mixtape ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

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

Redman Remakes A Slick Rick Classic For A New Adventure

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads sift through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, it’s better than it’s ever been. Not only can we go back... Read more

August 5, 2023 Audio

Celebrate Hip-Hop’s Birthday In A BIG Way With These 40 Mixes

Earlier this week, on August 11, Hip-Hop celebrated its 49th birthday. Now deemed a holiday, August 11 honors the 1973 date that DJ Kool Herc and his sister Cynthia Campbell hosted a Back To School Jam at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue's rec center in New York's Bronx borough. Approaching 50 years... Read more

August 13, 2022 Mixes

KRS-One Shows Why He’s A Miracle On A Song From His New Mixtape

KRS-One is recording a new project, Street Light. "This is the light for the street, and this light of the street," he explains of the title. "[The other meaning of the title is] the actual street light was the original source of Hip-Hop's power." Pioneers, including the Cold Crush Brothers, have... Read more

December 2, 2019 Fresh, Video

Big K.R.I.T. Honors His Mixtape Roots With Upcoming “KRIT IZ Here” Album

Nine years ago, Meridian, Mississippi MC/producer Big K.R.I.T. made one of the most-acclaimed mixtapes of the 2010s courtesy of K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. The 2010 freebie (later released on CD and vinyl) involved Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y, Devin The Dude, Smoke DZA, and Krizzle affiliate Big Sant. The release was supported by... Read more

June 6, 2019 News

Drake Thanks The People Who Launched His Career 10 Years Ago…Even Kanye

A decade ago today (February 13, 2009), Drake released his So Far Gone mixtape. Very quickly, the project would tower to compete with the industry's old guard in a big way. Breakthrough single "Best I Ever Had" topped the Rap charts and reached #2 overall from a project that was... Read more

February 13, 2019 Fresh

Before NBA 2K, AND1’s Mixtapes Masterfully Merged Hoops & Hip-Hop (Videos)

Hip-Hop and basketball are nearing a 40-year marriage, with their first noteworthy rendezvous coming in the form of Big Bang Hank of The Sugarhill Gang delivering “I got a color TV so I can see the Knicks play basketball” on the 1979 classic “Rapper's Delight.” While the parallels between the... Read more

August 30, 2018 Do Remember

DJ Jazzy Jeff & MICK’s 9th Annual Mix Means Summertime Is In Effect Mode (Audio)

DJ Jazzy Jeff and MICK (fka Mick Boogie) are back with the latest entry of their Summertime mix series. Since 2010, the two kings of party-rocking have linked up to release the annual 4th of July mixtape inspired by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's hit single. These mixes,... Read more

July 4, 2018 Audio, Mixes

Big Daddy Kane Details Recording This 1988 Mixtape Collabo With JAY-Z (Video)

Big Daddy Kane and DJ Mister Cee have been performing and recording together for more than 30 years. The two Brooklyn, New York natives appear together on Funkmaster Flex's I Got A Story To Tell series. For more than an hour, one of the greatest MCs of all time revisits... Read more

June 10, 2018 Throwback, Video

This Mix Takes JAY-Z’s Most Powerful Lyrics & Blends Them Into A New Masterpiece (Audio)

Throughout the ages, many DJs have created mixtapes that artfully honor JAY-Z's vast catalog. In November, MICK and Chi Duly imagined a world in audio where Jay and DJ Premier expanded upon their stellar 1990s collaborative chemistry. The resulting 7:18 is a one-hour crowd-pleaser, placing new and old Hov' verses... Read more

March 12, 2018 Audio, Mixes

A Near 500-Song Mix Showcases The Magnificent History Of West Coast Hip-Hop (Audio)

West Coast Hip-Hop is incredible. So many of its pioneers are still making albums, doing shows, and adding to their legacy. As a tribute to the Left Coast immense contributions to Hip-Hop, Take It Personal Radio has compiled a four-part episode dedicated to gangsta and underground Rap classics from the... Read more

November 4, 2017 Audio, Mixes

Soundbombing Was Released 20 Years Ago & Launched A Generation Of Underground Hip-Hop

