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DJ Scratch Explains The Tension At The Big Daddy Kane & KRS-One Verzuz

On Sunday night (October 17), Hip-Hop fans were treated to a Verzuz match up between 80s Hip-Hop legends, Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One. There were freestyles, surprise guests, and some noteworthy banter between the two participants and their DJs—Kid Capri and DJ Scratch, representing Kris and Kane, respectively. During AFH's recap... Read more

Biz Markie Has Passed Away At Age 57

A challenging year for the Hip-Hop community continues to become more tragic. In a breaking news story, Biz Markie has died at the age of 57. The legendary MC, DJ, and producer born Marcel Hall passed away this evening (July 16) after a decade-plus-long bout with type 2 diabetes. TMZ reported... Read more

Nas Celebrates Prodigy & Queens On A Stellar Pete Rock Track (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads fight 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, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to... Read more

Killer Mike Pens A Heartfelt Tribute To Roxanne Shante & The Power Of Kindness

This week (May 3) Killer Mike wrote a powerful open letter to one of his Hip-Hop heroes, Roxanne Shanté. "This is a photo from my grandmother’s photo album of me and my accomplishments and moments. This is an actual photo of a hero of mine. On a trip to [New... 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

Roxanne Shanté Describes How Real “The Roxanne Wars” Got In Concerts (Video)

This weekend, Roxanne, Roxanne is now available on Netflix. The biopic, written and directed by Michael Larnell, covers the life of MC Roxanne Shanté (aka Lolita Shanté Gooden). The Juice Crew rapper co-produced the film and worked with the likes of Pharrell Williams, Forrest Whitaker, and Mimi Valdes to tell... Read more

Roxanne Shanté’s Biopic Trailer Shows A True Survivor In The Rap Game (Video)

In just over one month, Roxanne, Roxanne will be available to the public via Netflix. On March 23, the film produced by Pharrell Williams and Forest Whitaker will tell the story of MC Roxanne Shanté. The first Rap star of Marley Marl and DJ Mr. Magic's Juice Crew (according to... Read more

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

The Kennedy Center Is Celebrating Rap’s Pioneers With A Concert Series

The John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center has gradually created a bona fide space for Hip-Hop within its gates over the past year. It has appointed A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip as its First Artistic Director of Hip-Hop Culture in 2016 and is awarding LL Cool J as the first ever... Read more

Mahershala Ali Says His Role In Roxanne Shanté Biopic Is His Toughest Yet (Audio)

Oscar-winning actor Mahershala Ali, best known for his iconic roles in Moonlight and Netflix’s Luke Cage series, started his career as a Hieroglyphics affiliate named Prince Ali and has definitely been outspoken about his love for Hip-Hop music. Starring in the highly-anticipated, critically-acclaimed 2017 Roxanne Shanté biopic alongside Chanté Adams... Read more

More Than 20 MCs Join Eric B. & Rakim In Celebrating Their 30th Anniversary (Video)

Yesterday (July 7), marked the 30th anniversary of the release of Eric B. & Rakim's classic album, Paid In Full, and they celebrated it in grand fashion. The two were joined on stage at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater by by more than 20 artists from eras both before and after... Read more

Angie Stone & The Sequence Explain How They’re Being Robbed Of Their Place In History

Last summer, women in Rap music were celebrated at the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors, a televised spectacle with Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa, Lil' Kim, and Eve as honorees. Certainly not the only women who have contributed to the culture's growth, these women being singled out and honored in such a ceremonious... Read more

There Is No Hip-Hop Without Women. Every Day Is Ladies First (Video)

Throughout Hip-Hop history, there have been countless women who have helped carry a nascent culture into the mainstream. Not all of them do we know by name - the mothers, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, teachers, and others who encouraged a child to write rhymes, pursue her or his passion for music,... Read more

Roxanne’s Revenge: Roxanne Shanté’s Biopic Causes A Bidding War

More than one week ago (January 22), the biopic of MC Roxanne Shanté, Roxanne Roxanne, screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Produced by Shanté, Pharrell Williams, and Forest Whitaker, the film starring Mahershala Ali and Nia Long traces the story of the prodigious Juice Crew member born Lolita Gooden, and her... Read more

