AFH Ambrosia for Heads

J. Period’s New Mix Blends Verses From OutKast With The Sounds Of Wakanda (Audio)

J. Period has made some of the best, most conceptual, and musically-moving mixtapes of the last 15 years. That gift has led the New York City-based California native to work up close and personal with Black Thought, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas, Q-Tip, and others. Having now earned a #1 album... Read more

Questlove Is A Creative Genius. He Shares His Secrets On How To Become One Too (Audio)

In his fourth book, Questlove takes a deep dive into his memories and experiences - a vast trove of material, considering the illustrious career he's had thus far. Already a published author, Ahmir Tompson spent decades performing as co-founder of The Roots, Grammy-winning musician and performer and late-night-TV bandleader (not... Read more

Saukrates, Pharoahe Monch & Shad Show Why They Are MCs Who Stand The Test Of Time (Audio)

JUNE 25 UPDATE: An official lyric video for "Father Time (2018 Version)" has been created: ORIGINAL MARCH 15 STORY: Last summer Saukrates re-released his 1999 album The Underground Tapes, making it available in digital formats for the first time, while delivering some new remixes and updated versions of those old... Read more

DMX, KXNG Crooked & Royce 5’9 Show King Kong Ain’t Got Nothin’ On Them (Audio Premiere)

For those who favor rugged, confrontational Rap, drenched in wordplay Forever M.C. knows how to assemble exciting lineups. The March 30 compilation-style album arrives on March 30, and involves some of the most aggressive lyricists of the last 20 years. Having previously showcased "Terminally Ill," (featuring Tech N9ne, Chino XL,... 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

Kool Keith, Dan The Automator & QBert Revive Dr. Octagon With A New Album & Single (Audio)

This past weekend, Yasiin Bey (fka Mos Def) revealed that he and Talib Kweli are reuniting for a sophomore Black Star album. Meanwhile, another late '90s Hip-Hop squad finally debuts new music with its founding lineup. Dr. Octagon returns with Kool Keith, Dan The Automator, and DJ QBert. Moosebumps: An... Read more

MF DOOM & CZARFACE Are Releasing A Joint Album. Here’s The First Song (Audio)

In 2013, Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck joined forces with 7L & Esoteric to form the group, CZARFACE. Since then, the collective has released four albums filled with grimy, no frills underground Hip-Hop. Along the way, they've worked with a who's who of MCs, including Ghostface Killah, Roc Marciano, Action Bronson,... Read more

KXNG Crooked, Tech N9ne, Rittz & Chino XL Go Berserk On A Killer Collabo (Audio)

Nearly 20 years ago, Sway & King Tech released their major label debut compilation album, This Or That. With DJ Revolution behind the Technics 1200s, the album, which nearly broke the Top 100, was a crucial launch-pad in the careers of Eminem, Tech N9ne, Planet Asia, and a Long Beach... Read more

Ice-T Reveals New Jack City Sequel Plot & Why The Film Was Never Made (Audio)

In March of 2016, Ambrosia For Heads celebrated New Jack City's 25th anniversary by examining its creation and legacy with revealing interviews with two men responsible (Barry Michael Cooper and Thomas Lee-Wright) for the film's story, development, and unforgettable characters. One of those conversations, an interview with film screenwriter Barry... Read more

DOOM Punishes Childish MCs On His First Verses Of 2018 (Audio)

Last Friday, Joey Bada$$ paid tribute to MF DOOM on his single, "King To A God." “I sell rhymes like dimes that leaves MFs doomed / Since my first tunes I’ve been raisin’ hell from the tombs / I’m getting hotter every June / You say you with the smoke,... Read more

Mickey Factz & Royce 5’9 Serve Lyrics That Make Other MCs Say Their Prayers (Audio Premiere)

In 2016, Mickey Factz dropped The Achievement: circa '82, a collaborative album produced entirely by Nottz and featuring Styles P, Phonte, Blu, Smoke DZA and more. "The Sermon" didn't make it to the  Soulspazm/W.A.R.Media project's final track listing, but the Bronx-bred rapper is releasing a deluxe edition of the album... Read more

Planet Asia Recruits AZ For One Of His Biggest & Best Collabos (Audio Premiere)

