Dre, Q-Tip, J. Cole & More

Anderson .Paak is gearing up to release his highly-anticipated third solo studio album, Oxnard, on November 16. Earlier this month, the singer, MC, drummer, and producer dropped the single "Tints" with Kendrick Lamar. Now, fans get to find out all who are slated to be on the Cali native's Aftermath Entertainment... Read more

MC Lyte Will Celebrate 30 Years In Hip-Hop With A Kennedy Center Concert

Thirty years ago this month, MC Lyte released her debut album, Lyte As A Rock. The MC born Lana Moorer was just 17 years old when she linked with Audio Two and First Priority Music to drop one of the earliest full-length offerings by a solo female Rap artist. The... Read more

John Legend Becomes The First Black Man To Join The “EGOT” Club

After last night's (September 9) Creative Arts Emmy Awards, John Legend has a new and rare distinction. He is the first Black man to join the "EGOT" club, an abbreviation for earning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. Thanks to his role as the title character... Read more

Lauryn Hill Responds To Her Critics In A MAJOR Way. This Is A Re-Education.

Just over two weeks ago, Grammy Award-winning musician/artist Robert Glasper opened up about Lauryn Hill in an interview with Houston, Texas' 97.9 The BOX. The revealing 40-minute conversation found Glasper recalling his time with L-Boogie in 2008 as a touring musician. Those memories were not positive, as the pianist says... Read more

20 Years Later, The Value Of Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation Is Not Lost (Audio)

On her 1998 song "Lost Ones," Lauryn Hill waxes cautionary: "You might win some but you just lost one," she spits. It's felicitous phrasing for the venerated MC, whose five-time Grammy Award-winning debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill turns 20 this week. Drawing its title from the 1930s Carter G. Woodson book... Read more

Black Thought Assists Roots Affiliate Mumu Fresh In A Moving Tiny Desk Concert (Video)

For the latest in their Tiny Desk series, NPR recruits DMV artist Mumu Fresh who, despite her name, is already a seasoned veteran when it comes to the local cubicle concert. In February, Mumu teamed up with August Greene, the super-group featuring Common, Karriem Riggins, and Robert Glasper, in a... Read more

The Roots & Common To Perform At Memorial For Lynching Victims

Next month, the National Memorial For Peace And Justice opens in Montgomery, Alabama. With the museum opening its doors to the public, some of Hip-Hop's most celebrated voices will be on hand to promote awareness. The Equal Justice Initiative, responsible for the monument and museum, has organized a two-day summit... Read more

Q-Tip To Portray Miles Davis In A Play Written By Nelson George

Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest are often credited with bringing the genres of Hip-Hop and Jazz closer together through sampling, collaboration, and emphasizing different sounds in the music. Q-Tip will now portray one of the most iconic Jazz figures of all-time. The veteran MC, producer, DJ, and actor will... Read more

The Kennedy Center Put Q-Tip In Charge Of Hip-Hop Culture & He Built A Dream Team To Help

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. has announced the inauguration of its Hip Hop Culture Council, and the names are nothing short of heavyweights. According to the center's Medium page, the council is comprised of Hip Hop luminaries from across various elements of the culture.... Read more

Common Did Not Win Another Oscar But His Freestyle Still Gave Him Glory (Video)

Common did not win his second Oscar award last night (March 4). The Chicago, Illinois MC, actor, and author was nominated for “Best Original Song" for his "Stand Up For Something," which appeared in the film, Marshall. That category (also featuring a nomination for past Common collaborator) Mary J. Blige... Read more

Common & Questlove Share Stories About Bargaining For Beats From J Dilla & D’Angelo

On January 25, Common was the guest for the first live audience recording of Questlove Supreme. At Manhattan's Gramercy Theater, Questlove, Laiya, Suga Steve, and Boss Bill interviewed Common for nearly two hours. Ambrosia For Heads was front and center for the event. Today (February 21), that interview is available... Read more

Common Looks Back At His Time With Dilla On A Song Fit For February (Audio)

Common has transcended Hip-Hop. He is now a political activist. He's won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe award for his song "Glory" featuring John Legend in the film Selma. Also, he's the only Hip-Hop artist to achieve an "E.G.O." hat trick by receiving an Emmy Award for his... Read more

Remy Ma Samples Mint Condition For A Message About Black Beauty (Video)

Remy Ma has been a respected lyricist since she emerged on M.O.P.'s mash out-turned-mainstream hit, "Ante Up (Remix)." She has multiple career-highs under her belt with verses alongside Fat Joe on platinum-selling bangers "Lean Back" and "All The Way Up." Along with her marriage to venerated Brooklyn spitter Papoose, Remy's... Read more

Big K.R.I.T. & T.I. Show They Are Both Kings Of The South With Rich Rhymes (Video)

In a lofty warehouse, grilled up, talking on his money phone, Big K.R.I.T. flexes his southern rap flavor in the video for “Big Bank,” directed by Music Family. The track, which features T.I., is off K.R.I.T.’s independently successful and critically acclaimed third album, 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time. Although... Read more

