AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Archives

André 3000 Shares The Tough Love He Got From Prince

Last month, André 3000 released his first full-length project in over 17 years. The Blue Sun finds the legendary MC/producer focusing his passions on Jazz, with an album rooted in his flute playing—and no rapping and singing. Days after the Epic Records release, André sat down with fellow veteran producer... Read more

Lupe Fiasco Raps Over André 3000’s Flute Music

Earlier this month, André 3000 released his first album in 17 years. New Blue Sun is not only noteworthy as a deviation from OutKast, but the LP also featured no rapping whatsoever. Instead, the Hip-Hop legend opted to play flute. In the days before releasing the Epic Records album, Dre... Read more

André 3000 Explains Why It Feels Inauthentic To Rap

Tomorrow (November 17), André 3000 is releasing his first album in 17 years. New Blue Sun marks Dre's first full-length outside of OutKast. Twenty years ago, André and Big Boi attached two solo projects together for the Speakerboxxx/The Love Below double album that remains Hip-Hop's most recent "Album Of The Year"... Read more

André 3000 Is Releasing A New Album On Friday

Less than one week after earning two Grammy nominations for his 2023 collaboration with Killer Mike, André 3000 has surprised fans with an announcement that he is releasing his first album in over 15 years, New Blue Sun, which will arrive Friday (November 17). The OutKast co-founder's album is eight tracks... Read more

Killer Mike Is Grammy-Nominated For “Best Rap Album”

The nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards announced this weekend (November 10). As the symbolic 50th year for Hip-Hop marches towards its close, there are several nominated albums and songs that exemplify the benchmark year and the culture. Killer Mike’s album, MICHAEL, is a noteworthy inclusion in the “Best Rap... Read more

Black Thought’s Epic Freestyle Is Nominated For A Grammy

The nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards were announced Friday (November 10). As the symbolic 50th year for Hip-Hop marches towards its close, there are several nominated albums and songs that exemplify the benchmark year and the culture. In the "Best Rap Performance" category, Black Thought's "Love Letter" is nominated.... Read more

The 25 Most Important Rap Albums Of Hip-Hop’s First 50 Years

Over the years, countless music lists have laid out the "Greatest" of a particular category–album, artist, song, etc. These lists often cite vague criteria and then lay out what they claim to be objective rankings. But, they are subjective. At Ambrosia For Heads, we have generally provided opportunities for the people... Read more

Killer Mike Refuses To Let Andre 3000 Out-Rap Him On Their New Song

This week (June 16), Killer Mike is preparing his first solo album in over a decade. Down to its title, Michael promises to be a highly-personal LP from the Run The Jewels cofounder who previously made R.A.P. Music, I Pledge Allegiance II The Grind, and his major label debut Monster.... Read more

Many Of Hip-Hop’s Greatest Rappers Name Their Top 5 MCs

Note: Jadakiss recently appeared on ESPN’s Jalen & Jacoby podcast and was asked who his top 5 Hip-Hop groups of all-time were. This article has been updated below with his response, as well as The Game’s top 5 LA Rap albums. A few days ago, during a podcast appearance, Ice... Read more

The Top 20 Rap Albums Of All-Time As Determined By Millions Of Fans

Earlier this month, the Hip-Hop community reacted to the latest high-profile lists ranking the greatest Rap albums of all time. Rolling Stone magazine and a team of journalists and writers ranked 200 Hip-Hop LPs, prompting plenty of reaction. It was not the first list of this kind, and it certainly will not... Read more

Andre 3000’s Most Personal Verse Has Been Liberated

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads sift through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, it’s better than it’s ever been. Not only can we go back and listen... Read more

Andre 3000’s Most Personal Verse Ever May Never Be Released

Andre 3000's rapping remains a big deal. Last month marked 15 years since OutKast's sixth and final album, Idlewild. Since then, Andre Benjamin has carefully picked his spots to share his talent. Even without albums in that time, for many Hip-Hop Heads, he has cemented place among Rap's greatest of... Read more

Drake’s Formula Sells Records But Will Not Give Him A Classic Album (Video)

