You searched for o.c. - Page 4 of 10Ambrosia For Heads

Phonte Delivers Another Knockout Verse & Makes It Sound Effortless (Audio)

New Jersey veteran mix-master DJ K.O. is making a pretty significant return to the Hip-Hop scene and decided to call on an MC from a few areas beyond his Garden State to help him out. For those currently celebrating Phonte's standout No News Is Good News album (included in Ambrosia... Read more

July 24, 2018 Audio

Warren G’s Documentary Trailer Shows How The G-Funk Era Is Forever (Video)

Nearly a year and a half ago, Warren G's G-Funk documentary made waves at the 2017 South By Southwest Film Festival. A partnership with filmmaker Karam Gill, the movie examines how a sub-genre of Hip-Hop largely credited to Warren, half-brother Dr. Dre, as well as an artists and producers such... Read more

July 9, 2018 TV/Film, Video

A.G.’s New Album Features Sounds By Alchemist, Lord Finesse & Diamond D. Listen Here (Audio)

A.G. may be best known for his classic material with partner Showbiz from the 1990s, but Heads who have not checked out his solo and collaborative catalog are missing out. The Bronx, New Yorker, and D.I.T.C. co-founder has done projects with O.C., Koss, Ray West, and others. Meanwhile, 'Dre has... Read more

June 27, 2018 Audio

Does Rhyme Still Pay? Slug & Evidence Weigh In On A Dope Vanderslice Beat (Audio Premiere)

Producer Vanderslice has been a source of dusty sounds for years. From the town of Phoenixville, outside of Philadelphia, the beat-miner has worked with Prodigy, Freddie Gibbs, Apathy, Roc Marciano, and others. He has released a string of instrumental and producer-compilation style albums. 'Slice's next LP is called The Best... Read more

June 18, 2018 Audio, Exclusive

Apollo Brown & Locksmith’s New EP Combines Lyricism With Personal Reflection (Audio)

Richmond, California native Locksmith has a knack for mixing witty lyrics with a flow that delivers his message with a punch. It serves him well as a battle rapper, but perhaps it's even better when he's constructing a body of music. These attributes are heavily on display in his newest... Read more

June 14, 2018 Audio

Snoop Claims Biggie Tried To Have Him Shot & Explains How They Made Peace (Video)

While Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls had the most storied and ultimately tragic Rap beef in history, there were other moments that greatly defined a coastal conflict between the Death Row and Bad Boy labels. In 1995, there was a shooting in Red Hook, Brooklyn while Tha Dogg Pound and... Read more

June 11, 2018 Throwback, Video

Black Thought Discusses His New Album, Epic Freestyle & Years Of Putting In Work (Video)

This past weekend (June 2), The Roots hosted their 11th annual picnic in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sadly, just moments into their headlining jam session, hosted by Dave Chappelle, rain, flooding, and lightning storms halted a highly-anticipated affair. However, one day before (June 1), Black Thought showered Hip-Hop Heads with Streams Of... Read more

June 4, 2018 Video

Dr. Dre’s Detox Was Very Real. This Newly Leaked Chronic 3 Song Is Proof (Audio)

Last week, Heads got the latest peek at some of Dr. Dre's storied Detox recordings. A medley of short snippets posted online by an anonymous user. They are believed to be some of the mogul's vaulted sessions to a third album in the Chronic trilogy. One of those songs was especially... Read more

May 8, 2018 Audio

A Lost Track Featuring Snoop & Dr. Dre Helped Launch Warren G’s G-Funk Era (Audio)

In November of 1993, Snoop Doggy Dogg's debut album became a commercial and artistic juggernaut for Rap music, especially on the West Coast. Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. was a lanky 22-year-old who in just months, had gone from poverty to super-stardom. He had done so with Dr. Dre, the same... Read more

May 3, 2018 Do Remember

GZA Slices Through The Tiny Desk To Perform Liquid Swords With A Brass Band (Video)

