AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Which Artist on XXL’s 40 Years of Hip-Hop Issue Reps Hip-Hop Best? Check Out All 5 Here (Photos)

40 years ago in 1973, Kool Herc threw a party in the basement of his building and Hip-Hop, the culture we celebrate everyday, was born. For their year-end issue, XXL has put together an issue celebrating that milestone and it has 5 different covers featuring iconic artists. Check out all... Read more

Snoop Dogg Singing an Elvis Presley Christmas Song?? Hearing is Believing (Audio)

Snoop Dogg continues his reign as one of Hip-Hop's preeminent jokesters. To celebrate Christmas, he has released his own take on Elvis Presley's Blue Christmas, vocal inflection and all. If you need some holiday cheer, Uncle Snoop has got you covered. Related: That’s Not Mistletoe in Snoop Lion’s New Video…Check... Read more

The Top 10 Most Compelling Hip-Hop Photographs Of 2013 (Food For Thought)

The old adage, "a picture's worth a thousand words" often proves to be true. Let's hope so for 2013, which by way of Instagram, Twipic, and some inner-circle released photos, told Heads plenty of stories. From unlikely reunions to time-pieces, to first steps for Hip-Hop kind, what a year... Here... Read more

Ambrosia For Head’s 13 Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2013 (Food For Thought)

2013 was a different kind of year in music. Not only did Rick Rubin return to crafting Hip-Hop albums, but he had a hand in three of the genre's biggest releases from top artists like Jay Z, Eminem, and Kanye West. Meanwhile, as has been the case over the last... Read more

Suge Knight & Snoop Hanging Out?? Yeah, 2013 Was a Crazy Year For Hip-Hop. Here’s a Photo Recap (Food For Thought)

The old adage, "a picture's worth a thousand words" often proves to be true. Let's hope so for 2013, which by way of Instagram, Twipic, and some inner-circle released photos, told Heads plenty of stories. From unlikely reunions to time-pieces, to first steps for Hip-Hop kind, what a year... Here... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Gets an Album of the Year Nomination from the Grammy’s. Jay Z Gets 9 Noms. Here’s the List of All Nominees in Hip-Hop’s Strongest Showing Ever.

Though he released good kid, m.A.A.d. city in 2012, 2013 has belonged to Kendrick Lamar. In the Spring, he was named MTV's Hottest MC of the Year. By Summer, his Control verse became the biggest story in Hip-Hop in the last several years. In the Fall, he again shook up... Read more

How Would You Rank Jay Z’s Albums? Hov Weighs in on His Own Catalog.

Jay Z celebrated his birthday in style. The 44 year-old blogged on his Life + Times his favorite albums from his own personal catalog. The first three may not come as a surprise, given Jay's tackling the question in interviews for some time now. However, Jay's admission of the miss... Read more

Mac Miller Continues His Run For This Year’s Most Improved MC on I Come in Peace (Audio)

This week, Mac Miller announced that he was headed back to Pittsburgh for some holiday fun. Presumably upon landing, Larry Fisherman linked with Big Jerm and P. Fish for "I Come In Peace." The record includes some of Mac's incredibly stepped-up 2013 lyricism, with a lot of in-the-moment references to... Read more

Suge Knight Weighs In On Dr. Dre’s Chronic Influencing Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready To Die

Yesterday, we linked you to Rolling Stone's conversation with Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight. While the published interview focused on Tha Row's second release, Snoop Doggy Dogg's 1993 debut Doggystyle, which just turned 20 years old. The writer of the rare Knight interview, Paul "Gooch" Cantor, self-published the... Read more

Trae Tha Truth Holds Court with Several Hip-Hop All Stars on His I Am King Mixtape (Mixtape)

Since the days of Screwed Up Click, Trae Tha Truth has been a major player in the Houston scene. With ties to Rap-A-Lot Records, DJ Screw, Lupe Fiasco, Chamillionaire, T.I., and more, the Grand Hustle/Hustle Gang artist welcomes T.I., Diddy, Wiz Khalifa, Lu', B.o.B., Young Jeezy, Jadakiss, Meek Mill and... Read more

Snoop Doggy Dogg’s Doggystyle & The Death Row Records Reign (Food For Thought)

