bad boy ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

Legendary DJ Mister Cee Has Passed Away

Legendary DJ, radio personality, and Hip-Hop producer Mister Cee has reportedly died. The Brooklyn, New Yorker born Calvin LeBrun was instrumental to the careers of The Notorious B.I.G. and Big Daddy Kane during a career that lasted over 35 years. He was believed to be 57 years old at the... Read more

April 10, 2024 News, Trending Stories

Diddy Steps Down As Revolt Chairman

This month, one of Hip-Hop's most influential and successful moguls is the center of multiple accusations from two women, including one of his artists and ex-girlfriends. In the wake of these allegations, including a recent eight-figure settlement, Sean "Diddy" Combs has stepped down as Chairman of Revolt. The decision comes... Read more

November 28, 2023 News, Trending Stories

Diddy Has Given Bad Boy Artists Their Publishing Back

In the last decade, Diddy has reunited members of the Bad Boy Records family on tour and on televised concerts. The label founder has worked with Ma$e, The LOX, Faith Evans, 112, Carl Thomas, Total, and others years after they stopped releasing projects through the famed label. However, while Bad... Read more

September 5, 2023 News

Heavy D’s Impact On Hip-Hop Cannot Be Overstated

There have been a number of valiant attempts to highlight some of the most significant Hip-Hop moments, milestones and people of the last half century. The 2023 Grammy Awards dedicated nearly 15 minutes to an epic tribute featuring performances by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J,... Read more

July 22, 2023 Food for Thought

Black Thought & Black Rob Black Out On A New Song

Two years ago, the talented Black Rob passed away from various reported health complications, including a heart attack, multiple strokes, diabetes, and kidney failure. It happened in the same one month period where Hip-Hop mourned the passings of (onetime Black Rob collaborator) DMX and Digital Underground's Shock G. The former... Read more

June 16, 2023 Audio

Method Man Explains Why He Did Not Want To Do All I Need

Method Man won a Grammy Award for his Mary J. Blige collaboration "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By." The song, which originated as a track on Meth's 1994 solo debut Tical, went on to receive a Puff Daddy remix, and become a classic in both... Read more

June 12, 2023 Video

The D.O.C. Explains Why Biggie Is His #1 MC

In September of 1994, photographs were taken of The D.O.C., The Notorious B.I.G., Craig Mack, and Saafir together. The historic moment combining MCs from Texas, New York, California happened backstage at Chicago, Illinois' Riviera Theatre. That month, Bad Boy Records was amid its "Big Mack" campaign, when Craig Mack released... Read more

May 15, 2023 Exclusive, Interview, Video

Bad Boy vs. Ruff Ryders: The Greatest Rap Crew Competition

In recognition of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, BET Digital, in partnership with Ambrosia For Heads, is celebrating the culture by hosting a bracket-style competition that allows you to determine Hip-Hop’s greatest crew. Rather than having “experts” tell you who is the greatest of all-time, this is your opportunity to collectively make that... Read more

May 1, 2023 Greatest Rap Crew

How Biggie Went From Ashy To Classy: By People Who Styled Him

Biggie Smalls was the illest...Big had a top-notch flow, a booming voice, and lyrics drenched in authenticity and humor. The all-time great MC born Christopher Wallace said it was all a dream, and then he took us on a ride from his time as a stressed-out kid in the streets... Read more

February 28, 2023 Audio, Exclusive

Ma$e Releases A Video Announcing He’s Signing To Death Row

It has been just six months since Snoop Dogg announced he acquired Death Row Records, and there has been newfound excitement around the record label originally founded by Dr. Dre and Suge Knight. Tha Dogg Pound announced that they have returned to Death Row after more than 20 years away and are working... Read more

August 4, 2022 Fresh, News, Video

Kanye West Praises Diddy As A Hero While Dressed Like A Supervillain

Twenty-five years ago, Diddy released No Way Out, his first album as an artist after serving as an executive and producer for others throughout the decade. Puff Daddy & The Family, his crew at the time, included The LOX, Ma$e, the late Black Rob—all featured on the cover art, and... Read more

June 27, 2022 News, TV, TV/Film, Video

Biggie Smalls’ Demo Tape Collaborator DJ 50 Grand Has Passed Away

DJ 50 Grand played a pivotal role in the career of Biggie Smalls. The Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn native born Kevin Griffin has reportedly died over last weekend at the age of 55. No cause of death has been made public. Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Cease, Revolt, and Andscape's Justin Tinsley... Read more

June 15, 2022 News

Benny The Butcher Adds 10 Crack Commandments To Biggie’s List

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... Read more

March 11, 2022 Audio

RZA Explains Why Tupac Was More Dangerous Than The Notorious B.I.G.