It's been a decade since Wu-Tang's GZA released his sixth studio album, Pro Tools. Among the projects he has dropped in the years previous, it is almost no contest which album has garnered the Genius more accolades than his 1995 platinum sophomore LP, Liquid Swords. Following recent, individual performances from... Read more

May 2, 2018 Video

Apollo Brown & Locksmith Are Releasing An EP. The 1st Song Leaves No Question It Will Be Dope (Audio)

Locksmith has been in the game long enough to go from prodigious street poet to battle MC, to prolific recording artist. Although Lock' is straight out of Richmond, California, his music is not what many might expect from the region. His lyrics do not glorify drugs, sideshows, or violence. Instead,... Read more

May 1, 2018 Audio, Exclusive

Fat Joe Talks About The Time Big L Said He Was Going To Steal All Joe’s Fans (Video)

In 1997, Diggin' In The Crates was in strong stride. The New York City MC and producer collective saw albums by O.C., and Diamond D. Fat Joe was one of the members of the crew that was on the rise. The following year, Joe earned a gold plaque through third... Read more

April 26, 2018 Throwback, Video

Daz Dillinger Says He Produced Some Of The Classics Credited To Dr. Dre & Names Them (Video)

In the mid-1990s, Daz Dillinger became an elite music producer. In addition to a heavy hand in his Dogg Pound group with Kurupt, the Long Beach, California representative laced high-profile tracks for Tupac Shakur's chart-topping All Eyez On Me, as well as tracks for Snoop Dogg, WC, C-Murder, and Nate... Read more

April 24, 2018 Video

Dynasty Teaches That Simplicity Is Genius Over A Brilliant Apollo Brown Beat (Video)

Queens, New York's Dynasty embodies power, leadership, and sovereignty. All of this is apparent from her past work with Talib Kweli and DJ Premier. From her 2016 album Forever, DY; Dynasty recently dropped the visuals for her single, "One Day," produced by Detroit, Michigan’s Apollo Brown (Ras Kass, O.C., Planet Asia).... Read more

April 24, 2018 Ready Or Not

Nick Grant Spits A Freestyle That Confirms He’s 1 Of The Best MCs In His Generation (Video)

Even as a major label artist with an acclaimed album under his belt, South Carolina's Nick Grant is committed to building an audience the old fashioned way: through hustle. Over the last three years, the MC co-signed by André 3000, Nas, Bun B, and others made a name for himself... Read more

March 30, 2018 Video

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

March 15, 2018 Audio, Exclusive

Erick Sermon Reveals The Real Reason Craig Mack Did Not Join The Bad Boy Reunion Tour

On March 12, MC Craig Mack died at the age of 47 (earlier reports listed his age as 46). The Bronx-born, Long Island-raised artist who used his real name on records deceased from what coroner's declared as natural causes at his home in Walterboro, South Carolina. Other sources close to... Read more

March 14, 2018 Food for Thought

This Mix Takes JAY-Z’s Most Powerful Lyrics & Blends Them Into A New Masterpiece (Audio)

Throughout the ages, many DJs have created mixtapes that artfully honor JAY-Z's vast catalog. In November, MICK and Chi Duly imagined a world in audio where Jay and DJ Premier expanded upon their stellar 1990s collaborative chemistry. The resulting 7:18 is a one-hour crowd-pleaser, placing new and old Hov' verses... Read more

March 12, 2018 Audio, Mixes

OutKast Has Forgotten Songs On Soundtracks That Are Better Than Most MCs’ Catalogs (Audio)

"Imagine being able to control your own destiny. Shape your own future. And then, one mistake take all that away. The reality of it is, you do control your own destiny and future, and one mistake will take all that away. Think about it." - Big Rube, "Benz or Beamer." In... Read more

February 22, 2018 Do Remember

Pharoahe Monch, Apathy & Pete Rock Keep On Repping Boom Bap Hip-Hop (Audio)

In the name of balance, Apathy took a more traditional Hip-Hop approach on “I Keep On,” the second single off his forthcoming LP, The Widow’s Son (March 2). Keeping in line with the precedent he set with the first single, “Alien Weaponry,” Ap’ called on another legendary producer, Pete Rock,... Read more

