AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Nick Grant Shows Why He Is One Of The Best Freestylers Of His Generation

South Carolina's Nick Grant has been one of the most promising MCs to burst on the scene over the last five or so years. His major-label debut, Return Of The Cool, was a praiseworthy release back in 2017. Since then, Grant put his career on the independent route, where he... Read more

Former Death Row Records Singer Jewell Has Passed Away

Jewell is an R&B singer-songwriter who made hits with Dr. Dre, Tha Dogg Pound, N.W.A., and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. According to collaborator and former label-mate Daz Dillinger, the former Death Row Records artist born Jewell Caples has passed away this morning (May 6). No cause of death has been made public.... Read more

Snoop Is Making Death Row The 1st Label In The Metaverse

From its first release in 1992, Death Row Records built its reputation on reflecting the streets. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Tupac, and others maintained that rep through making Rap music without compromise over the next five years. Founded by two Compton, California natives, Dre and Suge Knight,... Read more

Former Death Row Records Artist CPO Boss Hogg Has Passed Away

CPO Boss Hogg was at the epicenter of the 1990s West Coast Hip-Hop movement. The Compton, California native born Vince Edwards has died this week, as confirmed by friend, journalist, and past Ambrosia For Heads contributor Chad Kiser. Details were not made public. However, CPO had posted about his ongoing health... Read more

The 14 Best Rap Albums Of 2021…What Did We Miss

As 2021 comes to a close, it is appropriate to reflect on a remarkable year for Hip-Hop music and news. Although we did it slightly differently this year, Ambrosia For Heads shares our list of the best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2021. On episode #72 of the What's The Headline podcast—starting at 1:13:00—we list our... Read more

Dr. Dre’s Collabo With Snoop, Busta & Anderson .Paak Is Amazing

Dr. Dre's late 2021 takeover continues. He closes a year of serious health concerns and personal life events out with his medicine—music. Approaching next year's headlining Super Bowl Halftime Show performance alongside Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige, Dre has used December to release more music than... Read more

Dr. Dre & Eminem’s New Song Is The Truth

Today (December 15), new Dr. Dre music appears in the online video game, Grand Theft Auto Online: The Contract. Dre plays himself in the GTA extension, with Anderson .Paak and other cohorts in the mix. Members of the Aftermath Entertainment family and Dre affiliates Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, and others... Read more

Dr. Dre Has Broken Pop Culture Barriers Once Again

Last week, it was revealed that Dr. Dre will be headlining the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show. In doing so, Dre becomes the first Hip-Hop artist to headline, after nearly 25 years of various MCs appearing in the feature role. Dre will share the stage with some of his superstar... Read more

Kurupt Details The Classic Death Row Songs That Began As Freestyles

For more than 20 years, core fans kept hope that the HRSMN might release an album. As one of Rap's earliest super-groups, the quartet composed of Kurupt, Ras Kass, Killah Priest, and Canibus hurdled label challenges, leaks, bootlegging, legal woes, and all that comes with four separate lives and careers.... Read more

DJ Quik Makes It Hot In Herre By Burning His Death Row Royalty Check

It has been 30 years since DJ Quik burst onto the music scene. The Compton, California triple-threat has supplied fans with a plethora of LPs, including three gold albums as well as his platinum 1991 debut, Quik Is The Name. However, after decades in the game and heralded work alongside... Read more

New York Has Made December 18 Earl “DMX” Simmons Day

This April continues to deliver significant losses to music fans, especially in the Hip-Hop community. The month has included the passings of DMX, Black Rob, and now, Shock G. On this week's episode of What's The Headline (embedded below as video and audio), the Ambrosia For Heads team remembers the... Read more

D.I.T.C.’s Buckwild Releases An Album Of Abandoned Beats. Listen Along.

Like fellow veteran Hip-Hop producers Pete Rock and DJ Premier, Buckwild has a vault of unreleased heat. The Diggin’ In The Crates veteran DJ/producer has stayed busy in the last two decades contributing bangers to albums by O.C., Black Rob, The Game, JAY-Z, and others, to name only a few.... Read more

Stretch & Bobbito Release An Album That Honors Some Of Hip-Hop’s Building Blocks

Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia are legends in the culture of Hip-Hop. The duo began their careers in radio on Columbia University’s WKCR radio station. Their late-night show helped jump-start iconic Rap careers by featuring the then-unsigned likes of Nas, JAY-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, Eminem, Big L, Biggie Smalls, Fugees, Big... Read more

