slaughterhouse Archives

Kxng Crooked Cuts Loose With Another Razor Sharp Freestyle (Audio)

Kxng Crooked is on a relentless streak of music. The Long Beach, California veteran fires up freestyles like he enjoys his stogies. This Friday (March 3), he revisits an early Slaughterhouse instrumental (the Mr. Porter-produced "Cut You Loose") for some detaching bars. He uses addresses alcoholism, hunger pains and poverty,... Read more

March 3, 2017 Audio

Kxng Crooked Reps For J Dilla On A Freestyle That Breathes New Life Into Hip-Hop (Audio)

Half of Slaughterhouse has been heating up 2017 with a barrage of freestyle displays. As Royce 5'9 has smashed Mondays by tackling several popular Rap tracks du jour, Kxng Crooked (fka Crooked I) has been putting in work on more esoteric tracks. In a month that honors J Dilla's life... Read more

February 16, 2017 Audio

J.U.I.C.E. Defeated Eminem In One Of Rap’s Greatest Battles. He Offers A Rematch (Audio)

In 1997, at Cincinnati, Ohio's annual Scribble Jam Festival, Eminem and MC J.U.I.C.E. faced off in what is often considered one of Hip-Hop's greatest battles. At the time, the two Midwestern lyricists were both independent artists looking for a title, and some shine to boot. J.U.I.C.E., the Chicago, Illinois native... Read more

February 3, 2017 Audio

Kxng Crooked Is Coming After The #1 Spot. There Are No Friends In Rhyming (Audio)

In 2016, Kxng Crooked (fka Crooked I) released a stellar EP with Statik Selektah in the form of Statik Kxng. But that was last year. In his own words, the Long Beach, California MC is holding himself to a much higher standard in 2-0-1-7. Hopping on Kanye West's "Real Friends"... Read more

January 26, 2017 Audio

Royce Takes The Keys From Khaled & Jay Z And Unlocks A New Level (Audio)

Royce 5'9" says he's starting to have fun young again. That is deeply apparent on his "I Got The Keys" freestyle. In what may be shaping up to be a weekly song series from Nickel Nine, the Detroit, Michigan veteran takes one of the biggest records of 2016 (by DJ... Read more

January 16, 2017 Audio

Joell Ortiz & Chris Rivers Say What They Feel And Some Might Get Hurt (Audio)

Joell Ortiz, Chris Rivers, and Whispers have a close working relationship. These three New York City MCs share an affinity for hard-nosed, in-your-face raps that combine wit, arrogance, and a ton of swagger on the microphone. Teaming with a producer each work with often (Domingo), they go as hard as... Read more

November 30, 2016 Audio

Joe Budden Admits The Failures & Lessons That Can Still Lead To A Happy Home (Video)

Joe Budden has forged his 15-plus-year career by making music that can regularly sound like a journal entry. The difference is, while many artists could exclusively read from the best days of their life, the Slaughterhouse MC often picks ones that show his mistakes, his ignorance, and the more vulnerable... Read more

November 15, 2016 Video

Joe Budden Puts His Life In A Music Video So You Ain’t Gotta Ask

Last week, Joe Budden released his Rage & The Machine album. The third single from the self-released LP is "I Gotta Ask." Featuring a great deal of lyrical, cadence, and beat references to 1998 Jay Z single "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" (produced by New Jersey's own 45 King)—this song... Read more

October 25, 2016 Video

Joe Budden Discusses Why His Music & Personal Life Are At Their Best In 2016

If you're not constantly challenged, you're probably not doing it right. Joe Budden entered 2016 with a proven career—decorated with a cult music following, reality television history, a podcast, and an Eminem-backed super-group at his side. However, throughout the last 15 years, Joe Budden never seems to get complacent. When... Read more

October 17, 2016 Food for Thought

Skyzoo & Joell Ortiz Look At Some Of The Costs Of A Couple Of Dollars (Video)

