chicago

Empire’s Jussie Smollett Is The Victim Of A Disgusting Hate Crime

Actor Jussie Smollett is recovering from injuries related to a hate crime. The Empire actor known for playing the role of "Jamal Lyon" was attacked in Chicago, Illinois and hospitalized this morning (January 29). While walking in an undisclosed section of the Windy City, two masked men directed homophobic and... Read more

January 29, 2019 Lifestyle, News, TV, TV/Film

Former Cop Jason Van Dyke Sentenced To Prison For The Killing Of Laquan McDonald

Late in the evening of October 20, 2014, 17-year-old Laquan McDonald was fatally shot by police officer Jason Van Dyke in Chicago, Illinois. According to reports, McDonald was seen behaving unpredictably while walking and reportedly carrying a knife. In the events that ensued, Van Dyke shot McDonald 16 times, emptying... Read more

January 20, 2019 News

Dave Chappelle Details The Night R. Kelly Confronted Him With His Goons

Earlier this week, Chappelle's Show co-writer Neal Brennan revealed to The Breakfast Club that more than 15 years ago, R. Kelly and his entourage stepped to Dave Chappelle in Chicago. The confrontation took place as a response to the Comedy Central show's "Pee On You" sketch. While Brennan said he... Read more

January 17, 2019 TV/Film, Video

Noname Leaves Marks With Some New Heavy Mental Bars

In 2018, Chicago MC Noname (fka Noname Gypsy) made a big impression with her sophomore release, Room 25. Her first taste of new music since the self-released LP keeps that excitement, momentum, and skill going strong. "Song 31" may seem like a nondescript track from the previous guest on albums... Read more

January 2, 2019 Audio

Chicago’s Dyzzi & His DivSel Crew Have A Special Blend Of Hip-Hop Brewing

Nineteen-year-old Dyzzi has released the video for "DivSel." The single, produced by MarvyMarv and directed by Chris Peterson, also features KReal and cameos from other DivSel members. It belongs to his upcoming LP, KidsBackThen, releasing on Below System Records (Masta Ace, Chuuwee, Phat Kat). The crew, short for "Diverse Selection"... Read more

November 28, 2018 Ready Or Not

Lupe Fiasco Paints A Colorful Mural With Words In An A Capella Verse (Video)

Lupe Fiasco is the kind of lyricist that many Hip-Hop Heads hold in high regard. Perhaps the Chicago, Illinois MC earned that trust and respect, given the creativity he injected into Rap music during the mid-2000s. Although Lu' achieved commercial pinnacles while experimenting with Pop, Rock, and other fusions in... Read more

October 22, 2018 Video

Lupe Fiasco Still Refuses To Dumb It Down With A New LP That’s Deeper Than Rap (Video)

Lupe Fiasco released his DROGAS WAVE album on Friday (September 21). Due to leaks, the long-awaited project dropped a week earlier than intended. Already it is impressing quite a few of those that have encountered the 1st & 15th release. Featuring the likes of Damian Marley, Nikki Jean, Crystal Torres,... Read more

September 24, 2018 Exclusive, TBD, Video

WateRR’s Rhymes Are Most Refreshing When Served Over Ice Cold DirtyDiggs Beats (Video)

Chicago has been getting plenty of attention in the last couple years due to a new generation of artists like the Save Money crew (Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Joey Purp, etc.), Mick Jenkins, NoName, Saba, and more. However, the Windy City also has a rich vein of new wave... Read more

September 19, 2018 Ready Or Not

RZA & GZA Support Chicago’s Joey Purp With Some Exceptional Verses (Audio)

Twenty-five-year-old Chicago MC Joey Purp first made waves when he dropped his sophomore mixtape iiiDrops in 2016. His buzz-worthy project balanced socially conscious, often braggy lyricism with gritty Windy City realism with a punchy delivery. The beat selection ranged from addicting dance rhythms to horn-laden production akin to an explosive early-2000s... Read more

September 17, 2018 Audio

Saba Explains The Real LIFE Behind 1 Of 2018’s Realest Songs (Video)

Back in early April of this year, Midwest rapper and producer Saba unveiled, arguably, his most personally revealing project to date with, CARE FOR ME, an album which was included on Ambrosia For Heads' 14 Best Hip-Hop Releases of 2018, so far. The 10-track record annotates many of the grittiest... Read more

August 15, 2018 Video

Taylor Bennett Speaks Candidly About Coming Out & Creating His Own Lane (Video)

In the last month, Taylor Bennett released a six-song project called BE YOURSELF. The DIY project is the latest from the Chicago, Illinois MC. For many Hip-Hop Heads, two things come to mind surrounding the 22-year-old. He is the younger brother of Grammy Award-winning Rap star Chance The Rapper. Additionally,... Read more

