90s hip hop ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

1 Year After Craig Mack’s Passing, Look Back At Another Song That Has Flava

One year ago today (March 12, 2018), the late-night news of Craig Mack's passing felt like an essential piece of 1990s Rap fabric was ostensibly gone forever. The 47-year-old Long Island, New York representative died from natural causes. His legacy was connected to the genre's elite from the genesis of... Read more

March 12, 2019 Throwback

Casanova & DJ Premier Make Haters Think Twice About What They Say (Video)

Casanova 2X is the type of hard-nosed East Coast MC that always seems to seek out the sounds of DJ Premier. The Brooklyn, New Yorker's mic style can be traced to artists such as M.O.P., The LOX, Bumpy Knuckles, Screwball, and Non-Phixion. The artist that Memphis Bleek ushered into Roc... Read more

August 24, 2018 Video

A Previously Unreleased Gem From J. Dilla & Phat Kat Makes Its World Premiere (Audio)

Whenever a hidden gem from the late J. Dilla's vault surfaces, Hip-Hop Heads always take notice to explore the buried treasure. The iconic producer's former collaborator and fellow Detroit, Michigan native Phat Kat has unveiled a surefire diamond-in-the-rough banger from 1996 that hasn't seen the light of day until now.... Read more

July 25, 2018 Audio

20 Years Ago, The Beastie Boys Reminded Rap Fans That 3 MCs & 1 DJ Is A Winning Formula

1998 was a changing time for Hip-Hop. The attitude of the period was recovering from the killings of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Groups like The Fugees and A Tribe Called Quest separated for solo pursuits. Meanwhile Black Star emerged. Master P's No Limit Records led a marketing battalion that... Read more

July 14, 2018 Food for Thought, Throwback, Throwback

Finding The GOAT Group: Naughty By Nature vs. Digital Underground. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to... Read more

June 4, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

20 Years Ago Grand Puba & Brand Nubian Reunited And Put Egos Aside (Video)

The late 1990s marked a wind of change for Hip-Hop. Radio was changing, video platforms were evolving, and the music industry, especially for Rap, music was scaling upwards, fast. The genre surpassed Country music in sales for the first time in 1998. It was suddenly common to see music videos... Read more

May 17, 2018 Do Remember, Video

Dr. Octagon Releases Its First Video In More Than 20 Years & It’s Right On Time

One week from today (April 6), Dr. Octagon will release its second album with the founding lineup. Moosebumps: An Exploration Into Modern Day Horripilation packs excitement in the careers of Dan The Automator, DJ QBert, and MC Kool Keith. After releasing their latest album's first two singles "Octagon Octagon" and... Read more

March 30, 2018 Video

Luke Cage Season 2 Episodes Are Titled After Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth Songs

Fans of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth now have more incentive to watch the upcoming season of Luke Cage. Viewers of the Marvel series know that its soundtrack is heavily inspired by 1980s and 1990s Hip-Hop. Launching June 22, all of Season 2's episodes are titled after Pete Rock &... Read more

March 7, 2018 TV, TV/Film

GZA & Inspectah Deck’s Cold World Lyricism Still Causes Chills (Video)

Summer may be Hip-Hop's most treasured season. Cookouts, drop-tops, park jams, and "just hangin' out" have spawned plenty of beloved playlist hits. However, the winter section of the year has inspired some incredible Rap music in its own right. Bundled up bars about construction Timbs, 4x4 Landcruisers and Jeeps, skull... Read more

January 18, 2018 Do Remember

Digable Planets Made Jazz-Rap Cool Like Dat For Just About Everybody (Video)

Late, great Gang Starr lyricist Guru ambitiously declared "The '90s will be the decade of a Jazz thing" on the Mo' Better Blues soundtrack single named just that. Jazz-Rap was still an anomaly when groups like Public Enemy, N.W.A., and Boogie Down Productions were pulling extensively from '60s and '70s... Read more

November 9, 2017 Do Remember

Lyor Cohen Explains How Redman Led Def Jam’s Comeback (Video)

During the 1980s Def Jam Records reigned supreme. The label, which burgeoned in co-founder Rick Rubin's New York University dorm room, issued several classic albums from legendary artists. These include LL Cool J's Radio, Slick Rick's The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, Rock & Rock Hall of Fame inductees Beastie Boys and... Read more

October 30, 2017 Video

Soundbombing Was Released 20 Years Ago & Launched A Generation Of Underground Hip-Hop

Twenty years ago this week (October 14, 1997) New York-based independent Hip-Hop label Rawkus Records released Soundbombing Vol. 1. Rawkus' second full-length project boasted Black Moon/Da Beatminerz producer DJ Evil Dee on the mix, and atop its cover touted, "The Ultimate Guide To Underground Hip-Hop." Time would prove it most... Read more

October 19, 2017 Do Remember

Large Professor Speaks On The Targets Of “Fakin’ The Funk” & Why He Attacked The Wack

It goes without saying that 1992 was a turning point year for Hip-Hop. The hardcore and underground Rap scenes from the East, West, Midwest, and South each boasted a myriad of artists with memorable singles and albums to define their respective region's sound. Simultaneously, this period was when Pop music... Read more

October 12, 2017 Do Remember, Exclusive

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

Nas & Ghostface Killah’s Collabos Set The Stage For A Strong A3C (Audio)

Two of New York's finest MCs, Nas and Ghostface Killah, have a great history of bringing out the best in each other when they're on the same track. Both possess intricate storytelling ability, effortless wordplay, and immense street credibility. They've only rhymed together but a few occasions. However, the synergy... Read more

September 19, 2017 News

A New Book Will Teach Kids Their ABCs AND The Importance Of Hip-Hop History

"Back to school season" is heavily upon us. Hip-Hop has increasingly become an integral part of grammar school teachers' pedagogy, and many rappers have contributed to academia with their own children's books. Lordz Of Brooklyn MC, tattoo and graffiti artist Michael "Kaves" McLeer has co-authored a new children's book with... Read more

September 5, 2017 Exclusive, News

Questlove Gets Nostalgic About What Makes ’90s Hip-Hop So Important (Video)

When thinking of quintessential Hip-Hop from the 1990s, the Roots are, without question, included in the conversation. That makes it hard to remember that there was a time when Questlove, Black Thought, and the rest of the band were just fans of the genre and not recording artists. It wasn't... Read more

November 28, 2016 Video