Rhymesayers ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

Atmosphere Producer Ant Made Music For A Decade Before Making A Dollar

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Brother Ali's incredible album, Shadows On The Sun. The 2003 Rhymesayers Entertainment release was produced by Ant of Atmosphere—a producer and DJ known to deliberately avoid the spotlight. In a two-part conversation with Brother Ali's The Travelers Podcast, Ant opens up about his... Read more

July 31, 2023 Video

The 14 Best Rap Albums Of 2021…What Did We Miss

As 2021 comes to a close, it is appropriate to reflect on a remarkable year for Hip-Hop music and news. Although we did it slightly differently this year, Ambrosia For Heads shares our list of the best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2021. On episode #72 of the What's The Headline podcast—starting at 1:13:00—we list our... Read more

December 21, 2021 Best Rap Albums Of 2021, Video

Rap Snubs & Predictions For The 2022 Grammy Awards

Last week, the nominees for the 2022 Grammy Awards were announced, and plenty of people are talking about it. With the awards taking place on January 31, 2022, the eligibility period for the 64th award show ran from September 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021. As Hip-Hop Heads know, there... Read more

November 30, 2021 Video

Atmosphere Has Released What May Be MF DOOM’s Final Verse

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 and listen... Read more

October 10, 2021 Audio

Evidence Discusses Starting Over After Dilated Peoples (Video)

Last Friday (June 25), Evidence released his latest solo album, Unlearning, Vol. 1. The Rhymesayers Entertainment release featuring Conway The Machine, Alchemist, Boldy James, and others has already been met with applause, including Ambrosia For Heads' 10 Best Albums of 2021 (so far) list. Notably, Unlearning breaks from Ev's Weatherman series, dating back to his first solo album,... Read more

June 29, 2021 Exclusive, Interview, Video

The 10 Best Rap Albums Of 2021 So Far

As 2021 quickly approaches its midpoint, it is tradition to evaluate the year's best Hip-Hop albums—so far. So on the latest episode of Ambrosia For Heads' What's The Headline podcast, we did just that. As we did in deciding the best albums of 2020, the AFH team uses the platform to publicly discuss the best... Read more

June 15, 2021 Exclusive

DMX’s New Album Features Nas, JAY-Z, Griselda & More. Here’s The Tracklist

UPDATE: Swizz Beatz has released the full tracklist for DMX's Exodus album, which will be released on May 28, and it is even more star-studded than previously reported. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Swizz Beatz (@therealswizzz) Here is the full tracklist: 1. “That’s My Dog” feat.... Read more

May 11, 2021 Video

How MF DOOM Became Hip-Hop’s Biggest Hero

On December 31, the family of MF DOOM (aka Daniel Dumile) publicly announced that the legendary MC/producer/visual artist had died two months earlier. While information surrounding DOOM's passing may still be forthcoming, the hurt felt around the Hip-Hop community was immediate and profound. At just 49 years old at the... Read more

January 11, 2021 Audio, Fresh, Video

Boldy James & Alchemist Bring The Best Out Of Each Other On Their New Album (Audio)

It has been over a decade since Boldy James first debuted his raps for the world to hear. In the blog era, Boldy James released Trapper’s Alley: Pros & Cons in 2011 with illRoots. The mixtape showed off the cold life of a drug dealer (see the obvious "I Sold... Read more

February 10, 2020 Audio

Here Are Ambrosia For Heads’ Top 25 Rap Albums Of The Decade

In the final hours of a decade, Ambrosia For Heads presents our Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums. The 2010s were a wild ride, with an onslaught of important new voices, and incredible maturation from veteran MCs. It was a 10-year span where artists and songs were discovered new places (including the... Read more

December 30, 2019 Best Rap Album 2010s

Evidence Drops A New Instrumental Album. Check Out 26 Beats From A Proven Master.

