You searched for mc battle round 2 - Page 3 of 17Ambrosia For Heads

O.C.’s “Jewelz” At 20: It May Be The True Diamond In His Discography

Following the assassinations of the Rap industry's biggest stars The Notorious B.I.G. in 1997 and Tupac Shakur one year prior, the genre was a powder keg that exploded. The remaining stars of Hip-Hop were trying to figure out how to clean up the mess. Some hardcore outfits like Wu-Tang Clan... Read more

August 19, 2017 Throwback

For The First Time, A Woman Has Won The National DMC DJ Championship

Since 1985 the DMC DJ Championships organization has named DJs representing a vast array of countries the winners of the competition, considered the preeminent battle in the world of turntablism. Roc Raida, Mixmaster Mike, Q-Bert, A-Trak, and Craze are just a few of the gifted disc jockeys to have walked away... Read more

August 9, 2017 News

J.U.I.C.E. Once Beat Eminem In A Battle. Now He Bodies Hulk Hogan In A Freestyle (Video)

In February of this year, famed freestyle and battle MC J.U.I.C.E called out Eminem for a rematch. Before Em' would sign with Aftermath Entertainment and quickly go on to super-stardom, he lost to the Chicago, Illinois MC in a controversial 1997 Scribble Jam final round battle. Proud of his title,... Read more

August 6, 2017 Video

O.D.B. Was One Of The First To Co-Sign Kanye As An MC. The Receipt Proves It (Audio)

In 2002, during an era where mainstream Hip-Hop appeared heavily saturated with gangsterism and hustler narratives, a preppy, middle-class, pink Polo shirt-rockin’ producer from the Chicago suburbs shocked the Rap game by signing to Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records at its pinnacle. While renowned for his distinctive, soulful production, Kanye West had... Read more

August 6, 2017 Throwback

The Comeback Kid: Meek Mill Has Lost Many Battles, But He Just Might Win The War (Video)

Hip-Hop Heads will soon see whether or not Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. will hold the #1 spot on the 200, or if that distinction goes to Tyler, The Creator's Flower Boy, or Meek Mill's Wins & Losses. Projections favor the latter two, which would be a first for the Odd Future front-man... Read more

July 29, 2017 Exclusive, TBD, Video

LL Cool J Wanted To Do A 2nd Collabo With Canibus To Avoid Their Beef (Video)

LL Cool J and Canibus put their beef to bed back in the closing days of 2014. What started out as a rhyme battle (on the very same song) expanded into 17 years of feuding that involved tattoos, subliminal album titles, and a feature on QDIII's Beef DVD series. In... Read more

July 28, 2017 Video

Video Music Box Was The 1st Rap City & Ralph McDaniels Was The Mayor (Video)

Today (July 15), "Uncle" Ralph McDaniels will resume his longstanding post as one of the hosts at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. As he has done in four different decades, Ralph finds Hip-Hop culture in the flesh and transmits his excitement, passion, and belief onto the masses. A DJ, college student,... Read more

July 15, 2017 Exclusive, Food for Thought, TBD, TV, Video

President Obama Inducts JAY-Z As The First MC In The Songwriters Hall Of Fame (Video)

Last night (June 15), Jay Z was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. The first MC or Rap artist to receive the honors was not in attendance for the Manhattan ceremony. He and wife Beyoncé are presently awaiting twins. However, Jay's acceptance speech was replaced with other types of... Read more

June 16, 2017 News, Video

2 Years After PumpkinHead Passed, A New Video Highlights His Undying Wisdom

On June 9, 2015 Robert "PumpkinHead" Diaz died. The Brooklyn, New Yorker had risen the ranks as a battle MC and was well underway into a discography that showed personal depth and creativity. His Rawkus Records-involved Orange Moon Over Brooklyn album with producer Marco Polo was a tremendous late entry... Read more

June 10, 2017 Video

Phonte Raps About How Both Men & Women Are Losing The Battle Of The Sexes (Audio)

