jazz ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

Lupe Fiasco Raps Over André 3000’s Flute Music

Earlier this month, André 3000 released his first album in 17 years. New Blue Sun is not only noteworthy as a deviation from OutKast, but the LP also featured no rapping whatsoever. Instead, the Hip-Hop legend opted to play flute. In the days before releasing the Epic Records album, Dre... Read more

November 26, 2023 Audio, Trending Stories

André 3000 Is Releasing A New Album On Friday

Less than one week after earning two Grammy nominations for his 2023 collaboration with Killer Mike, André 3000 has surprised fans with an announcement that he is releasing his first album in over 15 years, New Blue Sun, which will arrive Friday (November 17). The OutKast co-founder's album is eight tracks... Read more

November 14, 2023 News

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

Clarence Avant “The Black Godfather Of Music” Has Passed Away

Clarence Avant, one of the most influential and respected figures in Black Music's history, has died at age 92. The famed executive "passed away gently at home" yesterday (August 13), according to a family statement given to The Los Angeles Times. "Through his revolutionary business leadership, Clarence became affectionately known as 'The... Read more

August 14, 2023 News

Heavily Sampled Jazz Legend Ahmad Jamal Has Passed Away

Ahmad Jamal, the Grammy Award-winning Jazz pianist, band leader, and composer, has died. He was 92 when he passed earlier today (April 16) at his Massachusetts home. Jamal, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has over 70 years of recordings in his discography—which also includes the Ahmad Jamal Trio, and collaborative... Read more

April 16, 2023 News

Black Thought & Rakim Light Up The Stage With Talib Kweli

Last week, Bob James held a concert residence at New York City's Blue Note alongside Talib Kweli and a live band for the second consecutive year. An esteemed panel of guests joined the Grammy-winning Jazz keyboardist and famed producer during 2023's three-night residency. D.M.C. joined on February 7, Slick Rick... Read more

February 12, 2023 Video

Ali Shaheed Muhammad Reveals The Hidden Meaning Of Low End Theory

A Tribe Called Quest co-founder Ali Shaheed Muhammad recently released Katalyst JID013 on his Jazz Is Dead imprint. It's Ali's latest partnership with Jazz band Katalyst and producer/musician Adrian Younge. Shaheed spoke about the new LP while on The People's Party With Talib Kweli. The two Hip-Hop artists spoke about ATCQ's sophomore LP, The Low... Read more

July 26, 2022 Video

Heavily-Sampled Artist Bernard Wright Has Passed Away At Age 58

UPDATE: Following Bernard Wright's death, Roberta Flack issued a statement. In a tweet that mourned Wright, it confirmed he was the "Killing Me Softly With His Song" singer's godson and former music director. Other sources, including a 1997 New York Times article, had claimed that Wright was Flack's son. Flack... Read more

May 26, 2022 News

Go Behind The Scenes Of Robert Glasper’s Star-Studded Blue Note Residency (Video)

Robert Glasper is an extremely busy man. If he’s not putting out new work like his latest project, F*ck Yo Feelings, he’s assisting friends such as Terrace Martin, Herbie Hancock, and PJ Morton with their own projects. One would wonder just how the award-winning composer and pianist spend his downtime... Read more

November 25, 2019 Video

Rakim Is A Top MC, But He Ain’t No Joke As A Producer Either (Video)

Rakim is widely revered as one of the greatest MCs in Hip-Hop history. However, as the lyrical legend continues to speak about his career in a new light, he may also deserve recognition as one of the culture's great producers. Earlier this week, Rakim stopped by HOT 97's Ebro In... Read more

October 26, 2019 Video

N’Dea Davenport & The Brand New Heavies Reunite For Some Escapism (Audio)

The Brand New Heavies formed in the mid-1980s London club scene. However, it was during the 1990s that the Acid Jazz outfit founded by Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy found its most successful stride. In 1990, Atlanta, Georgia native N'Dea Davenport joined the fold as the group's lead singer. This... Read more

April 26, 2019 Audio

Early Hip-Hop Records Sampled James Brown. His 1st Funk Record Sampled Miles Davis.