Nearly 25 years into his career, Evidence's music continues to get better and better. That says a lot for an artist who took audiences by storm with the Dilated Peoples across several albums since the late 1990s. However, in the solo department, releases like last year's Weather Or Not offer... Read more

November 19, 2019 Audio

Atmosphere’s New Video Is About The Quest For Peace Of Mind

As the cold winds of winter begin to blow through Minneapolis once again, Atmosphere, return with a new video, which draws on their state's natural beauty for inspiration. Following on from last year's Mi Vida Local, their ninth studio album, the Rhymesayers duo deliver an emotional and poignant track in... Read more

November 11, 2019 Video

Alchemist & Evidence Reunite The Step Brothers & Bring Big Bars To Calabasas

In 2009, Los Angeles area representatives Alchemist and Evidence of the Dilated Peoples joined forces to combine their deft skills in the booth and on the boards as the dynamic duo, Step Brothers. Underneath the umbrella of the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Rhymesayers label, the Step Brothers released their first joint record,... Read more

October 28, 2019 Video

Evidence Explains How Life Completely Changed While Making Weather Or Not (Video)

Almost a year ago to date, Rhymesayers MC Evidence released his third studio album, Weather Or Not, featuring DJ Premier, Alchemist, Styles P, Rapsody, and his Dilated Peoples cohorts. Shortly after the drop, Ambrosia For Heads' Editor-In-Chief, Jake Paine, joined Ev on a Manhattan hotel balcony to discuss the album... Read more

January 7, 2019 Exclusive, Video

Evidence’s Weather Or Not Is Your Best Rap Album Of 2018

Last night (December 30), the tournament to decide 2018's Best Rap Album came to a close. Evidence's Weather Or Not bested Royce 5'9's Book Of Ryan, 63% to 37%. Thus, the veteran Los Angeles, California MC/producer takes home the top honors in the second annual month-long voter-decided competition. Notably, Ev's third... Read more

December 31, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (The Championship Battle): Royce 5’9 vs. Evidence

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 28, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (Battle 14): J. Cole vs. Evidence

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 27, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

You Have Decided The Final 4 Best Albums Of 2018. Here They Are.

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 21, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

Aesop Rock Has An Album Coming Next Month. His New Video Is Twisted.

Lyrical wunderkind Aesop Rock was a standout sensation during the Underground Hip-Hop boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s. His poetic imagery and didactic bars were complex conundrums that many listeners enjoyed unraveling. The MC/producer worked with the likes of MF DOOM, El-P, and the Weathermen during a celebrated... Read more

December 18, 2018 Video

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (Battle 10): Pusha-T vs. Evidence

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 18, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (Battle 6): Black Milk vs. Evidence

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 12, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

Evidence’s New Video Is An Introspective Look Into One Of The Year’s Best Albums

Evidence's Weather Or Not was an early standout album this year, and it set a great standard. The Rhymesayers Entertainment release, Ev's third solo affair, made Ambrosia For Heads' "Best 15 Albums Of 2018." Nearly a year old, the Dilated Peoples and Stepbrothers co-founder continues to deliver visuals to his... Read more

December 10, 2018 Video

All It Takes Is 1 Drink To Get MF DOOM & Madlib Animated (Video)

Next year marks the 15th anniversary of MM.. Food, one of MF DOOM's most celebrated solo albums. It dropped in 2004, the same year DOOM's collaborative album with Madlib, Madvillainy arrived and was the first of his solo works to be released via Rhymesayers Entertainment. Somewhat conceptual in its delivery, the album... Read more

November 17, 2018 Video

Brother Ali Uses Some Baduizm To Show Just How Serious He Is About His Art (Video)

In 2017, Brother Ali gave fans one of the year's most illuminating albums in All The Beauty In This Whole Life. The Rhymesayers Entertainment release was named one of Ambrosia For Heads' best of the year and showed Ali at a new place with his outlook, his family, and his... Read more

October 26, 2018 Video

Evidence Directs Atmosphere’s Latest Video. It’s A Different Kind Of House Party

During the last decade, Slug, Ant, and the Rhymesayers family welcomed Evidence, Dilated Peoples, and Stepbrothers to the Minneapolis, Minnesota-based label. In those two groups and alone, Ev has fit in lovely. The MC/producer from Venice, California has made some of the best music of his career ever since. That... Read more

