Ready Or Not ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

Reef The Lost Cauze’s Video Shows What’s Golden About Hip-Hop Can Never Fade Away

Bearing a lengthy Hip-Hop resume, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based MC, Reef The Lost Cauze (born Sharif Lacey) is a certified authority when it comes to the genre. From the Army Of The Pharaohs (A.O.T.P.) member's early days of battling, to his various mixtapes and albums, a current six-year window of podcasting, and... Read more

November 7, 2018 Ready Or Not

KOTA The Friend Is Directing A New Blueprint For Brooklyn Hip-Hop (Video)

KOTA The Friend is a young MC who shares the same native borough as Brooklynites Mos Def, Skyzoo and Joey Bada$$. He's branded himself as an internet savvy, forward-thinking creator with an obvious appreciation for steps made before him; his multi-framed Instagram post for Hip-Hop's 45th birthday—in which he documented... Read more

September 26, 2018 Ready Or Not

Chris Orrick Finally Unmasks And Faces The Music (Video)

Hailing from the blue-collar pastures of Michigan, Chris Orrick is an MC whose latest album, Portraits, makes a strong case for the value of intense reflection. In January, he announced he was retiring his former moniker (Red Pill) to opt for his given name, after learning of the existence of a... Read more

July 19, 2018 Ready Or Not

After Years On The Grind, Demrick Is Lighting Up. He Tells His Story. (Video)

Demrick has been putting in work for over a decade. Around 2005, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native hooked up with West Coast legend Kurupt and ended up moving to California to pursue his Rap career. Back then known as Young De, he went on to earn the respect of many west-coast... Read more

July 3, 2018 Ready Or Not

Vic Mensa Puts A Classic Fugees Beat On 10,000 With An Incredible Verse (Audio)

After recently shedding his signature dreadlocks for a new look, Vic Mensa is viscerally pursuing a fresh start for his next move. The Chicago, Illinois MC has a diverse palette for his music, but he remains rooted in his ability to rhyme on call and exude emotional resonance and dexterous... Read more

June 30, 2018 Audio

Classified Personifies A Discman In The Digital Age In A Video About Changes In Rap

Classified has been making music for over two decades, and it's been a slow and steady grind to success. Hailing from Enfield, Nova Scotia, Canada, the MC/producer founded Half Life Records in 1995, and would go almost ten albums deep before gaining national recognition. He first got a national distribution... Read more

June 12, 2018 Ready Or Not, Video

Finding The GOAT Group: The Fugees vs. Digable Planets. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to... Read more

June 1, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Cavalier Blends A DOOM Flow With Ghosts Of New Orleans (Video)

Though raised in Brooklyn, rapper Cavalier now calls New Orleans home. In 2014, he released CHIEF, which included a Raekwon-assisted single. On his third album, Private Stock, the Big Apple and the Big Easy bridge together in ways both evident and subdued. The album's production was handled primarily by Iman Omari, the person... Read more

May 29, 2018 Ready Or Not

Curtis Roach Spills His Anxiety On The Table & Lets It Flow (Video)

Curtis Roach is a 19-year-old Detroiter whose talents are on full display with "Anxietea." The song tackles our perennial pursuit of belonging and approval within the context of social anxiety, a trend exacerbated today by things like social media and viral culture. Time recently reported a 47% increase in rates of... Read more

May 15, 2018 Ready Or Not

Blueprint & Has-Lo Apply Hoop Dreams To The Full Court Press Of Life (Video)

Very few artists have the rare talent to do it all, especially well. But Blueprint is one such craftsman, who single-handedly pilots every component of his craft, and makes it look easy. Just ahead of his latest album release, Two-Headed Monster (May 22), the Columbus, Ohio MC/producer/singer shared a video... Read more

May 8, 2018 Ready Or Not, Video

Don’t Sleep On will.i.am’s Artist LGP Qua. His Video Is Eye-Opening

will.i.am has a proven ear for talent. Outside of his 2000s uber-success with the Black Eyed Peas, Will has taken Pop acts up the charts while piloting resonant songs for Hip-Hop mainstays Too Short, Talib Kweli, Nas, and The Game. In 2018, the Peas (now will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo) released the... Read more

