AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Mac Miller – Watching Movies With the Sound Off (Full Album Stream)

With all the commotion about Kanye West and J. Cole's albums dropping tomorrow (as well as Statik Selektah), some may have forgotten about Mac Miller...Quietly, he has put together an incredibly solid album. His lyrics have improved 10-fold since his last album, as have the beats and features (Ab-Soul, Schoolboy... Read more

Big K.R.I.T. – Bigger Picture (Video)

Bigger Picture is Big K.R.I.T.'s vivid lyrical description of what can go wrong in a relationship when the details are scrutinized to the exclusion of seeing the overall value. The video is a creative take on that concept, directed by Marc Ecko (yes, that Ecko). Take a look below. Related:... Read more

Big K.R.I.T. – What You Know About It

Big K.R.I.T. flows over an atmospheric track that was produced by Foreign Allegiance, the winners of a beat making contest sponsored by Vibe and McDonald's. Check out What You Know About It. Related: Big K.R.I.T. Reflects on Life & Hip-Hop Through King Remembered in Time (Video)... Read more

AFH: Best Hip-Hop of April 2013 (Audio Playlist)

April was the best month for new hip-hop this year...BY FAR. We got new music from Jay-Z, De La Soul, J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Talib Kweli, Yasiin Bey, Pusha T, M.O.P., Logic, Ab-Soul, Joey Bada$$, Action Bronson, Styles P, Redman and many more. You can listen to the playlist, see... Read more

Big K.R.I.T. – The Backroom Freestyle (Video)

Big K.R.I.T. stepped into The Backroom on 106 & Park and tore it down. Check out the video of the blistering verse he dropped below. Related: Big K.R.I.T. Reflects on Life & Hip-Hop Through King Remembered in Time Pt. 1 (Video)... Read more

AFH Presents Big K.R.I.T. – REWIND: Rich Dad Poor Dad (Video)

Big K.R.I.T.'s Rich Dad Poor Dad is a deeply personal record. In the song, K.R.I.T. shares some of the many jewels his father dropped on him as a kid and how that shaped him as a man. For the video to the song, K.R.I.T. went even deeper. He took us... Read more

Living Legends: Lauryn Hill (Playlist)

Although she is arguably THE GREATEST DOUBLE THREAT OF ALL TIME (MC and singer--and let's not forget actor...), people still sometimes forget just how incredible an artist Lauryn Hill is. Not here, not today. Here's a playlist celebrating the illustrious career of Living Legend Lauryn Hill. Listen to the playlist... Read more

AFH: The Sweet 16 Playlist (Audio)

As you gear up for the NCAA Sweet 16, here's another type of sweet 16. Check out 16 of the best hip-hop songs from 16 years ago--1997 to be exact. You'll hear music from Biggie, Jay-Z, 2Pac, Scarface, Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Tha Dogg Pound, KRS-One, Camp Lo, The Firm,... Read more

This is…the REMIX (Audio Playlist)

It used to be remixes were a BIG deal. Unlike now, where an extra verse from a featured rapper constitutes a remix, remixes were often wholly-different takes on a song. The track was substantially different than the original and sometimes there were completely new verses. Here's a playlist of some... Read more

What makes an album a classic? Here are our criteria and 15 albums we think make the cut (with songs from each) (Food For Thought)

With the release of Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d. city album, many are using the word "classic" (including us--though we said "modern day classic"...more on that later) about a hip-hop album for the first time in a long, long time. No doubt, just the utterance of the "c" word is... Read more

Kurious – White Rum (Video)

90's underground heads will no doubt remember Kurious (Jorge). He's back with a nice new joint. Check out the video for White Rum. Related: Back in the day playlist of mid-90's hip-hop ft Redman, The Roots, Grand Puba, Mobb Deep, The Beatnuts and more (Audio)... Read more

The impact of Chris Lighty

The hip-hop community is still reeling from the sudden and tragic loss of Chris Lighty on Thursday. Here are links to 2 of the better articles written about both the impact Lighty had on hip-hop culture and the man, himself. First is an article written by Rob Kenner of Complex... Read more

Here’s a playlist celebrating the 21+ year career of the legendary DJ Quik (Audio)

DJ Quik is in the muthaf*ckin house! And, he's been here for more than 21 years dropping joint after joint after joint. People often forget there's more than 1 legendary producer/MC from Compton. Not today. DJ Quik is the latest legend we pay tribute to in our Living Legends series.... Read more

