AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Mickey Factz Joins The Royce & Lupe Battle With The Best Diss Record Yet

Hip-Hop is witnessing its most exciting battle in more than a year, and it is playing out with more than just two opposing MCs. In 2020, two Midwest giants, Lupe Fiasco and Royce 5'9, partnered in a podcast. The two veterans joined forces to create 45 episodes of The Lupe... Read more

Conway The Machine & Jim Jones Are Going To Battle Rap The Old School Way

Two of Rap's most active MCs in recent years are Conway The Machine and Jim Jones. Conway has been part of Griselda Records' breakout trifecta, including his half-brother Westside Gunn and cousin, Benny The Butcher. During the mid-2010s, the Buffalo, New York veteran gained acclaim for his independent catalog. The... Read more

DMX’s New Album Is Coming This Summer & It’s Filled With Superstars

Last Friday (April 9), family, friends, and millions of Hip-Hop fans mourned the loss of DMX. The 50-year-old rapper born Earl Simmons passed away at age 50. For the previous week, X had been on life support in White Plains, New York hospital, following a cardiac arrest. Decades into a... Read more

Busta Rhymes Has Made A Classic Album 30 Years Into His Career

Busta Rhymes is one of Hip-Hop's most enduring stars. Named by Chuck D, a fixture within Native Tongues, a requested artist on Tupac's One Nation project, a member of the Aftermath/Shady/G-Unit reign as well as Cash Money/Young Money, and one of J Dilla's closest collaborators, Trevor Smith, Jr. has done... Read more

With Help From Eminem & Royce, Big Sean’s New Album Is Still Detroit Vs. Everybody

Last Friday (September 4), Big Sean released his fifth album, Detroit 2. One day before the eighth birthday of his 2012 mixtape that launched the series, the G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam Records LP is another ensemble affair. Like the freebie, Royce 5'9" offers some big-brother-support from Detroit. Meanwhile, Eminem, Lil Wayne,... Read more

Madlib Speaks. He Reveals That He & Pusha-T Are Planning More Music Together (Video)

Last month, Ambrosia For Heads decided that Madlib & Freddie Gibbs' Bandana was the Best Album Of 2019. Announced the same night as the Grammy's, the sophomore collaboration between the two veterans bested another producer/MC battery, Gang Starr, in the championship round. The decision came after the annual Sweet 16-themed... Read more

John Forté Brought Talib Kweli To Rawkus. Now Kweli Assists Him In A Beautiful Collab

When John Forté had his 14-year prison sentence commuted more than a decade ago, he immediately went to the studio with longtime friend and fellow Brooklyn, New York native Talib Kweli. It was there that the former Fugees affiliate recorded "Homecoming," a personal cover to Kanye West's one-year-old Graduation cut.... Read more

Black Thought Pops Up At Rapsody’s Show To Rip Another Incredible Freestyle (Video)

Last night (February 6), Rapsody performed at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, New York. After touring with Big K.R.I.T. in late 2019, the Jamla Records MC is headlining the A Black Woman Created This Tour (dates below), which also features Sa-Roc. Black Thought, who has worked with Rap' several times, appeared on... Read more

Black Thought & The Roots Amplify Gary Clark Jr.’s Protest Anthem With A Remix

Everything seems to sound better when Black Thought, Questlove, and The Roots are involved. In 2019, The Roots, who serve as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performed a remixed version of "This Land" alongside Gary Clark Jr. The Austin, Texas native has created a defiant,... Read more

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2019 (Battle 2): Benny The Butcher vs. Boogie

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

Here Are Ambrosia For Heads’ Top 25 Rap Albums Of The Decade

In the final hours of a decade, Ambrosia For Heads presents our Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums. The 2010s were a wild ride, with an onslaught of important new voices, and incredible maturation from veteran MCs. It was a 10-year span where artists and songs were discovered new places (including the... Read more

Ambrosia For Heads’ Top 15 Hip-Hop Albums Of 2019 List

It is that season when “best of” lists abound and, in a year that featured some remarkable music from artists across the landscape, 2019 kept Hip-Hop fans on the edge of our seats. There were reunions, surprise collaborations, and show-stopping debut albums. The year also featured innovative label compilations, unexpected... Read more

Tech N9ne & Flatbush Zombies Refuse To Compromise. They Are Riding High (Video)

