ll cool j ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

DJ Kool Herc Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame By LL Cool J

This weekend, Hip-Hop pioneer and architect DJ Kool Herc officially entered the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. The Jamaican-born, Bronx, New York-raised Clive Campbell was joined by his sister Cynthia at a ceremony at Brooklyn's Barclays Center. There, Herc was inducted into the Hall by an artist with that... Read more

November 5, 2023 News, Trending Stories, Video

Rakim & LL Cool J Perform A Boomin’ Tribute To Marley Marl

Earlier this month (October 3), the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards taped in Atlanta, Georgia. The awards show now aired tonight (October 10). Among its highlights was producer/DJ Marley Marl winning the coveted I Am Hip Hop Award in the culture's ceremonial 50th year. Marley Marl is the Queens, New... Read more

October 10, 2023 TV, TV/Film, Video

Skillz Raps Up Hip-Hop’s Golden Age With A Tribute To H.E.R.

For over 20 years, MC/DJ/academic Skillz helped Hip-Hop process its yearly legacy through his Rap Up verses, which typically arrive in late December or early January. In a milestone year, Hip-Hop's 50th anniversary, the Richmond, Virginia veteran takes it a step further, with a song produced by The Roots. Skillz... Read more

September 23, 2023 Video

Questlove Names His Top 4 Rap Albums Of All-Time

This morning, ahead of their The F.O.R.C.E. Live Tour, LL Cool J, Questlove, and Black Thought appeared on The Breakfast Club for an 80-plus-minute conversation. After discussing Hip-Hop's 50th anniversary, their collaboration Rock The Bells performance with The Roots and DJ Z-Trip, and the earliest days of LL's career, the... Read more

August 9, 2023 Video

LL Cool J & Black Thought Go On A Rampage

This past weekend (August 5), the 2023 Rock The Bells Festival took place in Queens, New York. Performers at the all-day event included Run-D.M.C., Slick Rick, Redman & Method Man, Queen Latifah, Naughty By Nature, Rapsody, Brand Nubian, Boot Camp Clik, and many more. LL Cool J, who produced the... Read more

August 6, 2023 Video

LL Cool J’s Freestyle Shows He Is Still A GOAT MC

This weekend (August 5), LL Cool J is headlining the annual Rock The Bells Festival in his home borough of Queens, New York. L will be joined by The Roots and DJ Z-Trip as he shares the main event with the MC's longtime friends and peers Run-D.M.C. Other performers include... Read more

August 3, 2023 Video

LL Cool J Rocks A Q-Tip Beat With Force

In the closing days of 2019, Hip-Hop Heads learned that LL Cool J had returned to the label he helped make legendary. James Todd Smith was back on Def Jam Records. Moreover, the Queens, New York icon has teamed with another borough great to work on music, with Q-Tip producing... Read more

May 7, 2023 Audio

LL Cool J Gets His Bell Rocked On Hot Ones

"I'm damn near in crackhead mode right now. It's like some crackhead sh..." LL Cool J recently appeared on First We Feast's "Hot Ones," the show where celebrities take on the challenge of eating increasingly spicy wings. The legendary rapper and actor was clear from the start that he prefers... Read more

February 27, 2023 Video

LL Cool J Has A New Album Coming That Is Executive Produced By Q-Tip

In the closing days of 2019, LL Cool J revealed that he was working with Q-Tip on an album. The Rock The Bells founder was said to be back at Def Jam Records, the same label where his career launched in the mid-1980s, and working with the famed A Tribe Called... Read more

February 8, 2023 News

Hip-Hop Legends From The Last 50 Years Gave The Most Iconic Tribute Ever

Last night (February 5), the Grammy Awards celebrated Hip Hop's upcoming 50th birthday. LL Cool J, one of the culture's first superstars, introduced the special concert, in which he also performed. During the presentation, LL pointed to August 11, 1973, and the Bronx back-to-school jam at a rec center, made... Read more

February 6, 2023 Video

DJ Akademiks Clarifies His Insults Of Hip-Hop’s Founders & Raises Serious Questions

Last week, DJ Akademiks made some strong remarks surrounding the pioneers of Hip-Hop. While the media personality, podcaster, and Rap music social media maven did not criticize artists by name, he opined with harsh words amid an hours-long Twitch stream. "Them old rappers? Them ni**as [are] broke. Have you seen... Read more

September 27, 2022 Fresh, Video

LL Cool J Blasts DJ Akademiks For Dissing Hip-Hop’s Pioneers

Weeks after Hip-Hop celebrated its honorary 49th birthday, one of the more popular commentators within the space has come under fire for some recent remarks surrounding Rap's pioneers. DJ Akademiks, known for his social media posts and co-host role on Complex's Everyday Struggle and Off The Record, did a Twitch... Read more