March 27, 2018 Ready Or Not

Kemba Seeks Salvation During A Trying Time In America (Video)

Some may know Kemba as the artist that shut it down with an acappella after Kendrick Lamar pulled him onstage in the Bronx two years ago. Others may remember the MC from albums including You're Welcome (2010), Fall FWD (2011), and GNK (2013) released under his previous moniker "YC The... Read more

March 20, 2018 Ready Or Not

Gifted Gab & Blimes Brixton Can Serve 99% Of Other MCs, Male Or Female (Video)

Gifted Gab and Blimes Brixton have talent. It's undeniable. The two women, from Seattle and California's Bay Area, respectively, show off their braggadocios bars on their latest collaborative video "Come Correct." With this video single, it's easy to see why the two gravitated toward one another in the first place.... Read more

March 2, 2018 Ready Or Not

Ron Beatty’s Video Pushes His Rap Plans From 2018 To Infinity

Hailing from New Bern, North Carolina by way of Atlanta, Georgia, Ron Beatty is an MC that has a raw, soulful sound and energy that he brings to his music; true to his southern roots like eating chicken out of a box, on a park bench. This is depicted all... Read more

February 21, 2018 Ready Or Not

Ill Camille Is A Lyrical Soldier. She Fights On For Her Rap Dreams (Video)

Hip-Hop at its best does more than make you move; it makes you think. When a song shares one’s personal experience, listeners going through the same thing don’t feel so alone. And on the other hand, for others, it opens their eyes. Either way, this is the kind of powerful... Read more

February 6, 2018 Ready Or Not

Focus The Truth Wants To Know If You’re Down To Ride With Him (Video)

The name Focus The Truth can be read two ways. It could be interpreted as an alias (Focus) coupled with a title (The Truth), or the moniker can be taken as a whole and viewed as a statement of what this MC does — focus the truth. Either way, this... Read more

January 30, 2018 Ready Or Not

MRG Pays Respect To Lonzo Ball’s Uncompromising Hustle In His New Video

Queens, New York native Matthew Raymond Guzmán, best known as MRG, is a Dominican-American MC who often brings his own heritage and upbringing to the forefront of his Hip-Hop. His inspiration comes from rappers like Kanye West, Nas and Daddy Yankee, and he distinctly pulls a card from the later... Read more

January 25, 2018 Ready Or Not

T.Y.E. Shows His Infatuation With Escapism On “Playground” (Video)

Last year saw T.Y.E. Harris drop his thematic album 32: a cohesive project that saw the Opera-trained MC/singer flip between emotive raps about his bipolar disorder, neighborhood upbringing, and brain chemistry. The Dallas, Texas-raised artist hails from the city's Oak Cliff neighborhood, seemingly using his music to boost toward an... Read more

January 24, 2018 Ready Or Not, Video

Lyric Jones Celebrates Solidarity & Getting By In “Got Bills” (Video)

Boston-born, L.A.-based Lyric Jones describes herself as “MC, Vocalist, Drummer,” while also noting that she is the only MC around these days who can play the drums, while she delivers her rhymes. Now this visual for “Got Bills” directed by Jones also shows she is an artist with a strong... Read more

January 9, 2018 Ready Or Not, Video

Blu & Exile Take The Meaning Of Soulful Hip-Hop To A New Place (Video)

One of the legends of twentieth-century music relates to the Delta Blues pioneer, Robert Johnson, who died at the age of 27 in 1938. According to the historic tale, the itinerant musician Johnson sold his soul to the devil down at the crossroads of Highway 49 and 61 in Clarksdale, Mississippi to... Read more

December 5, 2017 Ready Or Not, Video

ScienZe Tells A Modern Day Tale Of Love & Prosperity (Video)

Hailing from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Dope League MC, ScienZe, has been garnering attention from Hip-Hop Heads since his initial releases in 2010. A true student of music, the mindful songwriter validated both his adoration of and devotion to Hip-Hop on his debut project, Ode 2 Dilla, a prudent 19-track tribute to the legendary Detroit producer. As... Read more