As 2017 marches towards its midpoint, Phonte has not released much music. The MC/singer gave us plenty to work with, care of the stellar Tigallerro collaboration in '16, with Eric Roberson. Between albums, Tay has made some crucial feature appearances. Strong Arm Steady's "Best Of Times," The Roots' "The Day,"... Read more

June 5, 2017 Audio

Elzhi-Era Slum Village Rip The Mic In A Never Before Released 2002 Freestyle (Audio)

Few Hip-Hop groups have experienced the setbacks of Slum Village. Two founding members, J Dilla and Baatin, died from health complications in the 2000s. Elzhi left the group, with reports of a less than amicable split between himself and anchor T3. Dilla's brother Illa J also had a stint in... Read more

May 26, 2017 Audio

Aesop Rock Mourns A Fallen MC & Spits Personal Bars Of Pain (Video)

Nine years ago today (May 25, 2008), MC/producer Camu Tao (aka Tero Smith) died after a battle with lung cancer. At a time when his solo career was gaining strong traction, the Columbus, Ohio native was a linchpin to The Weathermen, MHz, S.A. Smash, Nighthawks groups and El-P's Definitive Jux... Read more

May 25, 2017 Video

Here’s The Musical Life Of Ghostface Killah Told In 2 Minutes (Video)

Today (May 9) is the 47th birthday of Ghostface Killah. For just over half of his life (dating back to 1993), the Staten Island, New Yorker has been widely revered as one of the most original, convention-defying lyricists in Hip-Hop. In that esteemed catalog are more than two handfuls of... Read more

May 9, 2017 Video

Joe Budden & Lil Yachty Have A Battle Of The Rap Generations & Neither Backs Down (Video)

Battles between generations in Hip-Hop have existed nearly since the inception of the culture. Grandmaster Melle Mel had issues with KRS-One, challenging him to a battle at KRS' own Boogie Down Productions show. Kool Moe Dee beefed with LL Cool J, who he saw as unjustifiably arrogant. Ice-T took on... Read more

May 2, 2017 Video

Disco Four MC & Rucker Park Basketball Pioneer Greg Marius Passes Away At Age 59

Greg Marius is deeply responsible for two Harlem institutions: Hip-Hop and street basketball. This past weekend (April 22), Marius passed away after a long battle with cancer. He was 59 years old. In the early 1980s, Greg joined Kurtis Blow and Spoonie Gee as one of Uptown Manhattan's early Rap... Read more

April 24, 2017 Lifestyle, News

Joe Budden Says Kendrick Lamar & Royce 5’9 Are The 2 Best MCs In The World (Video)

The release of Kendrick Lamar's latest album has triggered discussion of where he stands in the Hip-Hop pantheon of MCs. Many consider him to be 4 for 4, in terms of outstanding LPs, including Section.80, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, To Pimp A Butterfly and, now, DAMN. As untitled.unmastered. was simply... Read more

April 20, 2017 Video

Raekwon Details Wu-Tang Clan’s Response To U-God’s $2.5 Million Lawsuit

Last November, Wu-Tang Clan member U-God slapped his band-mates with a reported $2.5 million lawsuit. The Staten Island, New York veteran named RZA and brother, manager Mitchell "Divine" Diggs in the lawsuit, and alleged that he had not been paid for any group work since 2013. That period includes a... Read more

April 5, 2017 Fresh

Murs Details Watching Biggie Smalls Lose A Rap Battle To An Unsigned MC (Video)

Many Heads have seen the footage of a pre-deal Biggie Smalls ripping into an opponent in his own neighborhood, outside a Brooklyn storefront (posted below). The Notorious B.I.G. was clearly a battle-tested MC who brought his confidence, wit, and commanding delivery to a decorated career that includes a diamond-certified double... Read more

March 21, 2017 Video

Westside Gunn, Conway & Royce 5’9 Let Off 100,000 Rounds On A Killer Mixtape (Audio)

