radio ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

Pete Rock & Funkmaster Flex Are Battling Over The Future Of NY Hip-Hop

In the last week, a battle has been going on surrounding Hip-Hop radio in New York. The series of events began with an Instagram Live monologue from Conway The Machine, one of Rap's most promising and acclaimed MCs as of late. The Machine vented frustrations with media gatekeepers, especially on the radio.... Read more

July 19, 2022 Video

Pete Rock Blasts Funkmaster Flex For Not Supporting Real Hip-Hop

At the top of this week, Conway The Machine spoke out against several gatekeepers of Hip-Hop at radio. In particular, the Buffalo, New York MC named Funkmaster Flex and DJ Suss One in an Instagram Live monologue venting frustrating with what gets played on radio. Funk Flex responded to Conway... Read more

July 13, 2022 Fresh, News

Funkmaster Flex Is Trying To End Conway The Machine

In mid-2019, Conway The Machine stopped on Funkmaster Flex's HOT 97 radio show to deliver a high-profile freestyle. The Buffalo, New York MC was having a pivotal year at the time. That year, he released Everybody Is F.O.O.D. 3 and Look What I Became before eventually teaming with brother Westside... Read more

July 12, 2022 Fresh, News

DJ Kay Slay Has Passed Away At The Age Of 55

DJ Kay Slay has died. The man born Keith Grayson passed away yesterday (April 17) after a four-month-long battle with COVID-19. Kay Slay's Hip-Hop career stems back more than 40 years from his days as a graffiti icon into a leader in music, radio, and street publishing. The bold personality... Read more

April 18, 2022 News

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

Nas Releases His King’s Disease Album. Where Does It Rank In His Catalog?

Last Friday (August 21), Nas released his 13th solo album, King’s Disease. Produced entirely by the Inland Empire native Hit-Boy, the project features appearances by Anderson .Paak, Charlie Wilson, Big Sean, and Dr. Dre, among others. The Mass Appeal Records release also marks a surprise reunion of The Firm. The... Read more

August 24, 2020 Fresh

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

Jay Smooth, Host Of NYC’s Longest-Running Hip-Hop Radio Show, Resigns In Protest

Jay Smooth, host and DJ of The Underground Railroad, the longest-running Hip-Hop radio program in New York, has announced that he is resigning from his post. The show runs on the non-commercial WBAI-FM station. Smooth's resignation is a direct protest of WBAI's recent hiring of Leonard Lopate, a former show... Read more

July 20, 2018 News

Snoop Claims Biggie Tried To Have Him Shot & Explains How They Made Peace (Video)

While Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls had the most storied and ultimately tragic Rap beef in history, there were other moments that greatly defined a coastal conflict between the Death Row and Bad Boy labels. In 1995, there was a shooting in Red Hook, Brooklyn while Tha Dogg Pound and... Read more

June 11, 2018 Throwback, Video

Q-Tip & Kendrick Lamar Link On A Song That Sounds Like Vintage ATCQ (Audio)

It’s no secret that Kendrick Lamar is heavily influenced by A Tribe Called Quest. During his To Pimp A Butterfly Tour, Lamar made 18,000 concertgoers in Sydney, Australia pay homage to Phife Dawg the day Tribe's co-founder passed away back in 2016. Later that year, fans heard Phife and Lamar... Read more

February 10, 2018 Audio

Big Daddy Kane Details The Rich History Of How The Juice Crew Started (Video)

Big Daddy Kane is the latest guest on Drink Champs. The Brooklyn, New York lyrical legend is in a casual mood, often joking during the three-hour episode. N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN interview the Juice Crew MC about a number of highlights from his life and career. There are probing questions... Read more

January 17, 2018 Video

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

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

How Nas & De La Soul Battled For The Future Of Hip-Hop & Splintered It Forever (Video)

Last month, producer 9th Wonder remembered July 2, 1996's impact on the Hip-Hop community. During one of the biggest commercial booms of Rap albums, Nas released It Was Written the same Tuesday that De La Soul dropped Stakes Is High. Those two releases, coming from artists running in the same... Read more

November 4, 2017 Exclusive, TBD, Video

This Mix Salutes 1987’s Def Jam Tour With LL Cool J, P.E., Eric B. & Rakim and Whodini

By 1987 Def Jam Records had solidified a foothold in the Hip-Hop music landscape. While labels like Sugar Hill, Enjoy, Jive, and Profile Records had released some truly incredible singles, Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin's three-year-old outfit was fast embracing the Rap album format. Moreover, they had a diverse roster—in... Read more