November 21, 2017 Ready Or Not

GQ Is Next Up In 9th Wonder’s Jamla Army (Video Premiere)

GQ is the artist 9th Wonder calls his “secret weapon” at Jamla Records. Over the past few years, the Bay area native has released several records (including 2014's Rated Oakland) as part of the label roster that have cemented his reputation as an artist with fine lyricism and a clearly defined... Read more

November 14, 2017 Exclusive, Video

Ezri Turns A Simple Trip To The Store Into An Epic Music Video

Cleveland, Ohio native Ezri (formerly known as "Ezzy") has been amassing an entertainment career for some time now. After displaying his acting abilities on hit television show Empire and IFC Films’ The Land, he went back to the basics with music to give his supporters a fearless sound. Be Right... Read more

November 7, 2017 Ready Or Not, Video

Reuben Vincent Is Jamla’s Teenage Prodigy. He Hits His Target On “BB Guns” (Video)

After signing with 9th Wonder's Jamla Records, Charlotte North Carolina teenager Reuben Vincent released “Chains On Me,” produced by one the most innovative producers around, Khrysis – another member of the Jamla Records family, Soul Council, and The Away Team. “Chains On Me” showed off the 15-year-old’s supreme confidence and precocious... Read more

October 31, 2017 Ready Or Not, Video

South Central’s Quincey White Gives New Meaning To Chasing Hollywood Dreams (Video)

Quincey White is an emerging voice within the Los Angeles scene, and he has a lot to say. His latest video single “HOLLYWOOD” is a “metaphor for success.” It is all about achieving status. White, the MC formerly known as DUBB, dropped his EP, The 7, on Sway Calloway &... Read more

October 19, 2017 Ready Or Not

Dillon Has A Feast Over Diamond D’s Serving Of Fresh Beats (Video)

Diamond D is currently doing concerts with Sadat X in support of Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop's recent 25th anniversary. In the meantime, the Bronx, New Yorker and founding member of Diggin' In The Crates is still supplying heat for up-and-coming talent. D was there early for producing Fat Joe,... Read more

October 17, 2017 Ready Or Not, Video

Taliwhoah Is The UK’s Latest Musical Export. She’s Going Worldwide (Video)

Rostrum Records’ Taliwhoah has been releasing music for over two years now. Yet, her latest single and music video “Details” has gained a vast amount of attention for her to possibly become a recognized artist in the industry. The London-born and Los Angles-based singer and songwriter had an authentic introduction... Read more

August 29, 2017 Ready Or Not

ManKind Shows That It Is A Rap Collective Aiming To Be Different (Video)

Harlem, New York duo ManKind is a prime example of men that spit verses with a purpose. From the New Rap Order Collective, ManKind’s !LLumiN@te and SciryL thrive to project their art in a way that does not lack luster or meaning. While collaborating with over 50 artists since November... Read more

August 10, 2017 Ready Or Not

Kev Brown Drops Some Rugged Rooftop Philosophy With J Scienide (Video)

Since the April of 2017 release of The Actual Heat album, J Scienide has been pushing hard to make sure the masses are aware of the artistry he projects to the world. The Washington, D.C.-based MC/producer recently released the visual of his single “Ghetto,” which features his fellow Low Budget Crew... Read more

August 8, 2017 Ready Or Not, Video

Tanya Morgan Literally Pushes Their New Album Out The Trunk (Video)

Cincinnati-meets-Brooklyn Hip-Hop group Tanya Morgan just released its fourth album, YGWY$4 (You Get What You Pay For). Von Pea and Donwill add to a celebrated independent catalog that began with critical cosigns from Questlove and Foreign Exchange features more than a dozen years ago. They've since appeared on albums by... Read more

August 1, 2017 Ready Or Not, Video

Sha Stimuli Returns With An Exploration Of American Racism Throughout The Years (Video)

Brooklyn, New York raised, Atlanta, Georgia based MC Sha Stimuli returned off a four year hiatus from the rap race last year with two powerful songs titled “Sticks and Stones” and “New Jordans/A Poem For Mike.” The first was about the effect words can have, while the latter was a... Read more

