compton ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

N.W.A. Will Receive The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

N.W.A. changed culture in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The collective, launched by Eazy-E, included Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, DJ Yella, and Arabian Prince, and helped bring the city of Compton, California to the mainstream entertainment lexicon. While superstar careers emerged out of the Gangsta Rap outfit,... Read more

January 5, 2024 News, Trending Stories

Eazy-E Put Compton On The Map & Now The City Is Returning The Favor

During the late 1980s, Eazy-E helped take the city of Compton, California, to the mainstream. The N.W.A. co-founder and Gangsta Rap solo star was famed for wearing Compton hats, titling game-changing albums and songs after his city, and recruiting talent from Hub City. Ruthless Records artists, including Dr. Dre, MC Ren,... Read more

November 14, 2023 News, Trending Stories

Death Row Family vs. N.W.A. & The Posse: 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 15, 2023 Greatest Rap Crew

Dr. Dre, Snoop, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar & Mary J. Blige Win Emmys For Halftime Show

Approaching seven months after this year's epic Superbowl Halftime Show, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige took home two Creative Arts Emmy Awards this weekend. Yesterday (September 3), the Television Academy awarded the collective for "Outstanding Variety Special (Live)" and "Outstanding Production Design" for the February 13... Read more

September 4, 2022 News, TV, TV/Film

The Game Uses Eminem’s Style To Diss Him For 10 Minutes

Nearly 18 years ago, Eminem was among the all-star cast that helped welcome The Game to the top of mainstream Rap. Marshall Mathers co-produced and appeared on The Documentary, courtesy of the song "We Ain't." Much of the G-Unit/Aftermath Entertainment family supported The Game in an album that topped the... Read more

August 12, 2022 Audio

Eminem Has A Chance To Add An Emmy To His Grammy & Oscar

Eminem is having a banner 2022. The Detroit, Michigan MC/producer will be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this November. Marshall Mathers is also currently preparing a second collection of Curtain Call, a forthcoming volume of greatest hits that was announced with the arrival of his latest Snoop Dogg collaboration. He... Read more

July 12, 2022 Fresh, News

DJ Quik’s Son David Blake Jr. Has Been Arrested For Murder

The son of Hip-Hop legend DJ Quik has been arrested. Yesterday (May 27), the media learned that David Blake, Jr. was booked on suspicion of murder. The 27-year-old suspect was apprehended in Porter Ranch, California, and is being held in lieu of a $2 million bail. The events follow the... Read more

May 28, 2022 News

The 10 Ways Dr. Dre Brought Compton To The Super Bowl

On Sunday night (February 13), Dr. Dre celebrated his career with an epic Super Bowl halftime show. The moment included appearances alongside Dre's star pupils and collaborators: Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak each made surprise appearances in a stage show filled... Read more

February 16, 2022 Video

Eminem Has Quietly Become 1 Of Hip-Hop’s Biggest Activists

On Sunday night (February 13), Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem put on a Super Bowl halftime show for the ages (embedded below). 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak also appeared as Dre's latest comeback campaign resulted in the biggest concert of his 35-plus-year-career. Although Dre... Read more

February 15, 2022 Video

Former Death Row Records Artist CPO Boss Hogg Has Passed Away

CPO Boss Hogg was at the epicenter of the 1990s West Coast Hip-Hop movement. The Compton, California native born Vince Edwards has died this week, as confirmed by friend, journalist, and past Ambrosia For Heads contributor Chad Kiser. Details were not made public. However, CPO had posted about his ongoing health... Read more

January 13, 2022 News

DJ Quik Makes It Hot In Herre By Burning His Death Row Royalty Check

It has been 30 years since DJ Quik burst onto the music scene. The Compton, California triple-threat has supplied fans with a plethora of LPs, including three gold albums as well as his platinum 1991 debut, Quik Is The Name. However, after decades in the game and heralded work alongside... Read more

May 5, 2021 Video

MC Eiht Details Lessons He Learned From EPMD, Rakim, Menace II Society & More

MC Eiht is the latest guest on Ambrosia For Heads' What's The Headline podcast. In a 90-minute discussion, Eiht revisits highlights from his entire 30-plus-year-career. The Hub City O.G. details the formative years of Compton's Most Wanted and how he assumed the writing responsibilities for both MCs in the collective.... Read more