Last Friday (September 3), Drake released his sixth album, Certified Lover Boy. More than two years in the making, CLB features Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Future, Travis Scott, 21 Savage, Project Pat, Kid Cudi, and others. Like 2018's Scorpion, this Drake LP arrived amid tensions with Kanye West, Pusha-T, and presumably... Read more

Andre 3000 Reacts To Being Dragged Into Drake & Kanye West’s Beef

Throughout his nearly 30-year music career, André 3000 has largely avoided much Rap beef. At the 1995 Source Awards, where Suge Knight symbolically declared war on his cross-country rivals, Dre of OutKast simply wanted to assert to a chippy audience that "the South got somethin' to say," after his group's... Read more

Here Are Some Reasons Why 2000 May Be Hip-Hop’s Greatest Year

At Ambrosia For Heads, we celebrate Hip-Hop throughout the ages. Earlier this year, our What's The Headline podcast launched a series examining the calendar years that made the music and culture reach its full potential. After taking a loving look back at 1984, the next episode drops in on Y2K.... Read more

Anderson .Paak & Andre 3000 Take Home The Grammy For Best R&B Performance

Anderson .Paak and André 3000 won a Grammy tonight (January 26) for their 2019 collaboration, "Come Home." The song took home "Best R&B Performance" honors, besting songs by Daniel Caesar and Brandy, H.E.R. and Bryson Tiller, Lizzo and Gucci Mane, and Lucky Daye. The track belongs to Andy's second album... Read more

Andre 3000 Speaks On Not Having The Confidence To Make New Music (Audio)

Andre 3000 has not released an album in more than 13 years. While Outkast co-founder Big Boi has enjoyed a successful solo career with four titles of his own, "3 Stacks" has pursued work in film and fashion. In recent years, Andre's music is often a departure from Rap, venturing... Read more

From Dreams To Reality…J. Cole’s Squad Has Been Nominated For A Grammy

The nominations for the 2020 Grammy Awards have been announced. The upcoming year's contenders celebrate a host of potential first-time winners, especially in Rap and Hip-Hop. In the "Best Rap Album" category, there are several key contenders. Notably, J. Cole (who has never previously won a Grammy) earned that distinction... Read more

Big K.R.I.T. Explains How Using Other Producers Made Him A Better Writer (Video)

Big K.R.I.T. is finishing the decade strong. In 2010, he delivered a mixtape that elevated the medium in the form of K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. Earlier this year, he offered fans another high-level album in K.R.I.T. IZ HERE. It was an appropriate bookend in a decade where the MC/producer left an... Read more

A 300+ Song Mix Gives The Definitive History Of Southern Hip-Hop (Audio)

For more than 30 years, Rap music from the South has stood out. Many cities have their own sound, slang, and influences. During the 1980s and 1990s, many Southern Hip-Hop artists had to assert that their communities "had something to say" in the Rap music conversation. However, by the late... Read more

Anderson .Paak’s New Song With André 3000 Is Nothing Short Of Amazing (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to... Read more

Scarface Says He Is The GOAT MC & Explains Why

Last month, Justin "The Company Man" Hunte published a special video breaking down his personal "Top 5, dead or alive MCs" list. In the visual essay, the prominent video personality, host, and member of the Ambrosia For Heads team explains his choices, which he asserts are purely music-based. "These five... Read more

Anderson .Paak’s New Album Features Andre 3000 & Nate Dogg

In less than a month (April 12), Anderson Paak will release his fourth solo album, Ventura. It marks the singer/MC/drummer/producer's second release with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, arriving less than six months after Oxnard. Last month, Paak took home a Grammy Award for 2018 single "Bubblin'," his first solo release... Read more

André 3000 Delivers His First Rap Verse In More Than A Year. Listen Here.