Two qualities define and distinguish the two-decade-plus career of Fresno, California MC Planet Asia. First, his central role within the independent Hip-Hop scene on the West Coast (he is credited with helping reinvigorate the movement back in the late '90s), and his bold production choices. Planet Asia’s 2017 collaboration with... Read more

Apathy Battles Aliens With Battlestar Bars On A Nottz Beat (Audio Premiere)

It doesn’t matter what planet you’re from, no one is safe from Apathy in “Alien Weaponry.” The first single off his forthcoming LP, The Widow’s Son is produced by Nottz, and the beat is just bizarre enough to take the edge of Ap’s sharp tongue. This track nods to the... Read more

Joell Ortiz & Raekwon Join Forces For A Rap Tale Of Love & Revenge (Audio)

Five years ago, Joell Ortiz and Raekwon joined Pusha T plus Danny Brown on "Tick, Tock." The hard-hitting collaboration was just the right combination for The Man With The Iron Fists soundtrack. With Raekwon hailing from one of Rap's super-crews of the 1990s, and Joell as one-fourth of one of... Read more

By All Means Necessary: How Boogie Down Productions Was Formed Against All Odds (Video)

"You could call a man a bum with disgust on your morning run. 'Cause he lives outside in the street, you don't know this, but you've failed to realize that the one you so despise reflects yourself  'cause every Black man is homeless." KRS-One has never hidden the fact that... Read more

It’s Prodigy’s Birthday & This New Song Is A Present For Fans Of His Hard Verses (Audio)

Prodigy would have been 43 years old today (November 2). Tragically, the MC/author born Albert Johnson died this June, leaving Hip-Hop music forever altered. P's cutthroat worldview, cautionary street tales, and cantankerous delivery made him pilot Hip-Hop's rugged movement of the mid-'90s. While Mobb Deep would find mainstream's embrace and... Read more

Kxng Crooked & Royce 5’9 Are More Than Enough To Slaughter Most MCs (Audio)

As fans eagerly await a third Slaughterhouse album, Kxng Crooked (fka Crooked I) and Royce 5'9 get ready for Halloween with a bloodbath of bars. "Truth (Why You Mad)" is the first glimpse of Crooked's Good vs. Evil 2: The Red Empire (December 8) the follow-up to 2016's RBC Records... Read more

Snoop Dogg Releases One Of His Most Powerful Political Songs Yet (Audio)

Snoop Dogg may not first come to mind as a political rapper. However, since his fame has ascended into household name status, Tha Doggfather has proudly become just that. In recent years, Snoop has called for peace in the streets and the industry. This March, his BADBADNOTGOOD collaboration "Lavender" commented... Read more

Ghostface Killah Is Launching His Own Currency To Bring Digital C.R.E.A.M. To The Masses

Throughout his career, Ghostface Killah has rapped about getting the money, these days he is launching a new (crypto) currency, via a new business, Cream Capital. The company name borrows from the Wu-Tang classic, "C.R.E.A.M." (“Cash Rules Everything Around Me”). Only this time, the business name substitutes “crypto” for “cash.”... Read more

Nas Lends His Words To A Remix For A$AP Rocky Affiliate Joe Fox (Audio)

Nas has dropped guest verses for folks he believes in, across genre. British singer Joe Fox was a powerful force on A$AP Rocky's At.Long.Last.A$AP album in 2015. He appeared on five songs, several of which were video singles. The singer's delivery sounds like something out of the late '60s, coming... Read more

Rockness Monsta & M.O.P. Send A Fax To All The Shook Ones (Audio)

How about some hardcore from three of Brooklyn's most raucous Rap bullies? Rockness Monsta and his Brownsville neighbors M.O.P. connect for the latest collaboration of their mutual catalog titled "Fax Machine." The Heltah Skeltah veteran sticks to his guns (literally) spitting flames with his signature syncopated flow to the downbeat... Read more

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

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

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

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

Don Flamingo Has Co-Signs From JAY-Z & The LOX Because He’s That Good (Video)

JAY-Z's Roc Nation roster has a deep bench. The days when it was Jay, plus J. Cole and Jay Electronica have long passed. From The LOX to Vic Mensa, Jim Jones and so forth, there's a lot going on. Louisiana's Don Flamingo may not be a name Heads hear as... Read more

This Ghostface Killah Verse Makes It Right For Halley Hiatt Alongside A RZA Beat (Audio)

Ghostface Killah has made pure unadulterated Hip-Hop for 24 years and counting. However, the Wu-Tang Clan MC has been highly successful bridging the gap when he works out of the genre. With Amy Winehouse, Ne-Yo, or Fort Minor, Starks Enterprises is steadily open for business and churning out supreme product.... Read more

The Perceptionists Survived Near Death Experiences To Make A 2nd Album. Listen Early.