October 27, 2020 Exclusive, Video

A New Video Shows Tupac’s Death Through The Eyes Of His Killer

Nearly 23 years ago, on September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight watched as Mike Tyson defeated Bruce Seldon in the 1st Round by technical knockout. Moments after the fight ended, the superstar rapper who had become Death Row Records' flagship act and the record label's CEO were caught... Read more

July 19, 2019 Video

Locksmith Explains Why He Was Relieved Not To Get A Deal From Dr. Dre (Video)

Locksmith is one of the Bay Area's most prolific MCs. Since the early 2000s, the Richmond, California rapper has laid forth a slew of mixtapes, albums, and freestyles to bolster his catalog and put his expert lyricism on full display. In 2018, Locksmith kept especially busy, releasing full-length Ali, and... Read more

May 20, 2019 Interview, Video

Boogie Is Compton’s Next Great MC & He Plans To Be The Biggest One Of All (Video)

"This world will take your dream from you quick if you don't stay locked in," Boogie says on a cold day in Lower Manhattan. He is referring to a lesson intended for his young son, but it comes from personal experience. For five years, the Compton representative has been persistently... Read more

March 12, 2019 Exclusive, Interview

Boogie & J.I.D. Reject Industry Gimmicks In Favor Of Real Rap

Last Friday, Compton's Boogie released his first album since signing with Eminem's Shady Records. The record is one of the better offerings so far in a young year, following a versatile—often humorous MC who looks at a dynamic life coming out of Hub City. Besides Marshall Mathers, the most notable... Read more

January 28, 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

Boogie Shows Why Eminem Signed Him With An Off The Top Freestyle (Video)

After years of resilience and balancing fatherhood with logging long hours at the studio, Compton, California's Boogie is gearing up to see his hard work pay off. Just a week and a half away from making his anticipated debut on Shady Records (Everything's For Sale), the 29-year-old rapper born Anthony... Read more

January 16, 2019 Video

Buddy Becomes The Robin Hood Of Compton In Another Great Music Video

Simmie Sims III, aka Buddy, is a Compton, California MC with one of 2018's best albums under his belt. An artist who worked with Pharrell, DJ Quik, Snoop Dogg, and Suga Free early in his career, he is now an especially bright spot on RCA Records' roster. Buddy has only... Read more

November 8, 2018 Video

Anderson .Paak & Kendrick Lamar’s Collabo Is For Ridin’ Around & Shinin’ (Audio)

One of West Coast Hip-Hop's hottest, yet rarest collaborations is giving the culture another banger. Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak are sharing their latest funky joint-effort with "Tints." Debuting on Zane Lowe's Beats1 radio show, the premiere also featured an interview with .Paak, who described what he's been up to... Read more

October 4, 2018 Audio

Finding The GOAT Group: N.W.A. vs. Public Enemy. 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

September 6, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Group: Geto Boys vs. N.W.A. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s 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

June 29, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Group: N.W.A. vs. UGK. 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

May 4, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

These Unreleased Dr. Dre Chronic 3 Snippets May Be Lost Tapes From Detox (Audio)

Dr. Dre seemingly put all Detox anticipation to rest when he released his 2015 album, Compton. It was seen as his third and final solo studio album in a classic lineage dating back to 1992's The Chronic solo debut. Whether shelved or scrapped, the promoted album known as Detox, which... Read more

May 1, 2018 Audio

Suge Knight Defense Attorneys Charged With Conspiracy

Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight is currently on trial for the vehicular hit-and-run murder of music executive Terry Carter, among a list of other charges. If convicted the Compton, California native and onetime music mogul could face life in prison. Despite his incarceration for more than two years,... Read more

March 6, 2018 News

9th Wonder Details Producing Kendrick Lamar’s DUCKWORTH & Reveals Its Original Title (Video)

Working on a Kendrick Lamar record requires a vow of secrecy as demanding as any spy code, 9th Wonder shares in the latest Rap Radar Podcast. With longtime colleague and Roc Nation producer/engineer, Young Guru by his side, 9th speaks on how he made “DUCKWORTH.” the closer for this year's Grammy-nominated... Read more

December 1, 2017 Video

Kendrick Lamar Details What Saved Him From The Streets Of Compton

Kendrick Lamar credits discovering Malcolm X as a teen and a 100% commitment to his music as the two things that saved him from the streets of Compton, in an interview with Touré for VICE's i-D, published today (October 16). “[Malcolm X’s] ideas rooted my approach to music,” says the... Read more

