AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Chris Rivers Drops 2 New Freestyles & Blacks Out with Jarren Benton (Audio)

It's Friday, which means Chris Rivers has once again dropped off some freestyles as part of what is now a months-long lead-up to his forthcoming M.C. (Medicated Consumption). The Bronx MC, fka Baby Pun, has thus far unleashed freestyles over tracks by Black Moon, Brand Nubian, the Clipse, Dilated Peoples,... Read more

Jay Rock Refuses To Compromise. Even His Freestyles Are Hard-Body (Audio)

Throughout the weekend, many Hip-Hop Heads are making visits to the 90059 zip code, listening to Jay Rock's sophomore solo album. The breakthrough Top Dawg Entertainment artist for nearly a decade swings through L.A. Leakers. Not often recognized as much as onetime pupil Kendrick Lamar and Ab-Soul in the freestyle... Read more

J-Live Freestyles Heat While Scratching A Loop On The Turntables (Audio)

Throughout his 20-year career, J-Live has been a triple threat. The MC, DJ, and producer named his label (for a while in the 2000s, at least) after his vast gifts. In the live show, and at select times on albums, the Brooklyn, New Yorker stood behind the turntables and kicked... Read more

Warren G Freestyles Over K. Camp’s “Comfortable” And Has Fun With It (Video)

After an extended hiatus, Warren G has had a musical renaissance this Summer. Earlier this month, he released his Regulate...G Funk Era, Pt. II EP, which featured three songs with previously unreleased Nate Dogg vocals. As he makes the rounds in promotion of the EP, he stopped by DJ Booth... Read more

Chris Rivers & Sheek Louch Have Got It Made With Their Throwback Freestyles (Audio)

For the last several weeks, Chris Rivers and Sheek Louch have released rugged verses over throwback beats. Rivers has covered everyone from Black Moon to his father, Big Pun, and even tackled a LOX standout. Sheek has gone a bit more contemporary, with verses over Jay Rock, The Clipse and... Read more

Jay Z Blessed Stretch & Bobbito’s Show With 3 Different Freestyles In 1995 (Audio)

Earlier this week, AFH shared a 1996 three-hour radio show of DJ Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito The Barber's show (thanks to DJ Eclipse, who spun then and digitized it now). Big L was among the show's guests, bringing with him Ma$e, Bloodshed, and Killa Cam'ron (as Children Of The Corn).... Read more

Locksmith Freestyles So Hard He Scares the Beat Away…And He Has A Message (Videos)

Richmond, California's Locksmith, a rapper who established himself early on as a vicious lyricist while partaking in MTV's MC Freestyle Fellowship, has served up not one, but two helpings of nasty freestyling. In celebration of yesterday's release of his Lofty Goals album, he took to the airwaves to remind Heads... Read more

Wild Styles: Jean-Michel Basquiat & Jacob Lawrence Make History in The New York Times

The worlds of fine art and Hip-Hop have collided ever since Fab 5 Freddy served as the cultural liaison between the two in the '80s. More recent forays like Wu-Tang Clan's decision to sell the only copy of Once Upon a Time in Shaolin (which, by the way, is adorned... Read more

When A$AP Rock Freestyles…Anything Goes. Witness an MC Who is Truly Fearless (Video)

A$AP Rocky is fearless. As sales of his just released AT.LONG.LAST.A$AP album will soon show, he is currently one of the most successful rappers in the game. That said, he is unafraid to freestyle, "off the top," say ANYTHING and have fun. Rocky joined the Sway in the Morning show,... Read more

Fabolous & DJ Clue Compile Friday Freestyles With Plenty Of Bonus Songs (Mixtape)

In the last five years, few high-profile MCs have used the free-mixtape format as effectively as Fabolous. He's gone retail too, but the Brooklyn, New York star is gifted in assembling material aimed at his core fans, in between his mainstream-tinged albums and features. Never one to shy away from... Read more