Twenty years ago today, Snoop Doggy Dogg and Death Row Records released Doggystyle. The four-times platinum debut LP by Dr. Dre's then-protege helped put Long Beach, California on the Hip-Hop map, it cemented the dominance and versatility of G-Funk, and despite a 1993 year with acclaimed albums by Wu-Tang Clan,... Read more

Snoop Dogg Throws Down A Megamix Of All The Doggystyle Samples (Video)

Snoop Dogg has a few different monikers for his crafts. In 2008, as QDT, he quietly teamed with DJ Quik and Teddy Riley to produce a big chunk of Ego Trippin'. As a DJ, Snoop goes by DJ Snoopadelic. Always having fun, Doggy Dogg kicked off a celebration weekend of... Read more

Snoop Doggy Dogg Releases a Mix of the Soulful Samples of Doggystyle (Audio)

Snoop Doggy Dogg's classic Doggystyle album turns 20 years old. As part of what is sure to be an extended celebration, Snoop has released a mix of the samples the fueled the album. Given that this was one of the most soulful and funky Hip-Hop albums of all time, you... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Boycotts GQ Party. Here’s Why TDE Believes the Article Was Disrespectful and Filled With Racial Overtones.

Kendrick Lamar received what should have been a tremendous honor by being selected as part of GQ's 2013 Men of the Year, but it has not ended well. TDE has gone on record as being unhappy with the angle that was taken in the article. Specifically, Top Dawg, TDE's owner,... Read more

The “Ultimate” Exit That Was Jay Z’s Black Album (Food For Thought)

Hip-Hop celebrates a grand entrance. Since the days of receiving Bad Boy Records promo-packs of The Notorious B.I.G. & Craig Mack in a McDonald’s "Big Mac" container, the dog-and-pony show known as the music industry has embraced the infinite possibilities of the new over the challenges of re-purposing the old.... Read more

Remembering Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) 20 Years Later (Food For Thought)

There are certain albums in Hip-Hop that were complete game-changers. Run-DMC’s 1983 self-titled album ripped the Disco out of Rap and, with a new look of Kangol hats, leather jackets and shell-toed Adidas along with crossed arms and boasts of college pursuits, took ownership of the culture.  Five years later,... Read more

Mister Cee Pays Tribute to Heavy D with a Mix (Audio)

Rest in peace to Heavy D who passed away 2 years ago today. Mister Cee paid tribute to the Overweight Lover with a mix which you can stream and download below. Related: A mix and video playlist to celebrate the life of Heavy D (Mixtape & Video Playlist)... Read more

Emerging Artist Jim-E-O Comes Into His Own With Ride or Die (Audio)

Jim-E-O, a Texas artist we spotlighted over a year ago, is back with a bouncy new track that celebrates the ladies that hold their fellas down from day 1. Check out Ride or Die featuring Pierre Medor. Related: Jim-E-O – Fastlane (Full Album Stream)... Read more

DJ Quik Decodes Jay Z’s Justify My Thug (Video)

Back in 2003, when the production was announced for Jay Z's The Black Album, there were two big curiosities: 9th Wonder and DJ Quik. While DJ Premier, Ski Beatz, and Irv Gotti were notably absent from what was billed as Jay's curtain-call album, he helped get Little Brother's co-founder the... Read more

KRS-One’s Return Of The Boom-Bap 20 Years Later (Food For Thought)

This weekend, the first KRS-One album to not be billed as Boogie Down Productions turns 20 years old. On September 28, 1993, Jive Records and Kris Parker teamed to release Return Of The Boom-Bap. The album was exactly one decade removed from the arrival of Run-DMC, the "boom-bap" was a... Read more

OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below Turns 10 Years Old (Video)

OutKast's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, the first and only Hip-Hop album to win the Grammy for album of the year, turned 10 years old yesterday. To celebrate the anniversary, MTV released some archival footage of an interview with Andre 3000 and Big Boi from around the album's release. Check out the... Read more

TLC Reveal Artwork & Track List For “20”

When it comes to music, there are few situations that scream "what if?" more than Hip-Hop trio TLC. It's almost hard to believe it's been more than 11 years since Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes was taken from this earth and the TLC train came to a screeching halt. But aside... Read more