October 20, 2017 Audio, Mixes, Throwback

Stevie Wonder Drops Keys To Songs & Life In A Chat With Stretch & Bobbito (Audio)

Starting with the extra-melodic strains of “Golden Lady” taken from his 1973 masterpiece, Innervisions; a drum-roll and then lots and lots of laughter; these sounds set the interview with Stevie Wonder, broadcast on the Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito's What's Good show on NPR today (August 30). Stretch & Bobbito, the legendary... Read more

August 30, 2017 Audio

Dave Chappelle Tells Stretch & Bob The Back-Story Of Hosting SNL After The Election (Audio)

Hip-Hop radio icons Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia have returned to the airwaves, though in a different format. Bringing their decades of experience and expansive breadth of music knowledge to National Public Radio (NPR), the two men largely responsible for breaking the likes of The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, and... Read more

July 19, 2017 Audio

A New Show Is Bringing Conscious Hip-Hop Back To Radio (Audio)

In recent years, Rap radio has been heavily criticized for being washed out and repetitive, playing only what's hot right now and providing listeners with the same content over and over. But Hip-Hop's relationship with radio hasn't always been so disjointed. For much of its lifespan, the culture was promoted... Read more

July 10, 2017 Audio

5 Years After “1999,” Joey Bada$$ Is Still Fighting To Restore New York’s Place In Hip-Hop (Video)

Today (June 12) is the fifth anniversary of Joey Bada$$' releasing his 1999 mixtape. The Brooklyn, New York MC used that opportunity to make a powerful impression on Hip-Hop. Starting with debut video single "Survival Tactics," featuring Capital STEEZ, he brought a colorful crew and retro style with him. In... Read more

June 12, 2017 Video

Joe Budden & Charlamagne Battle Over L.A. Reid’s Sexual Assault Allegations (Video)

The business side of Hip-Hop was shaken up earlier this month with Antonio "L.A." Reid's swift dismissal at Epic Records. Stemming from allegations that he sexually assaulted an assistant at the record label, Reid's departure ignited heated debate from the industry's biggest talking heads, including two of the most outspoken -... Read more

May 31, 2017 Video

Skyzoo’s New Video Plays Out A Childhood Dream Of Performing On Stretch & Bobbito’s Show

Last month, Hip-Hop Heads rejoiced to learn that Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito The Barber are returning to radio, thanks to an NPR podcast. The move is the latest in a story that extends nearly 30 years, back to their post on Columbia University's WKCR airwaves. For New Yorkers and surrounding... Read more

May 22, 2017 Video

Stretch & Bobbito Are Returning To Make Hip-Hop Radio Great Again (Video)

Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito The Barber are two juggernauts of Hip-Hop radio. As the 2015 Radio That Changed Lives documentary showed, these two New Yorkers played critical roles in the careers and subsequent success of Nas, Jay Z, Biggie, Eminem, Big L, Wu-Tang Clan, Pharoahe Monch, MF DOOM, Company Flow,... Read more

April 18, 2017 Video

DJ Red Alert Offers Some Deep History About Why The Bridge Wars Really Started (Video)

Hip-Hop's biggest story-line in March of 2017 is a Bronx MC apparently responding to an MC from Queens on the microphone in back-to-back disses. Thirty years ago today (March 3, 1987), that tactic was introduced by Boogie Down Productions' two-song arsenal on Criminal Minded used against MC Shan, producer Marley... Read more

March 3, 2017 Throwback, Video

Hackers Are Playing YG’s “F*** Donald Trump” On Stations Across The Country (Video)

In the days leading up to Donald Trump's inauguration, Compton rapper YG offered to perform at the event for $4 million dollars. Specifically, he was referring to his anti-Trump anthem "FDT," which he originally released last March. Featuring Nipsey Hussle, the song was given the remix treatment a few months... Read more

February 2, 2017 Video

Flavor Flav’s 1984 Mix Shows What Time It Is (Audio)

Public Enemy's Flavor Flav is one of Hip-Hop's all-time most recognizable personalities. While he only released one solo album, the man born William Drayton, III has brought mad flavor to classic P.E. records since the Long Island, New York group's inception. He is a hype-man extraordinaire, and an MC, but... Read more

June 30, 2016 Mixes, Throwback

Stretch & Bobbito Recall Expectations Around Nas’ Illmatic Release (Audio)

Last night (June 13), Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito The Barber returned to radio, in a new way. The legendary New York City duo conducted two hours of live radio via Samsung 837 approximately 26 years after the pair began with a historic eight-year run at Columbia University's WKCR 89.9FM radio... Read more