October 1, 2018 Video

Brother Ali Is Celebrating 15 Years Of “Shadows On The Sun” With A Tour

The year 2003 was a decent one in the Hip-Hop world. JAY-Z released one of his biggest projects, The Black Album; 50 Cent catapulted onto the scene with Get Rich or Die Trying; and ATL’s finest, Outkast, dropped their conceptual double-disc, Speakerboxsx/The Love Below. But while those projects glided along... Read more

September 20, 2018 Fresh, Throwback

Finding The GOAT Group: The Roots vs. Atmosphere. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition 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 (which has been determined), including the possibility for... Read more

July 25, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Group: De La Soul vs. Dilated Peoples. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition 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 (which has been determined), including the possibility... Read more

July 16, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Evidence’s Latest Video Is A Trippy Journey Through His Brilliant Mind

Evidence is back again, this time with some new visuals from his latest solo album, Weather Or Not. The new video for “The Factory,” puts Heads face to face with the stoic MC with some added flavor. The collage video features a variety of imagery spanning from coastal views to... Read more

June 29, 2018 Video

The 14 Best Hip-Hop Releases So Far In 2018 (Audio & Video)

Approaching 2018’s midpoint, the year has been absolutely incredible for Hip-Hop and Rap music. For many artists, the album is now shorter than it has ever been. Releases are more concentrated and digestible than they have been been in decades. Moreover, the MC/producer double-threat is winning, as is the chemistry... Read more

June 21, 2018 Food for Thought

Does Rhyme Still Pay? Slug & Evidence Weigh In On A Dope Vanderslice Beat (Audio Premiere)

Producer Vanderslice has been a source of dusty sounds for years. From the town of Phoenixville, outside of Philadelphia, the beat-miner has worked with Prodigy, Freddie Gibbs, Apathy, Roc Marciano, and others. He has released a string of instrumental and producer-compilation style albums. 'Slice's next LP is called The Best... Read more

June 18, 2018 Audio, Exclusive

Finding The GOAT Group: Atmosphere vs. Little Brother. 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 6, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

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

Finding The GOAT Group: Dilated Peoples vs. Jurassic 5. 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

April 25, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Murs Says Hip-Hop Can’t Be Dead If Wu-Tang Is Forever & He’s Still Rapping (Video)

In celebration of his 40th birthday (March 16), Murs drops his latest solo album, A Strange Journey Into The Unimaginable with Strange Music. The project is exclusively produced by longtime Tech N9ne producer Michael "Seven" Summers. Leading up to today, ("Murs 3/16"), the Los Angeles, California veteran MC has leaked... Read more

March 16, 2018 Exclusive, Video

Step Brothers Evidence & Alchemist Reunite To Salute Biz Markie & Fat Albert (Audio)

Paying homage to Biz Markie and "Fat Albert" at once, the Evidence/Alchemist Step Brothers duo makes a welcomed return with "Lay Some Treats On Us,” a new single that's tricky in the best possible way. Biz Markie’s 1989 sophomore album The Biz Never Sleeps contains a track called “Mudd Foot.”... Read more

January 22, 2018 Audio, The Bridge

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2017 (Battle 6): Brother Ali vs. Oddisee

We have our opinions on the best albums of 2017, but rather than simply list them, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2017. With that in mind, we decided to make our Best Rap Albums Of... Read more

December 23, 2017 Best Rap Album 2017

Evidence Reveals His Next Album Title & Tracklist. The New Video Is Bananas.

This April, Dilated Peoples and Stepbrothers member Evidence released "Throw It All Away." The video single (which has been a staple on the Ambrosia For Heads playlist since) featured some of the most heartfelt rapping to date from the Venice, California Grammy Award-winner. The second single, "Jim Dean" keeps the... Read more

November 17, 2017 Video

One MC Seamlessly Flips 27 Different Rap Styles In 8 Minutes (Video)

Mac Lethal makes the art of rapping seem quite fun. A onetime Rhymesayers member, the Kansas City, Missouri lyricist has worked with Tech N9ne, Chamillionaire, Cunninlynguists and others throughout a career that's nearly 20 years deep. Quite often, Mac finds the humor and challenge in Rap, without compromising his supreme... Read more

June 11, 2017 Video

Aesop Rock Mourns A Fallen MC & Spits Personal Bars Of Pain (Video)

