black hippy ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

Jay Rock & Ab-Soul’s New Songs Are Reminders Of TDE’s Greatness

Over the last 10+ years, Top Dog Entertainment has proven itself to be not just one of the greatest record labels of the 2010s, but one of the greatest in the history of Rap music. Built around the Black Hippy collective of Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q,... Read more

October 21, 2023 Audio, Trending Stories

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

August 17, 2023 Exclusive, Food for Thought, Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

The 15 Best Rap Albums Of 2022

As 2022 winds down, it comes time to celebrate the best in Hip-Hop music. As is tradition, the Ambrosia For Heads team weighs in on our opinion of the year's best albums. This list of 15 includes some comeback performances, significant sequel efforts, and collaborative tandems. The collection of LPs also shows... Read more

December 20, 2022 Best Rap Albums Of 2022

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

Ab-Soul Releases His First Song Of 2022

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

April 23, 2022 Audio

Here Are Ambrosia For Heads’ Top 25 Rap Albums Of The Decade

In the final hours of a decade, Ambrosia For Heads presents our Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums. The 2010s were a wild ride, with an onslaught of important new voices, and incredible maturation from veteran MCs. It was a 10-year span where artists and songs were discovered new places (including the... Read more

December 30, 2019 Best Rap Album 2010s

ScHoolboy Q Chops A DJ Premier And Royce 5’9 Sample & Adds Some Boom

In less than 48 hours (April 26), ScHoolboy Q is releasing his fifth album, CrasH Talk. The Grammy-nominated TDE artist had previously dropped two video singles in his LP campaign. Less than six weeks ago, Q led with “Numb Numb Juice." He followed with the Travis Scott-assisted "CHopstix." Now he... Read more

April 24, 2019 Audio

ScHoolboy Q Announces The Title Of His New Album & It’s Coming Soon (Video)

As expected, ScHoolboy Q confirmed that he is dropping a spring 2019 album. However, Groovy Q provided specific details Monday afternoon (April 15). The TDE/Interscope Records release will be called CrasH Talk, and it arrives on Friday, April 26. With the announcement, Q provided some new music in a trailer.... Read more

April 15, 2019 Fresh, News, Video

Jay Rock Shows The Serious Consequences Of Impulsive Decision Making (Video)

Top Dawg Entertainment’s stable of star rappers has been ruling airwaves and charts for the last couple of years. But 2018 saw one of the label’s earliest signings, Jay Rock, step much closer to getting the recognition that he deserves. Although he already had two rock-solid albums under his belt,... Read more

November 14, 2018 Video

Jay Rock & Kendrick Lamar Go Back To Basics In Their “Wow Freestyle” Video

Jay Rock may have dropped his highly praised Redemption album at the top of the summer, but he is still working on the TDE project. The “Wow Freestyle” is the eighth video he has dropped off his third full-length project, which is 13 tracks long. Artists have been saying that... Read more

October 25, 2018 Video

Lil Wayne & Kendrick Lamar Battle Over A Woman & Rap Supremacy On The Carter V (Audio)

After more than five years of anticipation, Lil Wayne has dropped Tha Carter V. He did so as part of his 36th birthday celebration. Released entirely through Young Money Records, this LP defies several trends of 2018. For starters, Wayne goes back in his bag with a project that is... Read more

September 28, 2018 Audio

Kendrick Lamar Will Make His Acting Debut On Power

Some legendary Rap artists have launched acting careers while at the top of their music game. Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, DMX, Queen Latifah, Eminem, Ice-T, and Mos Def are just some of the examples. One of Hip-Hop's reigning kings is now taking that next step. Kendrick Lamar will make his... Read more

July 25, 2018 News, TV, TV/Film

Jay Rock Opens The BET Awards & Takes A Victory Lap (Video)

Fresh on the heels of releasing his third album, Jay Rock was given center stage at the 2018 BET Awards. The Watts, California MC stood in no one's shadow as he performed "Win," the second single from Redemption. Awards host Jamie Foxx joined the Top Dawg Entertainment MC on stage... Read more

June 24, 2018 Video

Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q & Ab-Soul Explain Jay Rock’s Importance To TDE (Video)

According to his latest video single, Jay Rock is winning. While the Watts, California MC is not one to take L's, his fans can agree that he is overdue. It was 11 years ago that the raspy-voiced MC with the pavement poetry was put on the front lines of a... Read more