Twenty years ago this week (October 14, 1997) New York-based independent Hip-Hop label Rawkus Records released Soundbombing Vol. 1. Rawkus' second full-length project boasted Black Moon/Da Beatminerz producer DJ Evil Dee on the mix, and atop its cover touted, "The Ultimate Guide To Underground Hip-Hop." Time would prove it most... Read more

October 19, 2017 Do Remember

Page Kennedy U-Turns & Dumps Fire With 11 Mixtape Tracks Of Straight Bars (Audio)

Earlier this year, Detroit, Michigan MC Page Kennedy released a strong debut album in Torn Pages. This 20-year rhyme veteran has made a living from acting, with such roles as "U-Turn" in Weeds, "Radon Randell" in Mountain State, and a film spot in S.W.A.T. In all of that time, his... Read more

August 18, 2017 Audio

Action Bronson’s Let Me Breathe Is One Of The Year’s Most Outrageous Videos

In the 2010s, Action Bronson started out as a DIY artist making celebrated Hip-Hop in the streets of Queens, New York. Following a couple independent albums and some additional mixtapes, the MC aligned with VICE. He has since become a TV star through his travel and food program. However, dating... Read more

June 30, 2017 Video

Royce 5’9 Sets The Bar 4 2017 With The Best Mixtape Of The Year (Audio)

With 2016's Layers, Royce 5'9 landed the highest-performing solo LP of his career, a laudable accomplishment for an MC whose presence in the game extends back decades. Since its release, Detroit, Michigan's Nickel Nine never retreated from the mic, dropping punishing, razor-sharp features on projects from Westside Gunn & Conway, Consequence,... Read more

June 20, 2017 Audio

Action Bronson Breathes Fire Over A Fat Boys Classic (Audio)

It's hard to say if Action Bronson is more recognized for his show hosting or his music at this point. Having taken his "delicious" show from web to cable, Bam Bam is a true multifaceted brand. However, the Queens, New Yorker never put down his passion for whimsical rhymes. Bronson... Read more

June 14, 2017 Audio

20 Years Later Here Are So Many Things About Biggie Smalls You Didn’t Know

Twenty years ago today (March 9, 1997), Hip-Hop lost a true king when Biggie Smalls died. The MC also known as The Notorious B.I.G. had risen to form in less than five years, after making early appearances beside Heavy D, Mary J. Blige, and Super Cat. By the time Biggie... Read more

March 9, 2017 Food for Thought, Video

Everlast, Sick Jacken & Divine Styler Declare War Alongside B-Real, Vinnie Paz & More (Mixtape)

Long before Everlast made the whole world hear and feel "What It's Like," he was a slick-talking MC. The multi-talented Los Angeles, California resident (by way of New York) found major success with House Of Pain, but his days on wax stem back to the late 1980s, running with Ice-T's... Read more

February 21, 2017 Audio

Chance The Rapper & Jeremih Modernize A Jackson 5 Classic For Their Christmas Mixtape (Audio)

Chance The Rapper is honored with the distinction of 2016's most anticipated and most acclaimed Hip-Hop mixtape. Coloring Book takes the notion of "not for sale music" to the Grammy stages in 2017, thanks to its captivating messages from the Chicago, Illinois MC/singer. Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jay Electronica, and... Read more

December 22, 2016 Audio

Wu-Tang Meets D.I.T.C. Two Legendary Crews Ain’t Nuthin’ To Mash Up (Audio)

Ever go Diggin’ In The Crates for some Wu-Tang? On this ambitious mashup of two legendary New York crews who both emerged at the onset of the 1990s, Memory Man shows us what would happen if you took members of the Wu-Tang Clan and D.I.T.C. and threw their styles in... Read more

November 8, 2016 Audio, Throwback

Alchemist & Curren$y Recruit Major Producers As Accomplices For “Heist” Remix (Audio)

In February of this year, Curren$y and Alchemist masterminded The Carrollton Heist. The New Orleans, Louisiana MC and Venice, California-based produced offered 12 tracks featuring Action Bronson, Styles P, and Spitta's onetime mentor Lil Wayne. Curren$y & Alchemist Re-Up On A New Mixtape Featuring Action Bronson & Styles P As... Read more