Tomorrow (September 30), Apollo Brown and Skyzoo will release their first collaborative album, The Easy Truth. As the Detroit, Michigan producer explained to Ambrosia For Heads this week, the easy truth is what we are all fed, left for us to decipher whether it is truly real or false. One... Read more

September 29, 2016 Food for Thought, Video

Token Explains His Journey As An MC & How Music Saved His Life (Video)

Less than one week ago, Salem, Massachusetts MC Token released his debut project, Eraser Shavings. The 17-track effort featuring production by Nottz, Clinton Sparks, and Jon Glass (among others) arrives just as the lyricist turns 18 years old. Although he is a teenager, this MC is hardly new to the craft.... Read more

September 28, 2016 Exclusive, Video

Big Daddy Kane Releases His Best Verse In A Decade. He Still Kills At Will (Video)

In February of this year, Joell Ortiz and producer Domingo released the song, "Kill At Will." The standout track, with its Big Daddy Kane "Set It Off" cut-in at the chorus, is included on the That's Hip Hop album. The single showcased a hungry, fresh-faced MC Token, who had previously... Read more

September 26, 2016 Video

Joe Budden’s By Law Gives Other MC’s The Right To Remain Silent (Video)

Joe Budden has said that he wants the rhymes (and beats) to be front-and-center on his Rage & The Machine album (October 21). So for the video to sophomore single "By Law," it is all about simple-yet-effective. The visuals match the energy of the music and, in a sense, the... Read more

September 22, 2016 Video

Joe Budden’s New Single Reminds He’s A Real Spitter By Law (Audio)

In just over one month (October 21), Joe Budden will vent like never before in the form of Rage & The Machine. Produced entirely by AraabMuzik, Joe's fourth official solo album sounds like what he recently described as “a chiseled, aged, wise veteran just barring [listeners] to death.” With rhymes... Read more

September 15, 2016 Audio

Joe Budden Discusses His Next Album & Reveals The Cover And Release Date

One of the biggest figures in 2016 Hip-Hop is Joe Budden. The Slaughterhouse veteran set the Rap world ablaze entering summer when he launched a series of lyrical missiles aimed at onetime acquaintance Drake. That conflict stemmed from the multi-faceted brand that the Jersey City, New Jersey MC has become.... Read more

September 13, 2016 Fresh, News, Video

Joell Ortiz, Salaam Remi, Nitty Scott & Bodega BAMZ Celebrate Nuyorican Pride On A Joint LP (Audio)

Joell Ortiz knows a thing or two about forming high-profile groups. In the late 2000s, Slaughterhouse was born out of mid-2000s friction between Joe Budden and Royce 5'9." They would go on to make amends, and invite two other under-valued MCs (Joell and Crooked I) to the fold. Since then, that... Read more

August 15, 2016 Audio

This Is NOT Supposed to Be Drake Dissing Joe Budden. What Do You Think? (Video)

The biggest Rap beef of 2016 has been fairly one-sided to date. Joe Budden has launched a handful of attacks in onetime friend Drake's direction, due to a diss he believed was coming his way from Drake on French Montana's song "No Shopping." The entire feud has been recounted several... Read more

July 29, 2016 Video

Royce 5’9″ Blacks Out On A Song About Living Carefree (Audio)

Earlier this year, Royce 5'9" put some of the best work of his career down on the album Layers. As that self-released project continues to make its due rounds, Nickel Nine shows the world that he's in stride beyond just his album in 2016. "Carefree Black Man" is a song... Read more

July 28, 2016 Audio

Joe Budden Found The Drake Fans That Were Harassing Him & Went To Their Home (Video)

Last weekend, a video of several teenage boys trespassing in Joe Budden's driveway went viral. Apparently motivated by the ongoing beef the Slaughterhouse MC has with Drake, these teens swiftly approached Joe while in a car in his driveway—calling the Shady Records artist a litany of profane insults. When the... Read more