June 5, 2018 Video

Jay Rock’s Third Album Is Coming In Less Than A Month

Watts, California MC Jay Rock has been quite busy in 2018. The breakout artists on Top Dawg Entertainment since the mid-2000s, Jay appeared on the chart-topping Black Panther soundtrack. Alongside Kendrick Lamar and Future, "Kings Dead" gave Rock his first Hot 100 single (#21) of his career. Moreover, the raspy-voiced... Read more

May 21, 2018 Audio, Fresh

TDE Has Made The Funniest Concert Promo Video Of All-Time

Top Dawg Entertainment is taking its whole show on the road the 2018 Championship Tour. In January, TDE announced cross-country US dates for May and June. At the time, Kendrick Lamar had not yet won a historic Pulitzer Prize for Musical Composition (the first ever going to an artist outside... Read more

April 17, 2018 Video

Kendrick Lamar Receives A Historic Pulitzer Prize For His Last Album

The same week it celebrates its first birthday, Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. has just won a Pulitzer Prize. The album becomes the first piece of music that is not Classical or Jazz to take home the prestigious honor that started 101 years ago in the fields of literature, journalism, and music... Read more

April 16, 2018 News

Q-Tip & Kendrick Lamar Link On A Song That Sounds Like Vintage ATCQ (Audio)

It’s no secret that Kendrick Lamar is heavily influenced by A Tribe Called Quest. During his To Pimp A Butterfly Tour, Lamar made 18,000 concertgoers in Sydney, Australia pay homage to Phife Dawg the day Tribe's co-founder passed away back in 2016. Later that year, fans heard Phife and Lamar... Read more

February 10, 2018 Audio

Black Panther’s Director Reveals How He Got Kendrick Lamar To Curate The Soundtrack

In less than 48 hours, The Black Panther soundtrack will be released (February 9). The TDE/Interscope Records soundtrack tracklist boasts new music from label acts Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, SZA, and Ab-Soul, as well as other popular acts including Future, 2 Chainz, Travi$ Scott, Vince Staples, and Anderson .Paak. Perhaps... Read more

February 7, 2018 Fresh, TV/Film

Kendrick Lamar & The Weeknd’s Collabo Is Fit For A Superhero Journey (Audio)

One week from today (February 9), The Black Panther soundtrack will release on TDE/Interscope Records. With Kendrick Lamar and Top Dawg at the helm, the compilation album has already witnessed strong showings from K-Dot, SZA, and Jay Rock. With the tracklist made available earlier this week, Lamar releases his latest... Read more

February 2, 2018 Audio

Why Jay Rock Is The Unsung Hero Of Top Dawg Entertainment (Video)

In Hip-Hop, the first is not always the biggest. Just as football has its linemen fighting for every inch, Rap music often has its figures that blaze a trail, light a path, or move the boulders for another artist to shoot the resulting gap. This week, TDE announced its Championship... Read more

January 23, 2018 Food for Thought

TDE’s Roster Is Full Of Champions. The Label Announces A 2018 Award Tour

Just 22 days into 2018 TDE appears sending a message about their top dog status in the music industry. With a Kendrick Lamar and SZA-heavy Grammy Awards airing in less than a week (January 28), and a Black Panther soundtrack to follow on February 9, Top Dawg Entertainment has now announced... Read more

January 22, 2018 Fresh

Jay Rock & Kendrick Lamar Go Off Again In Their Latest Collaboration (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... Read more

January 12, 2018 Audio

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2017 (Battle 8): Kendrick Lamar vs. Big Sean

We have our opinions on the best albums of 2017, but rather than simply list them, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2017. With that in mind, we decided to make our Best Rap Albums Of... Read more

December 25, 2017 Best Rap Album 2017

NER*D Hand Kendrick Lamar The Mic Again. Their Second Collabo Flies (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... Read more

December 15, 2017 Audio

J. Cole & Kendrick Lamar Join Jeezy On An All-Star Collabo (Audio)

UPDATE: After video footage previewed a sizable clip of the song, Jeezy's full, official "American Dream" releases. The Pressure single is a pointed collaboration with both J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. This song may not be as Heads expected on paper. Kendrick Lamar provides some melodic singing near the track's... Read more

December 14, 2017 Audio, Video

Kendrick Lamar & NER*D’s Collabo Is Inspired By Lethal Law Enforcement Stops (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... Read more

December 13, 2017 Audio

Jay Rock Shows Again Why He’s One Of The Best Guest MCs Of His Generation (Video)

Although he was the first artist on the powerhouse record label that is TDE, Jay Rock's output has been relatively sparse, compared to that of Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q and others in the family. Rock has only released one album in the last six years, 2015's stellar 90059. The Watts... Read more