If the debate for the King of R&B is up for grabs, followers of the late great James Brown can rest easy, as his position among the greatest to ever do it, is secure as a Master padlock. Known indelibly as the “Godfather of Soul Music,” Brown’s career covered successive... Read more

December 31, 2018 Throwback

A New Mashup Mix Perfectly Blends The Sounds Of Lauryn Hill & Nina Simone

One of Ms. Lauryn Hill's biggest inspirations is Nina Simone. With mirroring emotions through the soulful cries in their delivery, the presence of Simone's influence is undeniable throughout Lauryn's singing catalog. The Fugees songstress embraced the likeness of her artistry to the late musician not only in song, but also... Read more

December 4, 2018 Audio, Mixes

Del The Funky Homosapien, Domino & Dante Ross Detail The Making Of No Need For Alarm

The cornerstone of Del The Funky Homosapien’s career and artistic identity belongs to his second album, No Need For Alarm. Released 25 years ago last month, the Elektra Records LP may not be remembered as a commercial triumph. However, the record increased the profiles of Del’s Hieroglyphics cohorts, establishing a... Read more

December 2, 2018 Exclusive, Interview

One Of The Most Sampled Songs In Hip-Hop Now Has A Sequel (Audio)

Since the early 1970s, pioneering Hip-Hop DJs played records with specific instrumental breakdown sections that could make B-boys and B-girls dance. As the culture grew, one of the artists who created breaks that DJs—and later, producers, gravitated towards was Bob James. The keyboardist, arranger, and record producer has since become... Read more

July 24, 2018 Audio

Finding The GOAT Group: The Fugees vs. Digable Planets. 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

June 1, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Group: Public Enemy vs. Stetsasonic. 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 30, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Roy Ayers’ Tiny Desk Performance Shows Why He’s 1 Of Hip-Hop’s Biggest Influences (Video)

Vibraphonist Roy Ayers is a legend of Jazz, Funk, and Soul music that collectively has had a tremendous impact on Hip-Hop. A product of Los Angeles, California, Ayers would work with flutist (and another prominently-sampled artist) Herbie Mann by the mid-1960s, before going off on his won. In the '70s,... Read more

May 18, 2018 Video

Talib Kweli Discusses The Genius Of Madvillainy & Its Impact On Hip-Hop (Audio)

Last month, Madvillain's album celebrated its 14th birthday. In the early 2000s, MF DOOM and Madlib formed the group and recorded Madvillainy in the latter's bomb shelter studio in Glendale, California. The resulting Stones Throw Records album was a game-changer in the careers of two elusive, decorated veterans, both creatively... Read more

April 23, 2018 Audio, Exclusive

Q-Tip Will Teach College Students The Low End Theory & Other Hip-Hop Lessons

In March, A Tribe Called Quest released its final music video, "The Space Program." Currently an exclusive at Apple Music, the single from 2016's We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service closes the visual book on one of Hip-Hop's most beloved groups, according to a recent Sway... Read more

April 7, 2018 News

Herbie Hancock Will Rock It With Kendrick, Snoop & Common On Next LP

Herbie Hancock is a 14-time Grammy Award recipient (as well as an Oscar winner) that many cite as a provider of their introduction to Hip-Hop and DJ'ing on television. Although the Jazz impresario's recording career began at the top of the '60s, Hip-Hop and Hancock helped each other achieve mainstream... Read more

March 5, 2018 News

Quincy Jones Details How Michael Jackson Stole Some Of His Best Material (Video)

Quincy Jones turns 85 years old next month. The musician, arranger, producer, and celebrity is showing a side of himself that may be new to most of the public. Q is speaking fearlessly about some of his most sacred collaborators and peers. The creator of 1989's Back On The Block... Read more