November 6, 2016 Audio

Trick Or Treat: Lloyd Banks Has Some Ear Candy In A Sweet New Mixtape (Audio)

Just over one month since releasing the All Or Nothin': Live It Up EP, Lloyd Banks returns with more free music. The Queens, New York veteran punctuated Halloween (October 31) with his Halloween Havoc 3: Four Days Of Fury mixtape. 50 Cent's longtime right hand stands on his own two... Read more

October 31, 2016 Audio

Da Brat Claims She & JD Are The 2016 EPMD. So Wat ‘Cha Sayin’? (Audio)

Da Brat and her mentor Jermaine Dupri are hard at work on the first collaborative mixtape of their career. The two So So Def Records MCs who have worked together for more than 22 years will title the work Business As Usual. Referencing EPMD in that act alone is not... Read more

September 25, 2016 Audio

Black Thought, Pharoahe Monch & Chuck D Revisit Biggie’s ‘Who Shot Ya’ in Living Colour (Audio)

Musical hybrids through-and-through, Living Colour's sound is nearly impossible to describe in one genre. A full-fledged Rock band, the New York City-based outfit also heavily borrows from the sounds of Heavy Metal, Jazz, Funk, and certainly Hip-Hop. On September 9, the longtime group whose discography stretches back over 25 years... Read more

August 18, 2016 Audio

Underground Hip-Hop Is Very Much Alive In 2016. One DJ Mixes It All Together.

Often times, the glory days of Underground Hip-Hop appears coincidental with the booming resurgence of vinyl records in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Out of a movement spearheaded by radio personalities such as Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito, and Sway and King Tech, a crop of hungry artists emerged that... Read more

July 10, 2016 Mixes

DJ Jazzy Jeff & MICK Set Summertime 2016 Ablaze With Exclusives In The Mix

For the seventh consecutive year, DJ Jazzy Jeff & MICK (f/k/a Mick Boogie) punctuate the season with a Summertime mix. The 2016 version, also known as Summertime 7, is big on exclusives, ranging from Jeff's co-produced opener with De La Soul ("Time For Summer") to rare Pete Rock remixes of Jay Z... Read more

July 3, 2016 Mixes

Kay Slay Recruits Redman, Raekwon & Royce 5’9″ To Attack The Wack (Mixtape)

They do not call DJ Kay Slay "the drama king" for nothing. Since the late 1970s, the Harlem, New York graffiti writer-turned-DJ-turned-record executive seemingly lives for the spirit of competition. Now a Shade 45 radio mainstay, Kay Slay is one of the few talents who was making mixtapes 15 years... Read more

July 1, 2016 Mixes

The Firm’s Nature Bags Up Rarities Featuring Nas, Pete Rock & AZ (Album Stream)

It has been nearly 20 years since The Firm released its one and only album. The collective of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Nature would sign with Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment for a chart-topping LP (called The Album) that is seemingly misplaced by time. Dre would place six of the album's... Read more

June 29, 2016 Audio, Throwback

Chance, Wayne & 2 Chainz Make A Video That Even Skeptics Will Have No Problem Liking

Chance The Rapper has changed his career's scenery quite a bit in the years between Acid Rap and this month's Coloring Book. The Chicago, Illinois MC's first single "Angels" stresses that he is still rolling with the same people he always was, but for fans of the fully-independent MC it... Read more

May 27, 2016 Video

Chance The Rapper Makes History “Coloring” His Way Onto The Charts

Two Thursdays ago (May 12), Chance The Rapper released his third official mixtape, Coloring Book. Featuring Kanye West, Jay Electronica, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Justin Bieber, and a host of others, the project was not available for sale. Instead, it was licensed to Apple Music for streaming, with promises for... Read more

May 22, 2016 News

More Than 18,000 Petition To Make Mixtapes Eligible For Grammy Awards

Artists ranging from Chance The Rapper to Frank Ocean, J. Cole to Jhene Aiko, De La Soul to Lil Wayne have used the mixtape format. The term of mixtape itself has evolved greatly over the last 15 years. What began as a DJ or host-driven compilation sold on the black... Read more