Wu-Tang Clan's RZA was a contemporary of both Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. The Abbott produced "Long Kiss Goodnight" from Biggie's diamond-certified double-album Life After Death, a song that many Hip-Hop Heads interpreted to be one of the Brooklyn, New York MC's responses to Pac—even after Shakur was fatally... Read more

October 16, 2021 Video

Chucky Thompson, Producer Of Hits For Biggie & Nas, Has Passed Away

Legendary Hip-Hop and R&B producer Chucky Thompson has died. Moments ago today (August 10), Young Guru confirmed the news. Thompson worked for over 30 years in music, producing hits including The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa," Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)," and Nas' "One Mic," along with an extensive... Read more

August 9, 2021 News

Former Bad Boy Star Black Rob Has Passed Away

UPDATE: The New York Times has provided additional information surrounding Black Rob's death. In an obituary by Jesus Jiménez and Joe Coscarelli, the newspaper confirmed that the man born Robert Ross was 52 years old. They also reported that he passed at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. Mark Curry, a friend of... Read more

April 17, 2021 News

T Dot Eric Recalls Documenting The 1995 Source Awards Clash From The Front Row

Photographer T Dot Eric has taken some of the pictures that have defined how Hip-Hop thinks of its heroes. His work includes legendary flicks of Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, Big L, D'Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Gang Starr, De La Soul, and Black Star—only to name a few. T.... Read more

March 30, 2021 Video

Ma$e Says Diddy Is Still Robbing And Enslaving Artists

Last Saturday night (January 25), Diddy made an impassioned speech ahead of the 62nd annual Grammy Awards. The Bad Boy Records founder and veteran artist/producer threatened to boycott the televised event if things do not change in the next 365 days. He asked others to do the same. “In the... Read more

January 31, 2020 News

Diddy Blasts The Grammys For Not Respecting Hip-Hop & Calls For A Boycott (Video)

Last night (January 25) Sean "Diddy" Combs received the annual Icon Award in Beverly Hills, California. There, just ahead of the 62nd Grammy Awards and at an official Pre-Grammy Gala, the three-time winner blasted the Recording Academy for the areas which they need to improve—especially in how they treat Black... Read more

January 26, 2020 News, Video

Biggie Smalls Is Nominated For The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

Last month marked 25 years since The Notorious B.I.G. released his debut album, Ready To Die. This morning, the impact of Biggie Smalls' short-but-amazing career is reinforced with a nomination into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. The Brooklyn, New Yorker born Christopher Wallace is in a nomination class... Read more

October 15, 2019 Fresh, News

Shaq Claps Back At Damian Lillard & Disses Charles Barkley In The Crossfire

Days ago, Damian Lillard released his second Shaquille O'Neal diss track, "I Rest My Case." The current NBA star persisted to call out the Hall Of Famer player's rapping abilities. This came after Shaq responded to some comments Dillard made on The Joe Budden Podcast about his MC skills back... Read more

October 7, 2019 Audio, Fresh, News

Puff Daddy Details How “I’ll Be Missing You” Saved His Life & Put Hope In Rap Music

Earlier this month, the third season of Hip-Hop Evolution released on Netflix. Hosted by veteran London, Ontario MC Shad, the documentary series continues to tell the stories of our culture through intimate interviews, rare footage, and all the right music. In Season 3, Episode 2, "Life After Death," Biggie's later... Read more

September 15, 2019 TV, TV/Film

25 Years Later, Easy Mo Bee & Mister Cee Recall Making Biggie’s Ready To Die (Video)

This week (September 13) marks the 25th-anniversary of The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album, Ready To Die. Part of Bad Boy Records' "B.I.G. Mack" campaign, Biggie Smalls and Craig Mack took the fledgling label to new places in September of 1994. Since its release, Biggie's breakthrough LP has been certified six-times-platinum... Read more

September 11, 2019 TV/Film, Video

This Biggie & James Brown Mashup Mix Deserves B.I.G. Playback (Audio & Video)

Biggie Smalls and James Brown are both gone. However, the music from both world-class entertainers is indelible. In the '60s and early '70s, James Brown laid out a blueprint of Funk, Soul, and Rhythm & Blues that would become a foundation for Hip-Hop. The DJs who inspired young Christopher Wallace... Read more

August 15, 2019 Audio, Mixes, Video

Mary J Blige & Method Man Show Their Duet Still Has Mad Love To Give (Video)

Last night (June 23), the 19th BET Awards took place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. For many Heads, the highlight of the evening surrounded Mary J. Blige, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The Yonkers, New York representative also performed a medley of her hits, spanning nearly... Read more

June 24, 2019 TV, TV/Film, Video

Schoolboy Q Said He’s Puff Daddy. His New Video Makes It Official.