July 27, 2016 Video

Joe Budden Immediately Responds To Drake And Uses His Own Words Against Him (Audio)

The same day (July 16) Drake responded to two previous diss records by Joe Budden, Joe Budden promptly replied. As he vowed on his podcast, the Slaughterhouse MC was more than ready. "Afraid" closely followed French Montana and Drake's "No Shopping," with the Jersey City, New Jersey MC veteran addressing... Read more

July 16, 2016 Audio

Drake Responds To Joe Budden & Pumps Up The Beef (Audio)

It has taken more than two weeks since Joe Budden launched a diss campaign against Drake with the release of "Making A Murderer (Part 1)," for the Toronto MC to respond. A Rap battle that started in late June is now officially two-sided. On Drake's OVO Radio Show on Beats... Read more

July 16, 2016 Audio

Kay Slay Recruits Redman, Raekwon & Royce 5’9″ To Attack The Wack (Mixtape)

They do not call DJ Kay Slay "the drama king" for nothing. Since the late 1970s, the Harlem, New York graffiti writer-turned-DJ-turned-record executive seemingly lives for the spirit of competition. Now a Shade 45 radio mainstay, Kay Slay is one of the few talents who was making mixtapes 15 years... Read more

July 1, 2016 Mixes

Joe Budden Explains Why He Dissed Drake & Warns He’s Well Prepared For ANY Response (Audio)

At the top of June, Drake shocked the Hip-Hop space when he apparently dissed Joe Budden and Puff Daddy on a la carte release "4PM In Calabasas." For Joe's part, the lines were presumed to be a response to Budden's criticism of Views on his "I'll Name This Podcast Later" (Episode... Read more

July 1, 2016 Audio

Royce 5’9″ Details Just How Much Eminem Helped Him In Getting Sober (Video)

Over the last few years, Royce 5'9" has been extremely candid about his struggles with alcohol, both in his music and in conversations. Recently, however, Royce opened up about the challenges that accompany sobriety, and how he overcame them. Royce 5’9″ Discusses “The Most Significant Day Of His Life” &... Read more

May 11, 2016 Video

Royce 5’9″ Reintroduces Himself At The Top Of His Game On “Layers” (Album Stream)

Royce 5'9" album Layers is planned for April 15 release. However, the Detroit, Michigan gold-selling MC shares his self-released sixth LP four days early. Layers is the first Nickel Nine album since 2011's Success Is Certain, and unlike previous albums, seemingly covers every facet of Ryan Montgomery's life and career.... Read more

April 11, 2016 Audio

Royce 5’9″‘s New Freestyle Shows His Time To “Shine” As A Solo Artist Is Now (Video)

For more than 20 years, Royce 5'9" consistently has been one of the most skilled wordsmiths in Hip-Hop. Coming of age with Eminem as part of Bad Meets Evil in the late 90s, Royce always surrounded himself with the best of the best, and thrived. After his 2000 single "Boom,"... Read more

April 7, 2016 Video

Kxng Crooked Tears Into A Statik Selektah Soul Creation (Audio)

Statik Kxng was more than just a one-off for Kxng Crooked (p/k/a Crooked I) and Statik Selektah. The Showoff Records/Penalty Entertainment, Long Beach-to-Brooklyn duo exists beyond their early 2016 10-track EP. "Street Music" appears on Mike Epps' forthcoming Meet The Blacks soundtrack, but stands taller than a typical peel-away track.... Read more

April 4, 2016 Audio

From Slaughterhouses To Junk Yards, Joell Ortiz’s Lyrics Wreck Shop (Video)

Joell Ortiz is a product of his environment. The pride of Brooklyn, New York's Cooper Houses has rhymed about bodegas, fistfights, and a litany of tight situations. With his Timberlands laced up, the Slaughterhouse MC loves maintaining that 1980s and 1990s reputation when the Big Apple wasn't so sweet, and... Read more