Boston, Massachusetts Hip-Hop group The Perceptionists haven’t released an album in over a decade. A lot has changed for MCs Mr. Lif and Akrobatik since they dropped their 2005 debut Black Dialogue (which featured fellow Massachusetts legend Guru, Phonte of Little brother and label mate Camu Tao) on El-P's defunct... Read more

Page Kennedy’s Freestyle Replies To JAY-Z’s Story Of O.J. & Adds A Chapter (Audio)

JAY-Z made one of his most provocative songs in years with 4:44's "The Story Of OJ," while dropping jewels about ownership, accumulating wealth, and still dealing with institutional racism in 2017. Along the way, Hov apparently chided some of Rap's underclassmen. "Y'all on the 'Gram holdin' money to your ear /... Read more

Kevin Durant Has Inspired His Roc Nation Brother Jay Electronica To Release Music (Audio)

Jay Electronica certainly picks his spots. The MC/producer without an album to his name has used the last decade-plus to release verses that are forced to hold over fans. In that period, the affiliate of Just Blaze, Talib Kweli, and Nas has signed with Roc Nation, thrown high profile jabs... Read more

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

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

David Banner Raps From The Perspective Of A Tree Used To Hang Black Men (Audio)

For nearly 20 years, David Banner has spoken deeply and frequently about issues of race in and out of the recording booth. The MC/producer double-threat hails from Jackson, Mississippi, a place with some ugliness in its past, especially with regards to the prejudice, violence, and institutional racism against Blacks and... Read more

Kool G Rap Strikes With 1st Single In 6 Years. Lil Fame & Freeway Back Up The Bars (Audio)

Lyrical Rap legend Kool G Rap has released his first official solo single in more than six years. Approaching June 2's Return Of The Don album, G Rap prepares his first album with a single producer since his heralded 1989 Marley Marl-produced debut, Road To The Riches. This time around, the onetime mentor to... Read more

Black Thought, Posdnuos & Pharoahe Monch Say It’s Time To Rise For Freedom (Audio)

In an increasingly complicated time in the world, The Roots' Black Thought, De La Soul's Posdnuos, and Pharoahe Monch stand up for oppressed people with a truly standout, topical collaboration. Orchestrated and produced by J. Period, "Rise Up!" is as grabbing a collaboration as any in some time. In the... Read more

A Breakdown Of What Makes Big Daddy Kane A Superior MC (Video)

Big Daddy Kane has not released a solo album in nearly 20 years. However, when Antonio Hardy said "Nobody's Equal" in spelling out the acronym of K.A.N.E., the statement was (and remains) irrefutable to many. Big Daddy Kane is one of the greatest MCs to ever touch the microphone, and... Read more

Ghostface Joins Raekwon On A Rugged Remix For “This Is What It Comes Too” (Audio)

In just a few days (March 24), Raekwon is set to release his album, The Wild. For the first time in Chef's career, this LP features no involvement from any of his Wu-Tang Clan cohorts. However, while Rae' is preparing a unique album in his catalog, his right-hand man is... Read more

Celebrate DJ Premier’s Birthday With A 5 Minute Megamix Of His Greatest Hits (Audio)

Today marks the birthday of one of Hip-Hop's most beloved figures. DJ Premier turns 51 years old on March 21. For nearly 30 years, the Prairie View, Texas native-turned-bona fide New York musician has been making Heads nod, along with causing their faces to scrunch up, and air-scratch with their... Read more

A New Auction Acknowledges Tupac As 1 Of America’s Most Important Historical Figures (Video)

People are willing to spend considerable amounts of money on collectible items, especially thanks to online auctions. Within Hip-Hop alone, collecting items belonging to rappers and others has become a multi-million-dollar industry, particularly when it involves artists who have passed away. Unsurprisingly, Tupac Shakur is one of the most highly... Read more

