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Macklemore Ponders Hip-Hop’s Bad Influences On A Song With DJ Premier

It has been over a decade since Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' mainstream breakthrough, The Heist. Promoted with impressive Backroom freestyles and more, the album dealt with industry triumphs, sexual equality, and more. The against-the-grain LP featuring ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul would eventually (and somewhat controversially) win "Best Rap Album" at the 2014... Read more

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

AZ Gets Down To Firm Biz As He Rates The Rhymes Of Nas, Future & More (Video)

AZ is the latest guest on the "Rate The Bars" program. Many Hip-Hop Heads revere the Brooklyn, New Yorker for his lyricism, wordplay, and imagery. The MC said to be at work on his long-anticipated Doe Or Die 2 is a fitting and qualified judge for others' rhymes. As a... Read more

DJ Premier’s Singer Torii Wolf Readies Her Album. Preemo Is Producing 9 Joints (Audio)

For the last year and a half, DJ Premier has devoted much of his attention to Torii Wolf. The Gang Starr producer has cemented a reputation for helping great MCs on their debut albums. Whether JAY-Z, Nas, Biggie, Prodigy, J-Live, Jeru The Damaja, or Non-Phixion, Preemo supplied the heat. Torii... Read more

2016’s Boldest & Most Important Political Statements In Hip-Hop & Beyond

2016 has been a rough year. From seemingly endless celebrity deaths to a political campaign unlike any other to racial tensions dominating headlines, these last 12 months have been riddled with great sorrow. But as history continues to remind us, out of great pain comes great resilience, and actors, athletes,... Read more

Macklemore Shows What Happens When Doctors Kill Us With Pills (Video)

Heads may recall that Macklemore and President Obama recently launched a joint effort to bring opioid abuse to the forefront of discussions about America's most important health emergencies. Their efforts culminated in the MTV documentary Prescription For Change: Ending America's Opioid Crisis, which premiered on October 11 and is now... Read more

Macklemore’s New Song Calls Out Drug Dealers, Including Big Pharma & Doctors (Audio)

For the last 5 years, Macklemore has been one of the most courageous artists in Hip-Hop. Starting with his 2011 release "Wings," which addressed the detrimental effects of rampant materialism in our society, the Seattle MC, and his musical partner Ryan Lewis, has tackled some of the biggest issues facing... Read more

Dante Ross Wanted To Make O.D.B. & Method Man “The Next Run-D.M.C.”

In the canon of Hip-Hop music, Dante Ross may be what we now know as "the plug." From De La Soul to Missy Elliott, MF DOOM to Digital Underground, Lil Dicky to Brand Nubian, Dante has discovered some of Hip-Hop's most respected artists. Beyond simply the exploration, Ross has thrived... Read more

The Story Of Hip-Hop’s Earliest Days Is Told By Its Pioneers (Video)

Fifteen years after the onset of Hip-Hop culture (August of 1973 is credited by many historians), Eric B. & Rakim's Paid In Full album took the elements of skillful rapping and DJ'ing and applied them to a materialistic, ambition-driven lifestyle that featured fashion, jewelry, and luxury cars. Even in that... Read more

YG, G-Eazy & Macklemore Unite In an Effort to Trump Hate (Video)

In the April video for "FDT," YG and Nipsey Hussle open with a question for their audience: "in which direction will we go?" It's a pointed reference to the presidential election, one in which the political arena has become more divisive and fraught with implications than most in recent history.... Read more

Hip-Hop Stood Tall In July. Here’s Some Of The Best Of The Month (Audio Playlist)

July was a tense and complicated month. The killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile by police, both captured on film, led to national protests, heated discourse and some misguided shootings of police officers, presumably in retaliation. Political conventions held by the Democratic and Republican parties further divided the nation... Read more

Donald Trump Is Just the Start. YG Is Ready To Take On the System.

