AFH Ambrosia for Heads

Archives

Nas Won The Grammys Without Getting An Award

Last night (April 3), the 64th annual Grammy Awards broadcast from Las Vegas, Nevada. Hosted by Trevor Noah, the affair may have gone differently than many Hip-Hop Heads expected. After history of being snubbed by the Grammys, many anticipated that 2022 would celebrate J. Cole, whose The Off-Season content was seeded... Read more

Jaz-O Discusses The Record That He & JAY-Z Released In 1986 (Video)

Veteran Brooklyn, New York MC/producer Jaz-O released a new project, The Warmup. In a career that spans work with Rakim, M.O.P., DJ Premier, and others, Jaz-O is best known as the early mentor and rhyme partner of JAY-Z. The two artists with similar names appeared on several songs dating back... Read more

Happy Birthday To Big Daddy Kane. Ever Hear His “Raw” Remix With Kool G Rap?

Today (September 10) marks Big Daddy Kane's birthday. Commanding audiences far and wide since he was a teenager, the now 51-year-old living legend continues to be among the culture's best performers. From collaborations with Ghostface Killah and Joell Ortiz, as well as new freestyles, King Asiatic continues to add to... Read more

Nas’ Illmatic Turns 25. This New Mix Reminds Why It Might Be Hip-Hop’s Greatest Album

Twenty-five years ago today (April 19), Nas released the album that future generations will likely use to measure Rap greatness. At the age of 20, Nasir Jones delivered Illmatic, a 10-track coming of age reflection that pulled images from Rotten Apple-era New York City, emphasized dreams of being a Rap... Read more

Ever See JAY-Z, Busta Rhymes, Biz Markie & Jaz-O Freestyle On The Same Stage? (Video)

In 1993, the Mario Van Peebles film Posse hit theaters. At its release party, some of Brooklyn's finest showed up, along with Biz Markie. One of the film's stars, Big Daddy Kane, hosted the New York City event. He appeared in the Western alongside Van Peebles, Stephen Baldwin, Tone-Loc, Tiny... Read more

Hear The Original Version Of California Love & It’s Nuthin’ But A Dre Thang

UPDATE: The same version through an alternate upload has been added. ORIGINAL STORY: When Tupac Shakur got out of prison in late 1995, he boarded a private jet and went straight to Death Row Records' Can-Am Studios in Tarzana, California. After pausing for dinner at Monty's Steakhouse with his new... Read more

This 2003 Conversation With MF DOOM Is The Interview Of His Career

In addition to phenomenal lyricism and one-of-a-kind production, one of DOOM's charms is his mystery. Perhaps as an extension of the metal-faced mask that he has worn for nearly 20 years, the man born Daniel Dumile rarely grants interviews. While verified accounts may exist, DOOM's one great artist of the... Read more

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

Slum Village Release A Lost Song With Q-Tip From The Fantastic Era (Audio)

Twenty years ago, Slum Village finished recording an album that would forever change the trio's path. Fantastic, Vol. 2 took two additional years to release after its completion. Even after unexpected delays, shifting to indie label resources, and a newly-crowded Detroit Rap scene in the marketplace, the LP thrived as... Read more

15 Years Ago, 50 Cent Plotted A Pathway From Underdog To Superstar

Fifteen years ago today (February 6, 2003), Queens, New York's 50 Cent took the world by storm with his debut album, Get Rich Or Die Tryin'. When Curtis Jackson burst onto the mainstream scene with a survivalist story, vendetta vocals, and Eminem and Dr. Dre in his corner, the industry... Read more

Scarface’s Life Story Is Told Against The Soundtrack Of His Latest Song (Video)

Plenty of Hip-Hop legends are living, but not nearly as many are releasing consistent, quality product. Scarface is approaching 30 years on wax, and his newest single, "Black Still," finds him spitting hard, political rhymes with fire in his belly. The just-released Deeply Rooted: The Lost Files contains six new... Read more