June 14, 2016 Audio, Throwback

Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Return To Radio, Beginning Tonight

June 15 UPDATE: Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito have added their June 13 premiere radio show to an online streaming player. The set includes music in Funk, R&B, Disco, and Hip-Hop. The Rap music includes records by Run-D.M.C., Beastie Boys, and Eric B. & Rakim, among others: DJ Stretch Armstrong and... Read more

June 13, 2016 News

Problem Shows Why He’s Special In An Aggressive Freestyle On Dr. Dre’s Pharmacy (Audio)

After a decade of putting in work, 2016 may be pivotal for Compton's Problem. The Diamond Lane Music Group alum and longtime affiliate to the likes of Snoop Dogg, DJ Quik, and 9th Wonder released a lauded EP with Q-U-I-K in April's Rosecrans. The generation-bridging salute to the C-P-T added... Read more

May 29, 2016 Audio

Finding The GOAT Album: Nas’ Illmatic vs. LL Cool J’s Radio. 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

March 1, 2016 Finding the GOAT

This 1997 Underground Hip-Hop Radio Show Includes A Rare Madlib Freestyle (Audio)

In late 1997, Madlib was a fledgling MC/producer. The Oxnard, California artist had laced a handful of joints for Tha Alkaholiks and Boot Camp Clik's O.G.C, while trying to get his Lootpack group off. In those days, as expected, not a lot of people were yet checking for the would-be... Read more

January 30, 2016 Mixes, Throwback

“12 Years a Slave” Writer John Ridley Is Turning Real-Life Tragedy Into Powerful Forms of Art (Audio)

John Ridley is an award-winning screenwriter whose celebrated works in film include 12 Years a Slave, a powerful film for which he won the 2013 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Longtime fans of his love him for the writing he did on iconic television shows like The Fresh Prince... Read more

January 5, 2016 Audio

Why Many Black Radio Stations Refused to Play Hip-Hop in the ’90s

Dan Charnas is a celebrated author whose book The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop is a masterful road map to the people, places, and events that helped contribute to the culture's emergence into mainstream and financial dominance, both behind-the-scenes and in headlines. Part of his tome... Read more

December 23, 2015 Lifestyle

Pharoahe Monch’s Pharmacy Freestyle Shows Why He’s One Of Dr. Dre’s Favorite MCs (Audio)

Pharoahe Monch and Dr. Dre have never released music together. The Organized Konfusion MC and the N.W.A. producer nearly aligned when Monch was reportedly courted by Eminem and Shady Records, which would have placed the Rawkus hit-maker in the Shady-Aftermath-G-Unit umbrella. That did not happen. But like Dre, the Queens,... Read more

December 14, 2015 Audio

LL Cool J’s Radio Turns 30. Watch His 1st Ever Interview & Other Early Moments (Video)

Thirty years ago today (November 18), LL Cool J released his debut album Radio and launched not only one of Hip-Hop's most enduring careers, but also one of its most iconic record labels in Def Jam Recordings. While the company that Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin built had released prior... Read more

November 18, 2015 Throwback

Public Enemy’s 1988 WNYU Radio Concert Still Moves The Needle (Audio)

1988 was a benchmark year for Public Enemy. The same calendar year that Chuck D, Terminator X, Professor Griff, and Flavor Flav released It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, the crew appeared on WNYU radio, 89.1 on the FM dial. This week, the New York University... Read more

November 18, 2015 Throwback

Relive The Game-Changing Moments & Freestyles Of Stretch & Bobbito’s Show (Audio)

Yesterday (October 25) marked an even 25 years since DJ Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito The Barber first took airwaves together. Beginning on that date in 1990, their Columbia University WKCR radio show would eventually change the sound and faces of Hip-Hop, thanks to major introductions of talent–including Nas, Big L... Read more

October 26, 2015 Mixes

Here Are Your Top 10 Rap Albums of the 80s. Get Ready For The 90s…

Today (October 25) closes Round 2 of the 1980s bracket of Finding The GOAT Albums. In the closing hour, there were no ties, and not even a race within even 5% of two candidates. You—the voter—definitively decided which 10 albums go forth to the final 32 albums across all eras.... Read more

October 25, 2015 Finding the GOAT

LL Cool J’s Radio vs. MC Lyte’s Lyte As A Rock. 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

October 22, 2015 Finding the GOAT

A New Film Shows How Stretch & Bobbito Helped Launch the Careers of Nas, Jay Z, Big Pun & More (Video)