Hear Rakim Rarities, Pete Rock Freestyles From 1996 Future Flavors Set (Mix)

Just like in the late 1980s, Marley Marl and Pete Rock transmitted dopeness into radio waves in much of the 1990s. The Juice Crew founder and The Chocolate Boy Wonder brought their ear for excellence and supreme Rap mixing skills to airwaves for the HOT 97 Future Flavors radio show.... Read more

From Yonkers to Brooklyn: Fabolous Has Got These 90s Freestyles on Lox (Audio)

After several weeks of stellar freestyles over 90s beats, Fabolous remains at the head of the pack. Loso has delivered some of his best verses in years over tracks by Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan and Puff Daddy and the Family. His latest strikes close to home, literally and figuratively. Fab... Read more

King Los May Be A Freestyles & Songwriter Double-Threat (Video)

The freestyle is its own animal. So many of the masters of improvisational rhyme in Hip-Hop have proven to struggle in making thoughtful, lyrically-sharp albums—at least by the people's standards. King Los has everybody in suspense as he takes his strong track record from the freestyle and mixtape circuits to... Read more

Talk About Ambition… Charles Hamilton Freestyles… For Nearly 19 Minutes (Video)

Harlem, New York MC Charles Hamilton understands that it takes extraordinary measures to win back a fan-base after several years of hiatus, public mishaps, and some industry controversy. He seems to be rising to the occasion, simply through showing and sharing his love of rapping. Open interviews are one element,... Read more

Give the Drummer Some. Questlove Raps & Freestyles on a Deep Roots Cut (Video)

Questlove is from an era when some great producers were equally phenomenal rappers. Large Professor, Diamond D, Lord Finesse, DJ Quik, and Andre 3000 are just some of the double-threat MCs. While Questlove is a drummer, producer, DJ, filmmaker, and all around funny guy, he never really got into rapping.... Read more

Talib Kweli Freestyles About Suge Knight. Too Soon? (Video)

Featured in the 2000 film, Freestyle: The Art Of Rhyme, Talib Kweli has built his skills in the cyphers, and with the impromptu improvisation that is freestyling. These days, Kwe' is busy touring, making albums, and co-running a label conglomerate. The days in the parks may be few and far... Read more

Jarren Benton Sets 2015 Off With One Of The Better Freestyles You’re Gonna Hear (Video)

Funk Volume's pedigree for bigger than life lyricism is strong—especially on a label co-founded by Hopsin. One to watch though, is Georgia's Jarren Benton. A true Rap outcast/cool-guy hybrid, Jarren, in many ways, is a callback to early D12, R.A. The Rugged Man (who he's worked with), and Sticky Fingaz.... Read more

Ever See These Big L, O.C. and Lord Finesse Freestyles? Get Down with D.I.T.C. (Video)

D.I.T.C. The name stood for Diggin' in the Crates, in part because of the membership of acclaimed producers like Diamond D, Showbiz and Buckwild, but make no mistake, the crew was also about those BARS. Here's a look back at some vintage interviews of Big L and Lord Finesse, two... Read more

GZA Freestyles, While Ol’ Dirty Bastard Beat-Boxes In A Bathroom In 1991 (Video)

In 1991, GZA (as "The Genius") was on the same Cold Chillin' Records that he would later diss on "Labels." The future was bright for the Brooklyn, New York MC who was working with Easy Mo Bee on Words From The Genius at the time. Released in February of that... Read more

Here Are the Best Freestyles of 2014. Nothing. But. BARS (Video)

Contrary to popular belief, a freestyle does not have to be an "off the top" verse, at least according to Big Daddy Kane and Kool Moe Dee, if you take them as credible sources. Says Kool Moe Dee in his book, There's a God on the Mic: "There are two... Read more

Your Old Droog Freestyles Over Some Vintage DJ Premier (Video)