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2019 (Battle 7): Little Brother vs. Diamond D

Over the last couple of years, Ambrosia For Heads has asked our readers to help us determine the Best Rap Album for 2017 and 2018, respectively. In looking at the top music of 2019, we believe that instead of letting the Grammy Awards—a committee who does not know anything about... Read more

Redman Samples “Da Rockwilder” & M.O.P. Adlibs To Make A New Banger (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads 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 its ever been. Not only are we able to... Read more

D.I.T.C. Show They Are Still Juggernauts On A New Compilation Album (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads 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 its ever been. Not only are we able to... Read more

Dr. Dre Explains Why Eminem Was The Missing Link In Making 2001 (Video)

Twenty years ago today (November 16, 1999), Dr. Dre released his sophomore solo album, 2001. It became a benchmark album that book-ended a decade that the producer and rapper had fueled. Personally and musically, plenty had happened since The Chronic, which marked Dre's first album since leaving N.W.A. and Eazy-E.... Read more

Apollo Brown’s Album Features Royce, Elzhi, Slum Village & More. Listen Here (Audio)

Apollo Brown continues to be one of the most trusted and most consistent producers in Hip-Hop. The Michigan native, based in Detroit, has made heralded albums alongside Joell Ortiz, O.C., Ras Kass, Planet Asia, and others. Additionally, the Mello Music Group mainstay has been the backbone in groups such as... Read more

Bone Thugs Help Out A Fan Who Had A Thuggish Ruggish Time In Cleveland (Video)

After more than 25 years making albums, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony has fans from across the globe. One particular fan, Japanese rapper Ryo Muranaka, took things to extremes to meet the group. According to reports, Ryo sold his possessions to raise money to travel to Cleveland, Ohio, the hometown of the legendary... Read more

Benny, Conway & 38 Spesh Rewrite A Page Out Of Scarface’s Diary (Audio Premiere)

Rochester, New York MC/producer 38 Spesh has made a hard push in the last two years to reach the forefront of underground Hip-Hop. Be it releasing a litany of solo and collaborative albums or mentoring promising young talent like Che Noir, T.C.F. Music Group's founder has established himself as a... Read more

Death Row Records Is Now Owned By A Toy Company

In the early 1990s, Dr. Dre broke from N.W.A. and Ruthless Records. After five years of work with Eazy-E taking Gangsta Rap to the top of the charts, Dre wanted an imprint of his own. The producer for J.J. Fad, The D.O.C., Above The Law, and Michel'le moved across town.... Read more

Snoop Explains Why He Loves Suge Knight & How They Rebuilt Their Bond (Video)

Earlier this month, Snoop Dogg released his song, "Let Bygones Be Bygones" from his 17th solo album, I Wanna Thank Me. The 47-year-old Doggfather has been in a nostalgic spirit lately. More than 20 years after parting ways with the label, Snoop has been wearing his Death Row Records medallion,... Read more

Snoop Dogg Teams Up With Swizz Beatz. It’s Nuthin’ But A G-Funk Thang (Video)

Snoop Dogg is gearing up for his 17th solo album amidst one of Rap's busiest and most extensive careers. Reportedly titled I Wanna Thank Me, the upcoming release is said to feature a song about one of Dogg's mentors, Suge Knight. While Snoop famously clapped back at verbal attacks and... Read more

DJ Eclipse Discusses The Legacy Of Fat Beats On Its 25th Anniversary

This coming Sunday (July 14) Fat Beats Records will celebrate its 25th-anniversary with a special New York City concert. In many ways, the Sony Hall event is a homecoming and a deserving pause for recognition to a keystone in Hip-Hop's independent movement. Non-Phixion, The Juggaknots, The X-Ecutioners' Rob Swift & Mista... Read more

Elzhi Rapping To Diamond D Production Is A Winning Combination (Video Premiere)

Diamond D’s status as an icon in Hip-Hop is forever etched in stone. Since his classic debut Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-Hop released in 1992, his groundbreaking work with the D.I.T.C. (Digging In The Crates Crew) and his production on multi-platinum album, The Score by The Fugees, Diamond D has consistently... Read more

Ladies First: Monie Love Discusses Being A Mother In Hip-Hop (Audio)

Happy Mothers Day. Approaching this holiday, the hosts of Father Hoods Podcast KGB, DJ EFN and Manny Digital decided that they would change up their regular programming, which focuses on interviewing men in the Hip-Hop industry about raising children. This time around, the cast put the ladies first. The Father... Read more