Dr. Dre & Nas Blow The Roof Off On Their Lost Collabo (Audio)

February of 2009 was an interesting time for Aftermath Entertainment. After taking 2008 off entirely (as far as albums), Eminem launched "Crack A Bottle." Released on Groundhog Day (February 2), the song put Dr. Dre, Eminem, and 50 Cent front and center. The self-proclaimed "3 Headed Monster" was back to... Read more

Rare Photographs Of Rakim Show Why He’s Hip-Hop Royalty

Last summer, in conjunction with the theatrical release of Straight Outta Compton, Ambrosia For Heads spoke to Stephan Armleder (a/k/a The Genevan Heathen). A B-Boy to the core (who also DJs and produces), The Genevan Heathen has been documenting N.W.A. and its members through scanning photographs, advertisements, trading cards, and... Read more

This 25-Minute Redman & Method Man 1999 Freestyle Shows How High They Fly (Audio)

Just when it seemed the gems Tim Westwood pulls out of his vault could not get any better--with vintage freestyles from O.D.B. Eminem & Proof, Snoop Dogg, and more--he releases a 25-minute cypher from Redman and Method Man. In 1999, the "How High" pair were in London promoting their Blackout!... Read more

GZA’s Liquid Swords Stays Sharp After 20 Years & This Rare 1995 TV Appearance Is Genius. (Video)

Tomorrow (November 7), GZA's sophomore album, Liquid Swords, turns 20 years old. The now-platinum-plus Geffen Records release is a benchmark in the Hip-Hop landscape, as well as in the career of the Brooklyn, New York lyricist, and RZA. While plenty has been written in books and online surrounding the Wu-Tang... Read more

This Pharcyde & Brand New Heavies 1992 Yo! MTV Raps Left The Mic With A Fat Lip (Video)

In November of 1992, The Pharcyde released their debut album, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde. A would-be gold-certified album, the Delicious Vinyl Records effort brought the West Coast underground scene to the mainstream with accessible rhymes about unrequited love, puffin' indo', questionable race relations, and mom jokes. Without much mic... Read more

This Heavy D Performance Was In A Vault For 30 Years…Until Now (Video)

Today (May 24) is Heavy D's birthday. The MC/producer/singer born Dwight Myers would have been 48 years old. Sadly, family, friends, and Hip-Hop Heads worldwide lost "the overweight lover" on November 8, 2011 to a pulmonary embolism. Just one month prior to his death, Hev' reunited with Heavy D &... Read more

KRS-One & Ol’ Dirty Bastard Rock A Stage In 1995 (Video)

Uncle Ralph McDaniels has not only shed light on dope Hip-Hop for decades, his lens has captured it. Yesterday (December 19), the Video Music Box VJ extraordinaire shared some 1995 footage (from the VMB Archives) of KRS-One and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard wildin' out to the just-released "Who Shot... Read more

Mayhem Lauren Tears Down Two Ultra-Rare Vintage 1994 Buckwild Beats With Freestyles (Audio)

Throughout the just-released Silk Pyramids album, Queens' Mayhem Lauren ripped through some timeless Buckwild production on their shared bill. For two bonus cuts on the limited edition vinyl, 'Hem got to touch two rare Buck' (pictured) beats from the mid-1990s. Claiming freestyle, Mayhem went all the way in, in true... Read more

Biggie Smalls, Suge Knight, Puff Daddy, Snoop Dogg In The Same Room In The Early ’90s? Check The Tapes (Video)

Much has been written, speculated, and sadly, testified in the rift between Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records in the mid-to-late 1990s. While Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. were once friends and collaborators, Heads often fail to realize that prior to the 1995 Source Awards, things were not... Read more

Thin Lizzy Performs Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed Live In 1976 (Video)

In the canon of Rock & Roll breaks, a favorite of many Heads in Thin Lizzy's "Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed," from the 1976 concept album of the same name. A mixed-race band from Dublin, Ireland, Thin Lizzy made charged Rock music that crossed the seas with hits... Read more