Styles P, Joe Young & Termanology Are Poetry In Motion On A Dame Grease Burner (Audio)

Last year, Joe Young released his Invincible Armour album. On it, the Wu-Tang Clan affiliate brandished his associations, through features from Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, and a posthumous O.D.B. verse. Moreover, the MC who spent part of his youth in Germany is extensively produced by Dame Grease, the... Read more

Method Man & Ghostface’s Collabo With Hanz On Will Leave You Looking Like… (Audio)

Two weeks ago, Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Hanz On dropped "Big Sky," a big-body record featuring longtime collaborator Method Man. As if that wasn't enough, today (March 10), the two are back, only this time the one and only Ghostface Killah joins in on the fun. RZA Explains Why Wu-Tang Clan’s... Read more

Elzhi Reunites With Elmatic’s Band To Bring Some Serious Knowledge (Audio)

Between 2008's Black Milk-produced The Preface and last year's celebrated Lead Poison album, Elzhi made a conceptual mixtape that stood as tall as any during those eight years. Elmatic paid tribute to Nas, and his Illmatic, with El' making himself comfortable in homages to the lyrics, while reworking them for... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Gives A Glimpse Into His Mindset As He Approaches His New Album (Video)

Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly became a zeitgeist. It seemed to arrive right on time and embodied the spirit of American social consciousness amid the growth of a progressive fight for civil rights in the 21st century. "Alright" became the theme song for a movement, while Lamar's... Read more

Big Daddy Kane & Kool G Rap Battle Song-For-Song, In Concert (Video)

Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap go back together more than 30 years. Since the mid-1980s, these two New York City lyricists were some of the most legendary components in Marley Marl's Juice Crew. In 1986, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo let the world hear something special with... Read more

Blahzay Blahzay Still Sounds Great From The East…To The West (Video)

In 1996, Hip-Hop was in the middle of a shift, especially in New York City. The rugged, construction boot days were yielding to the shiny suits. Just as the Big Apple's reigning Rap star The Notorious B.I.G. had transformed from an "Unbelievable" entrance to a "Get Money" mantra involving Cristal,... Read more

Camp Lo’s Debut Album Turns 20 Today. Hear The Demo That Got Them Uptown (Audio)

Today (January 28) marks the twentieth anniversary of Camp Lo's Uptown Saturday Night debut. The Profile Records LP was a carryover from the 1996 success of retro-flare single "Luchini (This Is It)." That track, produced by Ski Beatz (coming off his Jay Z Reasonable Doubt and Original Flavor waves) made... Read more

Marley Marl & Large Professor Supply M-Dot With Golden Sounds From 2 Legends (Audio)

This Friday, Boston, Massachusetts MC M-Dot is releasing his EgO anD The eneMy album. The follow-up to 2010's Run MPC features the E.M.S. crew member working with a who's who of Hip-Hop production giants. D.I.T.C.'s Buckwild, Reflection Eternal's Hi-Tek, 7L, and Marco Polo make up some of the sound providers... Read more

Ran Reed Has No Time For Doo-Doo, Pathetic MCs. He Fights For Skills. (Video)

New Jersey MC Ran Reed epitomizes patience. It was in the 1980s that Double-R had one of his first songs ("You Might As Well Forget It" by The Young M.C.'s) played on radio. Throughout the 1990s, Ran (tka "Hitman") was cutting tracks, many of which with producer Nick Wiz (Cella... Read more

The 20 Best Freestyles Of 2016. Thought You KNEW (Video)

In Hip-Hop, there are few things more exciting than when an MC delivers a vicious verse that's never been heard before, on the spot. It is the equivalent 0f a monster dunk in an NBA game, a one-punch knockout in a fight or an end zone to end zone run in... Read more

Madvillain Returns With A Full Version Of A Song That’s A Blizzard Of Bars (Audio)

It has been more than a dozen years since Madvillain released its debut album. DOOM and Madlib made as interesting (and complementary) a duo as any in Hip-Hop since. The Stones Records tandem dropped Madvillainy, which served as a subpoena to all those sleeping on DOOM for the 15 years... Read more