April 4, 2016 Video

Royce 5’9″ Savages A Track For Nearly 5 Straight Minutes. Playtime Is Over (Audio)

Royce 5'9" has gone to another level. Since announcing the release of his forthcoming album, Layers, here on Ambrosia For Heads in February, the Detroit MC has been on a mission to destroy anything that gets in his path to be recognized as one of the greatest lyricists in Hip-Hop,... Read more

March 24, 2016 Audio

Joell Ortiz & Chris Rivers Studied The ’90s To Blaze Mics In 2016 (Audio)

Last week, Joell Ortiz and producer Domingo released That's Hip-Hop. As the Slaughterhous vet told Ambrosia For Heads, the project is about keeping purebred Rap in the front of the consumer consciousness. In the post-release single "Say What I Want," Ortiz is joined by Bronx, New York MC Chris Rivers... Read more

March 21, 2016 Audio

Watch “The Most Significant Day Of Royce 5’9″‘s Life” In His “Tabernacle” Video

Earlier this month, Royce 5'9" released "Tabernacle," the lead single from his forthcoming solo album Layers (April 15), and arguably the most powerful song of his career. "Tabernacle" holds incredible importance in Royce's life, on many levels. It was the first song that Royce wrote when he became sober, after... Read more

March 15, 2016 Video

Royce 5’9″ Explains Choosing To Sign With Tommy Boy Instead Of Dr. Dre (Video)

Royce 5'9" released his first gold album, care of Bad Meets Evil's Hell: The Sequel. The 2011 album released on Eminem's Shady Records, which is part of the same Interscope umbrella that includes Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, and previously, 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. Notably, while Royce is signed to Shady/Interscope... Read more

March 10, 2016 Video

Joell Ortiz Speaks About Never Dumbing Down His Sound & Standing Up For Hip-Hop (Interview)

In the last 15 years, Joell Ortiz has climbed from a Brooklyn, New York MC releasing 12" Rawkus Records singles to the top of the Pop charts. The pride of the Cooper Houses projects still dazzles with his flow and exudes the highest love for Hip-Hop culture in his art... Read more

March 8, 2016 Food for Thought

Royce 5’9″ Discusses “The Most Significant Day Of His Life” & Debuts 2 New Songs (Video)

On the heels of announcing the forthcoming release of Layers (April 15), his first solo album in nearly 5 years, Royce 5'9" paid a visit to the Sway in the Morning show to premiere the album's lead single, "Tabernacle." Over the course of a nearly 35-minute interview, Royce would play... Read more

March 3, 2016 Video

Kxng Crooked Celebrates Those That Came Before Him As He Plots His Future (Video)

On Februay 12, Kxng Crooked and Statik Selektah released their collaboration album, Statik Kxng. The album was filled with Statik's hard beats and Crooked's complex rhymes, as they took Hip-Hop back to the basics. "Let's Go," featuring Termanology, was one of the album's standout tracks, and now Statik Crook' have... Read more

February 29, 2016 Video

Joell Ortiz Refuses To Give The Mic Up Till He’s The Last Man Standing (Audio)

A decade ago, Joell Ortiz was signed to Aftermath Entertainment. In 2016, the Brooklyn, New Yorker appears to be in a better position—given the fact that he's released a number of acclaimed mixtapes, albums, and work with Slaughterhouse. On March 15, Ortiz is fronting a project called That's Hip Hop.... Read more

February 29, 2016 Audio

Dipset/Slaughterhouse Producer araabmuzik Shot In New York City

Veteran Hip-Hop and Electronic music producer araabmuzik has been shot. The 26 year-old Providence, Rhode Island native known for his work with Cam'ron, Slaughterhouse, Styles P, and Capone-N-Noreaga was reportedly shot in a Manhattan parking garage last night (February 25). The artist born Abraham Orellana was struck in the jaw,... Read more

February 26, 2016 News

Kxng Crooked & Statik Selektah Are Winning Against All Odds With Pure Hip-Hop (Video)