September 22, 2022 Fresh, News, Video

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

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

Kidd Creole Is Found Guilty Of Fatally Stabbing A Man

On Sunday night (April 3), Grandmaster Flash and Grandmaster Melle Mel were filmed sitting together at the 2022 Grammy Awards—just two years after they received a Lifetime Achievement Award. Days later, another Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five member is in the news surrounding a much more severe manner. Nathaniel Glover,... Read more

April 7, 2022 News

LL Cool J Responds To His Memes & Shows Why He’s The GOAT

LL Cool J has spent nearly 40 years in the spotlight. Since his teen years, the Queens, New Yorker captivated audiences with his confidence, charm, and knack for making incredible songs. While James Todd Smith has expanded to film, television, radio, and lots of charitable efforts, he can still make... Read more

March 12, 2022 Video

The Top MCs Of The 80s & 90s Were Graded By Kool Moe Dee

Kool Moe Dee cemented a reputation during the 1980s as one of Hip-Hop's elite MCs who said what he felt without concern. After putting in work with The Treacherous Three group, Moe Doe pivoted to the scene as a feared battle rapper. He took on Busy Bee at the Harlem... Read more

January 11, 2022 Throwback

JAY-Z Is Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame By More Than 40 Stars

JAY-Z, LL Cool J, Foo Fighters, The Go-Go's and a host of other music legends were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday, October 30. Footage and many of the details from the illustrious night leaked in real time and the days that followed. Hip-Hop owned... Read more

November 21, 2021 Video

JAY-Z & LL Cool J Brought A President & $3 Billion To The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

On Saturday (October 30), LL Cool J and JAY-Z were formally inducted into Cleveland, Ohio's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. While Hip-Hop artists have been entering the Hall for over a decade now, 2021's celebration was truly a standout moment for the culture. As Dave Chappelle suggested while inducting... Read more

November 2, 2021 Video

The Emmys Honored Biz Markie With An Amazing Tribute

2021 has been an incredibly difficult year for Hip-Hop. In the last nine months, we have lost DMX, Black Rob, Digital Underground's Shock G, Blackalicious' Gift Of Gab, Zion I's MC Zumbi, as well as actors who have been significant to the culture, like The Wire's Michael Kenneth Williams and... Read more

September 20, 2021 TV, TV/Film, Video

LL Cool J & JAY-Z Will Be Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

The 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame class has been decided, and Hip-Hop has reason to rejoice. After six previous attempts, LL Cool J will enter the hallowed halls today (May 12). Meanwhile, in his first time on the ballot, JAY-Z will be joining his former Def Jam Records... Read more

May 12, 2021 News

DMX’s New Album Is Coming This Summer & It’s Filled With Superstars

Last Friday (April 9), family, friends, and millions of Hip-Hop fans mourned the loss of DMX. The 50-year-old rapper born Earl Simmons passed away at age 50. For the previous week, X had been on life support in White Plains, New York hospital, following a cardiac arrest. Decades into a... Read more

April 13, 2021 Video

Will DMX’s Reunion With Def Jam Return Both To Glory?

This month DMX appeared on N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN's Drink Champs for a second time. Since the Hip-Hop show's inception, X has been a top draw for Drink Champs, sitting at the table and giving a real and raw interview to his past collaborator Noreaga back in episode 3. Great conversations with Puff... Read more

February 23, 2021 Audio, Video

1984 Was The Year That Changed Everything For Hip-Hop

Hip-Hop Heads regularly debate the culture and music's greatest years. There are usual and deserving suspects, of course. However, Ambrosia For Heads' What's The Headline podcast is launching a series where we make a case for those years—and some others too. As we currently live in what some consider Orwellian times, 1984... Read more

February 10, 2021 Audio, Food for Thought, Video

Jay Electronica Kept Fans Waiting For A Decade. In 2020, He Has Released 2 Albums

Hours ago, Jay Electronica released the long-vaulted Act II: Patents Of Nobility (The Turn) album. Following this year's proper debut album, A Written Testimony in March, Jay Electronica officially shared an album that has been touted for release since 2012. The release reached Tidal, the streaming platform led by JAY-Z,... Read more

October 5, 2020 Fresh, TV, TV/Film, Video

LL Cool J Is Back On Def Jam & Q-Tip Is Producing His Music

Between 1984 and 2008, LL Cool J released 12 albums at Def Jam Records. James Todd Smith had been a flagship artist at the label launched by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin. His discography, which also includes multiple greatest hits volumes, boasted platinum and gold accolades, as well as a... Read more