Murs – Animal Style (Video)

Here's a statement video from Murs for his video Animal Style. Check out the video and what Murs had to say about the song below. Related: Murs - Epic Salutations (Video) Here's what Murs had to say about the song: “Animal Style is a song I did for many reasons,”... Read more

Yung Menace – Bam Bam (Video)

Remember how Dancehall used to set a party off? If so, this one's for you. Here's a new video from Brooklyn MC Yung Menace set to an instantly recognizable classic. The title says it all. Check out Bam Bam. The track was produced by Chuck Strangers of Pro Era. Related:... Read more

Statik Selektah & Lord Sear – Open Bar Classics Vol. 3: New Jack Swing

Statik Selektah and Lord Sear have a dope series of mixtapes called Open Bar Classics which revisit various back in the day R&B classics. Their latest installment, Vol. 3, takes you on a journey of the New Jack Swing era. You'll hear everyone from Boyz II Men to Keith Sweat... Read more

Is Big K.R.I.T. the new OutKast?

Big K.R.I.T. asks us to call him a King Remembered in Time – a king who pays homage to royalty who’ve come before him. Among those giants who came before K.R.I.T. is Outkast. The beauty of Outkast is the group’s appeal to the playa and prophet that lives in us... Read more

Here’s a tribute mix to Jam Master Jay by Funkmaster Flex (Mixtape)

The late, great Jam Master Jay would have been 47 years old yesterday. In celebration of his birthday, Funkmaster Flex did a tribute mix filled with Run-D.M.C. classics. You can listen to the mix and download it below.  When asked who's best, y'all should say....Also, click here to listen to... Read more

Chris Cab – One Thing

Here's a hot new song from Chris Cab that was produced by Pharrell. You may remember Chris Cab from some of his acoustic guitar covers of songs like Black & Yellow. Check out One Thing. Click the arrow on the right of the player to download.... Read more

Common – Hartford’s Hot 93.7 Freestyle (Video)

Remember when the word "freestyle" actually meant rhyming off the top? Common does. Check out his true freestyle from a couple of days ago in Hartford. If you're home chilling, you can also check out the movie Freestyle here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epg-cnodvbk&feature=player_embedded... Read more

The 13th most important hip-hop record label of all time would have been #1 in 1988. Cold Chillin’ Records featured hip-hop legends like Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Kool G. Rap, Masta Ace and more. Check out more on Cold Chillin’ and a playlist featuring its key artists below.

#13 Cold Chillin' Records Many people say the golden age of hip-hop was in the late 80's and early 90's. If you fall into that category, there's no doubt Cold Chillin' Records featured some of your favorite artists of all time (in any genre). In fact, many would argue that... Read more

The Roots – Behind the Scenes Photo Shoot for undun (Video)

The countdown is on till 12/6 when The Roots release their new album, undun. Here's a behind the scenes look at the photo shoot for the album, as well as the album cover and tracklist. Check them out below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvhjTil0mq8&feature=player_embedded&noredirect=1 Here's the album cover and tracklist: 1) Sleep 2) Make... Read more

Lord Finesse – You Know What I’m About (Remix)

If the letters D.I.T.C. mean anything to you, you'll appreciate this new remix of a rare  joint from Lord Finesse that was originally released in 1992 (check out the story below).  It's set to the same beat Jay-Z rocked on Sweet and it knocks.  Check out the remix to You... Read more

Here’s the lastest from The Roots and it features Big K.R.I.T. Check out Make My, from The Roots upcoming Undun album.

A description of the concept behind the album and its full tracklist are below (note K.R.I.T. is the only feature). Here's the album description: undun is an existential re-telling of the short life of one Redford Stephens (1974-1999). Through the use of emotives and Redford’s internal dialogues the album seeks... Read more

Back in the Day: Eminem, Dilated Peoples & Aristotle Wake Up Show Freestyle

Here's a vintage freestyle from the classic Wake Up Show featuring Eminem, Dilated Peoples and Aristotle.  Eminem has that Bad Meets Evil (the song not the group) flow, so it sounds like this one is from the late 90's. This is a gem courtesy of Ruby Hornet.  It's 11 minutes... Read more

Jay-Z has helped put on a LOT of producers. Very few can say they helped put him on. Ski Beatz is one of them…

The latest installment of our Producer Series is dedicated to the music of the legendary Ski Beatz. If you like Reasonable Doubt-era Jay-Z and Curren$y's Pilot Talk series, this one is for you. Ski Beatz was one of the primary sonic architects of all those projects. He also did one... Read more

Talib Kweli blesses Clyde Carson with a verse on U & I. The track has a funky laid back West Coast feel to it.