Early this morning, ScHoolboy Q released his first solo music in nearly three years. Following 2016's Grammy-nominated The Blank Face LP, "Numb Numb Juice" marks a loud and proud return. Groovy Q wasted no time with the visuals to the song, which clocks in at less than 2:00 in length.... Read more

March 14, 2019 Video

DJ Quik Says Suge Knight Had Diddy’s Child’s Mother In His Room After The Source Awards

On August 3, 1995, that year's Source Awards took place at Madison Square Gardens' Paramount Theater. The event is seismic in Rap music history, as it marks the shots heard 'round, disses from the podium at the magazine's event. In the aftermath of the situation, for those in attendance and... Read more

January 24, 2019 Audio, Throwback

Kim Porter, Mother Of 3 Children With Puff Daddy, Has Been Found Dead

For much of the 1990s and 2000s, Kim Porter was Puff Daddy's companion. They have three children together. Today (November 15), the 47-year-old Columbus, Georgia native was found dead in her Toluca Lake, California home. A representative for Kim Porter confirmed the news and asked for privacy for the family.... Read more

November 15, 2018 News

MGK Pours Some Out For Eminem’s Dying Relevance (Video)

"I think the world was watching. I think I stepped up and did what no one in the history of Hip-Hop has done," MGK proclaimed on The Breakfast Club this morning, referring to his bout with Eminem. "And I think I gave people one of the funnest weeks in Hip-Hop... Read more

September 20, 2018 Video

Jay Electronica Threatens Eminem For Saying Puffy Had Tupac Killed

Earlier today (September 14) Eminem sent shock waves through the Rap community with his latest MGK diss, "Killshot." The second Em offensive aimed at the Cleveland, Ohio rapper in the last three Fridays was in response to the Bad Boy Records artist's "Rap Devil," a scathing reply to Slim Shady's... Read more

September 14, 2018 News

Eminem Fires A Killshot Diss At MGK & Diddy Gets Caught In The Crossfire (Audio)

On Wednesday, Eminem told Sway Calloway he was going to think things over before replying to MGK. “I’m gonna sit back, and I’m gonna wait for a second, just to see…because if people start firing off, and I try to answer every-f*cking-body that I dissed on Kamikaze, I’ma be [in... Read more

September 14, 2018 Audio, News

Kurupt Explains How He & DMX Made Peace 20 Years After Their Beef Over Foxy Brown (Video)

Two years after the Tupac and Biggie Smalls beef came to a screeching and tragic halt, tensions lingered between East and West Coast Rap communities. At the center of a 1999 beef was Kurupt—whose role in 1995's "New York, New York" helped escalate a feud to begin with. While the... Read more

September 13, 2018 Video

MGK Is The First To Fire Back At Eminem & He Gets Personal (Video)

On Friday (August 31), Eminem ambushed several figures in the Rap industry and media with his Kamikaze album. The sneak-attack release addresses a host of Rap peers, from Shady Records artist (via Slaughterhouse) Joe Budden to apparent jabs at Drake, along with pokes at Brand Nubian's Lord Jamar and Tyler,... Read more

September 3, 2018 News, Video

Pete Rock Says Biggie Wanted The Main Ingredient Interlude Beats For His Album (Audio)

UPDATE: Pete Rock clarified today's earlier report regarding his Touré Show interview. The legendary producer, MC, and DJ points out that it is 1994's Main Ingredient, and not Mecca & Soul Brother, whose interlude beats Biggie Smalls wanted: it was main ingredient not mecca ????????‍♂️ — PETEROCK.COM (@PeteRock) August 9,... Read more

August 8, 2018 Audio, Throwback

One Of Biggie’s Final Radio Appearances Is A Moment That Can Never Be Tuned Out (Video)

In today’s Hip-Hop landscape, Sway Calloway is most synonymous with hosting both established and budding MCs at the Shade 45 studios in New York, providing them a globally esteemed platform to showcase their verbal readiness. A successful Sway In The Morning appearance has become somewhat of a seal of approval for... Read more

July 26, 2018 Do Remember

J. Prince Reveals The Original Plan For Scarface & Tupac’s “Smile” (Video)

J. Prince has shunned the spotlight for much of Rap-A-Lot Records' 32 years of business. The label's founder, the man born James Smith, has gone public in a very big way this year. The Houston, Texas native published his memoir The Art And Science Of Respect. Right as the text... Read more

July 17, 2018 Throwback, Throwback, Video

Craig Mack Explains Why He Chose Redemption Over Revenge, In His Last Interview (Video)