August 6, 2018 Video

Vic Mensa Puts A Classic Fugees Beat On 10,000 With An Incredible Verse (Audio)

After recently shedding his signature dreadlocks for a new look, Vic Mensa is viscerally pursuing a fresh start for his next move. The Chicago, Illinois MC has a diverse palette for his music, but he remains rooted in his ability to rhyme on call and exude emotional resonance and dexterous... Read more

June 30, 2018 Audio

Vic Mensa Reminds Why He’s One Of The Best Freestylers Of His Generation (Video)

Almost a year after Vic Mensa dropped his well-received debut album, The Autobiography (included in Ambrosia For Heads' Best-of '17 list), he is still putting in work like he was an unsigned MC. Then, at the top of June, he released the lead single from his sophomore called "Reverse," and... Read more

June 28, 2018 Video

Rhymefest Rates Kanye’s Rhymes & Identifies The Beginning Of His Downfall (Video)

Che "Rhymefest" Smith and Kanye West had a bit of a public falling out recently. Well, actually, it was more like the two longtime friends and collaborators ending up at odds, with Kim Kardashian West in the middle. For those that may have missed or not followed, 'Fest had publicly... Read more

June 18, 2018 Video

Chance The Rapper Cautions Obama Over Presidential Library Plans

Chance The Rapper speaks his mind, even if the views may not always be popular with his fans, critics, or friends in very important places. "Lil Chano From 79th" is presently standing against his Presidential pal Barack Obama. Chance took to Twitter yesterday (May 23) to offer his opinion about... Read more

May 24, 2018 News

Kanye West Is Writing A Philosophy Book On Twitter. So Far, It’s Insightful

Kanye West has pushed the boundaries of what is expected from a musician, and he continues to do so. While fans are always eager to hear any new music from the superstar, his interviews and tweets are often just as anticipated. So, when he returned to Twitter last week after... Read more

April 19, 2018 Lifestyle, News

Saba Confronts His Demons & Mortality With A Bleak Certainty In Life (Video)

As listeners have learned with the unfolding of Saba’s new album Care For Me, beginning with the release of the project’s first video single (“Busy”) last month, it’s has been quite a disheartening and dreary recent stretch of life for the 23-year-old Chicago-based MC. The culmination of that bleakness coming... Read more

April 15, 2018 Video

Saba Explores Social Anxiety & Depression In Powerful New Video

For any creator who considers social anxiety a personal adversary, one of life’s grandest conundrums is embracing the opportunity that comes along with the perception of your art, while simultaneously being immune to opinion crippling your creative process. Anxiety, depression, and digesting hardship are lonely climates to navigate, and can... Read more

March 2, 2018 Video

Common Looks Back At His Time With Dilla On A Song Fit For February (Audio)

Common has transcended Hip-Hop. He is now a political activist. He's won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe award for his song "Glory" featuring John Legend in the film Selma. Also, he's the only Hip-Hop artist to achieve an "E.G.O." hat trick by receiving an Emmy Award for his... Read more

February 16, 2018 Audio

Chicago Rapper Fredo Santana Has Died At The Age Of 27

Fredo Santana has become one of Chicago, Illinois' emerging voices. He was active in his city's 2010s movement and also worked with Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Migos, Juelz Santana, and his cousin Chief Keef throughout his seven-plus-year career. This morning (January 20), sources including Drake have reacted to the reported death... Read more

January 20, 2018 News

Vic Mensa Explains Why The Government Does Not Want The People To Be United (Video)

Twenty-four-year-old Roc Nation artist Vic Mensa was asked what makes someone a threat to the government in his most recent Montreality interview. In reply, Mensa dropped some knowledge about the exact moment governments get nervous. In doing so, he made illustrative links to assassinated Black leaders from history. “Anybody becomes... Read more

December 8, 2017 Video

John Amos Reveals He Was Fired From Good Times For Trying To Make It More Authentic (Video)

At a crucial point in American television, Good Times presented one of the first beloved Black TV fathers (along with Redd Foxx's "Fred Sanford") in John Amos' groundbreaking portrayal of "James Evans." Along with his co-star wife "Florida Evans" (played by the late Esther Rolle), they were the first Black nuclear... Read more

October 12, 2017 TV, TV/Film, Video

Jamila Woods’ Colorful “LSD” Video Features Some Chance Acid Rap

Jamila Woods' contributions on Chance The Rapper's 2016 Coloring Book were some of that album's most essential. The Chicago, Illinois singer, poet, and educator has a long history with her peer, friend, and collaborator. From her just-formally released Heavn LP, the Windy City multi-talents re-link for the "LSD" music video.... Read more

August 15, 2017 Video

Barack Obama Is Opening A Recording Studio On Chicago’s South Side (Video)