Your Old Droog stopped by NYC's Hot 97 for his first interview with Peter Rosenberg. Droog spoke about his ethnic origins, raising his status this year, traveling to Europe and more. At a little over ten minutes in, Rosenberg put him to the test and Droog stepped up with nearly... Read more

LL Cool J Refutes Battling Jay Z, Talks 2 Types Of Album Styles & Some Amazing Rumors (Audio)

The Combat Jack Show has left Hip-Hop journalism better than they found it in 2014. In the closing weeks of the year, the show invited LL Cool J for what immediately feels like one of the finest sit-downs. At nearly two hours, LL turns towards his devout Hip-Hop fans, his... Read more

Taylor Swift Rocks Out To Kendrick Lamar, K-Dot Freestyles Over Taylor Swift (Audio)

While plenty of Rap superstars shun interviews and duck possibly awkward media spots, Kendrick Lamar—although reclusive, welcomes the attention. Hours after Taylor Swift celebrated her milestone first-week sales by vibing out to some good kid, m.A.A.d city by Kendrick Lamar, the Compton, California superstar was probed for a reaction while... Read more

Funk Volume Turns Up With Fresh, Thoughtful Dizzy Wright & Hopsin Freestyles (Videos)

Funk Volume continues to dig in their foot-hold in the Hip-Hop game. While Hopsin and Dizzy Wright are polar opposites in many ways, they both uphold this time-tested truth: say somethin' when you touch the microphone. Stopping through Tim Westwood's London booth at the BBC, each MC blazes up with... Read more

RZA Freestyles Out Of The Blue During An Interview, Talks Battling Inspectah Deck (Video)

So MTV News opted to ask RZA about reported battles during the Wu-Tang Clan studio sessions for next month's A Better Tomorrow. The Abbott revealed that in a particular moment with Inspectah Deck, both RZA and Rebel INS turned to their phone files to pull out some rhymes and verses... Read more

Murs & ¡Mayday! Deliver Blistering Freestyles While Having Fun (Video)

Sometimes even the best content slips through the cracks...A little over 3 weeks ago, Murs and ¡Mayday! (¡Mursday!) burst into BET's Backroom and CRUSHED it with 3 killer verses. What's more? They had fun. You can see it in their delivery. If you missed this (like we did) it is... Read more

Redman Freestyles From The Streets Of Amsterdam At Midnight (Video)

Some things just make sense. For instance: Redman wandering the streets of Amsterdam in the middle of the night, kickin' raps, after he takes some rips. The master of the Gilla House throws high fives and meanders traffic circles as he kicks a pepped-up flow ["Outspoken"] freestyle reppin' his crew,... Read more

Freddie Gibbs Freestyles Over Believe Me & 0 to 100 on Tim Westwood TV (Video)

Freddie Gibbs touched down in the UK and paid a visit to the Tim Westwood Show. While there, he laid down a blistering verse over "0 to 100" and "Believe Me." Signed or independent, Gibbs is still Gangsta. Check out the video. Related: Statik Selektah, Joey Bada$$ & Freddie Gibbs... Read more

Yelawolf Freestyles Over Pink Floyd’s Money (Audio)

Just before the upcoming release of his second studio album, Love Story, Yelawolf is back paying homage to Rock legends with his latest freestyle, "Money." Yelawolf takes over the track from Pink Floyd's The Dark Side Of The Moon, dropping an array of bars about the many intricacies of the... Read more

Yelawolf Freestyles Over A Primus Beat, Really Well (Audio)

Yelawolf likes Rock & Roll just as much as he enjoys Hip-Hop. Heads who heard Catfish Billy's breakthrough 2008 mixtape Stereo know that it's nothing for the Gadsden, Alabama MC to tear apart Rock breaks. Rapping over Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pink Floyd tracks, the fast-rapping MC went to work in... Read more

What Do Remy Ma & Biggie Smalls’ Sway Freestyles Have In Common? (Video)