November 28, 2017 Video

Kendrick Lamar Explains Why Every Rapper Is Conscious

Kendrick Lamar is on the cover of the upcoming issue of Forbes magazine. The Compton, California superstar leads the way on the "30 Under 30" music issue. Less than six months after he celebrated his 30th trip around the sun, the TDE MC is reported by the publication to be... Read more

November 14, 2017 Fresh

ScHoolboy Q Takes The Classic Symphony Beat & Makes It A Gangsta Party (Audio)

ScHoolboy Q is putting the finishing touches on his follow-up to the Grammy-nominated The Blank Face LP. In the meantime, Groovy Q makes a welcomed appearance care of longtime collaborator, Traffic. After the pair worked together on 2016 video single "Tookie Knows II," Q is featured on the just-released All... Read more

November 9, 2017 Audio, The Bridge

Rapsody’s New Song With Kendrick Lamar Shows Hip-Hop’s Power Remains With Real MCs (Audio)

Tomorrow (September 22), Rapsody will release her long-awaited Laila's Wisdom album. Already promising to be the biggest release in the North Carolina MC's decorated career, the LP marks the first with backing from JAY-Z's Roc Nation, along with that of her mentor, 9th Wonder, and Jamla Records. Rapsody Is Releasing... Read more

September 21, 2017 Audio

Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller & Kevin Gates Re-Heat The Summer With A Cold Collabo (Audio)

In three different pockets of Rap music, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, and Kevin Gates are three stars of the 2010s. Critically and commercially, these three artists are leaders within their classes, not in the same ways, and certainly not with the same styles. Kendrick and Mac have decorated collaborative history,... Read more

August 29, 2017 Audio

Jay Rock’s First Verse Of 2017 More Than Makes Up For The Wait (Audio)

As appears to be the TDE way, Jay Rock is about quality over quantity. The Watts, California MC has had a very quiet 2017. If he has been recording, Heads have yet to hear the music. However, that has just changed with a feature verse on Mozzy's "Momma We Made It."... Read more

August 3, 2017 Audio

Dave Chappelle & Kendrick Lamar Have A Deep Conversation Between 2 Masters At Work

Andy Warhol created Interview magazine in 1969 to allow interesting, creative people to have conversations, and let the public get rare access through reading. Two people dealing with industries that are foreign to most people can yield an interesting, intimate conversation different than the media-facing interview or the staged red... Read more

July 13, 2017 Fresh

This MC Actually Impressed Kendrick Lamar With His Freestyle Skills (Video)

Nine years ago, Kendrick Lamar was handed the mic from Charles Hamilton at an industry event. Before the world knew just how "overly dedicated" he was, the Compton, California MC went off, using the moment to his advantage. As a relatively unknown rapper looking to make a way and a... Read more

July 1, 2017 Video

ScHoolboy Q Explains What It Would Take For A Black Hippy Album To Happen (Video)

ScHoolboy Q conducted a recent interview with Montreality. Within the conversation, the Los Angeles, California MC discusses his affinity for '90s wrestling and details of his awkward "first time." However, at the 5:30 mark, Q makes some interesting points when asked about the potential of a Black Hippy album. "Everybody... Read more

June 5, 2017 Video

ScHoolboy Q & Ty Dolla $ign Ensure Anderson .Paak’s Funky Hit Never Comes Down (Audio)

Throughout the last 20 months, Anderson .Paak has risen to become the latest musical mainstay from Southern California. In the last several years, he joins a class of peers and collaborators that includes ScHoolboy Q and Ty Dolla $ign, among a few others. On 2016's Grammy-nominated Malibu album, Paak put... Read more

April 26, 2017 Audio

Kendrick Lamar Reveals Top Dawg Planned To Rob Kendrick’s Father Years Ago (Audio)

In the closing hours of April 13, Kendrick Lamar released his DAMN. album. Less than 24 hours old, the MC's latest major label title is clearly another example of rich concept, leaving music fans some unpacking as they listen for the days ahead. Fourteen songs, all of which are one-word,... Read more

April 14, 2017 Audio

Kendrick Lamar Releases The Title, Artwork & Tracklist For His New Album

For the last several weeks, Kendrick Lamar has apparently dropped cryptic social media posts and lyrics surrounding his next album. Initially, his March social media posts with "IV" had many fans believing K-Dot may be using a numeral title for what would be his fourth major label release. That week,... Read more