Comprised of MCs Meechy Darko, Zombie Juice, and Erick The Architect, the Flatbush Zombies have defied Rap convention since their 2010 inauguration into the game. The Zombies have since released two mind-bending studio albums, with their most recent LP, Vacation In Hell, dropping nearly two years ago. This year, the... 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

Griselda’s Shady Records Debut Is Westside Gunn, Conway & Benny At Their Most Raw

In early 2017, Shady Records Eminem and Paul Rosenberg partnered with Griselda Records. The move was surprising to some, and exciting to many more. At a time when so many labels use data and metrics to inform their decisions, Griselda's foothold in the Rap game was certified in the streets... Read more

Black On Both Sides Is Still Mos Def After 20 Years

Twenty years ago today (October 12, 1999), Mos Def released his solo debut, Black On Both Sides. After two decades of testing time, the Rawkus Records album remains a hallmark from the Underground Hip-Hop boom. On his own strict terms, Dante Smith crafted an LP driven by creativity, piercing commentary,... Read more

Inspectah Deck’s New Video Is An Amazing Tour Through Hip-Hop History

In the first music video from his recent Chamber #9 solo album, Inspectah Deck positioned himself as "The Terminator." However, in a video inspired by James Cameron's acclaimed Sci-Fi franchise starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Rebel INS was on a personal quest to terminate the wackness plaguing Hip-Hop. Love of culture... Read more

Benny & Westside Gunn Confirm That Griselda Has Joined Roc Nation Management

On 2018's critically-acclaimed Tana Talk 3, Benny The Butcher used JAY-Z's blueprint to showcase his outlook on "'97 Hov." Now, Benny and Westside Gunn have announced that their Griselda Records movement is taking that relationship one big step closer. This week, the two Buffalo, New Yorker artists confirmed joining the... Read more

Eminem’s 1st Griselda Collaboration Starts With A Bang Alongside Conway (Audio)

It has been more than two years since Eminem inked a partnership with Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine, and their Griselda Records family. The March 2017 announcement followed with a Hall N' Nash (Wes' and Con's duo name) song produced by Just Blaze, "MachineGun Back." The Detroit/Buffalo connection continued... Read more

Common Prevents A Stick-Up In The Video For His 1st Swizz Beatz Collabo

Common seems to enjoy breaking the boxes that many people like to put him in. Back in 2000, at the conclusion of the DJ Premier-produced "6th Sense" on the Like Water For Chocolate album the historically conscious MC made light of his reputation, by portraying a vi*lent pimp. His Grammy-nominated Be... Read more

Jaz-O Confirms Inking Deal With JAY-Z’s Roc Nation

Some of JAY-Z's early and breakthrough Rap appearances came courtesy of his Marcy projects neighbor, Jaz-O. The Jaz, who was signed to EMI Records, featured his friend Jay on video singles "Hawaiian Sophie" and "The Originators." At the time, the two Brooklyn MCs employed a similar stuttered rhyme style. However,... Read more

Logic Couldn’t Get Eminem For The Collabo Video. But He Upgrades With A Clever Concept

Logic's chart-topping Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind was released in mid-May, and the MC/producer. Many Heads were wondering what a video with the Gaithersburg, Maryland spitter and Eminem would look like considering their hallmark collaboration for "Homicide" and now they're finding out that neither are actually rapping at all in... Read more

Injury Reserve’s New LP Shows They Deserve A Spot In 2019’s Starting Lineup (Audio)

Tempe, Arizona Rap trio Injury Reserve formed in 2013, but it wasn't until the release of their 2015 mixtape Live From The Dentist Office that the crew started turning heads. Their use of Jazz samples, eclectic choice of guest features, and sporadic spazz-out vocal tendencies helped push forth a signature... Read more

Joey Bada$$ Brings Back Rap City’s Booth With Beast Coast & Big Tigger (Video)

At just 24 years old, Joey Bada$$ has been a purveyor of 1990s and 2000s Rap styles throughout the last decade—even if he was not around to firsthand witness all of it. The Pro Era front-man often represents a Brooklyn not unlike crews such as the Boot Camp Clik and... Read more

Erick Sermon Has Released A New Album Filled With All-Stars. Listen Here (Audio)