February 8, 2018 News

Tyler, The Creator’s Best Rap Album Contender Sounds Even Better Live (Video)

Two weeks ago, Tyler, The Creator's Flower Boy album was nominated in the Grammy category for "Best Rap Album." The nod marks a first for the 26-year-old MC/producer. In 2013, Tyler was part of Frank Ocean's Channel Orange cast that received an "Album Of The Year" nomination. Looking into next... Read more

December 11, 2017 Video

Digable Planets Made Jazz-Rap Cool Like Dat For Just About Everybody (Video)

Late, great Gang Starr lyricist Guru ambitiously declared "The '90s will be the decade of a Jazz thing" on the Mo' Better Blues soundtrack single named just that. Jazz-Rap was still an anomaly when groups like Public Enemy, N.W.A., and Boogie Down Productions were pulling extensively from '60s and '70s... Read more

November 9, 2017 Do Remember

Thundercat’s Guitar Gently Weeps On NPR’s Tiny Desk In This Soulful Set (Video)

Thundercat brought his guitar and his latest album Drunk into NPR's Washington, D.C. offices. At the Tiny Desk, the Brainfeeder artist, the Los Angeles, California native born Stephen Bruner joined his band for several selections, including 2015 crossover hit, "Them Changes." This song, including its innovative homage to The Isley... Read more

October 18, 2017 Video

Weldon Irvine Influenced Black Star, KRS-One, JAY-Z, Common & Q-Tip. His Story Is Being Told (Video)

Best-known perhaps as the songwriter of the unofficial Civil Rights anthem, "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" (popularized by Nina Simone), the late Weldon Irvine bridged the generations as a key mentor and collaborator to Hip-Hop icons during the '90s and beyond. Guru, Roy Ayers, & Donald Byrd Brought Jazzmatazz... Read more

August 29, 2017 TV/Film, Video

The Hot 8 Brass Band Prove Can’t Nobody Get Down Like New Orleans (Video)

New Orleans' expansive musical history is perhaps no better recognized than by the ubiquitous brass band. For generations, musicians in the Big Easy have taken up brass horns (wooden instruments don't do so well in the humidity) on street corners, in second-line parades, and in performance venues as instruments for both celebratory... Read more

May 2, 2017 Ready Or Not

Talib Kweli Stands Up To Make The World A Better Place, Starting With Beautiful Music (Audio)

Talib Kweli has joined forces with Jazz trumpeter and rapper Maurice Brown for "Stand Up," a brooding call to action for strength during turbulent times. Brown is a Grammy-winning musician whose tutelage under the great Wynton Marsalis has helped him become one of the most successful musicians of his class,... Read more

March 23, 2017 Audio

Producer David Axelrod Has Passed Away. He Leaves Massive Legacy In Hip-Hop.

This evening (February 5), it has been reported that David Axelrod has died. The Roots' Questlove took to social media moments ago to announce the death of iconic music producer, songwriter, and arranger. A native of South Central Los Angeles, California, Axelrod's own music, as well as his productions for... Read more

February 5, 2017 News

Big K.R.I.T. Makes His Most Experimental Song To Date. Will His Music Stay This Way? (Audio)

In what will likely be one of the most exciting chapters of Big K.R.I.T.'s music career, his recent departure from Def Jam may be encouraging him to explore and push musical boundaries in his own work. His recent feature on "Might Not Be O.K." (the work of Kenneth Whalum, a... Read more

January 9, 2017 Audio

Dru Hill Reunite For The Soul Train Awards & Sound As Great As Ever (Video)

It has been more than six years since Dru Hill released an album. The multi-platinum 1990s and 2000s Baltimore, Maryland group reunited for a 2016 Soul Train Awards performance. Opening the show, Sisqó, Jazz, Nokio, and Tao performed a medley of their hits, including the So So Def Remix of... Read more