Former president Barack Obama leaves behind an enormous political legacy, but his memory is not relegated to domestic and international policy. President Obama and his wife, Michelle, will likely go down in history as one of America's most beloved first couples, not because of the agendas they pushed in Washington,... Read more

May 5, 2017 Lifestyle

Chance The Rapper Donates $1 Million To Chicago Public Schools (Video)

Chance The Rapper is blazing a path all his own. He garnered critical acclaim in 2013, with his mixtape Acid Rap, and became a household name in Hip-Hop circles. By 2016, he became the first artist, in any genre, to appear on the Billboard 200 album chart with a streaming-only... Read more

March 6, 2017 News

Finding The GOAT Producer: No I.D. vs. A Tribe Called Quest. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer” begins. The third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving... Read more

January 23, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Chance The Rapper & Jeremih Modernize A Jackson 5 Classic For Their Christmas Mixtape (Audio)

Chance The Rapper is honored with the distinction of 2016's most anticipated and most acclaimed Hip-Hop mixtape. Coloring Book takes the notion of "not for sale music" to the Grammy stages in 2017, thanks to its captivating messages from the Chicago, Illinois MC/singer. Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jay Electronica, and... Read more

December 22, 2016 Audio

2016: The Year Chance Stood With The People & Showed He’s So Much More Than A Rapper

In just under two weeks, we will be saying goodbye to 2016, a year during which the world faced turmoil at breakneck speed. From President Obama's announcement of a federal state of emergency in Flint, Michigan during the first month of the year to a summer stained with the blood... Read more

December 19, 2016 Food for Thought

Rhymefest To Transform Kanye West’s Childhood Home Into Studio & Arts Center

For more than a decade, Kanye West and Rhymefest have made substantial records together. The two Chicago, Illinois representatives first caught the Grammy Award wave during writing and demo'ing "Jesus Walks," and followed with tracks including the fully-actualized collaboration "Brand New," as well as lots of writing together. In addition... Read more

November 26, 2016 News

Saba & Noname Turn The Church & The Liquor Store Into Symbols Of Chicago (Audio)

This time last year, West Side, Chicago's Saba got his big break as a featured artist on Chance The Rapper's "Angels." On “Church / Liquor Store," he enlists fellow Chicagoan MC/poet and Chance collaborator Noname (a/k/a Noname Gypsy) to guide listeners through a tour of their hometown on a smooth,... Read more

October 20, 2016 Audio

Vic Mensa Vows To Make Change In The Booth…The Voting Booth (Video)

"I'm Vic Mensa. I'm 22 and affecting change in the hood is why I vote." That's the closing statement in a video produced by Vevo's Why I Vote Campaign featuring the celebrated MC. Hailing from Chicago, Illinois Vic Mensa is a young man whose outspoken lyrics and involvement in sociopolitical... Read more

September 27, 2016 Lifestyle

Noname’s Debut Mixtape ‘Telefone’ Is Here & It’s Off the Hook

Chicago, Illinois is proving to be one of the MVPs in putting forth artists whose inventive sounds are helping to define an entire generation of Hip-Hop and Soul. From Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book, Vic Mensa's There's Alot Going On, to Jamila Woods' HEAVN, the Windy City is birthing a... Read more

August 1, 2016 Audio

Mick Jenkins, Jesse Boykins III & Noname Help Illustrate theMIND (Video)

With references to "The Rugrats," Patti Mayonnaise (of "Doug" fame), "Recess," and "Hey Arnold," Mick Jenkins' verse in "Animated Ambition" is a shoutout to '90s kids raised on Nickelodeon and ABC's "One Saturday Morning." The song is the latest from Chicago, Illinois' (by way of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) theMIND, an R&B... Read more

July 14, 2016 Video

Chance The Rapper & Jamila Woods Take a Soul-Baring Ride Home (Audio)

Since breaking through to mainstream recognition through her work on Macklemore's powerful social critique, "White Privilege II," Chicago, Illinois' Jamila Woods has been busy working on her debut LP. The multi-talented artist most recently appeared on Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book. A longtime friend and collaborator, Chancelor Bennett appears on... Read more

July 7, 2016 Audio

Chris Crack & Vic Spencer Look To “Cement” Their Place In Chicago’s Rich History Of MCs (Interview & Video)

Who Is Chris Spencer?? For those who are not familiar with all of the rising talent in Chicago, then this is definitely a good question to ask. Chris Spencer is not just one, but two MCs from the Windy City, both of whom are looking to take it by storm with a... Read more

April 20, 2016 Spotlight

Jamila Woods Makes an Anthem for Black Girls Everywhere (Audio)

Chicago-based singer Jamila Woods first turned Heads on a major level through her work on Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment's 2015 Surf album on "Sunday Candy." Currently gearing up for the release of her debut solo project, she has announced her signing to the Closed Sessions label, and has... Read more