February 2, 2018 Audio

Happy Birthday Rakim. The God MC Turns 50 Years Old (Video)

It is a milestone month for legendary MCs. On January 14, LL Cool J celebrated his 50th birthday. Two weeks to the day after, Rakim also reaches this important mark. Fifty years ago today (January 28, 1968), the master lyricist was born William Michael Griffin, Jr. in New York, and... Read more

January 28, 2018 Fresh, Video

Why Jay Rock Is The Unsung Hero Of Top Dawg Entertainment (Video)

In Hip-Hop, the first is not always the biggest. Just as football has its linemen fighting for every inch, Rap music often has its figures that blaze a trail, light a path, or move the boulders for another artist to shoot the resulting gap. This week, TDE announced its Championship... Read more

January 23, 2018 Food for Thought

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

January 18, 2018 Audio, Exclusive

The 1st Look At Death Row Series Shows Suge Strong-Arming Eazy-E To Get Dre (Video)

The Death Row Chronicles is an upcoming six-part series on one of music's most successful and most controversial record labels. Airing on BET February 20 (beginning with part one and two), a two-minute video trailer released, featuring commentary from some of the people closest to Death Row Records' former CEO... Read more

January 16, 2018 TV, TV/Film, Video

The Coup’s DJ Pam The Funkstress Has Passed Away

In an already challenging week, Hip-Hop has learned that it has lost another veteran artist. DJ Pam The Funkstress (aka Pamela Warren) has died. A founding member of The Coup, Pam would also work with Prince on tour in recent years. After surviving a critical surgery in the last month,... Read more

December 22, 2017 News

Black Thought Reveals His 10-Minute Freestyle Was Off The Top & Kicks Another Verse (Video)

On Thursday, Black Thought unleashed a freestyle that rocked the world. Unlike Eminem’s politically-charged BET Hip Hop Awards Cypher that became world news, Thought’s verse did not have the benefit of being launched on the world’s biggest stage for Hip-Hop. Instead, his freestyle came courtesy of a digital drop by... Read more

December 16, 2017 Video

Black Thought Can’t Let The Year End Without Spitting Its Best Freestyle (Video)

Black Thought did not release an album in 2017, nor did The Roots. However, Tariq Trotter spent the year at the top of the MC class. He sizzled the mic on albums by Logic, Rapsody, and David Banner. There was a surprise MF DOOM collaboration released, and a deeply meaningful... Read more

December 14, 2017 Video

Ma$e Explains Why He Dissed Cam’ron & Says He Beat Him By A “Landslide” (Video)

On Black Friday (November 24), Ma$e tried to put the lights out on Cam'ron. The former Bad Boy Records superstar and onetime G-Unit artist laid into his past collaborator and Children Of The Corn band-mate for four minutes straight on "The Oracle." His diss used JAY-Z's "Blueprint 2" instrumental (produced... Read more

November 27, 2017 Video

See The Evolution Of Hip-Hop From 1979 To The Present In 30 Minutes (Video)

Over the years, there have been a number of vehicles that show the transformation of Hip-Hop from its inception to the present. The vast majority of these tend to be either hyper-kinetic mashups that showcase 2-3 second snippets of songs, or exhaustive documentaries that unfold over hours, showcasing years of... Read more

November 18, 2017 Video

A Near 500-Song Mix Showcases The Magnificent History Of West Coast Hip-Hop (Audio)

West Coast Hip-Hop is incredible. So many of its pioneers are still making albums, doing shows, and adding to their legacy. As a tribute to the Left Coast immense contributions to Hip-Hop, Take It Personal Radio has compiled a four-part episode dedicated to gangsta and underground Rap classics from the... Read more

November 4, 2017 Audio, Mixes

DJ Premier Supplies A$AP Ferg With The Ultimate Beat For The Streets (Audio)

While few can say that they saw it coming, DJ Premier collaborating with A$AP Ferg is not really all that surprising. Just look at the history. Preemo has galvanized Hip-Hop culture from coast-to-coast, North and South, old and new, for more than 25 years. Meanwhile, Ferg regularly serves catchy "Rap... Read more