Large Professor Lights The Fuse For Tragedy Khadafi & Truth On A Remix That Bangs

Queens, New York MC Truth has been rapping for more than half of his life and is influenced by the likes of Mobb Deep, Run-D.M.C., Nas, Kool G. Rap, A Tribe Called Quest, Organized Konfusion and other local legends that have played a significant role in shaping his style. While... Read more

Dr. Dre & LL Cool J Have Recorded More Than 40 Songs Together (Audio)

Dr. Dre rarely grants interviews. He admits it, and adds that he does not enjoy talking about himself in public. Since 2017's The Defiant Ones documentary on HBO, Andre Young has participated little in the way of press, beyond product or album promotion. If there is one Rap peer who... Read more

DJ Premier Recalls Nas & Big L Signing Their Record Deals Together (Video)

DJ Premier has been a part of many albums that are considered classics by Heads. However, few can equal the importance of Nas’ 1994 debut Illmatic. Mass Appeal recently launched a new video series where producers behind this magnum opus detail its creation and importance, leading up to the LP’s... Read more

Freddie Gibbs Explains Scarface’s Genius In His Favorite Rap Verse (Video)

Freddie Gibbs has always been very open about how much Scarface has influenced his Rap style. On Pinata, Gangsta Gibbs dedicated a song to the Geto Boys member, reworking the lines from his eponymous Grip It! On That Other Level song. The Houston, Texas Rap legend appeared on the very... Read more

Ill Bill Delivers His Newest Rhymes Like A Hulk Smash To The Face (Video)

It has been almost one year to the day since Brooklyn, New York native Ill Bill dropped his two-track collaborative project, Split, with Oakland Thrash band Ghoul, bridging the culture's of both East and West Coast musicianship with hardcore Hip-Hop and Heavy Metal once again. The veteran Brooklyn MC's last... Read more

Diamond D’s New Album Features Erick Sermon, Pharoahe Monch, Talib Kweli & More

It has been nearly five years since D.I.T.C. co-founder Diamond D released a solo album. The self-proclaimed "best producer on the mic" dropped one of his most exciting albums in the form of 2014's The Diam Piece. Producing all but one of the tracks (which was by DJ Scratch), the... Read more

MC Breed & Tupac’s Message Is Still Relevant. It’s Time To Get Yours

Tupac Shakur was born in New York City. He spent his teens in Marin City, California, following a brief but meaningful stop in Baltimore, Maryland. Pac's life is one of extremes and contradictions. At a time when Shakur was portrayed to be condemning the East Coast Rap community, he was... Read more

Elzhi Releases A Verse That Wins Like G Money On The Court (Audio)

On top of dropping a celebrated joint album with Khrysis last year under the group name Jericho Jackson, Elzhi also spent a lot of 2018 keeping MCs on their toes with vicious guest verses. He more than delivered on Masta Ace & Marco Polo’s A Breukelen Story, Conway The Machine’s... Read more

20 Years After Big L’s Passing, This Rarity Showcases The Man Behind The Punchlines

Twenty years ago today (February 15, 1999) Big L was fatally shot just steps from his childhood home at 45 West 139th Street in Harlem. It was the block he prophetically deemed the "The Danger Zone" in his early songs. On that fateful Monday night, Lamont Coleman was struck nine... Read more

Buckwild Gives Terror Squad Some D.I.T.C. Fire To Celebrate Big Pun (Audio)

Last week (February 7) marked 19 years since Big Pun tragically passed away. Although much of the music from the legendary lyricist has released since his death, friends and collaborators continue to find ways to light his legacy. Diggin' In The Crates producer Buckwild uploaded a new joint to celebrate... Read more

AZ Releases A Mixtape Of Freestyles & Guest Appearances To Remind His Legacy Is Strong

It may seem like the nearly decade-long wait for AZ's Doe Or Die 2 has lasted forever. However, the East New York MC has been putting out some appetizers to hold fans over for the main course, and he has done so on a consistent basis. Earlier this month, Ambrosia... Read more

Waka Flocka Flame Uses Classic DJ Premier To Show He Can Really RAP

Few artists can claim to have had as prolific of a mixtape career as Waka Flocka Flame. While the Atlanta, Georgia representative is often recognized for his Trap beat ear and boisterous delivery, he can sometimes unload a track that shows a deft lyricist who often downplays his talent or... Read more