Things are moving for Westside Gunn and Conway. Fast. Last week, Eminem's Shady Records announced that they had signed with Gunn's Griselda Records for solo and group deals with Gunn and his brother, Conway The Machine, as both solo and group acts. The announcement came with the release of the... Read more

March 8, 2017 Audio

Finding The GOAT Producer (The Final Battle): DJ Premier vs. J Dilla. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

March 7, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Big Daddy Kane & Kool G Rap Battle Song-For-Song, In Concert (Video)

Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap go back together more than 30 years. Since the mid-1980s, these two New York City lyricists were some of the most legendary components in Marley Marl's Juice Crew. In 1986, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo let the world hear something special with... Read more

February 21, 2017 Video

MC Eiht Explains Why His Beef With DJ Quik Was Unlike Any In Rap & Why It Ended (Video)

Last year, MC Eiht detailed ending his beef with Compton, California rival DJ Quik for Vlad TV. Following the high profile 1990s killings of Rap peers Tupac Shakur (who Quik worked closely with) and The Notorious B.I.G., the two men met at BET, where after years, they squashed a violent... Read more

February 20, 2017 Video

J.U.I.C.E. Defeated Eminem In One Of Rap’s Greatest Battles. He Offers A Rematch (Audio)

In 1997, at Cincinnati, Ohio's annual Scribble Jam Festival, Eminem and MC J.U.I.C.E. faced off in what is often considered one of Hip-Hop's greatest battles. At the time, the two Midwestern lyricists were both independent artists looking for a title, and some shine to boot. J.U.I.C.E., the Chicago, Illinois native... Read more

February 3, 2017 Audio

Alchemist & DJ Muggs Win The Wild Card Battle To Join Finding The GOAT Producer

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series, features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots have been reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving beat... Read more

February 1, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Producer. Which 2 Should Join The Top 30?

“Finding the GOAT Producer," the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series, features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots have been reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving beat... Read more

January 31, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Main Source Will Perform Together For The First Time In 25 Years

It has been nearly 25 years since Large Professor left Main Source. In that time, the Queens, New York MC/producer/DJ has not worked with his breakthrough group, consisting of Toronto, Ontario brothers, K-Cut and Sir Scratch. That will be changing, as the Wild Pitch Records trio announced its first show... Read more

January 19, 2017 News

Skillz’s 2016 Rap Up Reminds Us Of The Year’s Highs, Lows & Reasons To Stay Woke (Audio)

2016 is coming to a close. Years from now, how will we, the people, remember such an expansive year in Hip-Hop music, news, and culture? This year, some of the biggest MCs in the genre released new albums. Several of these efforts came in short notice, challenging new distribution platforms... Read more

December 30, 2016 Food for Thought

The 20 Best Freestyles Of 2016. Thought You KNEW (Video)

In Hip-Hop, there are few things more exciting than when an MC delivers a vicious verse that's never been heard before, on the spot. It is the equivalent 0f a monster dunk in an NBA game, a one-punch knockout in a fight or an end zone to end zone run in... Read more

December 28, 2016 Food for Thought

Casual Is Tired Of Facing Lesser MCs, So He Battles Himself (Audio)

Casual stays busy. The Oakland, California veteran MC and co-founder of the Hieroglyphics crew recently released a project with Detroit, Michigan's Phat Kat as Ron Jon Bovi (Neaux Mursi). In late '16, he's back on his solo tear. Attacking Capone-N-Noreaga's famed 1997 "T.O.N.Y. (Top Of New York)" instrumental, "GodKilla" is... Read more

December 12, 2016 Audio

Mistah F.A.B. & Charlie Clips Make It Personal In This Incredible Rap Battle (Video)

Mistah F.A.B. has become one of the best examples of a battle rapper transitioning into a full-on discography. Additionally, Charlie Clips has taken his gifts as one of the premiere MCs in Battle Rap to television through BET Hip-Hop Awards looks as well as appearances on Wild N' Out. On... Read more