July 22, 2017 Ready Or Not, Video

Nanna.B & Odd Future’s Hodgy Make A Golden Video About Protecting One’s Treasures

Los Angeles, California (by way of Denmark) songstress Nanna.B is not an MC, but she is attracting Hip-Hop artists to her soulful ceremony. She is gearing up to release the EP, Golden this Friday (July 21). On the title track, Nanna is produced by none other than Aftermath's Anderson .Paak,... Read more

July 18, 2017 Ready Or Not, Video

Oakland’s Trey Coastal Use A Video Game To Show How Real Life’s Consequences Are (Video)

The Oakland, California trio known as Trey Coastal have a knack for storytelling. For their "R1 R2 L1 L2" visuals, the West Coast collective get pixelated and take us through a retro video-game journey through their hometown. Producer Rye Mann, plus MCs Philip Bank$ (a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air reference) and Cam... Read more

June 7, 2017 Ready Or Not

T.Y.E Is An Opera Singer Who Can Rap With The Best Of Them (Video)

On June 9, Dallas-bred rapper T.Y.E Harris will release 32, an exploratory album with song titles like "UFOs & Aliens," "Universe," and "La La Land." Hailing from the grim surroundings of the Oak Cliff neighborhood, his music serves as an exercise in escaping not only the confines of his external circumstances,... Read more

May 23, 2017 Ready Or Not

Dillon Cooper Doesn’t Scare Easily & Turns A Blind Eye To His Competition (Video)

Dillon Cooper is a Crown Heights, Brooklyn rapper who sound and look familiar to fans of the Hip-Hop inspired Netflix series, The Get Down, for which he contributed to the official soundtrack and played a supporting role as a young Grandmaster Caz. Also an accomplished musician,he attended the prestigious Berklee... Read more

May 16, 2017 Ready Or Not

Hodgie’s Street Lights Video Burns Bright. Bizzy Bone’s Son Shows The Flows In His DNA.

Lima is not one of Ohio's big cities, and thereby it is not traditionally associated with Hip-Hop music. However, with the continuous diaspora of the culture, the city approximately 80 miles away from Toldeo and Dayton, has an artist who aims to take his sound far and wide. Hodgie released... Read more

May 9, 2017 Ready Or Not

Matt Citron Aims To Purify His Soul As He Reaches The Next Plateau (Video)

Atlanta, Georgia's Matt Citron has been making a lot of noise the past year. It was one calendar ago Matt spiced up a sacred Just Blaze production for Jay Electronica with his seasoned "Tabasco Flows." The MC with the nimble delivery and deeper voice stepped ahead, working with G.O.O.D. Music's... Read more

May 4, 2017 Ready Or Not

Sylvan LaCue Wants His Heavenly Video To Make An Eternal Introduction

Miami, Florida MC Sylvan LaCue is currently making major noise. Fresh off of touring the United States with "Best Me (Remix)" collaborator Saba, Sylvan is another independent artist (thanks to his Wise Up Entertainment movement) who needs no machine to draw power through numbers. With his album Far From Familiar... Read more

April 25, 2017 Ready Or Not

OSHUN Celebrate African Roots For A Striking Visual Homage To Heartbreak (Video)

Brooklyn, New York duo OSHUN are as innovative as they are familiar. Comprised of Niambi Sala and Thandiwe, the Neo-Soul-based Hip-Hop emanating from the pair will likely remind Heads of Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Floetry, Les Nubians, and even A Tribe Called Quest. However, OSHUN's output is more infectious than... Read more

April 18, 2017 Ready Or Not

Chuuwee Looks At His Own Wonder Years With Enthusiasm (Video)

In the last month, Sacramento, California artist Chuuwee released his Paradiso album. The 10-track, 40-minute project finds the veteran breaking the ice on 2017 with his first video. The "Enthusiasm" visual recreates the 8mm home-video effect from the 1960s and 1970s. In a statement to Ambrosia For Heads, the MC... Read more

April 13, 2017 Ready Or Not

Marcel P. Black Is Using His Voice To Help His People Cry Freedom (Video)

