AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Archives

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

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

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

1 Year After Craig Mack’s Passing, Look Back At Another Song That Has Flava

One year ago today (March 12, 2018), the late-night news of Craig Mack's passing felt like an essential piece of 1990s Rap fabric was ostensibly gone forever. The 47-year-old Long Island, New York representative died from natural causes. His legacy was connected to the genre's elite from the genesis of... Read more

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

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

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

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

Erick Sermon’s New Album Features Method Man, AZ, GFK & More. Here’s The 1st Song (Audio)

In 2017, EPMD announced that they were working on a concept album. Dynamic Duos: Big Business is slated to be the Long Island, New York duo's eighth album in a series that dates back more than 30 years. The first LP in almost a decade comes after a reported Roc... Read more

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

Puffy Explains How He Landed On Tribe’s Midnight Marauders Cover Before Fame (Video)

The week of Puff Daddy's 24th birthday, the would-be mogul ended up on his first album cover. In late 1993, before Bad Boy Records ever released a single, and No Way Out was a distant dream, Sean Combs appeared on the outer artwork to A Tribe Called Quest's third album,... Read more

Watch 40 Years Of Hip-Hop History In 4 Minutes In A Mind-Blowing Mashup (Video)

It ain't nothin' like Hip-Hop music...Over the last 40 years, there have been few forces in pop culture with more impact than Hip-Hop. Like Rock & Roll before it, the music and lifestyle shaped an entire generation and has had untold influence around the world. The Rub: The History of... Read more

Murs Details Watching Biggie Smalls Lose A Rap Battle To An Unsigned MC (Video)

Many Heads have seen the footage of a pre-deal Biggie Smalls ripping into an opponent in his own neighborhood, outside a Brooklyn storefront (posted below). The Notorious B.I.G. was clearly a battle-tested MC who brought his confidence, wit, and commanding delivery to a decorated career that includes a diamond-certified double... Read more

Finding The GOAT Producer: Dr. Dre vs Puff Daddy & The Hitmen. 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

A New Film Shows Craig Mack’s Career Ended Because Of His Bad Flava With Puffy & Biggie (Video)

It could be argued that Craig Mack is one of Hip-Hop's greatest one-hit wonders. 1994's "Flava In Ya Ear" and star-studded remix helped make a name for Craig, as well as his label-mate The Notorious B.I.G., and their leader Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. However, Craig's career and Hip-Hop philosophy has... Read more

Craig Mack Kicked 10 Minutes Of Freestyle Flavor In This Just Released 2000 Video

By Y2K, Craig Mack appeared to be an illustrious MC who was on his way out of the game. Once one of the breakout acts of Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records, Mack would drop his gold-certified Project: Funk Da World in 1994 and then mysteriously leave the label, and the... Read more

Craig Mack Releases A Video & New Song Explaining Why He’s Not A Bad Boy

Last weekend, Bad Boy Entertainment hosted an epic reunion weekend at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. Virtually every major artist in the record labels' 20+ year history was in attendance, including Ma$e, The LOX, Total, Faith Evans, 112, Carl Thomas, Black Rob and French Montana. Several Bad Boy/Puff Daddy affiliates such as... Read more

Legacy: Why Going Back Is Best For Puff Daddy & Bad Boy’s Future

Following last month's Bad Boy Records 20th anniversary set at the 2015 BET Awards, Puff Daddy announced that he is planning a tour with some of the artists he shared the stage with. Only mentioning Lil' Kim by name (who, many know, was never an official Bad Boy Records artist), the... Read more

Usher Says Meeting and Being Around Biggie Made Him More Driven (Video)

While there are elements of Hip-Hop in Usher's music, in listening to the R&B superstar one might not guess that The Notorious B.I.G. was one of his biggest influences. However, in a recent interview with Montreality, he spoke at length about how meeting Biggie changed his life. When asked if... Read more

Here is an Unbelievable Mix of 90’s Hip-Hop Remixes. Press Play and Get Ready (Audio)

SoulBounce's DJ Harvey Dent has put together an incredible mix of 90's Hip-Hop, featuring nothing but remixes. You'll hear music from Method Man & Redman, Common, Pete Rock & CL Smooth,The Fugees, Ice Cube, Nas, Jay-Z, Biggie, LL Cool J, House of Pain, Lil Kim, Craig Mack, The Luniz, The... Read more

DJ 7L & Frank The Butcher Salute The Artists Sampled On Bad Boy Records Hits (Mixtape)

From Craig Mack to Total, The Notorious B.I.G. to Black Rob, Ma$e to 112, part of what's made Bad Boy Records so catchy in the mainstream has been the label's fearlessness when it's come to sampling. While skeptics may've criticized some of the more obvious recreations at the pinnacle of... Read more

Bad Boy Records made the East Coast relevant again in rap music, making it the 3rd most important hip-hop record label in history.

#3 Bad Boy Records While East Coast Rap music was never dead, there is no question that from mid-1992 to mid-1994 commercial hip-hop was dominated by the West Coast, primarily by Death Row Records. It was not until Sean "Diddy" Combs was fired from Uptown Records and decided to launch... Read more

Bad Boy Records made the East Coast relevant again in rap music, making it the 3rd most important hip-hop record label in history.

#3 Bad Boy Records While East Coast Rap music was never quite completely dead, there is no question that from mid-1992 to mid-1994 commercial hip-hop was dominated by the West Coast, primarily by Death Row Records (more on that later...).  It was not until Sean "Diddy" Combs was fired from... Read more