December 9, 2016 Video

This 1998 Track By Big L, Ma$e & McGruff Is “Dangerous” To Overlook (Audio)

The corner of 139th Street and Lenox Avenue in Harlem, New York has been immortalized through song several times by the late, great Big L—and also falls on the same block where the “Street Struck” MC tragically lost his life in '99. Affectionately called the “Danger Zone,” the area was... Read more

December 3, 2016 Throwback

Eric B. & Rakim Affiliate, MC and Manager Ant Live Has Passed Away

According to several sources, veteran Hip-Hop figure Ant Live (aka Anthony Barrier) has died. Stetsasonic co-founder Daddy-O and podcast host Combat Jack are among those who have confirmed the news on social media. While the details of Ant's passing are not clear at this time, Rakim spoke about Live's health... Read more

November 18, 2016 News

Super Ugly: The Complete Evolution Of The Jay Z & Nas Beef From 1996 – 2001 (Video)

2016 has been a year of unexpected and multi-layered beefs, many of which have centered around the MC many love to hate: Drake. Over the Summer, Joe Budden and the Toronto MC mixed it up with Budden sending 4 diss records Drake's way in response to two records, "4pm In... Read more

October 29, 2016 Video

A New Mix Celebrates The 20th Anniversary Of Ghostface Killah’s Ironman Album (Audio)

Today (October 29), marks the 25th anniversary of Ghostface Killah's landmark solo debut album, Ironman. To celebrate the anniversary, Up North Trips and Its Overture have put together a new mix, spotted on Ego Trip, to commemorate the LP. In addition to featuring much from Ironman, the mix expands to... Read more

October 29, 2016 Audio

President Obama Gives His Current Top 5 MCs As He Prepares To Leave Office (Audio)

When President Barack Obama took office in 2008, Hip-Hop was in a widely different place. That was the year that Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III sold more than a million copies in its first week available. That year, T.I. made one of his loudest statements in Paper Trail, before going... Read more

October 28, 2016 Audio, Fresh

Joe Budden Discusses Why His Music & Personal Life Are At Their Best In 2016

If you're not constantly challenged, you're probably not doing it right. Joe Budden entered 2016 with a proven career—decorated with a cult music following, reality television history, a podcast, and an Eminem-backed super-group at his side. However, throughout the last 15 years, Joe Budden never seems to get complacent. When... Read more

October 17, 2016 Food for Thought

Common Speaks On Why He’s Not A Conscious Rapper. He’s a Human MC (Video)

In the skit following "The 6th Sense," Common made light of his public image. The Chicago, Illinois MC made a song that fought for Hip-Hop's preservation. Moments after, he made light of the way he appeared to some—as a deeply conscious, lighthearted poet. The same artist who had been involved... Read more

October 10, 2016 Video

Did Chris Rivers Have The Best Verse Of The 2016 BET Cyphers? (Video)

For many Heads, the handful of cyphers that take place during the BET Hip-Hop Awards telecast are some of the most exciting aspects of the event. This year, fans had plenty to look forward to, with State Property, Dead Prez, Biv & Devoe, and others using 2016 to showcase scorching... Read more

October 5, 2016 Video

Why Tupac Is The Most Influential MC Of All-Time 20 Years After His Death

Twenty years ago (September 13, 1996) Tupac Amaru Shakur died in the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. The last year of his life had been his most successful, his most active, and certainly bid to be his most controversial. Shakur, who was born in New York, became a young... Read more

September 13, 2016 Food for Thought

Redman Believes Canibus Was Not Dissing LL Cool J On 4, 3, 2, 1 (Video)

In 2016, LL Cool J and Canibus have come full circle. In late 1997, Uncle L put the young lyricist on the second single to his Phenomenon album. "4, 3, 2, 1" followed 1995's "I Shot Ya" as another possé cut of the reigning Rap star showcasing MCs he believed... Read more