In the 90s, Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia hosted a seminal radio show every Thursday night (technically early Friday morning) that would become one of the most important platforms in Hip-Hop. Throughout the decade, they served as de facto ambassadors, introducing audiences and the world to unsigned and undiscovered artists... Read more

September 30, 2015 TV/Film

LL Cool J’s Radio vs. Kurtis Blow’s Ego Trip. 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

September 28, 2015 Finding the GOAT

The Formula: Classic Hip-Hop Is Taking Over Radios Nationwide…Again

Nostalgia is a powerful sentiment. As Heads know all too well, simply hearing a track from a former era can rekindle memories of childhood, important life events, a particular friend, or just a particular feeling. That nostalgia has always been there, but part of its beauty is its amorphous nature;... Read more

July 20, 2015 News

Today Is International Boombox Day. Celebrate With the Volume WAY PAST TEN (Video)

Today (7/20), is International Boombox Day. Whether the day of recognition is an official holiday or not, it seems as good a time as any to celebrate one of the most iconic devices in Hip-Hop history. Whether it was adorning the shoulder of LL Cool J, used as a metaphor... Read more

July 20, 2015 Lifestyle

Da Brat Funkdafies Radio… As Cohost Of Nationally Syndicated Radio Show

Platinum MC Da Brat is the latest Hip-Hop personality to head to radio. The longtime So So Def Records star is slated to join the Rickey Smiley Show. The veteran rapper will take "Real Housewives Of Atlanta" star Claudia Jordan's spot at the Atlanta, Georgia WHTA broadcast studios. The Rickey... Read more

July 14, 2015 News

Guerilla Radio: A Pirate FM Station Caught Playing Nothing But Unedited Geto Boys

In the history of Hip-Hop, Houston, Texas' Geto Boys are one of the rawest groups to garner mainstream recognition. Whether the famed trio of Scarface, Willie D, and Bushwick Bill, or other group members Raheem, Prince Johnny C, Big Mike, or Sir Rap-A-Lot, songs like "Let A Ho Be A... Read more

July 5, 2015 News

30 Years Later, Dr. Dre Returns To His Radio Roots (Video)

Radio has been a major part of Dr. Dre's career. Through courageous radio stations, music by World Class Wreckin' Cru, N.W.A., Dre, and his litany of proteges reached the world, and made dozens of would-be household names and timeless hits. However, to those who lived and worked in Greater Los Angeles... Read more

July 4, 2015 News

Stretch & Bobbito’s Highlight Reel Features Slick Rick, Big L & Mobb Deep (Mix)

Throughout the 1990s, Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito The Barber created a radio program that may as well have been the farm club to the Rap hall of fame. These two New York City DJs honored Hip-Hop 12" singles of the day, while welcoming would-be stars like Nas, Mobb Deep, Pharoahe... Read more

June 30, 2015 Throwback

The Awesome Two Are Radio Legends. Catch A ’94 Set With Jodeci, Freddie Foxxx & Slick Rick (Mix)

If you listen to KRS-One's "Outta Here," you know how influential The Awesome Two were on the Blastmasta. Since 1982, these radio mixmasters helped establish the Hip-Hop sound, and turn their 12" selections into certified Rap classics. DJ Eclipse shared a springtime 1994 mix from the duo's post at WNWK.... Read more

June 18, 2015 Throwback

Travel Back To A Funkmaster Flex Playlist With ONYX, Redman & Kool G Rap (Mix)

Even before he was dropping bombs, Funkmaster Flex was explosive to airwaves. On May 7, 1993 the DJ assisted the newly-launched HOT 97 set the weekends off proper. The Bronx, New York mixmaster began an 11pm-2am "Friday Night Street Jam" show on 97.1 FM, bringing the energy of the streets... Read more

June 4, 2015 Throwback

Stream More Than 6 Hours Of DJ Premier’s Mid-’90s Radio Show (Mix)

Between Gang Starr's 1994 album Hard To Earn and 1998's Moment Of Truth, Guru and DJ Premier still stayed incredibly busy. Together, the band-mates would produce enduring albums by proteges Jeru The Damaja, Group Home, and Bahamadia. Guru would release a second volume of Jazzmatazz, while Preemo would provide iconic... Read more

May 22, 2015 Throwback

Hear Rakim Rarities, Pete Rock Freestyles From 1996 Future Flavors Set (Mix)

Just like in the late 1980s, Marley Marl and Pete Rock transmitted dopeness into radio waves in much of the 1990s. The Juice Crew founder and The Chocolate Boy Wonder brought their ear for excellence and supreme Rap mixing skills to airwaves for the HOT 97 Future Flavors radio show.... Read more

May 21, 2015 Throwback