December 31, 2019 Fresh, News

The Hip-Hop Museum Is A Reality Thanks To $3.5 Million From New York

For years, there has been a drive to make the Universal Hip-Hop Museum a reality. New, the Empire State is providing some significant seven-figure funding to give the Bronx, New York a place where Hip-Hop Heads can celebrate the culture's origins and heritage. On Thursday (December 19), New York Governor... Read more

December 22, 2019 Fresh, News

LL Cool J Weighs In On Why Some GOAT Rapper Lists Snub Him (Video)

Hip-Hop loves a list, and that was especially true in 2019. In late summer, a series of fan-generated Top 50 MCs lists became a viral fad, with everybody from rappers to athletes and celebrities participating on social media, and evoking debate and discourse. At the same time, many interview guests... Read more

December 5, 2019 Video

LL Cool J Discusses The Importance Of Owning All Of His Music (Video)

LL Cool J is one of Hip-Hop's first artist-moguls. At the same time he established himself as one of the most dominant MCs of all time, James Todd Smith was adding film, fashion, and more to his resume. Appearing on Sway In The Morning this week, Uncle L also broke... Read more

November 23, 2019 Video

LL Cool J Tells Mike Tyson About The Boxing Royalty In His Family (Video)

LL Cool J and Mike Tyson's relationship goes back nearly 35 years. Cool James name-checked Iron Mike on 1987's "I'm Bad" with the boxing-inspired bars: "I'm like Tyson, icin', I'm a soldier at war / I'm makin' sure you don't try to battle me no more / Got concrete rhymes,... Read more

June 25, 2019 Lifestyle, Video

Black Thought, Yasiin Bey, Pharoahe Monch & Tobe Nwigwe Make A New Live At The BBQ

Yesterday (June 1), The Roots hosted their 12th-annual picnic in the legendary group's hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event moved this year to the Mann Center, in the same West Philly that Questlove represents. With active three stages, the day was filled with incredible performances, including a 20th-anniversary rendition of... Read more

June 2, 2019 Exclusive, Video

Dr. Dre & LL Cool J Have Recorded More Than 40 Songs Together (Audio)

Dr. Dre rarely grants interviews. He admits it, and adds that he does not enjoy talking about himself in public. Since 2017's The Defiant Ones documentary on HBO, Andre Young has participated little in the way of press, beyond product or album promotion. If there is one Rap peer who... Read more

April 23, 2019 Audio

LL Cool J Is Victorious In Lawsuit Against Rock The Bells Festival

It has been more than five years since the Rock The Bells music festival transpired. 2013's affair ended abruptly, citing poor sales before canceling the East Coast dates. However, starting in 2007, the traveling event was a major showcase for Hip-Hop talent in all facets. Headliners between '07 and '13... Read more

April 12, 2019 News, Video

80s vs. 90s Hip-Hop: Which Is Better? A New Video Shows It’s All Love

Today is Valentine’s Day. For many Heads, love is in the air. So, what better way to celebrate than to premiere a brand new medley of iconic Hip-Hop love songs from top acapella group Naturally 7. For those unfamiliar with this New York City outfit, Ambrosia For Heads previously premiered... Read more

February 14, 2019 Exclusive, Video

The Beastie Boys Book Is Nominated For AudioBook Of The Year

In late 2018, Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz published The Beastie Boys Book. Mike D and Ad-Rock penned a group memoir to tell the story of the iconic trio that transcended the Rap, Hip-Hop, and Punk Rock genres. The Penguin Books text also memorialized Adam Yauch. The rapper/producer also known... Read more

February 6, 2019 News

What’s The Real Definition Of A Freestyle? The Great Debate Continues (Video)

Last month, Ambrosia For Heads revisited a 1997 conversation between LL Cool J, Redman, DMX, Method Man and MTV News' Abbie Kearse. The interview unpacked the varying definitions of a freestyle, pulling opinions of the MCs from some different eras and backgrounds. As can be seen and heard by the definitions... Read more

January 13, 2019 TBD, Video

Eminem Names His Top 12 Rap Diss Songs Of All-Time (Audio)

Despite being a perennial Grammy darling, with 44 nominations and 15 wins, Eminem's 2018 Kamikaze album has no nominations. The LP also was missing from a number of prominent "best album of the year" lists. But, make no mistake, Kamikaze, which became Em's 10th album in a row to reach... Read more

December 27, 2018 Audio

LL Cool J, DMX, Redman & Method Man Explain The Real Definition Of A Freestyle

Twenty-one years ago this month, LL Cool J released his "4, 3, 2, 1" single. Not unlike "I Shot Ya" two years prior, one of the most respected figures in Rap recruited a team of ferocious MCs to share the mic. In addition to Canibus, whose early career appearance and... Read more

