biggie 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

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

One Of JAY-Z’s Most Infamous Crimes Was A Lie

Since 1999, the world has been led to believe that JAY-Z stabbed record executive Lance "Un" Rivera in the back due to Jay's belief that Un had bootlegged and leaked JAY-Z's Vol. 3… Life and Times of S. Carter album weeks before its release date. The incident occurred at an... Read more

May 21, 2023 News, 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

JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole & More Share Secrets For Greatness

J. Cole interviews are a rarity these days. Fresh off Dreamville's recent Creed III: The Soundtrack display, J. Cole sat down for a rare public conversation. However, it was not promoting the compilation that includes a new Cole solo song to a vintage, recycled Dr. Dre beat. Instead, Jermaine sat... Read more

March 25, 2023 Video

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

Tupac & Biggie Are Being Impersonated By An AI Chatbot

It has been more than a quarter-century since Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls passed. Both Rap legends made an indelible mark on Hip-Hop in their short careers. Long after their tragic deaths (six months apart in 1996 and 1997, respectively), music and art continue to flourish from both slain legends.... Read more

January 27, 2023 News

See Portraits Of Biggie, J. Dilla, Phife & More If They’d Lived To Grow Old

More than with any other genre, Rap artists seem to perish far too young. While that has disproportionately been driven by altercations that could have been resolved differently, there have also been a number of MCs who have succumbed to other fates. Phife Dawg, from A Tribe Called Quest, succumbed... Read more

November 17, 2022 Video

Joey Bada$$ Calls Out MCs Who Perpetuate Genocide In A Powerful Performance

There have been at least 59 Rap artists who have died from gun violence. That's more than one per year for a Hip-Hop genre which is less than 50 years old. Last night (October 4) at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, during the performance of the night, Joey Bada$$... Read more

October 5, 2022 TV, TV/Film, Video

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

July 12, 2022 Video

Why Michael Jackson Refused To Be On Tupac’s Makaveli Album

In the final weeks of his life, Tupac Shakur prepared an album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Having already dropped a chart-topping double album earlier in 1996, Shakur was fast at work following up his Death Row Records debut. Don Killuminati was a pioneering idea, originally intended to... Read more

June 26, 2022 Throwback

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

June 21, 2022 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

Lil Wayne Names His Top 5 & Missy Heads The Pack

Lil Wayne was a recent guest on What's Wright? With Nick Wright. There, the FOX Sports commenter and the New Orleans, Louisiana Rap superstar discussed the Green Bay Packers, Rap peers, and more. For Hip-Hop Heads, Wayne was asked to offer his Top 5 rappers list. “I got...for me, first:... Read more

May 7, 2022 Video

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

Cordae Freestyles Over Biggie’s Beat & Blacks Out

As 2022 gets underway, Cordae has delivered the freestyle to beat. Approaching his star-studded sophomore album, From A Bird's Eye View, releasing tomorrow (January 14), Cordae swung by the L.A. Leakers to demonstrate his skills. From the top, he warns that there should be a two-month waiting period before another MC... Read more

January 13, 2022 Video

Nas’ Directorial Debut Celebrates Video Music Box

Tomorrow (December 3), Nas will make his directorial debut with You're Watching Video Music Box. The Showtime documentary, produced by Mass Appeal, celebrates the show created by "Uncle" Ralph McDaniels that initially aired on New York City's WNYC-TV channel. A Queens native, McDaniels launched the show in 1983 and featured music... Read more

December 2, 2021 TV/Film, Video

Joell Ortiz Names His Top 5 Brooklyn MCs

This month, Joell Ortiz delivered a new album, The Autograph. The release, embedded below, marks Ortiz's fourth with indie stalwart Mello Music Group. After a career cultivated by rapping his circumstances directly to the listener, Joell somehow goes even deeper on his new album. As he tells Ambrosia For Heads' What's The Headline podcast (embedded... Read more

November 23, 2021 Exclusive, Interview, Video

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

Legendary Hip-Hop Photographer Chi Modu Has Passed Away

One of Hip-Hop's most legendary photographers has died. In a developing story, members of the Hip-Hop community are mourning the passing of Chi Modu, who shot iconic images of Biggie Smalls, Tupac Shakur, Eazy-E, Mobb Deep, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and LL Cool J, to name a few. Smif-n-Wessun's General... Read more

May 22, 2021 News

DMX’s New Album Features Nas, JAY-Z, Griselda & More. Here’s The Tracklist

UPDATE: Swizz Beatz has released the full tracklist for DMX's Exodus album, which will be released on May 28, and it is even more star-studded than previously reported. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Swizz Beatz (@therealswizzz) Here is the full tracklist: 1. “That’s My Dog” feat.... Read more