Baton Rouge, Louisiana made headlines last summer for a tragedy far too common in the United States. On July 5, Alton Sterling was killed by police. He was unarmed, and his death only reinvigorated the energies of those fighting for meaningful, permanent changes to the way the United States views... Read more

April 7, 2017 Ready Or Not

Kris Kasanova Is Out To Prove His Bars Will Always Come With A Little Something Extra (Video)

Music has been, and continues to be, a staple in Kris Kasanova's life. Learning and studying the art of Hip-Hop since his years on this Earth crossed into the double digits, the Red Hook, Brooklyn native watched his stepfather Don, who piqued his interests into the game, enter the booth... Read more

April 6, 2017 Ready Or Not

Mic Capes Is Breaking Through Life’s Chains To Help Others Get Free (Video)

Portland, Oregon's Mic Capes has begun to garner notoriety in his homestate for his visceral lyricism, illustrative story-telling, and stirring content. Since releasing his debut album, Rise & Grind, in 2012, the rapper born Michael Caples has expanded his fan base far beyond his St. Johns neighborhood, even earning the... Read more

April 5, 2017 Ready Or Not

Saint Joe Louis Spar With JR & PH7’s Beat & A Rugged Rah Digga Guest Verse (Video)

JR & PH7 and St. Joe Louis have crossed oceans to collaborate, and anchored a strong feature to boot. "Duck Duck Goose" links the German production duo (Phonte, Oddisee, Saigon, Freeway, etc.) with trio of Michael Cardigan, Tommie Chase, and Elete Wright. St. Joe Louis represents the same New Jersey.... Read more

April 4, 2017 Ready Or Not

Cellis Calls Back To Childhood To Help Us Overcome Growing Troubles (Video)

Baltimore, Maryland artist Cellis is known as "The Beardest" MC. While artists like Freeway, Stalley, Drake, and others may raise an eyebrow to that claim, he joins a respected class of artists who kick wisdom and substance in their rhymes. Belonging to his newly released Snow Day EP, "Inner Child"... Read more

March 21, 2017 Ready Or Not

Natia Has A Message For Copy-Cat Rappers & He Wants Blood On His Hands (Video)

Inglewood, California's Natia carries with him many of the artistic earmarks of other Californians like Hieroglyphics, Living Legends, Freestyle Fellowship, and The Pharcyde. He's maniacal in the best way - lyrical, offbeat, and message-driven. But any referential qualities he may have to artists like Del The Funkee Homosapien or Fatlip... Read more

March 14, 2017 Ready Or Not

LG Is Planting The Seeds Of His Rap Career & Looking To Grow Even More (Video)

Hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana, LG's musical blood comes from both his family and the city in which he was born and raised. At the age of seven, he began to explore his natural talents, eventually dropping his debut mixtape Cinco in 2011. The title comes from his childhood stomping... Read more

March 7, 2017 Ready Or Not

Jay Lonzo Spits More Knowledge at 17 Years Old Than Many Do In a Lifetime (Video)

Last month, J. Cole acknowledged Martin Luther King, Jr. and the ongoing fight for equality and freedom in the U.S. with "High For Hours," a poignant record that compares 2017 America to chapters in its dark past. As he says in the song, not much has changed, and slavery has... Read more

February 28, 2017 Ready Or Not

Venomous2000 Ambushes His Prey With Poisonous Lyricism (Video)

Last month, Passaic, New Jersey's Venomous2000 released his tenth album, Sounds Of The Great Ones with Trilian. That LP features decorated veterans such as Wu-Tang Clan's Inspectah Deck, Cella Dwellas, and The Artifacts, among others. A vet in his own right, Venomous2000 has been a recent guest artist on DJ... Read more

February 21, 2017 Ready Or Not

Eric Biddines Climbs Mountains In This Video. Does This MC’s Single Pique Your Interest?

Florida's Eric Biddines makes his influences of Outkast, UGK, and Goodie Mob clear in his music. This MC uses his southern cadence, regional dialect, and warm weather lifestyle in his songs to his advantage. The single "Peeuurrnn" is derived off of a J.B. Smoove stand-up comedy routine. Leaving haters, crabs,... Read more

February 14, 2017 Ready Or Not