November 28, 2016 Video

Watch The Making Of The Mural That Immortalizes A Tribe Called Quest In Queens, NY (Video)

Today marks the 25th anniversary of A Tribe Called Quest releasing their album, The Low End Theory. The group's second LP, often considered their master work, was released on September 24, 1991—changing the musical landscape around it ever since In a 2016 that has tragically lost group co-founder Phife Dawg to... Read more

September 24, 2016 Video

The Making Of ATCQ’s The Low End Theory, Told By People Who Were There

Twenty five years ago today, A Tribe Called Quest released The Low End Theory. The Queens, New York collective had seemingly achieved what so many of their peers aspired to: a record contract, devoted fans, and hits in rotation through a certifiably respected debut. Still, with Q-Tip at the helm,... Read more

September 23, 2016 Exclusive, Food for Thought

45 King Gives His Rhythm Roulette Records A Truly Hard Knock (Video)

45 King is one of the most active Hip-Hop producers of 2016 who can say he was making hit records in the 1980s. He joins Dr. Dre, EPMD, Marley Marl, Prince Paul, Large Professor, and a very select few in that elite class. The New Jersey native has always had... Read more

August 1, 2016 Video

Digable Planets Reflect On Their Travels Through Time & Space And They’re Still Light Years Ahead

In 1994, a trio of young, unparalleled Hip-Hop creators won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)." Up against megawatt contemporaries like Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg, Naughty By Nature, and Cypress Hill, Digable Planets repped for... Read more

July 13, 2016 Food for Thought

Robert Glasper & Bilal Re-Interpret Miles Davis’ “The Ghetto Walk” (Video)

Last month, Robert Glasper unveiled the first audio glimpse of his Everything’s Beautiful album (May 27). The Jazz musician is bridging the generations on an album inspired by and featuring some works by the late Miles Davis. In a season that looks at the trumpeter's life and times, courtesy of Don... Read more

April 13, 2016 Video

Robert Glasper & Bilal Rhythmically Glide Over A Miles Davis Horn Sample (Audio)

Always creating, Robert Glasper's upcoming project connects his music to that of late Jazz icon, Miles Davis. Both men have injected a sense of soul, pain, and pride into the music—while reminding the world of Jazz' Black heritage and medium to express the culture. Everything's Beautiful (May 27), Glasper's seventh... Read more

March 9, 2016 Audio

Black Sheep Dres & Jaleel Shaw Fly High With the Help of New York City’s Jazzy Streets (Video)

The musical marriage of MC Dres (of Black Sheep) and Jazz saxophonist and composer Jaleel Shaw represents an intersection of two genres with a longstanding history. Shaw - a frequent collaborator of Robert Glasper's - released his second solo album back in 2008, but music's perennial ability to inspire others... Read more

March 4, 2016 Video

Earth Wind & Fire Front Man Maurice White Passes Away

One of Soul, Jazz, and Funk music's most beloved voices and producers has died. Maurice White, co-founder and longtime front man of Earth Wind And Fire passed away last night (February 3), according to his brother (and fellow EWF member) Verdine. The 74 year-old singer died in his sleep. A... Read more

February 4, 2016 News

Don Cheadle’s Portrayal Of Miles Davis Captures His Fiery Cool (Video)

After years in the making, Don Cheadle's Miles Davis biopic has its official trailer. The Miles Ahead film, starring Cheadle in the lead, also features Ewan McGregor (who plays music journalist Dave Brill). Based on the trailer, the film captures Miles' life in 1979, a period when he was in... Read more

February 2, 2016 TV/Film, Video

This Feel-Good Lord Finesse Mix Is The Cure For The Post-Holiday Hangover

Let's face it, the first Monday of the new year can often be a drag. For many, this means (fully) back to work, often some challenging weather, and a long haul to the next reason to celebrate. The all knowing Lord Finesse seems to have forecast such a feeling. The... Read more