Following a leaked tracklist at the top of the year, Electronic musician James Blake revealed his newest album, Assume Form, would arrive on January 18. Blake humbly embraced the leak hype by confirming Assume Form's full tracklist on Instagram, and showed off which Hip-Hop heavyweights were on his collaboration list.... Read more

Big Boi Buys The Dungeon Studio That Birthed Early OutKast Albums

D&D, Can-Am, Chung King. Hip-Hop has its fair share of famous recording studios. In Atlanta, few labs rival the notoriety of The Dungeon. This grimy, no-frills lair in Rico Wade's mother's basement in Lakewood Heights section of East Atlanta, Georgia would be a meeting place and breeding ground for some... Read more

How OutKast Begrudgingly Made One Of The Best Christmas Rap Records Of All-Time

Twenty-five years ago this season, OutKast released their first single, "Player's Ball." Big Boi and André 3000 had appeared on TLC's remix to "What About Your Friends" as teenagers in 1992. Like that opportunity, "Player's Ball" was birthed out of LaFace Records trying to cross-promote its fledgling Rap duo. For... Read more

Big Boi’s Tiny Desk Performance Is So Fresh & So Clean (Video)

From the nearly flawless catalog he put together as half of OutKast to his celebrated solo catalog, Big Boi is a 25-year-legend in Hip-Hop. NPR released their latest Tiny Desk concert series episode, and it includes Big Boi and his Dungeon Family associate Sleepy Brown. The Organized Noize producer/singer performs... Read more

Finding The GOAT Group: OutKast vs. Wu-Tang Clan. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition 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 (which has been determined), including the possibility... Read more

Which One Of These Hip-Hop Groups Will Be Named The Best Of All-Time?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot was reserved for a wild-card entry, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

Finding The GOAT Group: OutKast vs. Gang Starr. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition 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 (which has been determined), including the possibility... Read more

Finding The GOAT Group: OutKast vs. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition 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 (which has been determined), including the possibility for... Read more

Finding The GOAT Group: OutKast vs. Migos. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition 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 (which has been determined), including the possibility... Read more

DJ Paul Gives The Secret History To UGK & OutKast’s “Int’l Players Anthem”(Video)

"Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" is one of the biggest Hip-Hop collaborations of the 2000s, and contends as one of the greatest Rap mergers of all-time. Featuring OutKast, UGK's record and thematic video became a jet-pack for Bun B and Pimp C's long-awaited fifth (and eponymous) album to reach... Read more

Andre 3000’s First 2 Songs Of The Year Are In Loving Tribute To His Mother (Audio)

André 3000 does not release solo songs, at least not recently. The OutKast co-founder has spent the last dozen years making key appearances alongside other artists, and fans clamor for them. 3000's sought-after guest words have knighted the likes of Frank Ocean and Travis Scott. Three Stacks has dropped dazzling... Read more

Finding The GOAT Group: OutKast vs. 8Ball & MJG. 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

A New Video Shows The Music OutKast Had In The Caddy To Make A Classic Album

Yesterday (April 26) marked the 24th anniversary of OutKast's debut album Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. Looking back, the LP's influence stretches wide, especially for southern Hip-Hop. The Funk-laden, groovy tunes André 3000, Big Boi, and producers/musicians Organized Noize brought to the culture set the standard for everything that wasn't New York or West... Read more

J. Period’s New Mix Blends Verses From OutKast With The Sounds Of Wakanda (Audio)

J. Period has made some of the best, most conceptual, and musically-moving mixtapes of the last 15 years. That gift has led the New York City-based California native to work up close and personal with Black Thought, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas, Q-Tip, and others. Having now earned a #1 album... Read more

With A Clear & Open Mind, Deniro Farrar Aims To Elevate (Video)

The pursuit of self-realization, with an open mind at the forefront, often leads to an abundance of mental liberation. With nearly a decade of releases to his lyrical resume, Charlotte, North Carolina MC, Deniro Farrar, who is the self-proclaimed conductor of “Cult Rap," has confidently arrived to that arena of... Read more

Big Boi Provides Black Panther Screenings For Hospice Patients & Families (Video)

Big Boi appears to be deeply inspired by the Black Panther film. The OutKast co-founder wanted some viewers who may not be otherwise able to see the Marvel film to experience its power and glory. Yesterday (February 23), Daddy Fat Sax and his Celebrity Trailers company bought out an Atlanta,... Read more