May 11, 2021 Video

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

JAY-Z’s Sale Of TIDAL Will Transform How Artists Are Paid For Music

Just weeks after selling half of his stake in Ace of Spades, JAY-Z made another power move. Hip-Hop's first billionaire mogul sold his stake in Tidal to investor Jack Dorsey's Square company in a reportedly $297 million deal this month. Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, also leads the mobile payment company, which now welcomes... Read more

March 9, 2021 Audio, Video

Little Shawn Describes The 1994 Tupac Shooting & Insists He Was Not Involved (Video)

Rapper Little Shawn has an incredible Hip-Hop story. A native of East Flatbush, Brooklyn, the veteran MC-turned-dietician sat with Drink Champs for more than three hours. Over the course of the discussion, the guest (who now goes by Shawn Pen) details the mutual respect he shares with JAY-Z. Shawn recalls... Read more

March 1, 2020 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

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

Lil’ Kim & Lil’ Cease Make Peace After 15 Years On Biggie’s Birthday (Video)

In 1995, Junior M.A.F.I.A. released a Top 10-charting debut album in Conspiracy. Executive produced by The Notorious B.I.G. (who vocally participated on more than half of the project), the LP made key introductions from rapping members Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease. Both Brooklyn representatives, Kim and Cease would follow Conspiracy... Read more

May 22, 2019 News

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

Vic Mensa Says Biggie Knew Who Shot Pac & Suge Knew Who Shot Big In A Fiery Freestyle

As has been the case throughout the last five years, Vic Mensa had a busy 2018. The Chicagoan showed no signs of slowing down or taking a pause this year, both in terms of making music and staying in some headlines. Mensa released Hooligans on Roc Nation. The eight-song release... Read more

December 28, 2018 Video

Torae Offers A Rap Tutorial For MCs Looking To Build Careers. Take Notes. (Audio)

The Coney Island native and multi-talented artist Torae is dropping new music this season. His last album, Entitled, dropped back in 2016. However, the gap between projects is no reflection of this veteran's work ethic. In recent years, the Barrel Brothers member has filmed several commercials and appeared in a... Read more

September 22, 2018 Audio

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

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

J. Cole Says He Has The Best Flow Since Biggie On A Devastating New Freestyle (Video)

J. Cole is about to embark on his KOD Tour, hitting 36 cities across North America, and has been strategically building anticipation as the days get closer to the kickoff in Miami (August 9, 2018). Having previously tweeted out "Feed me beats. Everything gettin murdered.," Cole has now dropped a... Read more

August 7, 2018 Video

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

A New Film Will Show The Conspiracy & Cover Up Of Who Shot Biggie (Video)

Yesterday (May 21), The Notorious B.I.G. would have turned 46 years old. Due to violence and tragedy, that never got to happen. On March 9, 1997, 24-year-old Christopher Wallace was fatally shot in a drive-by outside The Peterson Auto Museum in Los Angeles, California. While Biggie's murder remains unsolved, there... Read more

May 22, 2018 TV/Film, Video

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

Tupac Hit Up Many More People Than Biggie In His Original Makaveli Liner Notes

Tupac was not alive for the release of his fifth solo album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. However, he was promoting and working on the LP at the time of his September 13, 1996 death. Fresh off the success of double-album, All Eyez On Me, Tupac wrote and... Read more

April 5, 2018 News, Throwback

Kurupt Recalls Snatching The “New York, New York” Beat Back From Biggie

In September of 1995, Tha Dogg Pound released the first single from their debut album, Dogg Food. "New York, New York" proved to be a controversial record, even if it is rooted in a 1983 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five single. The '95 Death Row Records version arrived five... Read more

March 26, 2018 Throwback

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

Lil’ Kim Confirms Recent Accounts Of Biggie’s Violence With Details Of Her Own (Video)

Last month, So So Def Records founder Jermaine Dupri told Drink Champs about witnessing Biggie Smalls threaten Lil' Kim at gunpoint during an Usher studio session. Dupri, who produced the resulting song ("Just Like Me") alleged, "So what [Biggie] did was he wrote the rap for Lil’ Kim…This was the... Read more

November 4, 2017 Video

Jermaine Dupri Describes Biggie Threatening Lil’ Kim At Gunpoint (Video)

NOVEMBER 4 UPDATE: Lil' Kim has since confirmed Jermaine Dupri's report, with some additional clarifications. ORIGINAL OCTOBER 27 STORY: The Notorious B.I.G. and Junior M.A.F.I.A. protege, Lil' Kim had a complicated relationship. Biggie Smalls groomed Kim in his group offshoot, and had a documented romantic affair, despite the rapper's marriage... Read more

October 27, 2017 Video

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

September 26, 2017 Lifestyle

A Video Traces The “Migos’ Flow” Back To Public Enemy, Bone Thugs & Biggie

Back in 2014, Snoop Dogg criticized what he said was the conformity of rappers in the contemporary scene. “Everybody’s trying to rap the same style, I don’t know who created it—if it was Future or Migos, but they all sound the same,” he said. Snoop then mocked the broken-up patter... Read more

September 16, 2017 Video