April 11, 2017 Fresh

Kendrick Lamar Has Earned His Biggest Hit Ever By Not Being Humble

Many Hip-Hop Heads stayed up last Thursday night, into the morning of April 7 to see just what Kendrick Lamar had in store, based on his rhymes. The lyrics of March's "The Heart Part 4" warned that 4/7 was an important event, especially for other MCs. It now appears that... Read more

April 10, 2017 News

Kendrick Lamar Says He’s The Best Rapper Alive & Leaks His Album Release Date (Audio)

Kendrick Lamar began the last 24 hours with a curious social media post. While the Roman numerals "IV" were a hint towards a fourth album in the eyes of many, Lamar followed almost a full day later with a song: "The Heart Part 4." Whether it belongs to the fourth... Read more

March 24, 2017 Audio

Thundercat & Kendrick Lamar Stay In The Groove On “Walk On By” (Audio)

Although he is not a Hip-Hop artist, Thundercat has been at the epicenter of the massive 2010s Rap movement in Southern California. The Los Angeles musician and vocalist has a particular bond with Kendrick Lamar. The pair have won Grammy Awards together, care of To Pimp A Butterfly songs like... Read more

February 22, 2017 Audio

ScHoolboy Q Thinks The Grammys Shade Gangsta Rap. He Details Next Album (Audio)

This weekend, the 59th Grammy Awards will take place. The Sunday affair promises an on-stage collaboration between Q-Tip and Anderson .Paak and a host of high-profile Hip-Hop stars in attendance at Los Angeles, California's Staples Center. Even though the arena is just a few miles away from where ScHoolboy Q... Read more

February 10, 2017 Audio

Ab-Soul Breaks Down Why He Dissed Jay Electronica & Releases A New Video

From the very onset of his career, Ab-Soul has been gifted on making his real-life situations tangible to listeners. Whether coping with the death of loved ones, living with medical setbacks, or being overlooked in the industry, the Carson, California MC is honest with his Hip-Hop. On the newly-released Do... Read more

January 5, 2017 Video

Ab-Soul Hasn’t Forgotten Who Dissed Kendrick. This Black Hippy Goes To War. (Audio)

In February of this year, just hours before Kendrick Lamar's Grammy Awards grabs, Jay Electronica declared war. The Roc Nation veteran, who had stood beside K-Dot during 2013's "Control" moment, turned his pen on his former partner. "Curse Of Mayweather" pulled no punches. The song was out to throw hay-makers,... Read more

December 8, 2016 Audio

Ab-Soul Spells It Out So MCs Understand They Can’t See Him Lyrically (Audio)

Ab-Soul is ramping up in a major way. After a lengthy hiatus, the Carson, California MC appears to be putting the pedal down towards his fourth solo album. In July of this year, Soulo blessed Bas's "Housewives (Remix)" an a la carte breakaway from the Too High To The Riot... Read more

October 27, 2016 Audio

Kendrick Lamar And Rick Rubin Meet & Have A Conversation For The Ages (Video)

Kendrick Lamar is a complex individual. The 29 year-old Compton, California MC makes music that is richly inventive, blending personal thoughts and intricate storytelling. He approaches the listener's ear with a variety of vocal tones, tempos, and styles of presenting his rich, often literary songwriting. On albums like good kid,... Read more

October 20, 2016 Video

Ab-Soul Televises The Revolution In A Charged Video For “Huey Knew”

Ab-Soul released "Huey Knew" late last month. The Top Dawg Entertainment artist, and the quietest member of Black Hippy the last two years made up for his hiatus in a big way. Featuring onetime Curren$y and A$AP Mob affiliate Da$h, this single catches Soulo up on the world around him.... Read more

October 14, 2016 Video

Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Earl Sweatshirt & Danny Brown Get Real On A Black Milk Beat (Audio)

More than three years ago, A$AP Rocky called the "1Train" to the platform. The moment unified many of the most exciting new artists of the 2010s, on one track, out to do lyrical damage. Taking some of that same crop of talent, Danny Brown—who appeared on the cut, does it... Read more

September 19, 2016 Audio

Ab-Soul’s New Album Is Done & Jay Rock’s Is Close. He Previews A New Song (Video)

At the beginning of the year, Top Dawg, founder and owner of Top Dawg Entertainment promised the label would release 6 projects in 2016. Kendrick Lamar led off with untitled unmastered in March, and he was followed by ScHoolboy Q who dropped his Blank Face LP in July. Last week,... Read more

August 13, 2016 Fresh