Andre 3000 Gives N*E*R*D His First Verse Of 2017 (Audio)

In two separate recent interviews, André 3000 has suggested that he feels out of place with making Hip-Hop music in 2017. Citing his age and a season in his life where he recently lost his parents while sending his son to college, Dre is experimenting. The Rap legend confirms he... Read more

Sweet Love: Why Andre 3000 & Kendrick Lamar Are Infatuated With Anita Baker (Video)

Several high profile R&B acts like Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Loose Ends, and Soul II Soul made music in the 1980s that, through sampling, reference, and homage, can be heard in contemporary Hip-Hop. Babies of the 1980s, '90s, and early 2000s were inevitably raised on Urban Contemporary radio which housed... Read more

Andre 3000’s New Sneaker Line Is Oh So Fresh & So Clean

For the Hip-Hop faithful, any news within the past decade of the iconic and avant-garde, yet bashful André 3000 flexing his creative muscle has been welcomed news. Fresh off of lacing the masses with a short-lived sneak-peak at his first verse of 2017, 3 Stacks is keeping the creative momentum... Read more

Andre 3000 Gives N*E*R*D His First Verse Of 2017 (Audio)

In two separate recent interviews, André 3000 has suggested that he feels out of place with making Hip-Hop music in 2017. Citing his age and a season in his life where he recently lost his parents while sending his son to college, 'Dre is experimenting. The Rap legend confirms he... Read more

All Signs Say Eminem’s New Album Is Less Than 3 Weeks Away (Video)

Hip-Hop news and culture move fast, and it’s easy to miss significant developments. Every week, Ambrosia For Heads takes a look back at the LAST 7 days. This video series, hosted by Justin “The Company Man” Hunte examines the current issues with a colorful rundown of the what, where, and why. While the LAST... Read more

Andre 3000 Said Big Boi Was The Best In OutKast. He’s Really 1 Of The Best In The South (Video)

Big Boi’s latest single from his Boomiverse album (Epic Records) is just as the title has it: a southern affair. Bringing together two of Atlanta’s favorite sons, Gucci Mane alongside Big Boi and featuring a prominent sample from the Underground King from the Lone Star state, Pimp C. Big Boi’s... Read more

Andre 3000 Explains Why Big Boi Is The Best Rapper In OutKast

OutKast's André 3000 is in a season of transformation. The Georgia—born MC, producer, actor, and fashion designer now calls New York City his home. He's leading a line with Tretorn and breaking some of his silence surrounding beats, rhymes, and life. Following his summer conversation with Complex, 3 Stacks spent... Read more

A Study Identifies Words That Make Each MC Unique. Here’s What Defines Some Of The Best.

In 2014, data scientist Matt Daniels released a comprehensive study that stirred up intense discourse in the Hip-Hop community. The analysis dissected over 35,000 lyrics to determine which MCs had the most extensive vocabularies in their rhymes. Now, Daniels has returned with another deep dive into Hip-Hop linguistics, and this... Read more

Yasiin Bey Discusses The Drama That’s Caused Him To Fall Back From The Music Business (Video)

Even since his days as mighty Mos Def, Yasiin Bey does not do many interviews. However, the Black Star MC recently gave Ebro In The Morning more than one hour of his time—reportedly impromptu. The MC/actor/poet and activist jumped in a cab and appeared before Ebro and company to speak... Read more

DOOM Is Opening His Missing Notebook Of Rhymes & Releasing 15 New Songs (Video)

Hip-Hop news and culture move fast, and it’s easy to miss significant developments. Every week, Ambrosia For Heads takes a look back at the Last 7 days. This video series, hosted by Justin “The Company Man” Hunte examines the current issues with a colorful rundown of the what, where, and why. While the Last... Read more

Andre 3000 Thinks He’s Gotten Too Old To Rap. He’s Wrong.

It has been more than a decade since Andre 3000 released any album. The Outkast co-founder has picked his spots since 2006's Idlewild and used scarce verses to freshen his discography. From UGK to Frank Ocean, DJ Unk to Divine Council, 3 Stacks has made those appearances count. However, at... Read more