With the Democratic National Convention well underway, the November arrival of America's presidential election is nearing closer, and things are reaching a fever pitch. Many artists within the Hip-Hop community are taking to the studio and stage to record political messages for posterity, helping raise awareness and inspire entire movements.... Read more

Macklemore & G-Eazy May Have Just Joined YG On The Secret Service Watch List (Audio)

Earlier this year, YG and Nipsey Hussle released a song that was a scathing critique of then presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump. Titled "FDT," standing for F... Donald Trump, the song was so brazen in its attacks that it landed on the radar of the Secret Service, and YG was... Read more

President Obama & Macklemore Say It Loud & Clear: Opioid Addiction is Killing Us (Video)

Causing more American deaths a year than traffic accidents, drug overdoses - not just in street form like heroin but also in prescription form like painkillers - have become a pandemic disease in the United States. Because prescription pills can be extremely costly and difficult to get to, many abusers... Read more

Listen To The Best Hip-Hop of February (& January) 2016 In One Playlist (Audio)

The month of February brought many surprises in Hip-Hop. DJ Premier partnered with ambient songstress Yuna, for some boom bap vibe music. Blu rocked on a 45 King track reminiscent of "Hard Knock Life." Kendrick Lamar and Ice Cube got funky with Funkadelic. The Game waxed poetic with nothing but... Read more

Macklemore Releases “Buckshot” With KRS-One & DJ Premier. Is That “Real Hip-Hop” Enough? (Audio)

Ever since the blockbuster success of their album The Heist, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have been scapegoated as the poster children for the appropriation of Hip-Hop. To some, their catchy hooks and pop-influenced productions are anathema to the culture. The hate for the group was compounded by their win for... Read more

Macklemore Performs A Powerful Rendition Of White Privilege 2 Without The Distractions (Video)

From the minute Macklemore & Ryan Lewis released their powerful song, White Privilege II, it created a storm of controversy. While the song was designed to provoke a strong response and stir up discussion, sadly, a lot of the discourse was gossipy and shallow conjecture about whether or not the... Read more

Macklemore Releases a New Song About White Privilege And It’s a Powder Keg (Audio)

Recent events have made it exceptionally clear that we are living in a modern-day Civil Rights Era. Despite all the progress American society has made in many ways - a Black President, LGBTQ rights, allowing women to serve in the military, and so forth - there is still an untenable... Read more

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ The Heist vs. Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city. 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

These Videos Made Us Feel Like We Could Fly In 2015 (Video)

2015 might very well be remembered as the year the video took over the song in Hip-Hop. While audio platforms like SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music are growing in strength, high profile mixtapes decreased in number, and an increasing amount of releases were presented as videos even before the audio-only... Read more

Here Are Ambrosia For Heads’ Picks For The Best Music Videos Of 2015

2015 might very well be remembered as the year the video took over the song in Hip-Hop. While audio platforms like SoundCloud, Spotify and Apple Music are growing in strength, high profile mixtapes decreased in number, and an increasing amount of releases were presented as videos even before the audio-only... Read more

Big Daddy Kane Celebrates Macklemore For Working With Hip-Hop’s Pioneers (Video)

One of the more polarizing occurrences in Hip-Hop this year has been Macklemore's song "Downtown." Since his massive ascension in 2012, the Seattle MC has had both passionate supporters and vitriolic haters, with little in between. The divide was only heightened when Macklemore won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best... Read more

Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake are Back at It: Check Out Part 6 of Their History of Rap (Video)

It was a big day for Hip-Hop in late-night television yesterday. With Kendrick Lamar's awe-inspiring performance on Stephen Colbert's "Late Show" last night and the return of the Fallon-Timberlake duo to the "Tonight Show," there is plenty to go around. Since 2010, the two have partnered in medley-style performances of... Read more

Melle Mel & Big Daddy Kane Vouch For Macklemore & Say Other Rappers Should “Hang Their Heads”

Throughout the last 10 days, a lot of attention has fallen upon Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "Downtown." Already a video single from the Seattle, Washington, Grammy Award-winning, platinum act, the pair performed the song to open the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards two Sundays ago (August 30). Perhaps most pertinently,... Read more

Big Daddy Kane Defends Macklemore, Praises Inclusion Of Rap Pioneers

In 1994, Big Daddy Kane—a major label, gold-certified artist, appeared on the Treacherous Three's first album in a decade, Old School Flava. "We Wit' It" featured Kane, alongside Chuck D, Grandmaster Caz, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Heavy D, Tito, and the Treacherous Three lineup of Kool Moe Dee, Special K, and... Read more