Cage – This Place

Cage is an artist with an interesting story. For the Heads, this is an MC who premiered on Pete Nice & Daddy Rich's (incredibly slept-on) Dust To Dust (which featured involvement from MF DOOM and The Beatnuts too). In subsequent years, he was involved with Eastern Conference and Definitive Jux... Read more

NahRight’s 10 Classic Biggie Smalls Mixtape Cuts

To celebrate the 19th anniversary of the release of The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die album yesterday, NahRight put together a phenomenal piece on 10 Classic Biggie Smalls Mixtape Cuts. Here's what NahRight had to say about their entry #6: 6. “Freestyle” (off Puff Daddy and DJ S&S’s Bad Boy... Read more

The 25 Greatest Diss Records of All-Time

This has been one of the biggest weeks for Hip-Hop in a long, long time. The foundation was set on Sunday when Hip-Hop turned 40 (at least if you count the first party Kool Herc through in the Bronx as the official anniversary). What became even the bigger story, however,... Read more

The Show (Video)

Last but not least, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the weekend Hip-Hop was born, we take a look at the role of the MC. Without a doubt, the rap game is the predominant force in Hip-Hop culture. It has gone from the chanting simple couplets to keep the... Read more

Scratch (Video)

As we continue our all day celebration of Hip-Hop on the weekend of its 40th birthday, it's time to show some love to the DJ. The documentary Scratch is one of the best films ever on turntabilism.  Scratch gives an in-depth look at the art of working the 1s and... Read more

Style Wars (Video)

Of the 4 elements of Hip-Hop, graffiti is often the most overlooked. Films like Beat Street touched on the controversial nature and danger surrounding the graf, but it was the 1983 documentary Style Wars that showed viewers the real. The film originally aired on PBS and won the Grand Jury... Read more

The Rub: The History of Recorded Hip-Hop From 1979-Present (Audio)

We continue our all-day long celebration of the 40th anniversary of the weekend Hip-Hop was born with the music. Here are links to a collection of Hip-Hop mixes that document Hip-Hop music from 1979-2009, YEAR BY YEAR. The mixes are courtesy of The Rub, one of the dopest DJ collectives... Read more

See Shabba-Doo Before Breakin’, In The Breakin’ N Enterin’ Documentary

The movie Breakin’ introduced many to the West Coast break dancing scene but before Breakin’ there was the documentary Breakin’ N Enterin’. Breakin’ N Enterin’ is a film from 1983 that documented the then nascent LA B-boy scene and inspired the landmark dance film Breakin’. It featured many of the... Read more

Wild Style (Video)

As we continue our all day celebration of Hip-Hop on the weekend of its 40th Anniversary, it is only fitting that we celebrate Wild Style, a 1983 film produced by Hip-Hop pioneer Charlie Ahearn that was the first glimpse of Hip-Hop culture for many of those not living and breathing... Read more

Because They Made It That Way (Hip-Hop At 40 Years Old)

If you go by the books, Hip-Hop (I’ll spell it with capital letters since KRS-One told us to do so) turns 40 years old this month. Six summers before Big Bank Hank, Wonder Mike and Master Gee drove a Lincoln Continental and great big Cadillac up the charts to a... Read more

The Album Heard ‘Round the World: N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton Turns 25-years Old

25 years ago yesterday, N.W.A released Straight Outta Compton and changed music forever. Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren and DJ Yella brazenly said "F*ck The Police" (and the FBI took notice), weaved visceral tales of street life and introduced the city of Compton to the world. The Ruthless... Read more

Remembering George Duke: A Tribute Playlist (Audio)

Rest in peace to George Duke. The multi-talented jazz musician died at the age of 67 yesterday, after a battle with Leukemia. Duke's music was a landmark presence in hip-hop, having been sampled by artists like A Tribe Called Quest, Ice Cube, Common, Slum Village, Spice 1, Pete Rock &... Read more

Living Legends: Pete Rock & CL Smooth (Audio Playlist)

Pete Rock has long gotten credit for being one of the most influential hip-hop producers of all time. Recently, there has also been a bit of a spike in interest in Pete Rock & CL Smooth, particularly in light of their announcement that they are remaking their classic Mecca &... Read more

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – Everything 100

The mighty Bone Thugs-N-Harmony release their first new song in 5 years a new song, with all 5 members, and it features those trademark harmonies. Here's Everything 100. Related: Game – Celebration (Remix) ft Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (Video)... Read more