Nine years ago today (May 25, 2008), MC/producer Camu Tao (aka Tero Smith) died after a battle with lung cancer. At a time when his solo career was gaining strong traction, the Columbus, Ohio native was a linchpin to The Weathermen, MHz, S.A. Smash, Nighthawks groups and El-P's Definitive Jux... Read more

May 25, 2017 Video

You Will Not See Adult Videos The Same After Hearing Brother Ali’s New Song (Audio)

Yesterday (May 5), Brother Ali released All The Beauty In This Whole Life, an LP which unequivocally continues the Rhymesayers MC's career-long history of addressing the personal and universally relatable through his music. This time around, the Minnesotan keeps it 100% about being the white father to a Black son, being... Read more

May 6, 2017 Audio, Lifestyle

Brother Ali Details How Our Pleasures Are Used By Those In Power To Control Us

After a nearly five-year break, Brother Ali will release All The Beauty In This Whole Life this Friday (May 5). The Rhymesayers Entertainment mainstay has crafted an album that confronts so many issues in the modern universe. Ali Newman has a lot to say on what's happening with the world, and while... Read more

May 3, 2017 Food for Thought

Pusha T, Lauryn Hill, T.I. & Others To Headline 2017 Soundset Festival

UPDATE: Mac Miller has announced that he is canceling his Soundset appearance planned for this Sunday. He apologized to fans in a tweet, but did not expound on reasoning. Earlier this week, a suicide bombing in Manchester, England killed 22 people and injured more than 100 took place during a... Read more

April 23, 2017 Fresh

Evidence Returns With One Of His Best Songs In Years. He Reigns On An Alchemist Beat.

It has been nearly six years since Evidence released a solo album. For many fans, 2011's Cats & Dogs reached a new zenith for the Dilated Peoples and Stepbrothers veteran. Still running with Rhymesayers, the 20-year veteran is in even stronger form on new video single, "Throw It All Away."... Read more

April 5, 2017 Video

Brother Ali Reveals The Title & Release Date Of His New Album & Releases Its 1st Single (Audio)

Yesterday (February 27), a Brother Ali video called "Pen To Paper" emerged. It revealed that the Minneapolis, Minnesota veteran MC is plotting his return. One of the most respected, recognized, and successful members of the Rhymesayers crew dropped poignant bars in a track that was less than three minutes long.... Read more

February 28, 2017 Audio

Brother Ali Returns. After Being Profiled By Feds, He Puts Pen To Paper (Video)

Brother Ali went from one of the breakout stars of independent Hip-Hop in the 2000s to rather quiet in the last five years. The Minneapolis, Minnesota MC who is a keystone in the Rhymesayers family has not dropped a project since his 2013 freebie, Left In The Deck. In the... Read more

February 27, 2017 Video

Finding The GOAT Producer: Alchemist vs. RZA. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer,” the third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no... Read more

February 17, 2017 Finding the GOAT

Atmosphere’s Slug Breaks Down The Real Meaning Of “Lucy Ford.” (Audio)

In year 2000, Minneapolis, Minnesota Hip-Hop duo Atmosphere released two seminal EPs, Ford One and Ford Two. Produced by group member Ant, as well as Anticon's Jel, Moodswing 9, and others, these Rhymesayers Entertainment releases (later released together as Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs) helped pivot a Midwest Underground Hip-Hop... Read more

November 29, 2016 Audio

15 Years Ago MF DOOM & Aesop Rock Shined Light Upon The “Black List” (Audio)

Earlier this year, Aesop Rock released The Impossible Kid. Down with the Rhymesayers crew, the LP marked the New Yorker's fourth consecutive solo work to appear on the Top 200. In this particular case, the album was the Hail Mary Mallon front-man's second straight Top 30 entry. This is a... Read more

June 30, 2016 Do Remember

DJ Premier & Dilated Peoples Reunite To Bring Torii Wolf Into The Mix (Audio)

Nearly 15 years ago, Dilated Peoples and DJ Premier crossed paths on their sophomore album, Expansion Team. The trio from Los Angeles, California did just that, on an LP that also featured production from Questlove, The Beatnuts, and Da Beatminerz. Preemo's Gang Starr brother Guru would also appear on the... Read more

June 7, 2016 Audio