In Remy Ma's first post-prison freestyle, the former First Lady Of The Terror Squad hits Sway In The Morning with a verse. As Sway Calloway points out, Remy joins The Notorious B.I.G. as the only 2 artists on his show to seamlessly edit her curses on the fly. With Sway... Read more

HuffPost Mashes Up Their Freestyles from Snoop, Black Thought & Wayne Brady (Video)

Oddly, Huffington Post has started collecting freestyles from various guests. You may have caught some, such as Black Thought rhyming over Questlove's pic and table-driven beat, and now they've done a video mashup of freestyles from Snoop, Black Thought and Wayne Brady. The only requirement of each is that he... Read more

Doo Wop Features A New DJ Premier & Tony Touch Joint, Freestyles From Cory Gunz, Termanology & Planet Asia (Mixtape)

Legendary game-changing DJ, Doo Wop has always been vocal. The New Yorker, who boasts being a longtime member of both Bounce Squad and Flip Squad DJ's has rapped alongside Tony Touch (Diaz Brothers), toured the world with the late Guru, and made a host of certified classic mixtapes in the... Read more

Torae & Skyzoo Are The Next To Light Up Sway In The Morning Freestyles (Video)

With their first collaborative LP, Barrel Brothers, now in stores, Skyzoo and Torae stopped by Sway In The Morning. Insisting that true freestyles are all that they know, Sky' and Tor' (who is no stranger to satellite radio) kick cypher-style, back-and-forth bars very much in step with their styles and... Read more

Mayhem Lauren Tears Down Two Ultra-Rare Vintage 1994 Buckwild Beats With Freestyles (Audio)

Throughout the just-released Silk Pyramids album, Queens' Mayhem Lauren ripped through some timeless Buckwild production on their shared bill. For two bonus cuts on the limited edition vinyl, 'Hem got to touch two rare Buck' (pictured) beats from the mid-1990s. Claiming freestyle, Mayhem went all the way in, in true... Read more

HS87 Hits You With Freestyles Over Unreleased Hit-Boy Beats On Sway In The Morning (Video)

It's a family affair when Hit-Boy and HS87 hit the Shade 45 studio. Hit-Boy discusses his love for music, introduces his father, and takes some phone calls with fans on Sway In The Morning. Hit-Boy was the first producer to ever bring his own beats to play for Sway, and... Read more

The Week in Hip-Hop Video Brought Hot Freestyles, Powerful Music Videos & More (Video Playlist)

This week in video brought 2 killer freestyles from Logic, strong new music videos from Ice-T, CyHi the Prynce, Buckshot & Pro Era, and Schoolboy Q, a mini-doc showing Erykah Badu tracing her roots, The Roots playing their new album with an orchestra, the definitive D'Angelo interview and much more.... Read more

Here Are Some of the Best Freestyles of 2014 (So Far) (Video Playlist)

UPDATED to include fiery verses from Lupe Fiasco, Lecrae, Remy Ma, Vic Mensa, Elzhi and more. The last few weeks have brought some killer freestyles. Here's a video playlist of some of the MCs dropping the heaviest bars so far in 2014. You'll see Logic, Papoose, King Los, Prevail and... Read more

Here is One of the Best Freestyles You’ve Heard in Weeks. GUARANTEED (Video)

Time and time again, Sway's Five Fingers of Death has been the vehicle that separates the MC's from the wannabes. Prevail, from Swollen Members, has firmly established himself as the former. The elite MC tackled 5 random tracks, of different BPMs and genres, and destroyed them...OFF THE TOP. Many are... Read more

Fat Joe Calls Himself A “KRS-One Groupie,” Performs Flow Joe On The Spot + Freestyles (Video)

Fat Joe's history can be deceiving. A household name, globally-recognized icon, Joe Crack is also a founding member of D.I.T.C., and has at least two albums that are hardcore Hip-Hop gems. If anybody knows this, it's Sway Calloway, who's has Joe on his shows for over 21 years and counting.... Read more