Rapper Craig Mack passed away this March. The Long Island, New York native was deeply mourned in the Hip-Hop community at a time when he had recently reconnected with early mentor Erick Sermon (as well as Method Man and Mr. Cheeks on "Come Thru"), and was said to be working... Read more

June 15, 2018 Video

Jadakiss Explains Why With The LOX It’s Never Been All About The Benjamins (Video)

Twenty years ago, on DMX's "Blackout," Jadakiss spit, "You pay 30 for the 'Kiss, a 100 for The LOX / And if we cool, then I write a hook for a drop." In 1998, Jada' was quoting prices to artists looking for those features to do, as he rapped, "boost... Read more

June 14, 2018 Video

Snoop Claims Biggie Tried To Have Him Shot & Explains How They Made Peace (Video)

While Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls had the most storied and ultimately tragic Rap beef in history, there were other moments that greatly defined a coastal conflict between the Death Row and Bad Boy labels. In 1995, there was a shooting in Red Hook, Brooklyn while Tha Dogg Pound and... Read more

June 11, 2018 Throwback, Video

A$AP Rocky’s Diddy Collabo Heats Up The Summer, Harlem Style (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let AFH 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 go back and listen... Read more

May 26, 2018 Audio

Do Remember When Biggie & The LOX Flexed A Freestyle Over Wu-Tang’s C.R.E.A.M. (Audio)

Earlier this week, Styles P was on The Breakfast Club to promote his newly-released G-Host album. During the interview discussion, co-host Charlamagne Tha God mentioned The LOX and The Notorious B.I.G.'s important collaborative freestyle appearance on early 1997's The Mixtape Vol. II: 60 Minutes Of Funk by Funkmaster Flex. He... Read more

May 10, 2018 Do Remember

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

April 30, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Group: Clipse vs. The LOX. Who Is Better?

UPDATE: Ambrosia For Heads treats its "Finding The GOAT" battles with the utmost care for accuracy and authentic results. Over the weekend, we detected fraudulent voting in the results of our most recent battle. It was the only battle of the current tournament where voter fraud was identified. To prevent... Read more

April 16, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Group: Clipse vs. The LOX. Who Is Better?

UPDATE: Ambrosia For Heads identified fraud in this poll. A new, 24-hour ballot has been created for this battle using new voting tools. Voting ends Tuesday (April 17) at the new battle poll. “Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest... Read more

April 13, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

JAY-Z & Diddy Built Empires. Now They Aim To Help Other Black Businesses Grow

JAY-Z and Diddy are two pillars of Black Excellence. These men have built empires that began with music careers, then expanded to record labels, and have extended into apparel, liquor, film, sports, TV, and a host of other ventures at the highest level. Since the '90s, these two men often... Read more

March 20, 2018 Lifestyle, News

Erick Sermon Reveals The Real Reason Craig Mack Did Not Join The Bad Boy Reunion Tour

On March 12, MC Craig Mack died at the age of 47 (earlier reports listed his age as 46). The Bronx-born, Long Island-raised artist who used his real name on records deceased from what coroner's declared as natural causes at his home in Walterboro, South Carolina. Other sources close to... Read more

March 14, 2018 Food for Thought

Craig Mack Has Passed Away At The Age Of 47

MARCH 15 UPDATE: The New York Times has confirmed that Craig Mack was 47 years old at the time of his passing. The Colleton County coroner reports that the rapper died of "natural causes." ORIGINAL MARCH 13 STORY: Craig Mack, the artist who, with his single “Flava In Ya Ear,"... Read more

March 13, 2018 News

Erick Sermon Raises More Than $60,000 & Will Release His 8th Solo Album

FEBRUARY 22 UPDATE: Erick Sermon and Def Squad Records released the following statement to Ambrosia For Heads: "In today's music business, the climate is everything's based on streaming. We have seen drastic changes in the way consumers listen to content. There [are] all different genres of Hip-Hop now some with more commercial... Read more

February 21, 2018 Fresh, Video

Mary J. Blige To Be Presented Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star By Puff Daddy

Thirty years ago, Mary J. Blige recorded an Anita Baker cover at a kiosk in a Westchester, New York mall. From that teenager's rendition of "Caught Up In The Rapture" (which would get her signed by Uptown Records), the Bronx native has taken her talents to the Walk Of Fame... Read more

January 5, 2018 Fresh

20 Years Later, Rhyme & Reason Remains Rap Music’s Ultimate Backstage Pass (Video)

During the late 1990s, Hip-Hop was a seismic force that garnered mainstream recognition as a billion-dollar industry. The culture had invalidated scores of critics who dismissed it as a fad during the previous two decades. Hip-Hop achieved this while rewriting the rules of the music business and redefining the American... Read more

December 7, 2017 Do Remember, TV/Film, Video