Snoop Dogg Reveals The Original Beat For Nuthin But A G Thang & Raps To It

UPDATE: DJ Filthy Rich made a blend of the song, based on the Questlove Supreme conversation:  ORIGINAL DECEMBER 19 STORY: The second song Snoop Dogg ever released to the public may be his most iconic. "One-two-three-and to the fo' / Snoop Doggy Dogg, and Dr. Dre is at the... 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

Joell Ortiz Examines How Growing Up Fast Shaped Him Over A Lush Apollo Brown Beat

Last month, Joell Ortiz and Apollo Brown partnered to release the Mona Lisa album. The Mello Music Group LP is a platform for Joell to look back at his upbringing, react to the dissolving of Slaughterhouse, and call for more MCs with heart, all while celebrating the beauty in the... Read more

Snoop Says His Debut Album Broke The Color Barrier For Gangsta Rap (Video)

Today, November 23, 2018, marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most influential albums of all time, Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle. The 1993 gangsta rap album carried with it an onslaught of west coast radio domination following Dr. Dre's debut record, The Chronic. Where The Chronic first introduced a young Snoop... Read more

Questlove Curates Massive Soundtrack For Michelle Obama’s Book Tour. Listen Along.

Michelle Obama released her memoirs titled Becoming last week and now she's embarked on a 10-city tour to support the book. In a style befitting of a former First Lady of the United States, her string of speaking engagements has its own soundtrack titled The Michelle Obama Musiaqualogy. Not only that, but... Read more

Apollo Brown & Joell Ortiz Discuss Their Album, Slaughterhouse & More (Video)

Apollo Brown and Joell Ortiz released their Mona Lisa album on Friday, October 26 (embedded below). These two stalwarts of the culture have put together 11 tracks of soulful, insightful, and competitive-spirited Hip-Hop. Having had a chance to digest this nuanced body of work, Ambrosia For Heads' Editor-in-Chief Jake Paine... Read more

50 Cent Buys 200 Ja Rule Concert Tickets To Make The Front Rows Empty

50 Cent and Ja Rule have been beefing for more than 18 years. Over time, the crosstown Queens, New York feuding parties have expanded to include Fif's G-Unit (as well as Eminem, Dr. Dre, and others for a time) as well as Ja's mentor/producer, Irv Gotti, and Murder Inc Records.... Read more

Joell Ortiz Reflects On Slaughterhouse & More On His Collabo With Apollo Brown (Audio)

It seems like Detroit, Michigan’s Apollo Brown has taken it upon himself to pair some of the most lyrical MCs in the game with the tailor-made production they deserve. Since 2012 he has dropped heralded projects with Guilty Simpson, O.C., Ras Kass, Skyzoo, Planet Asia, and earlier this year, Locksmith.... Read more

Sir Jinx Reveals That His & Ice Cube’s First Song Plays In Michael Jackson’s “Bad” Video

N.W.A. was not Ice Cube's first Rap group. Years before O'Shea Jackson helped lead an independent Gangsta Rap charge in music, he and longtime producer/DJ Sir Jinx were already major label acts. Although Cube, Jinx, and K-Dee had C.I.A. (Criminals In Action) during the mid-1980s (a trio that worked with... Read more

Black Thought Speaks About His Mother’s Murder & How Hip-Hop Saved Him (Audio)

Black Thought gives one of the best interviews of his career while speaking to Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito for their What's Good podcast. The iconic Hip-Hop hosts and their guests know one another. It was 24 years ago this month that Tariq Trotter got into a car in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania... Read more

Rasheed Chappell’s Latest Kenny Dope-Produced LP Finds Him At Work With The Masters (Audio)

While New Jersey's Rasheed Chappell hasn’t dropped a proper album since his Kenny Dope-produced debut Future Before Nostalgia in 2011, he seems to pop up on dope albums regularly. Check his molten lava stanzas on recent projects by Recognize Ali (The Shining) and Napoleon Da Legend (Steal This Mixtape 4).... Read more

Pharoahe Monch Details His Upcoming Album. He Vows It’s His Hardest To Date (Audio)

Pharoahe Monch has not released an album in almost five years. The Queens, New York MC/producer boasts a consistent catalog, whether solo or his three albums with Prince Po in Organized Konfusion. 2014's P.T.S.D. was a critically celebrated release that examined the stresses (and stressors) of the world and in... Read more