May 9, 2016 News

Royce 5’9″ & Black Thought Deliver Rap On Steroids On Royce’s New Free EP (Audio)

Royce 5'9" has been on a tear in 2016. Just over a month ago, he announced the release of Layers, his first solo album in nearly 5 years, on April 15. Since then he has dropped a slew of blistering freestyles, songs and videos. Keeping his foot on the gas,... Read more

March 29, 2016 Mixes

Curren$y & Alchemist Re-Up On A New Mixtape Featuring Action Bronson & Styles P

Less than one month after Curren$y released The Owners Manual free EP project with Cool & Dre, the Jetlife pilot touches down again. The Carrollton Heist returns to a celebrated collaborative catalog with Alchemist. Just under five years ago, the former Young Money standout and the Gangrene co-founder released Covert... Read more

February 14, 2016 Mixes

Black Thought & J.Period Are Performing A Live J Dilla Mixtape At Dilla Weekend (Audio)

As announced earlier this week, Black Thought and J.Period have been added to the 2016 J Dilla Weekend lineup. Taking place February 5-7, the Miami, Florida event will feature concert performances, panel discussions, a Discogs record swap meet, art exhibits, and much more. With the addition of The Roots' MC... Read more

January 29, 2016 Audio, Exclusive, Mixes, Video

Stalley’s “Saving Yusuf” Mixtape Is A Return To His Soulful Slap (Mixtape)

For several years, Stalley has excelled in creating what he has dubbed "Intelligent Trunk Music." As the name suggests, the sound is characterized by Stalley's own brand of thoughtful lyrics, enveloped in car-rattling soulful beats. When Stalley signed to Rick Ross' Maybach Music Group, the contrast in the two MCs'... Read more

January 25, 2016 Mixes

Tony Touch’s Latest Tape Compiles Hot Raps From KRS, J. Cole, Nas & More

One year to the week after Tony Touch released the popular Hip Hop 101 mixtape, Toca returns with Hip Hop 102. This mix (available for free download as well) features many, many reasons to believe the music of the people is going on strong. Tony's needles glide over the latest... Read more

January 9, 2016 Mixes

Freeway’s Soulful Mixtape Features Beats By J Dilla & A Jake One Reunion (Audio)

It has been nearly four years since Freeway released an official mixtape. The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC and State Property member returned to the medium in early 2016 with Fear Of A Free Planet. Following a year that witnessed Freezer publicly battle kidney disease and lose close friend and collaborator The... Read more

January 5, 2016 Audio, Mixes

Timbaland’s New Song With Unreleased Aaliyah Vocals Sounds Like Their Vintage Music (Audio)

Over the years some tracks with unreleased Aaliyah vocals have surfaced, including the high profile "Enough Said," featuring Drake. Those songs often have been met with mixed reviews, with some believing the music did not add to her legacy. However, when Timbaland announced he was releasing a new mixtape on... Read more

December 25, 2015 Audio

50 Cent Reclaims His Power on The Kanan Tape (Mixtape)

50 Cent has been teasing the release of The Kanan Tape for months. Now, after a few fits and start, the project is finally here. The mixtape, which is named after 50's menacing character on the Power series he executive produces, features the same type of grit that defines the... Read more

December 9, 2015 Mixes

Here’s A DJ Neil Armstrong Mix Of Originals Sampled in Many Of Hip-Hop’s Biggest Classics (Audio)

Sample mixes are a funny thing in Hip-Hop. In the 1970s park jams, DJs favored records that evoked a feeling in the crowd. Whether dancing, breakin', or simply signaling good times, these records became mainstays in the emerging culture. By the late 1980s, many of these same records were revisited,... Read more

December 5, 2015 Mixes, Throwback

A-F-R-O Has Co-Signs From DJ Premier, GZA, Talib Kweli, R.A. & More. This Mixtape Shows Why