Erick Sermon has just released his eighth solo album, Vernia. Earlier this month, at Long Island, New York's Def Squad Studios, the Green-Eyed Bandit extensively details his LP featuring Raekwon, N.O.R.E., Too Short, Devin The Dude, No Malice, Big K.R.I.T., Pharrell, Styles P, AZ, Shaquille O'Neal, Xzibit, Keith Murray, and... Read more

Westside Gunn, Conway & Benny Are Releasing A Joint Album Through Shady Records

Ever since it was announced on March 3, 2017, that Griselda Records had a signed a deal with Eminem’s Shady Records, Heads have been eagerly anticipating music to stem from this partnership. A couple of months later, Westside Gunn and brother Conway The Machine dropped a video, “Machine Gun Black.”... Read more

Biz Markie’s 30-Year-Old Springtime Anthem Is Still Fresh (Video)

Across the globe, temperatures are rising this week. In less than seven days, spring is officially here (March 20). While for many Mid-Atlantic and northerners, that is no guarantee that snowfall is done for the time being, it is a reminder that the coats, gloves, and scarves can usually go... Read more

Boogie Is Compton’s Next Great MC & He Plans To Be The Biggest One Of All (Video)

"This world will take your dream from you quick if you don't stay locked in," Boogie says on a cold day in Lower Manhattan. He is referring to a lesson intended for his young son, but it comes from personal experience. For five years, the Compton representative has been persistently... Read more

The Juice Crew Takes On Hieroglyphics In A War Of Lyricism (Audio)

Since the very beginning, Hip-Hop has been full of dope crews. While many of them are made up of solo artists, they still tend to come together for posse cuts or sometimes even entire albums. The Juice Crew is easily one of the most influential squads of all time. Members... 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

Dr. Dre Is Finishing Busta Rhymes’ 1st Album In 7 Years

It was more than a decade ago that Busta Rhymes was an artist on Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. The tenure yielded only one album, 2006's The Big Bang. That LP earned the veteran MC his only #1 album, and included an ensemble of guests that ranged between Stevie Wonder and... Read more

Ghostface Killah Is Kicking New Flavor In His First Video With CZARFACE

With their full-length collaborative project dropping in just a few days (February 15, 2019), CZARFACE and Ghostface Killah have released the first music video from their upcoming collaboration album, Czarface Meets Ghostface. The Silver Age Records LP marks the sixth full-length release from the trio consisting of producer/DJ 7L and... Read more

Freeway Reports That His Kidney Transplant Is A Success (Video)

Earlier today (February 5), Freeway underwent a successful kidney transplant in a Baltimore, Maryland hospital. Moments ago, the State Property MC and Roc Nation artist just took to social media to let everyone know that he is in good condition and thankful for the results. "Thank y'all for all the prayers... Read more

Busta Rhymes & Lil Wayne Have Fire In Their Bellies As They Slay This Track

Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne go back. Just over a decade ago, the Leaders Of The New School co-founder was a standout guest on Weezy's Carter III affair. Wayne returned the favor on Bus' Back On My B.S. More notably for the time, the two artists worked together on "Thank... Read more

What’s The Real Definition Of A Freestyle? The Great Debate Continues (Video)

Last month, Ambrosia For Heads revisited a 1997 conversation between LL Cool J, Redman, DMX, Method Man and MTV News' Abbie Kearse. The interview unpacked the varying definitions of a freestyle, pulling opinions of the MCs from some different eras and backgrounds. As can be seen and heard by the definitions... Read more

Ever See JAY-Z, Busta Rhymes, Biz Markie & Jaz-O Freestyle On The Same Stage? (Video)

In 1993, the Mario Van Peebles film Posse hit theaters. At its release party, some of Brooklyn's finest showed up, along with Biz Markie. One of the film's stars, Big Daddy Kane, hosted the New York City event. He appeared in the Western alongside Van Peebles, Stephen Baldwin, Tone-Loc, Tiny... Read more

Reason Shows He Stands With TDE’s Finest By Freestyling On Kendrick & Jay Rock Beats

Top Dawg Entertainment artist Reason has proven that he has bars, but he's also shown that he can use his lyrical ability to make great music as well. He showcased such ability on 2017's There You Have It, an independent project which was remastered and re-released earlier this year by... Read more

Royce 5’9 Is Ready To Do Bad Meets Evil 2 & Challenges Fans To Rally Eminem

A lot happened with two of Royce 5'9's groups in 2018. The Detroit, Michigan MC's partnership with DJ Premier, PRhyme, released its second album in the early part of the year. Meanwhile, Slaughterhouse—a quartet that Nickel Nine has been part of for the last decade, formally dissolved not long after... Read more