October 16, 2017 Fresh

Large Professor Speaks On The Targets Of “Fakin’ The Funk” & Why He Attacked The Wack

It goes without saying that 1992 was a turning point year for Hip-Hop. The hardcore and underground Rap scenes from the East, West, Midwest, and South each boasted a myriad of artists with memorable singles and albums to define their respective region's sound. Simultaneously, this period was when Pop music... Read more

October 12, 2017 Do Remember, Exclusive

The Lady Of Rage Roughs Up A Tough DJ Premier Track With MC Eiht (Video)

MC Eiht's recently released Which Way Iz West features a number of illustrious rhyme guests. The DJ Premier-executive produced LP includes Kurupt, B-Real, Bumpy Knuckles, and Xzibit just for starters. One of the best appearances comes from none other than The Lady Of Rage. It has now been 20 years... Read more

September 21, 2017 Video

Suge Knight Indicted For Threatening Straight Outta Compton Director F. Gary Gray

On January 29 of 2015, Suge Knight was an uninvited guest on the film set of Straight Outta Compton. After being asked to leave, Knight used his Ford Raptor truck as a weapon in the parking lot of nearby Tam's Burgers. The events that followed left veteran music industry manager... Read more

August 3, 2017 News

Dr. Dre & Nas Blow The Roof Off On Their Lost Collabo (Audio)

February of 2009 was an interesting time for Aftermath Entertainment. After taking 2008 off entirely (as far as albums), Eminem launched "Crack A Bottle." Released on Groundhog Day (February 2), the song put Dr. Dre, Eminem, and 50 Cent front and center. The self-proclaimed "3 Headed Monster" was back to... Read more

July 19, 2017 Audio

Jimmy Iovine Reveals He Was Behind Suge Knight Bailing Tupac Out Of Jail

In October of 1995, Tupac Shakur signed with Death Row Records. Reportedly inking his deal on a napkin, Pac joined Dr. Dre and Suge Knight's reigning and equally notorious record label. In that transaction, Shakur was able to post bail and leave Clinton Correctional Facility. In a matter of days,... Read more

July 11, 2017 News, Throwback, TV, TV/Film

Kurupt’s Next Album Will Be A Funk Odyssey (Audio)

Tha Dogg Pound’s Kurupt is working on his seventh solo LP, which also happens to be his first in seven years. Since dropping Streetlights in 2010, the former Death Row EVP has yet to release a studio album. That is about to change, however, as he and longtime collaborator Fredwreck... Read more

June 29, 2017 Audio, News

MC Eiht Explains How He & DJ Quik Recorded Their Historic Collaborations (Audio)

In April, DJ Quik and Problem released the full-length edition of their Rosecrans album, building on their EP of the same title (dropped a year prior). Notably, the 12 track Compton-made LP featured an unexpected guest: MC Eiht. Decades ago, what began as a Rap beef between Quik and Eiht reportedly inspired... Read more

June 20, 2017 Audio, Fresh, Throwback

Dr. Dre Is Donating $10 Million For A Performing Arts Center At Compton High School

While promoting the release of 2015 LP Compton, Dr. Dre announced plans to donate its royalties to the construction of a performing arts center in the neighborhood he helped put on Rap's map. At the time, the mogul said "I've been really trying to do something special for Compton and just... Read more

June 15, 2017 Fresh

MC Eiht Takes It Straight To Compton Right When It’s Most Wanted (Video)

This month, MC Eiht is preparing to release a deeply important album in his career. For nearly 30 years, the Compton's Most Wanted front man has released a plethora of music chronicling life in the gang-ruled streets of Southern California. Whether on a major label or independently, Eiht hit fans... Read more

June 12, 2017 Video

MC Eiht & DJ Premier Make Some New Music To Driveby (Audio)

For more than 30 years, the city of Compton, California has been a Hip-Hop landmark. While N.W.A. may have first put it on the global scale, MC Eiht, King T, and others were right beside them in the '80s. A contemporary of Eazy-E and Dr. Dre who has worked with... Read more

June 2, 2017 Audio

MC Eiht, WC & DJ Premier Form An East/West Connection In Crazy Toones’ Final Video

In January of this year, Hip-Hop lost a talented DJ and producer in Crazy Toones. Passing away on the ninth day of the year, Toones was part of WC & The M.a.a.D Circle ('Dub is his brother) and worked with Ice Cube, Westside Connection, and Kurupt. Part of MC Eiht's... Read more