August 31, 2016 Video

Two MCs Try To Eat Chris Rivers’ Lunch In A Cypher Turned Raw Battle (Video)

Celebrants of lyricism in Hip-Hop, particularly in the current generation of artists, have much to tout in Chris Rivers. The son of one of the Greats (Big Pun) has by-and-large forgone the glossy, radio-friendly career path for one built on freestyles and collaborations with like-minded MCs like Joell Ortiz and... Read more

August 29, 2016 Video

Hear One Of The Earliest Rap Battles Ever Recorded From 1981 (Audio)

The Rap Battle has become a pop culture institution. The sport of two (or more MCs) competing has excited Hip-Hop culture since the art of rapping stepped to the front. Some of the most successful and acclaimed MCs began their careers through battling, and distinguished their legacies with combative moments... Read more

August 27, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

20 Years Later, OutKast’s ATLiens Is A Masterpiece Of Space & Time

True to its extraterrestrial theme, OutKast's 1996 sophomore album ATLiens was of another world. Like the "Paid In Full" vocal sample proclaimed, André 3000 and Big Boi added "new color, new dimension, and new value" to the mid-'90s Hip-Hop ethos. Arguably, this came at a time when Hip-Hop's soul needed... Read more

August 25, 2016 Food for Thought

DMX Says He Won Every Battle With Jay Z. Who Won The War? (Video)

In 1999, Jay Z and DMX embarked (and majorly cashed in) on the Hard Knock Life Tour. Although Jay Z's album gave the tour its name, the lineup was a joint headliner of the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder and DMX. Both artists had become the flagship acts at Def Jam Records... Read more

August 13, 2016 Food for Thought, Video

Redman Discusses His Battle Rap Days Spent Rolling With Biz Markie (Video)

To the Hip-Hop record-buying community, Redman's career would largely take shape in 1990, care of EPMD's Business As Usual album. On a Top 40 LP (Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith's first with Def Jam Records), Reggie Noble appeared twice, including single "Hardcore." However, that is not where the Newark, New Jersey... Read more

August 10, 2016 Video

Elzhi & O.C. Are Underground MC Legends. They Sound Great Together (Audio)

Although they run in different circles, Elzhi and O.C. are two highly-skilled MCs who have a lot in common. Over the years, both the Detroit, Michigan native and the Brooklyn, New Yorker have complicated histories with celebrated crews (Slum Village and D.I.T.C., respectively). Both lyricist have history with storied record... Read more

July 5, 2016 Audio

Kevin Hart And James Corden Have A Rap Battle And It Gets Harsh (Video)

Kevin Hart and James Corden are not MCs, but that does not stop them from waging a fierce rap battle. Each man is more than capable of staying on beat and, more importantly, both possess the ability to wield words as weapons in a way like few others. While Corden... Read more

June 18, 2016 Video

Stretch & Bobbito Recall Expectations Around Nas’ Illmatic Release (Audio)

Last night (June 13), Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito The Barber returned to radio, in a new way. The legendary New York City duo conducted two hours of live radio via Samsung 837 approximately 26 years after the pair began with a historic eight-year run at Columbia University's WKCR 89.9FM radio... Read more

June 14, 2016 Audio, Throwback

11 Must-Listen To Albums, EPs & Mixtapes So Far In 2016

Approaching this year's midpoint, there has been some incredible music that will be appreciated long beyond 2016. Like the art itself, the year that is has represented some tectonic shifts in how works are released, consumed, and ranked on the charts. Grammy Award-winning artists are dropping albums without warning—with videos ready to... Read more

June 10, 2016 Food for Thought, Fresh

Chance, Wayne & 2 Chainz Make A Video That Even Skeptics Will Have No Problem Liking

Chance The Rapper has changed his career's scenery quite a bit in the years between Acid Rap and this month's Coloring Book. The Chicago, Illinois MC's first single "Angels" stresses that he is still rolling with the same people he always was, but for fans of the fully-independent MC it... Read more

May 27, 2016 Video

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