To All The Strong Freestyles In 2014, Locksmith’s Latest May Take Your Seat (Video)

From E-40 to Tajai to Del to Brotha Lynch Hung, the Bay area has some amazing lyricists in Hip-Hop history. Locksmith hopes to further that trend. Once a protege of Spice 1/Ice Cube producer E-A-Ski, Locksmith has worked extensively with Ski Beatz and others in a cross-coast movement that puts... Read more

With A LOX Album Brewing, Mister Cee Honors Styles, Jadakiss & Sheek With A Best Of Mix (Audio)

From his ties to Bad Boy Records as well as HOT 97, Mister Cee had a bird's eye view of The LOX's rise to prominence throughout the late '90s. The trio of Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, and Styles P have only released two studio full-lengths, but like their Diplomats homies, rumors... Read more

Holy _____!! King Los Dropped 1 of the Best Freestyles in AGES (Video)

You may remember King Los as having dropped one of the best of all the responses to Kendrick Lamar's Control verse. Well, he's back, and now he has done a freestyle that is 1 of the best in years. He tackled Sway's 5 Fingers of Death and just plain DESTROYED... Read more

Angel Haze Freaks Many Styles In A Tribe Called Red (Video)

With just one album under her belt, Dirty Gold, Angel Haze is making plenty of noise. The Detroit, Michigan native defies convention, kicking hard bars, and then breaking into catchy bridges and choruses. This is definitely true of "A Tribe Called Red," from the aforementioned LP. The compelling visual plays... Read more

AFH Celebrates Biggie Smalls with a Playlist of His Videos & Some Classic Freestyles (Video)

We continue our all day celebration of The Notorious B.I.G., on the anniversary of his passing, with a playlist of some of his videos as well as clips of classic freestyles with Tupac, Nas, Lil Cease and more. Click play and reminisce on the life and legacy of Biggie Smalls... Read more

Rockie Fresh Delivers 1 of the Best Backroom Freestyles Yet (Video)

Chicago's Rockie Fresh delivers one of the best Backroom freestyles yet. He matches a laid-back slick delivery with several clever couplets. Instead of lyrical gymnastics, he leaves you with food for your mental. Check out the video. Related: Rockie Fresh & Casey Veggies Celebrate Life (Video)... Read more

Big L Rest in Peace: 15 Classic Big L Freestyles (Audio)

Rest in Peace to Big L who passed away 15 years ago today. To celebrate his too short life but enduring legacy, NahRight & Up North Trips have assembled a compilation of 15 classic Big L Freestyles. Check out the legendary Big L/Jay Z freestyle below and a link to... Read more

Common Has 3 Gold Albums, And He Still Freestyles Completely Off The Top (Video)

Common Sense has three Gold albums (Like Water For Chocolate, Be, and Finding Forever). Still, the major label artist and actor holds to the Hip-Hop fundamentals of freestyling. Many Comm concerts feature a freestyle where the Chicago, Illinois MC works in local street names, restaurants, and other landmarks. He brought... Read more

Nas’ 20th Anniversary Edition Of Illmatic, Includes Rare Q-Tip Remix, Freestyles & More

In April of 2014, one of Hip-Hop's true classics turns 20 years old. Nas' 1994 debut Illmatic will blow out its candles in style, as the Columbia/Ruffhouse Records release gets an expanded edition, confirmed today via iTunes, courtesy of 2DopeBoyz. Like the 10th anniversary version (which felt like it came... Read more

MC Serch Freestyles Off the Top of the Dome on the Arsenio Show. It’s Like 1990 all Over Again (in a Dope Way) (Video)

3rd Bass' MC Serch was on the Arsenio Hall Show to promote the launch of Serch's own talk show. At the end of the interview, Serch kick a true off the top freestyle, OG style. Check out the video. Related: 3rd Bass’ MC Serch Gets An Afternoon TV Talk Show.... Read more