November 2, 2017 Audio

An Argument For Why Ghostwriting Is Good Starting With Exhibit D-R-E (Video)

The biggest MCs in Hip-Hop are talking about ghostwriting more than ever right now. Sixteen years after Puff Daddy proudly proclaimed, "Don't ask me if I write rhymes, I write checks," authorship in Rap verses is not something that anybody takes lightly. Since Meek Mill outed Drake's involvement of emerging... Read more

October 28, 2017 Exclusive, TBD, Video

DJ Muggs Is Producing An Album For Action Bronson’s Day 1. The New Video Is Meyhem.

UPDATE: Following last week's debut single from Gems From The Equinox, DJ Muggs & Meyhem Lauren unleash "Murder Rap." With a beat that pounds the listener in the face, Cypress Hill's co-founder uses another MC to rhyme about "how he could just kill a man." With the second video, a... Read more

October 18, 2017 News, Video

Stretch & Bobbito Are Back To Show A Whole New Audience What’s Good About Music & Life

Stretch & Bobbito changed lives. Their 1990s New York City radio show (via Columbia University's WKCR) had legions of fans staying up to all hours of the night, with fingers on tape recorders. On air (and off) DJ Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito The Barber were perhaps Hip-Hop's greatest A&R men.... Read more

September 27, 2017 Exclusive, Interview

Diamond D’s “Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop” Is A Hip-Hop Classic That Still Burns Strong

Today (September 22) marks 25 years since the release of Diamond D's landmark debut album Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop. In this era when the MC/producers like J. Cole, Kanye West, and Logic are celebrated among music's biggest stars, this silver anniversary is significant to their career as commercially viable artists transcending... Read more

September 22, 2017 Food for Thought, Throwback

A New Study Shows Which Rappers Are Lyrically Similar & Many Are Very Surprising

As a data scientist, Matt Daniels has channeled much of his skill towards Hip-Hop, providing Heads with exceptionally creative looks at the numbers behind the names. In 2014, he made waves with an interactive graphic which grouped rappers along a scale according to the number of unique words contained in... Read more

September 21, 2017 Fresh

Dizzy Wright & Big K.R.I.T.’s Video Captures Why So Many Are Outraged

One of the core subjects for Hip-Hop has long been police violence against unarmed Black Americans. From O.C. to KRS-One, to Kendrick Lamar's silhouette slowly falling to the dirt of the Los Angeles hinterland after a white officer took aim. Now Las Vegas, Nevada MC Dizzy Wright joins the fray... Read more

September 20, 2017 Video

Too Short vs. MC Hammer: 2 Of Oakland’s Finest Were Beefing Subliminally

In the year between September of 1990 and 1991, three Oakland, California Hip-Hop acts would have albums receive platinum certification. Digital Underground would be first, with Sex Packets. In January of the new year, Too Short secured a plaque with Short Dog's In The House. M.C. Hammer would follow two... Read more

September 17, 2017 Throwback

Black Thought Performs A New Verse With Statik Selektah & Melts The Mic (Video)

Black Thought is one of Hip-Hop's consummate showmen. Flip on the TV five nights a week, attend a Roots Picnic, or search the web, and it's well documented. As if Tariq Trotter does not already work hard enough, the Philadelphia MC swung through Statik Selektah's Blue Note show in New... Read more

September 11, 2017 Video

Sadat X Drops A Freestyle Filled With The Grown Man Rap He’s Made For Years (Video)

Debates about a so-called "generation gap" in Rap music will likely be a perennial characteristic of the genre. As recently as the June release of JAY-Z's 4:44, vociferous fans and critics engaged in discussions about "grown-man Rap" and how a 47-year-old MC was able to drop one of the best albums... Read more

August 14, 2017 Video

Diggin’ In The Crates Meets The Artifacts As A.G. & El Da Sensei Join Forces (Audio)