Macklemore, Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz & Kool Moe Dee Stage an Epic VMA Opening (Video)

Did you ever think you'd see Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz and Kool Moe Dee on the VMAs? Macklemore & Ryan Lewis made it happen. Fresh off the release of the completely over the top song and video, "Downtown," the Seattle duo topped both with one of the most epic VMA... Read more

Macklemore Collaborates with Melle Mel, Grandmaster Caz & Kool Moe Dee (Video)

The lives of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have changed immensely since the 2012 release of their album, The Heist. The duo went from being indie Hip-Hop darlings to full-blown global superstars. The album and its singles dominated music for more than a year, culminating in sales of more than 1.4... Read more

Macklemore & Ed Sheeran Present Lessons To His Daughter & All Of Us (Audio)

After dominating 2012-2014, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are back. The Seattle, Washington MC and producer tandem are masters at finding Pop sensibility through making Hip-Hop songs about issues that seemingly relate to us all. Mack' and his wife recently welcomed their daughter Sloane Ava Simone Haggerty into the world (in May,... Read more

Raz Simone Runs Up That Hill With Some Of The Realest Bars You’ll Hear This Week (Video)

Raz Simone keeps rising. That idea inspires his latest video, "Macklemore & Chief Keef." Shot in a rocky desert in the magic hour, it's Raz's raps that are sharper than the landscapes, as he talks about the plight of the Internet artist looking for buzz and accolades in 2015. The... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Speaks About His Grammy Loss & The Price of Fame with Raw Honesty

Kendrick Lamar graces the cover of the latest edition of XXL. Rather than do an interview or a standard profile piece, the publication allowed Kendrick to convey his thoughts in his words and his words, only. There were no questions and presumably no edits; just Kendrick raw and unfiltered. The... Read more

Macklemore Gets Deep About Race, White Appropriation, Grammy Awards & His Biggest Mistake (Video)

In addition to all of the great things that happened in music, especially Hip-Hop, for 2014, there have been some uncomfortable moments. As art parallels life, and life parallels art, America witnessed murders, arrests, protests, actions (and non-actions) and other public issues raise the question of racial equality. In Hip-Hop... Read more

Finding the GOAT: Who is Your Wildcard Pick for Round 2?

As we continue the ultimate battle for the title of the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time), we are asking you to help us rank who is the greatest MC to pick up a mic. We will take over 35 years of Hip-Hop into consideration, pairing special match-ups in a sequence not... Read more

A$AP Rocky Reveals His Production Skills & Stories About His Late Brother & Father In SVDDXNLY: Part Two (Video)

Noisey continues their documentary following around A$AP Rocky and his cohorts on their rise to Hip-Hop's forefront in part two of their SVDDXNLY series. In this webisode, we get an inside look into how Rocky first met his assistant Lou way before the A$AP Mob was discovered, as well as... Read more

Kanye West, Macklemore & More Make Appearances on Ep. 1 of the New Hot 97 Reality Show (Video)

NYC's Hot 97 is a Hip-Hop institution, having played a key role in launching the careers of Biggie, Jay Z, Kanye West and just about anyone else who's come up through the ranks over the last 20 years. They've landed a new reality series and it's quite entertaining. Rather than... Read more

Kanye West Explains Why He Calls Himself a Genius…and It Makes Perfect Sense (Video)

Much has been made of Kanye West's infamous "rants" at his concerts but, as is often the case, his actions and words make much more sense in full context. Kanye played the Prudential Center in Newark on 2/15 and he had a lot to say. Yeezy spoke for 20 minutes... Read more

Drake Thinks Macklemore’s Post-Grammy Text To Kendrick Lamar Was “Wack As F*ck”

Throughout the last five years, Drake has artfully dodged controversy. Even when seemingly playing back and forth with Rap contenders and foes, the polished Toronto actor-turned-MC knows when to hold 'em, and rarely folds 'em. However, in the young 2014, he picked an odd time to step out of character.... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Reacts To The Grammy Snubs & Macklemore’s Wins

Kendrick Lamar is not one to speak much on controversy. Following his 2013 "Control" verse, K-Dot evaded press and social media to fuel the fire, and let his Rap verse speak for itself. Following Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' four Grammy Award wins on Sunday night, many Heads speculated what Kendrick... Read more