Cam O’bi Produced For Chance, SZA & Kendrick & Now He’s Flying Solo (Audio)

Chicago has never lost its position as one of the country's biggest exporters of Hip-Hop talent, but its influence isn't limited to global superstars like Common, Kanye West and Chance The Rapper. In the last few years, Chi-town artists like Mick Jenkins, Noname, Jamila Woods, Saba, theMIND, Fredo Santana and... Read more

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2017 (Battle 3): Talib Kweli vs. Joey Bada$$

We have our opinions on the best albums of 2017, but rather than simply list them, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2017. With that in mind, we decided to make our Best Rap Albums Of... Read more

Big K.R.I.T.’s New Collabo Shows He’s A True Descendant Of The Dungeon Family (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

Talib Kweli Details How He And Mos Def Became Family Before They Were Black Star (Video)

This week, Talib Kweli appeared on Desus & Mero to promote November 17's Radio Silence album. That LP reunites Kweli with Jay Electronica and Anderson .Paak, as well as features a range of guests, from Waka Flocka Flame to Freestyle Fellowship's Myka 9 to Rick Ross. In making his return... Read more

Big K.R.I.T. Is Releasing A New Double Album. Here’s The Artwork, Tracklist & Guests

UPDATE: Big K.R.I.T.'s team has revealed the features to this Friday's (October 27) 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time. The self-released double album features UGK, T.I., and a number of Dungeon Family members, ranging between Cee Lo Green and Sleep Brown to Joi. Jill Scott, Bilal, Robert Glasper, Jr., and... 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

Talib Kweli Is Celebrating 15 Years Of Quality With An Extended Residency At The Blue Note

In November 2002, Talib Kweli's debut solo LP hit store shelves. The Brooklyn, New York MC had already won Heads over as Mos Def's Black Star brother, but it would be on his own where he sowed the seeds for one of Hip-Hop's most successful careers and Quality would be the... Read more

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

Common’s Latest Video Envisions a World With Empty Prisons & A True End to Slavery

With his eleventh studio album, Common continued the conceptual theme he began with 2014's Nobody's Smiling, in which he addressed gun violence and other racially disproportionate issues plaguing his native Chicago. November's Black America Again takes a broader view of sociopolitical Hip-Hop, inspired in part by the gravity of 2016's... Read more

Pete Rock Discusses His Smoke DZA Collabo Album & Who Would Be In His Dream Band (Video)

Last Friday (December 2), Smoke DZA & Pete Rock released their first collaborative album, Don't Smoke Rock. The Babygrande Records LP features Rick Ross, Royce 5'9", Jadakiss, Mac Miller, Styles P, Big K.R.I.T., and Cam'ron (among others) on 13 brand-new Pete Rock productions. DZA, who has known Pete since he... Read more

Common Is A Rap Pharaoh Building Pyramids Of Empowerment, With Words (Video)

One week ago today, Common released his 11th album, Black America Again. The LP had many a la carte looks before its release. "Pyramids" was a highlight. Produced by Karriem Riggins and Robert Glasper, the track is one of several with reverberating lyrics about the modern day Black experience, the... Read more

Pete Rock Comments On Who REALLY Invented The Remix (Video)

Since debuting Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth music in 1990, producer/MC/DJ Pete Rock has always been known to speak on his records. Songs like Nas' "The World Is Yours," his group's own "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)," and AZ's "Rather Unique" all feature notable background vocals from the Mount Vernon,... Read more

Common Performs 3 New Songs In An Amazing White House Tiny Desk Concert (Video)

It’s been a busy few days for Common. On Saturday, he crashed The Roots Picnic, and performed a few surprise songs during D’Angelo and John Mayer’s headlining set with The Legendary Roots Crew. Just two days after, he had the privilege of recording a very special version of NPR’s Tiny... Read more

Common & Stevie Wonder’s Snapshot of Black America Is Raw & Uncut (Video)

Common's 2014 album Nobody's Smiling not only signified a reforged musical partnership with producer No I.D., but also a concept record inspired by Chicago. The MC's hometown continues to be plagued by skyrocketing rates of gun violence, and while it manages to be a hotbed for vibrant talent including Chance... Read more

A3C Honors 1996 With Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Redman, Too Short & Bun B

This year’s upcoming A3C Festival in Atlanta, Georgia will look back on the year 1996. The five-day event, beginning October 5 on over 75 stages in the city’s Old 4th Ward and surrounding areas, will feature headlining performances by some of the top acts from 20 years ago — all... Read more

Dang! This Mac Miller & Anderson .Paak Collaboration Is So Soulful (Audio)

After a relatively quiet 2016 for him, Mac Miller is on the verge of a return to the spotlight. Today (7/28), he has announced he is releasing his next studio album, titled The Divine Feminine, this September. Mac Miller Reflects On Career, Addiction & Rap Identity In Revealing Mini-Doc (Video)... Read more

Don’t Go Thru the Night Without Listening to This Joint From Phonte & Eric Roberson (Audio)