In the mid-1990s, two of the most exciting duos in East Coast Hip-Hop were Showbiz & A.G. and The Artifacts. In June, JAY-Z shouted out his former Payday Records label-mate Andre The Giant in some of the songwriters he most respects. Sadat X & El Da Sensei Form New Group.... Read more

August 3, 2017 Audio

Suge Knight Indicted For Threatening Straight Outta Compton Director F. Gary Gray

On January 29 of 2015, Suge Knight was an uninvited guest on the film set of Straight Outta Compton. After being asked to leave, Knight used his Ford Raptor truck as a weapon in the parking lot of nearby Tam's Burgers. The events that followed left veteran music industry manager... Read more

August 3, 2017 News

Cold 187um Claims Dr. Dre Jacked His G-Funk & Names Songs To Prove It (Audio)

This week, The Defiant Ones docu-series is telling Dr. Dre's story. Twenty-five years ago, the N.W.A. co-founder released his solo debut, The Chronic. The first album on Death Row Records is credited for galvanizing G-Funk, a type of sample-based sound in Gangsta Rap that propelled the sub-genre into the MTV/Top... Read more

July 12, 2017 Audio, Throwback

Jimmy Iovine Reveals He Was Behind Suge Knight Bailing Tupac Out Of Jail

In October of 1995, Tupac Shakur signed with Death Row Records. Reportedly inking his deal on a napkin, Pac joined Dr. Dre and Suge Knight's reigning and equally notorious record label. In that transaction, Shakur was able to post bail and leave Clinton Correctional Facility. In a matter of days,... Read more

July 11, 2017 News, Throwback, TV, TV/Film

Apollo Brown’s Next Collabo Album Is With Planet Asia. Check The 1st Single (Audio)

Detroit, Michigan producer Apollo Brown has become a noteworthy crossroads for the MCs he meets in the studio. From O.C. to Ras Kass, Skyzoo to Guilty Simpson, Brown's grabbing Soul samples and hard drums bring something distinct out of MCs in their catalog. Like 9th Wonder was to Buckshot and... Read more

July 6, 2017 Audio

Bumpy Knuckles Once Overpowered KRS-One On His Own Song With A Ruff Verse (Audio)

The guest feature is a powerful position in Hip-Hop. From Nas to AZ, Snoop Dogg to Lupe Fiasco, lyrical legends have made key introductions through pivotal appearance on others' songs. One of the artists who put down key blocks of his legacy through features is Freddie Foxxx (later known as... Read more

July 6, 2017 Do Remember

This 6 Hour DJ Premier Tribute Takes All Other Mixes Out With The Fader (Audio)

DJ Premier has had a busy June. After years upon years in the making, he and Year Round Records released MC Eiht's Which Way Iz West album. Furthermore, Preemo, Brady Watt, and the rest of The Badder Band toured the States for the first time. With PRhyme 2 confirmed to... Read more

June 28, 2017 Audio, Mixes

Nick Grant Enters A House Of Horrors & Spits Vicious Verses Before Bouncin’ (Video)

South Carolina's Nick Grant is one of the most exciting new faces in Hip-Hop at the moment. He has cosigns from Andre 3000, Nas, Bun B, and others. However, it is his recent Return Of The Cool album that may speak the loudest. The MC follows up his 88 mixtape... Read more

June 19, 2017 Video

Nick Grant Shows Musicality & Lyricism Live Strong In Hip-Hop In His Tiny Desk Concert (Video)

Much of the well-deserved acclaim surrounding rapper Nick Grant's steady rise in Hip-Hop relates to the South Carolina MC's high-energy delivery and live performances. He recently tore down showcases at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, and his January appearance as the musical guest on The Late Show with... Read more

June 5, 2017 Video

On Big L’s 43rd Birthday, This Freestyle Shows Why His Rhymes Are Immortal (Video)

May 30 marks the birthday of Lamont "Big L" Coleman. The Harlem, New Yorker was born 43 years ago today. While he died more than 18 years ago, at a time when many believe his career was reaching its next level, the member of D.I.T.C. and Children Of The Corn... Read more

May 30, 2017 Throwback

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