January 21, 2016 Audio

Mick Jenkins Eloquently Makes Sense Out Of His Windy City (Audio)

Mick Jenkins has been fast at work entering the new year. The Chicago, Illinois MC has been recording a lot with producer THEMpeople. Today (January 7), Mick unveiled "Grenade Theory," and pulled a pin, before exploding some profound thoughts and rhymes into the microphone. The song is a here-and-now for... Read more

January 7, 2016 Audio

Chance the Rapper Says Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq Film Is An “Oversimplification Of A Bigger Problem” (Video)

Over the last couple of weeks, acclaimed film director Spike Lee has been on a serious press junket to promote his latest film, Chi-Raq. The film itself is a study of Chicago's notorious South Side, where gun violence has led to so many deaths, it has become a deadlier place... Read more

December 18, 2015 Video

Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor vs. Common’s Like Water For Chocolate. Which Is Better?

One year ago, Ambrosia For Heads launched a debate among its readers seeking to answer one of Hip-Hop’s most hotly-contested questions: who is the greatest MC of all time? “Finding The GOAT MC” lasted between September 2014 and May 2015, engaging millions of readers and ultimately producing its winner, as... Read more

December 16, 2015 Finding the GOAT

Mick Jenkins’ Wave[s] Continues To Hydrate Minds After The Water[s] (EP Stream)

One year to the day after The Water[s], Chicago, Illinois MC Mick Jenkins returns to the shore with The Wave[s]. The Cinematic Entertainment artist follows his acclaimed breakthrough with 29 minutes, and nine tracks. Production duties include Sacramento, California veteran Lee Bannon (Joey Bada$$, Souls Of Mischief) and Montreal, Quebec's... Read more

August 13, 2015 Audio

Drive Slow Through Twista & Do Or Die’s Collaborative EP (Album Stream)

After more than 20 years of being recognized as break-out stars from Chicago, Illinois' Hip-Hop scene, Twista and Do Or Die's collaborative EP has released. Withdrawal is a six-song effort from the two plaque-baring stars of Chi's West side. Stream the effort, which was released on Twista's GMG imprint, available in full:... Read more

May 19, 2015 Audio

Chance The Rapper Praises Kirk Franklin’s Influence, Reveals Ideal Future Plans

Chance The Rapper gave a lecture to students apart of Harvard University's Hip-Hop Archive & Research Institute recently (April 30). The program's mission is to "facilitate and encourage the pursuit of knowledge, art, culture and responsible leadership through Hip-Hop." With that in mind, the Ivy League college brought in the emerging Chicago rapper... Read more

May 11, 2015 News

Twista & Do Or Die Give Fans That Classic Chi City Choppin’ (Audio)

The appeal in a Twista & Do Or Die joint EP lies in the fact that both of these acts have been pioneering voices from Chicago, Illinois. With that effort, these West Side Chi City stars helped define a style, an attitude, and a po' pimp grit that remains integral... Read more

April 22, 2015 Audio

Mick Jenkins’ New Vid Takes A Deeper Look At Violence In Chicago (Video)

Mick Jenkins' The Water[s] remains one of the strongest, most-talked about mixtapes/street albums of 2014. It's deeper than Rap with the Jazz-influenced Chicagoan. The DJ Dahi-produced "Dehydration" is a powerful, conceptual piece to The Water[s]' puzzle produces a video that unearths some of the youth, the violence, and the confusion... Read more

November 19, 2014 Fresh, Video

Common Talks Chicago Music, Culture, & The “Heat” That Inspired Him & Nobody’s Smiling (Audio)

Days before the release of his 10th studio album, Nobody's Smiling, Common delivers an insightful interview with Combat Jack discussing the inspiration behind his upcoming album (2:45) and the significance of the cover (8:00), Chicago's musical "heat" (11:45), his first encounter with racism (27:30), his experiences with Rev. Jeremiah Wright... Read more

July 8, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Common & Rhymefest Team With Urban League To Create Thousands Of Youth Jobs

Today's Chicago Sun-Times reports that two Hip-Hop stars from the city are collaborating with the Urban League to provide jobs for those in need of employment. The report suggests that currently "92% of young Black males are jobless" in the Windy City (not stating what the age range is). Rapper-turned-poilitician... Read more

April 17, 2014 Fresh

Today It All Makes Sense: A Retrospective on the Chicago Hip-Hop Sound (Food For Thought)

Published by: Bandini “This the city of Chicago, the state of confusion The style I'm using is free or at least it would be if my mind was…” – Malik Yusef, “My City” (One Day It’ll All Make Sense) Since the 1990s, Common Sense has always been among my favorite... Read more

January 19, 2014 Featured-homepage, Food for Thought

Common freestyles in Chicago over Otis (Video)

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