Roxanne Shanté’s Biopic Shows Hip-Hop History Is Incomplete Without Her Story

In 2015, the film Straight Outta Compton took N.W.A.'s story and projected it on not only film screens, but the mainstream consciousness. For a group of Gangsta Rap pioneers on an independent label, the record-setting film eclipsed the commercial success ever available to Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren,... Read more

This Rare 1986 Documentary Is An Amazing Hip-Hop History Lesson (Video)

In 1986, one of the earliest documentaries on Hip-Hop was made by a Dutch TV company. Big Fun In The Big Town, directed by Bram van Splunteren, featured on air Belgian host, Marcel Vanthilt, traveling the streets of New York City to gain a better understanding of the burgeoning culture.... Read more

Roxanne Shanté Discusses The Challenges She Faced As A Pioneering Woman In Hip-Hop

Growing up in the same Queensbridge Houses as Hip-Hop icons like MC Shan, Marley Marl, Nas, and Mobb Deep, Roxanne Shanté has a story that has often gone untold. Known for her role in the notorious "Roxanne Wars" during the mid-1980s, the MC had already developed an admirable Rap pedigree... Read more

DJ Red Alert Explains How The Bridge Wars Began, Tells His Story (Audio)

Fresh off of DJ Kool Herc's groundbreaking interview with The Combat Jack Show, another Hip-Hop pioneer is profiled extensively. Kool DJ Red Alert is Combat's guest this week. The Harlem, New York native (not Bronx, as often reported) opens up about his career trajectory, the radio wars evolving into "The... Read more

Here’s a Tribute to Some of the Women MCs Who Raised Hip-Hop (Video Playlist)

Happy Mother's Day. Here's a video playlist celebrating some of the many women who helped to start and grow the culture of Hip-Hop. You'll see clips from pioneers like Sha Rock, Roxanne Shante, Ms. Melodie, Michie Mee, Sweet Tee, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Salt-N-Pepa and Monie Love. Take a look... Read more

Keep The International Women’s Day Celebrations Going With A Stellar Female MC Tape (Mix)

Yesterday (March 8) marked International Women's Day. Like all cultural movements, Hip-Hop has depended upon women for survival since its inception. In 2015, there are a host of female superstars, moguls, and elite professionals at the top of culture and Rap industry. However, along the way over the last 35-plus... Read more

Ice-T Interviews Chief Rocka Busy Bee, Talks Wild Style, Pioneering Swag & More (Audio)

Many Heads know the importance and impact of Chief Rocka Busy Bee Starski. The Bronx, New Yorker was among the Rap voices who was relevant and top-notch, dating back to the 1970s. Ice-T, who would break through beginning with Breakin', calls the MC born David Parker a "Cornerstone of Hip-Hop,"... Read more

UNITY: A Salute to the Women in Hip-Hop Vol. 2 (Video Playlist)

As we continue our celebration of the women in Hip-Hop, here's Vol. 2 of our UNITY video playlist series. You'll see videos from MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Roxanne Shante, Salt-n-Pepa, Rapsody, Sweet Tee, JJ Fad, Heather B, Eve, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Lauryn Hill and more. Check it out. And,... Read more

The Juice Crew Masters The Ceremony & Orchestrates The Symphony On Stage (Video)

The same night Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Geto Boys, The Pharcyde, Blackstreet, and Ma$e and Diddy reunited in Los Angeles, another seminal Hip-Hop crew came together in New York City. While they never released an album, Heads know the Juice Crew's impact as the sum of its parts, including Big Daddy Kane,... Read more

DJ Woody – Hip-Hop At 40 Preview (Video)

For fans of Style Wars, Wild Style, and just the story that us Heads are living out, this is incredibly cool. DJ Woody makes another visual mash-up dedicated to Hip-Hop's 40th birthday last month. Within the quick-cuts of this two-minute preview are Godfather DJ Kool Herc, Roxanne Shante and Brand... Read more

DJ Kool Herc, Rakim, Big Daddy Kane & More To Do Free NYC Park Show (Event)

If you're within a day's drive of New York City on August 10, you have an opportunity to live, breathe, hear, and see true hip-hop history. The Godfather DJ Kool Kerc, pioneer Coke La Rock, iconic MCs Big Daddy Kane & Rakim, and our friend DJ Premier are all slated... Read more