Tory Lanez Disses Royce 5’9 & Then Gets A Very Serious Warning

Over the last 24 hours, Royce 5'9 was dissed by Toronto, Ontario singer/rapper Tory Lanez on social media. The incident began after a fan asked Royce if he thought Lanez was the victor in last month's battle with Joyner Lucas. Nickel Nine responded "No." Hours later, Tory—who was not tagged... Read more

Real Hip-Hop Finally Has Its Own Home On TV

“It's like that uh and it sounds so nice. Hip-hop, you the love of my life.” I’ve been on the same mission for 20 years. Having grown up in the 80s, the soundtrack to my coming of age was fueled by the sounds of Grandmaster Melle Mel, Run-D.M.C., LL Cool... Read more

Locksmith Perfectly Sums Up The State Of Pop Culture In A 2 Minute Verse

As he gears up for his fourth studio album - Ali - Richmond, California MC Locksmith offers up a teaser with the official video to the aptly dubbed single "Prison." The video finds the former  frontman of group Frontline all by his lonesome in the middle of a tariff, chock... Read more

Reason’s Video Shows The Nightmares That Come With Living A Gangsta Life

Reason re-mastered re-released his 2017 release There You Have It to make a formal introduction earlier this year. That was after he signed with TDE, whose executive team knew that it was a mixtape worth broadcasting. While 2017 is winding down, fans are still getting offerings off of the TDE... Read more

Eminem Returns To His Battle Rap Roots With The Year’s Best Freestyle (Video)

Apparently, December is the month in which Hip-Hop's most elite MCs seek to leave their mark. Last year, Black Thought nearly broke the internet with his 10-minute long Funkmaster Flex freestyle. This year, it's Eminem's turn. After a 2017 in which many saw Eminem as faltering with the release of... Read more

Arsonal Says He Has The Best Funk Flex Freestyle…And That Includes Black Thought

Newark, New Jersey Battle Rap star, Arsonal Da Rebel, is the latest MC to flame the mic on Funkmaster Flex’s freestyle segment. However, while most MCs come to prove their worth on the mic, this lyricist—seen in the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards cyphers, is out for symbolic blood. He... Read more

Method Man, Joey Bada$$ & J.I.D. Go Nuts On One Of The Year’s Best Collabos

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

Reason Demands His Place In Rap With A New Video Freestyle

TDE's Reason formally introduced himself earlier this year with the re-release of his 2017 mixtape, There You Have It. Since its arrival through Top Dawg Entertainment, he's been on the road in support of label mate Jay Rock's Big Redemption Tour, earning himself the respect of some of Hip-Hop's most selective... Read more

MC Serch Says He Was Once Asked To Write Lyrics For Rakim (Video)

3rd Bass released two gold albums between 1989 and 1991. Twenty-nine years ago this month, Def Jam Records released The Cactus Album, a full-length debut from the New York City collective of MC Serch, Prime Minister Pete Nice, and DJ Richie Rich (aka DJ Daddy Rich). The first single from that... Read more

Jay Rock & Kendrick Lamar Go Back To Basics In Their “Wow Freestyle” Video

Jay Rock may have dropped his highly praised Redemption album at the top of the summer, but he is still working on the TDE project. The “Wow Freestyle” is the eighth video he has dropped off his third full-length project, which is 13 tracks long. Artists have been saying that... Read more

Busta Rhymes Reunites Flipmode To Trade Bars With His New Squad (Audio)

In the 1990s and 2000s, Busta Rhymes' Flipmode Squad was a Rap force to be reckoned with. The collective grew to include names such as Rampage The Last Boy Scout, Rah Digga, DJ Scratch, Roc Marciano, Spliff Star, Baby Sham, and Lord Have Mercy, among others. At a time when... Read more

Torae Freestyles His Responses In His Sway Interview. THIS Is A True MC (Video)

This morning (October 11), Brooklyn, New York MC Torae released his latest project, All Praises Due. Dropping on his Internal Affairs Ent., the rapper, radio host, podcaster, and actor teams with producer Praise for an eight-track effort that offers a pure Hip-Hop display. This week, the Barrel Brothers co-founder stopped... Read more