December 16, 2018 Throwback, Throwback, Video

Ad-Rock Opens Up About The Beastie Boys’ Bitter Split From Def Jam

Last month Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Michael "Mike D" Diamond published The Beastie Boys Book. The memoir of the band chronicles 35 years of music-making, friendship, and being part of multiple cultural melting pots in Downtown New York City, Los Angeles, and places and spaces in between. A highlight in... Read more

November 19, 2018 Fresh, Throwback, Throwback

LL Cool J Remembers Knocking Out MC Hammer With A Diss & Explains Why (Video)

On his "I Shot Ya (Remix)" LL Cool J reminded music fans that his victories included wins against Kool Moe Dee, Ice-T, and M.C. Hammer. Five years prior, on LL Cool J's fourth album, Mama Said Knock You Out, he seemingly left the ring victorious with a TKO title track aimed... Read more

November 13, 2018 Throwback, Throwback, Video

LL Cool J Has Been Nominated For The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame

A foundational figure in Hip-Hop history is eligible for nomination into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a milestone reached in past years by Beastie Boys, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, N.W.A., Public Enemy, Run-D.M.C. and Tupac Shakur. This year, LL Cool J is among the list of... Read more

October 9, 2018 News

Eminem Becomes LL Cool J’s Stan In A Conversation Between Two GOATs (Audio)

Eminem tends to offer impassioned anecdotes when crediting his multiple Rap music influences. For the first episode of LL Cool J's new show, The Influence Of Hip-Hop on Sirius XM's Rock The Bells Radio channel, Eminem tells LL that he is one of the main reasons that he began rapping as a child. "I... Read more

August 22, 2018 Audio

Canibus & Wyclef Detail Their Beef & How They Squashed It In A New Song (Audio)

When Canibus came on the scene in the late 1990s, he made a name for himself by out-shining MCs on their own tracks. Common, The Lost Boyz, and Heltah Skeltah can all testify to those early, devastating appearances. Then, when the already platinum Wyclef Jean got behind the hungry New... Read more

August 16, 2018 Audio

Rakim Hilariously Details His High Stakes Slap-Boxing Match With LL Cool J (Video)

Being a legendary MC comes with a lot of praise, pressure, and stories. Rakim's faced or experienced a lot of all three, and when it comes to interviews over the years, "the God MC" has treated Heads to a lot of great tales. For example, one of those stories was... Read more

April 6, 2018 Throwback, Video

The Kennedy Center Put Q-Tip In Charge Of Hip-Hop Culture & He Built A Dream Team To Help

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. has announced the inauguration of its Hip Hop Culture Council, and the names are nothing short of heavyweights. According to the center's Medium page, the council is comprised of Hip Hop luminaries from across various elements of the culture.... Read more

March 6, 2018 News

Combat Jack’s Friend Details His Bravery & Dignity In His Final Days

Combat Jack, known to his closest friends and acquaintances as Reggie Ossé, passed away on December 20, 2017, after a battle with colon cancer. During the Redman episode of his Combat Jack Show podcast, Ossé revealed to the public that he had been diagnosed and was fighting for his life. Two months... Read more

February 15, 2018 Fresh

Happy 50th Birthday To LL Cool J. Celebrate The Original G.O.A.T. (Video)

Today marks the 50th birthday of James Todd Smith, best known as beloved Queens, New York MC, LL Cool J. Born January 14, 1968, "Ladies Love Cool James" has always had an undeniable impact in Hip-Hop. As an adolescent, LL Cool J reportedly recorded his own demos using a mixer... Read more

January 14, 2018 Fresh

Busta Rhymes, Black Thought & MC Lyte Give A Knockout Tribute To LL Cool J (Video)

Earlier this month, LL Cool J became the first Hip-Hop artist to be celebrated as a Kennedy Center Honoree. Last night (December 27), the full ceremony aired on CBS, and LL’s tribute was one fit for a GOAT. While it is customary to have a celebrity introduce honorees at these... Read more

December 27, 2017 Video

Salute To LL Cool J. He Is Now Hip-Hop’s First Kennedy Center Honoree

Fans have waited four months since it announced, but Hip-Hop has its first Kennedy Center Honoree. LL Cool J was among the five artists celebrated at the honors this weekend in Washington, D.C. The MC, actor, host, and author born James Todd Smith attended the event at the John F.... Read more

December 3, 2017 News

LL Cool J Couldn’t Live Without His Radio. Now He’s Getting His Own Station.

LL Cool J's debut album Radio released 32 years ago this weekend (November 18, 1985). The Def Jam Records classic featured the pride of Farmers Boulevard rapping about women in his life, his promises of Rap stardom, and telling other MCs why they were inferior in so many ways. Radio... Read more

November 17, 2017 News