Check it out. Click here to download.  Talib sounds good on these West Coast tracks.  Remember this one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEkHSPgySuM... Read more

Kev Brown is one of those producers who has never gotten the proper level of recognition. He just dropped a new mixtape called Classic Joints that should help change that.

Best known for his incredible remix of Jay-Z's Black Album, The Brown Album, Kev specializes in beats with dirty funky bass lines (reminiscent of his brethren Pete Rock and 9th Wonder). Here's a playlist of some of the Joints from the new mixtape. The tracklist and download link are below.... Read more

This week’s installment of Soul Cooking comes courtesy of Statik Selektah and Lord Sear who just did a great soul classics mixtape.

Listen to all of the mixtape Open Bar Classics Vol. 1: The 80′s and download it below. Click here to download. Here's the tracklist: Intro Jocelyn Brown - Somebody Else’s Guy Fatback - I Found Lovin Rene & Angela - I Love You More The Whatnauts - Help Is On... Read more

This week’s playlist is an ode to some of the G-Funk greats of the 90s. Some will be expected–Dre, Snoop, DJ Quik, Ice Cube–but there may be a couple of surprises that make your head nod a little harder.

I was catching up on some reading today and finally read the Wiz Khalifa article in the October 2010 issue of XXL magazine (the whole issue was incredible).  There was a line in the Wiz article that struck me.  It was something to the effect of Wiz having moved from... Read more

Here’s a 4th track from the upcoming Actual Proof project called The Talented Tenth. These dudes are serious. Serious lyrics, serious beats, serious talent. This one is called The March.

The track is produced by Khrysis who Little Brother fans might remember from some quality collaborations.  If you missed the other Actual Proof leaks, click here.  Or, wait to get the Talented Tenth album which drops on 1/15, MLK's bday.  It sounds like it will definitely be worth it.  Support... Read more

10 reasons why 2010 was the best year ever in hip-hop: #6 Roll the dice…this was a year of taking BIG chances and they paid off.

EVERYBODY knows the music business as it has existed for the last few decades--where sales of recorded albums are the primary financial-driver of the business--is in trouble.  The record industry, like other entertainment businesses, tends to be a bell curve: During the vast majority of times, the music tends to... Read more

10 reasons why 2010 was the best year ever in hip-hop: #9 Change the game…several artists expanded the boundaries of hip-hop in 2010.

1. B.o.B. - Bobby Ray dropped several crunk-filled mixtapes before releasing his first official album.  When the album dropped, however, it was filled with lots of pop, rock and just a little bit of crunk...and it was dope.  In addition to garnering 5 Grammy nominations, including Record of the Year,... Read more

It's not Friday but check out Kanye West's new song All of the Lights ft Rihanna, John Legend, The-Dream, Ryan Leslie, Alicia Keys, KiD CuDi, Fergie and Elton John(??!!)

You may remember this one from Runaway.  It was the track that played during the "parade" with the Michael Jackson float.  Click here to listen and download the full track (props to Nahright.com).  Only 19 more days until Kanye's album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy drops.  Fast forward to 7:32... Read more

Saigon always comes with that intelligent gansta ish. The video for I Want It All is no different. Can you dig it?

Saigon is definitely making a bit of a comeback.  He recently dropped a song with Statik Seletah and now this.  Welcome back.... Read more

Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa have teamed up again on Curren$y's Scaling the Building.

Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa recently got together to bless the remix of Super High with Rick Ross.  This time the pair rocks a track from Ski Beatz, who you might remember as the architect of one of Jay-Z's all time classics, Dead Presidents.  The intro to Scaling the Building is... Read more

Check out this smooth Michael Jackson mix by the legendary Qool DJ Marv on Soul Bounce

Qool DJ Marv has often been called the hardest working DJ in New York City.  He has spun around the world from Miami and LA to London and Croatia.  He's been the house DJ for HBO and been commissioned to make mixes for some of the greatest legends ever in... Read more

Never Too Much – Classic Soul and R&B Playlist

Classic joints never get old.  They just get better.  Click here or above to play.  Trackist below: Never Too Much - Luther Vandross Rock With You - Michael Jackson Give Me the Night - George Benson Give it to Me Baby - Rick James September - Earth, Wind and Fire... Read more