Every once in a while, a lowkey collaboration comes along that results in the kind of music that rejuvenates and reignites. Generally speaking, the promo leading up to frequent collaborators Phonte and Eric Roberson's 10-track Tigallerro happened in whispers, but the music on the LP speaks volumes (and then some).... Read more

Black Thought Speaks About The Roots Picnic And New Music On The Way With Royce, 9th Wonder & Eminem

For nearly 30 years, Black Thought and Questlove have been performing together, as The Roots. In that time, they have released 16 albums and EPs, performed at tens of thousands of shows, and entertained millions nightly, as the band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The expanse and quality... Read more

Terrace Martin’s Intricate “Portraits” Blend Jazz, Soul & Hip-Hop (Album Stream)

Terrace Martin is a musical purist. The longtime producer for Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and YG makes many of his projects easily accessible to listeners looking to check out the brass musician and producer. His latest album, Velvet Portraits, is no exception. Featuring Lalah Hathaway, Thundercat, Robert Glasper and more,... Read more

Black Sheep Dres & Jaleel Shaw Fly High With the Help of New York City’s Jazzy Streets (Video)

The musical marriage of MC Dres (of Black Sheep) and Jazz saxophonist and composer Jaleel Shaw represents an intersection of two genres with a longstanding history. Shaw - a frequent collaborator of Robert Glasper's - released his second solo album back in 2008, but music's perennial ability to inspire others... Read more

Outkast’s Aquemini vs. Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

Snoop Shows Why He’s The Boss Dogg on This 20-Minute 1996 Freestyle (Audio)

1996 was a tumultuous year for the artist known as Snoop Doggy Dogg. The Long Beach, California Rap superstar was acquitted for a murder trial that had started shortly after his skyrocketing fame. In the exhalation of that, he was soon faced with the murder of close friend and collaborator... Read more

Snoop Dogg Surfs Right Into A Harry Fraud & Smoke DZA Wave (Audio)

Smoke DZA and Harry Fraud have years of chemistry. The Harlem-to-Brooklyn, New York connect built a strong base of slick talk over in-your-face beats. Almost four years after Rugby Thompson, the pair is still working. "Morals" looks at the G-code through the generations and circumstances. As DZA stands tall by... Read more

Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly vs. Common’s Like Water For Chocolate. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

Don Cheadle’s Portrayal Of Miles Davis Captures His Fiery Cool (Video)

After years in the making, Don Cheadle's Miles Davis biopic has its official trailer. The Miles Ahead film, starring Cheadle in the lead, also features Ewan McGregor (who plays music journalist Dave Brill). Based on the trailer, the film captures Miles' life in 1979, a period when he was in... Read more

Snoop Dogg Revisits Donny Hathaway’s “Little Ghetto Boy,” With His Daughter, Lalah (Video)

A recent match-up between Snoop Dogg, Lalah Hathaway, Terrace Martin, and Robert Glasper is a glorious collaboration which in many ways was thought of years ago. Hathaway, the daughter of the late Soul icon Donny, has released an updated version of her dad's 1972 classic, "Little Ghetto Boy." However, it's... Read more

Blu & Exile’s Below The Heavens vs. Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

Oh Boy! Just Blaze Brings Out Unreleased Roc-A-Fella Goodies In A Radio Set (Mix)

This week, producer/DJ Just Blaze was a guest host on Q-Tip's Abstract Radio show on Beats 1. Just filled in for the man who provided guest vocals to his "Girls, Girls, Girls" hit for Jay Z nearly 15 years ago. Rather than just playing what he feels, the veteran New... Read more

Black Milk Produces A Strong Quick-strike For Ratking’s Wiki (Audio)

Over the last 15 years, Black Milk has worked with a total cross-section of Hip-Hop artists. From GZA to Bilal, Lloyd Banks to Proof, the Detroit, Michigan producer/MC has always found a way to fit in. One MC Black has found chemistry with is Danny Brown. The "Black and Brown"... Read more

De La Soul’s Play-by-Play of Their Early Career is a Hip-Hop Goldmine (Audio)

As part of Atlanta's A3C festival, De La Soul not only performed, but also sat down with Cipha Sounds and Pete Rosenberg for an immersive interview on the Juan Epstein Podcast. For more than an hour, the Plugs recounted tales from their earliest days and along the way dropped names... Read more

Black Sheep Dres & Jaleel Shaw Take Rap-Jazz Fusion To A New Frontier (Audio Premiere)

With his group Black Sheep, Dres helped lead a charge in the early 1990s that brought about awareness in Jazz, Funk, Dance, and a gestalt of Hip-Hop's influence. Nearly 25 years after A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, and D-R-E-S is still at it. Recently, the New York MC veteran came... Read more

A Violinist & Violist Covered Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Alright,’ & It Is Awe-Inspiring (Video)

Earlier this month, Classical duo Black Violin released Stereotypes, an album featuring their signature Classical music training with elements of more contemporary stylings mixed in. Comprised of Violinist Kevin Sylvester and Violist Wilner Baptiste, Black Violin (who once performed at the legendary Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater) worked with... Read more