Last year, the then 17-year old MC known as A-F-R-O won a Rap competition judged by R.A. The Rugged, Talib Kweli, Murs, Jean Grae, Vinnie Paz, Locksmith, Rittz and more. Since then, he's converted everyone from DJ Premier to Talib Kweli, Queen Latifah to Questlove into fans and ardent supporters.... Read more

November 18, 2015 Mixes, Video

Erykah Badu Makes Another Song About Phones & It’s Off The Hook (Audio)

Erykah Badu has pushed back her plans to release the But You Caint Use My Phone mixtape. While it did not release at the top of November as first reported, the presumed freebie will now be coming as a post-Thanksgiving leftover. Sometimes anticipation works in listeners' favor. Ms. Badu releases... Read more

November 9, 2015 Audio

Bad Lucc & DJ Rhettmatic Are An Unlikely Pair, But They Make One Bangin’ Tape (Mix)

On paper, Bad Lucc and DJ Rhettmatic may seem like they come from the opposite sides of Los Angeles, California's Hip-Hop. Lucc is a Diamond Lane Music Group flagship, and one of the veterans who first made noise care of Snoop Dogg's Dubb Union. Rhettmatic, is a Beat Junkies and... Read more

November 4, 2015 Mixes

Erykah Badu Has a New Mixtape Coming Next Week. What Will Its Future Hold?

Erykah Badu gave legs to Drake's "Hotline Bling," courtesy of her own, extended rendition. This was even before Drizzy's meme mushroom-clouding video released. As her Soundcloud page alluded, many speculated that the interpretative cover would belong to a forthcoming mixtape. In a new interview with Noisey, Ms. Badu confirms that... Read more

October 27, 2015 News

Chris Rivers Has That Medicine for Heads That Have Been Hurting From Wack Hip-Hop (Mixtape)

2015 has been the year that Chris Rivers has stepped out of the shadow of being Big Pun's son and shown the world he shines on his own. For the last few months, Rivers has owned Fridays with a series of blistering freestyles and videos. While many of his weekly... Read more

October 23, 2015 Mixes

Big K.R.I.T. Restores The Glory With A Tape Featuring Warren G & Ludacris (Mixtape)

If Kendrick Lamar and Drake can rock the Hip-Hop space in an instant, why shouldn't Big K.R.I.T.? In a comparatively quiet 2015 for the Meridian, Mississippi double-threat, he makes up for lost time with a major splash in the water. It's Better This Way is a fitting title for an... Read more

October 14, 2015 Mixes

Rubble Kings: The Mixtape Features The Sounds That Laid the Foundation for Hip-Hop (Audio)

This Summer, the documentary Rubble Kings took audiences deep inside the world of the gangs that ruled New York City from the late 1960s to the mid-70s. The film follows the story of Ghetto Brothers gang leader Benjy Melendez, and the critical role he played in negotiating a truce that... Read more

October 1, 2015 Mixes

Can You Hear JAY-Z’s Influence in This Previously Unreleased Early Kendrick Lamar Song? (Audio)

Kendrick Lamar often has cited JAY-Z as one of his biggest influences. In a 2013 piece with Interview magazine, his response to interviewer Erykah Badu's question about whether there was an MC who influenced him or whose level he could never attain, Kendrick stated "That I feel I'll never reach?... Read more

July 30, 2015 Audio

Kid Capri Blends 52 Of Hip-Hop’s Most Important Instrumentals & Breaks (Mix)

Kid Capri's body of work speaks for itself. The New York City mainstay DJ, mixtape pioneer, and accomplished producer does a strong job digitizing his gems from the past. In 1992, the D.I.T.C. affiliate (and later Sony Records artist) released 52 Beats. This mixtape featured the Kid cutting, scratching, and... Read more

June 19, 2015 Throwback

Method Man, Snoop Dogg & Talib Kweli Signal More Game Of Thrones (Mixtape)

For the second consecutive year, HBO's "Game Of Thrones" is promoted via mixtape. Catch The Throne, Vol. 2 is a multi-genre set-up for Season 6, which hits the premium channel on April 12, 2015. All of the songs tie into themes regarding the blockbuster series, indicative of their titles. From... Read more

March 17, 2015 Mixes