Macklemore & Kendrick Lamar: How Hip-Hop (Not The Grammy’s) Turned Sunday Into a Fail (Food For Thought)

The day after the Grammy Awards, the conversation about Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ win for Best Rap Album over Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city (G.K.M.C) grew from a buzz to a roar. Social media platforms and the web, generally, were on fire. The frenzy was fueled in part by... Read more

Macklemore Believes Race & Other Factors Contributed To His 4 Grammy Award Wins

From Macklemore's texts of solidarity to friend/peer Kendrick Lamar before last night's (January 26) 56th Grammy Awards to his words following winning in four categories competing against the Compton, California MC, it's hard not to love the way the Seattle, Washington veteran (who happened to win Best New Artist) handled... Read more

Macklemore Tells Kendrick Lamar He Got Robbed By Not Winning Best Rap Album. See the Texts (Photos)

Did the 56th Grammy Awards leave the Head in you feeling some kind of way? Especially if you're a Kendrick Lamar fan, watching Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' four awards sweep early in the night, talk of the town performance, and Daft Punk's Random Access Memories taking the Album Of The... Read more

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Win The 2014 Grammy Award For Rap Song & Album

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have cause for some early celebration at Los Angeles, California's Staples Center. The Seattle, Washington pair's 2012 album The Heist won Rap Album Of The Year and their breakthrough hit "Thrift Shop" won Rap Song Of The Year. The wins were controversial when coupled with two... Read more

Here’s an MLK Day Playlist That Looks at the State of the Nation Through Hip-Hop (Audio & Video)

As we've done on MLK day over the last few years, we've put together a playlist that reflects the increasingly complex state of the nation more than 50 years since Dr. King's march on Washington. There's cause for celebration and reason for lamentation, and everything in between. Here are various... Read more

Kendrick Lamar Gets an Album of the Year Nomination from the Grammy’s. Jay Z Gets 9 Noms. Here’s the List of All Nominees in Hip-Hop’s Strongest Showing Ever.

Though he released good kid, m.A.A.d. city in 2012, 2013 has belonged to Kendrick Lamar. In the Spring, he was named MTV's Hottest MC of the Year. By Summer, his Control verse became the biggest story in Hip-Hop in the last several years. In the Fall, he again shook up... Read more

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Discuss Their 7 Grammy Nominations. Are They Hip-Hop’s Most Courageous Group? (Video)

Even if they don't take home a single Grammy, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis may get the crown of being the most courageous group in Hip-Hop. The duo had the guts to make Same Love, a song supporting equal marriage rights for all, and they were rewarded with nominations for Song... Read more

Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Miguel Perform at Made in America (Video)

The Made in America festival had a strong line up this year. You can catch full performances from Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Miguel below. Kendrick Lamar A$AP Rocky Wiz Khalifa Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Miguel Related: Public Enemy Performs at the Made in... Read more

Macklemore – 97 Seconds With Macklemore (Video)

We first posted Macklemore nearly 2 years ago today (and would you believe it was his current smash Can't Hold Us?). It's amazing to see his growth. Here's an intimate and candid interview he did discussing overcoming addiction, his creative process and the spirituality he achieved through writing. Check out... Read more

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – Can’t Hold Us ft Ray Dalton (Video)

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' song Can't Hold Us is a BIG anthem. The video is pretty EPIC too. Independent music has come a long way. Check out the video for Can't Hold Us below. Related: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis vs. Nardwaur (Video)... Read more

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis vs. Nardwaur (Video)

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are the latest to take on Nardwaur. They talk Immortal Technique, Hieroglyphics, Sir Mix-A-Lot and much more. Check out the video. Related: Macklemore – The Backroom Freestyle (Video)... Read more

AFH: Best Hip-Hop Videos of 2012

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Macklemore speaks on debuting at #2 on the Billboard album chart (Video)

Salute to Macklemore & Ryan Lewis on their album The Heist debuting at #2 on the Billboard chart with approximately 78,000 albums sold--totally on the independent tip. They are talented artists who make music with a message--an increasing rarity. We've been supporting them for a while. It's great to see... Read more