Young-Ye: How Jay-Z and Kanye West Made the World Watch the Throne (Again) and Saved Hip-Hop in the Process (Food for Thought)

For the better part of the last 2 weeks, I was convinced the sibling-like rivalry between Jay-Z and Kanye West had reached epic (and perhaps unseemly) proportions. How else could you explain the 2 dropping albums within 3 weeks of one another with Jay-Z seemingly stepping on little brother Kanye’s... Read more

Living Legends: Queen Latifah (Video Playlist)

All hail the Queen...Latifah, that is. As one of the first ladies of hip-hop, she blazed the trail not only for women MCs but also for positivity and self-respect in hip-hop. After nearly 25 years in the game, her reign continues as an artist, actress and overall luminary. Today, we... Read more

RapFix Live Tribute to Menace II Society (Video)

RapFix Live paid homage to Menace II Society yesterday, as the film celebrates the 20th anniversary of its release. They showed vintage footage of the Hughes Brothers discussing their film back in 1993, chopped it up with Tyrin Turner and Larenz Tate, fielded questions about the film from Kendrick Lamar... Read more

Public Enemy – Rebels Without A Pause Trailer (Video)

Centric is premiering a film on Public Enemy that serves as part documentary and part concert, celebrating the historic group's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The film airs on Saturday night and features hip-hop pioneers like Russell Simmons, DMC, Kool Moe Dee, Ecstasy (from Whodini) and... Read more

The Beatnuts & Big Pun Perform Off The Books in 1997 (Video)

Here's another unbelievable gem from the vault of Tony Touch as part of his #50daysto50MCs series. This episode is a video of The Beatnuts and Big Pun performing Off the Books at the 20th Anniversary celebration of the Rocksteady Crew back in 1997. It also features some footage of the... Read more

Notorious B.I.G. Tribute Mix (Audio)

Salute to Biggie Smalls. He would have been 41 today. To celebrate his life, Mister Cee did a Notorious B.I.G. tribute mix. You can listen to it below. Related: DJ Finesse – B.I.G. over Premier (Biggie Tribute Blend Mix)... Read more

De La Soul Performs Jenifa Taught Me With The Roots (Video)

2 of the greatest groups in hip-hop history hit the stage together on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Check out the video of De La Soul and The Roots crushing Jenifa Taught Me. Related: A Playlist Celebrating the Legendary Career of De La Soul (Audio)... Read more

Living Legends: Yasiin Bey (Playlist)

Dante Smith. Mos Def. Yasiin Bey. No matter the name, it still equals the same result--DOPE MC. The gifted rapper, singer and actor has been in the game for more than 20 years both as a solo artist and as a member of groups like Urban Thermo Dynamics and, of... Read more

James Brown Live in Paris (Video)

Happy belated birthday to James Brown. The Godfather of Soul, whose music was a staple of early hip-hop samples, would have celebrated his 80th birthday on May 3rd. To celebrate the legend, the folks at OKP found a video of an entire concert he did in Paris in 1971 with... Read more

Living Legends: MC Lyte (Playlist)

Having been in the game 25 years strong, there is still no MC (male or female) who rhymes harder than MC Lyte. She is the latest hip-hop Living Legend who's contribution to the culture we celebrate. Check out the (mostly) video playlist of some of Lyte's toughest joints below. Related:... Read more

Left Eye in One of Her Earliest Interviews (Video)

Rest in peace to Left Eye who passed away 11 years ago today. To celebrate her life, here's a look at a rare interview of her from 1989 when she was just starting her career. It's an amazing and sweet look at the bright light that would soon be seen... Read more

DJ Premier – Guru Tribute Mix

Today marks the third anniversary of our loss of Guru. To celebrate his life, here's the mix that his Gang Starr partner DJ Premier did as a tribute. Since Guru was also one of the finest MCs to ever come out of Boston, we dedicate this to all those affected... Read more

KRS-One Freestyles and Performs a Verse From Step Into a World (Video)

The Blastmaster KRS-One kicks a freestyle and drops a verse from Step Into a World, and shows that he's still FRESH for 2013...Check out the video. Related: A playlist celebrating the career of the legendary blastmaster KRS-One (Audio)... 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