May 2, 2017 Video

AMG Breaks Down How DJ Quik, 2nd II None & Hi-C All Cliqued Up (Video)

In late 1980s and early 1990s, there were a number of Greater Los Angeles Hip-Hop collectives. From N.W.A. and Compton's Most Wanted to Low Profile/WC & Maad Circle and Rhyme Syndicate, many crews had famous names and songs attached to their movements. At the turn of the '90s, DJ Quik... Read more

March 9, 2017 Throwback, Video

Finding The GOAT Producer: DJ Quik vs. Dr. Dre. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” 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... Read more

February 23, 2017 Finding the GOAT

MC Eiht Explains Why His Beef With DJ Quik Was Unlike Any In Rap & Why It Ended (Video)

Last year, MC Eiht detailed ending his beef with Compton, California rival DJ Quik for Vlad TV. Following the high profile 1990s killings of Rap peers Tupac Shakur (who Quik worked closely with) and The Notorious B.I.G., the two men met at BET, where after years, they squashed a violent... Read more

February 20, 2017 Video

Finding The GOAT Producer: DJ Quik vs. Warren G. 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 27, 2017 Finding the GOAT

1 Of DJ Quik’s 80s Underground Tapes Surfaces & It Bangs On Wax (Audio)

Hip-Hop Heads who pay attention know that DJ Quik's career goes back a long way before 1991's Quik Is The Name debut. The Compton, California MC/producer/DJ has always talked about his $10 "underground tapes" on records. In fact, the famed feud with MC Eiht and Compton's Most Wanted started long... Read more

December 28, 2016 Throwback, Throwback

MC Eiht Reveals Why His Album With DJ Premier Is A Return To Quality Over Quantity (Video)

In the dozen years between 1994 and 2006, MC Eiht released more than 17 albums of new music. The Compton's Most Wanted front man focused on his solo career (while still doing collaborations with C.M.W., Spice 1, Brotha Lynch Hung and others) and did so at a wildly prolific rate.... Read more

December 15, 2016 Video

Snoop & The Game Meet With The LAPD To Build Trust Between Police & The Community

On Friday (July 8), mere hours after five police officers were murdered in Dallas, Texas, and the same week two Black men were killed by police officers in separate incidents, Snoop Dogg and The Game led a march of more than 50 people to the Los Angeles Police Department Headquarters.... Read more

July 11, 2016 Food for Thought, News

The Game’s Rap Dreams Are Still Stranded On Death Row (Audio)

Dr. Dre released his solo debut The Chronic more than a decade before he would help introduce the world to 50 Cent. However, one Dre co-executive produced (with Eminem) 2003's Get Rich Or Die Tryin', it was a chain reaction of G-Unit artists that would quickly collect heat from D-R-E's... Read more

June 14, 2016 Audio

DJ Quik Reveals He Will Release Collaboration With MC Eiht (Video)

Yesterday (June 10), Ambrosia For Heads shared our Must-Listen-To Albums, EPs, And Mixtapes Of 2016 list. Included in the 11 entries was Rosecrans, the independent EP made by Compton's DJ Quik and Problem. This week, Q-U-I-K announced that there is more to come from the veteran MC/producer/DJ and one of... Read more

June 11, 2016 News, Video

YG & Drake’s Chemistry Stays Strong With A Question For The Haters (Audio)

One of the centerpieces to YG's triumphant 2014 major label debut My Krazy Life was the breakthrough platinum single "Who Do You Love?" Drake lent his spotlight to the Compton, California spitter, who like Drizzy, came up through mixtapes and street records long before the big label machine. In 2016,... Read more

May 21, 2016 Audio

King Lil G Brings Warmth To Watts’ Projects On “Cold Christmas” (Audio)

Despite relatively tepid American winters growing up in Watts, California, King Lil G's experiences during December weren’t always as warm, giving, and lavish as the department store aisles may have taught him, as some of his Hip-Hop counterparts from the area, Jay Rock and Glasses Malone, may attest to. For... Read more

March 26, 2016 Audio

Kendrick Lamar Confirmed To Induct N.W.A. Into Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

One week ago today (February 15), Ice Cube and O'Shea Jackson, Jr. presented Kendrick Lamar with the Grammy Award for "Best Rap Album Of The Year." The honors went to To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick's latest work. In the speech that followed, the Compton, California MC thanked Ice Cube (along... Read more

February 22, 2016 News