January 4, 2016 Mixes

DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Holiday Groove Has More Than A Touch Of Jazz (Audio)

DJ Jazzy Jeff knows how to do holidays right. His and MICK's Summertime mixtape series have made the Summer months even hotter. This time, as the year comes to a close, the West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hip-Hop legend sprinkles a new track on fans. "Xmas Is Coming!!" is a straightforward Jazz... Read more

December 20, 2015 Audio

Jill Scott’s In Concert Rendition Of Strange Fruit Echoes Through The Eras (Video)

Recently, A&E aired Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America. The televised concert featured Pharrell Williams, Big Sean, Sting, John Legend, and Bruce Springsteen, among others. In that special, Jill Scott performed a cover of Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit." A standard of modern music, Jill Scott's... Read more

November 24, 2015 Video

Yasiin Bey & Robert Glasper Perform De La Soul’s Stakes Is High (Video)

Concert-going Heads know, rarely are two Yasiin Bey shows the same. The MC formerly known as mighty Mos Def can do Hip-Hop sets, singing sets, and often weave in Dancehall to his live show—and that's when he's not playing support to Gorillaz, doing Black Star dates, or trying his hand... Read more

October 13, 2015 Video

Pete Rock Reminisces Over “T.R.O.Y.” & Getting Emotional Hearing Tom Scott’s Sample (Audio)

One year ago, Pete Rock appeared on NPR's "Microphone Check" to discuss his catalog, remixes, and James Brown influence. At the midpoint of 2015, the Chocolate Boy Wonder (as he's been deemed) has a fresh batch of Petestrumentals available, care of Tucson, Arizona-based Mello Music Group. An MC/producer who got... Read more

July 22, 2015 Audio

k-os Crucifies An Ella Fitzgerald Sample In His Return Single (Audio)

More than two years removed from BLack On BLonde, k-os has returned for more. The Toronto, Ontario mainstay has built a career on waxing ill poetic on beats based upon samples by SoHo, interpolations of Greg Kihn Band, and now—Ella Fitzgerald vocals. "Crucify" builds upon the Jazz songstress' "It's De-Lovely"... Read more

July 13, 2015 Audio

Celebrate Mark de Clive-Lowe’s Reconstructed Take On Herbie Hancock (Mix)

Mark de Clive-Lowe is a name that may not stand out to you, but he's surely in the liner notes to your music library. From Ms. Lauryn Hill to Blu, the New Zealand-born, Los Angeles, California-based composer, musician, and producer gets down. Versed in Jazz and Soul, Mark took on... Read more

July 3, 2015 Throwback

The Robert Glasper Trio Has Got It Covered When It Comes To Jhene Aiko (Video)

Grammy Award-winning Jazz pianist and composer Robert Glasper has a long history of blending his own musical stylings with Hip-Hop, and his latest release embodies his appreciation for both. Covered: The Robert Glasper Trio Recorded Live at Capitol Studios features renditions of Jhené Aiko, Bilal, Kendrick Lamar, John Legend, Musiq... Read more

June 17, 2015 Video

This 2015 Cover Of Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit Will Give You Chills (Audio)

Billie Holiday's 1939 song "Strange Fruit" is the epitome of captivating. A poem penned two years prior by educator Abel Meeropol (as "Lewis Allan"), the song symbolizes and mourns the lynchings of Black people. In 1999, Time magazine would proclaim Holiday's version "the song of the century." Artistically, it is... Read more

June 4, 2015 Audio

Rediscover Madlib’s Yesterdays’ New Quintet Thanks To Stones Throw (Audio)

Madlib. Quasimoto. The Loop Digga. The man born Otis Jackson, Jr. has many names, identities, and personas. Back in the early 2000s, one of Madlib quietly emerged with one of his most illusive groups, Yesterday's New Quintet. A consummate sampler, Madlib began experimenting with a Fender Rhodes keyboard. As Stones... Read more

March 26, 2015 Throwback