Over the last several weeks, Kxng Crooked (pka Crooked I) and Statik Selektah quietly have been releasing one amazing release after another. Rather than stir up controversy with Twitter beefs and other distractions, they've simply let the music talking, and it speaks LOUDLY. Today, they have released their album Statik... Read more

February 12, 2016 Video

Kxng Crooked & Statik Selektah Are Ruthless With This Music. Let’s Go (Audio)

The MC formerly known as Crooked I has been on a tear in early 2016. The same week he unleashed a beast of a freestyle at Tony Touch's radio show, Kxng Crooked returns with a fully-produced bar massacre. "Let's Go" teams with album partner Statik Selektah on the boards, and... Read more

January 30, 2016 Audio

Kxng Crooked Takes A Rare Jay Z Beat & Gets Absolutely Savage (Audio)

2015 has been a relatively quiet year for Kxng Crooked (pka Crooked I). The part-time Slaughterhouse member and full-time wordsmith did not have a full album or mixtape release, though he did drop a few poignant raps about police brutality, trying circumstances he overcame and other substantive messages. As the... Read more

December 24, 2015 Audio

DJ Premier, Slum Village, Royce Da 5’9″, Rapsody & 9th Wonder To Perform At 2016 J Dilla Weekend

The second annual J Dilla Weekend has been announced. The Miami, Florida extension of Detroit, Michigan's longstanding J Dilla Day will take place on February 5-7, 2016. Hosted by Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey (Dilla's mother), the event continues a rich tradition of celebrating James Yancey's life and music through performances,... Read more

December 21, 2015 Exclusive, News

Black Thought Finally Rhymes Over A DJ Premier Beat & He Smashes It (Audio)

When DJ Premier, Royce Da 5'9", and Adrian Younge started mapping out the self-title album known as PRhyme, The Roots' Black Thought was a planned guest. However, the Grammy Award-winning band's longtime manager/producer Rich Nichols passed away in mid-2014, halting plans. In 2016, as PRhyme readies a deluxe edition release... Read more

December 10, 2015 Audio

Royce Da 5’9″ & Ras Kass Are Big On Witty Lyricism And Lots Of Attitude (Audio)

Ras Kass and Royce Da 5'9" have a history of collaborations. Both of these MCs hit the 2000s as lyrical tour de forces. Both men would subsequently face label woes, personal and legal battles, and an ever-changing focus of what's hot in Hip-Hop. But neither artist wavered, continually serving fans the... Read more

December 6, 2015 Audio

Kxng Crooked & Statik Selektah Serve Up That Good Food For The Soul (Audio)

Ever have someone say you wouldn't accomplish something? Kxng Crooked did, and boy were they wrong. The sometimes Slaughterhouse member (formerly known as Crooked I) links with Statik Selektah on "Dead Or In Jail" with a message to all those who said that's where he would be when he got... Read more

November 26, 2015 Audio

PRhyme’s Joy Ride Continues. DJ Premier & Royce Release “Courtesy” In Full (Video)

Eleven months ago, DJ Premier and Royce Da 5'9" set up their PRhyme album with a visual for "Courtesy." In the midst of a bum-rush of visuals, the pair (as well as third member Adrian Younge) never released the full video single. Instead, it contained just less than 100 seconds... Read more

October 26, 2015 Video

PRhyme’s DJ Premier, Royce Da 5’9″ & Adrian Younge Are Making a Rare Performance Together.

This year, PRhyme embarked on a strong, multi-national tour. DJ Premier and Royce Da 5'9" brought Your Old Droog and Boldy James with them, and rocked stages far and wide. Somebody who was not at the dates was Adrian Younge, one of PRhyme's members—the man who created the beats that... Read more

October 3, 2015 News

Joe Budden Raps an Open Letter to Eminem That’s As Raw and Real As It Gets (Audio & Video)

Renowned for its bar-power, Shady Records has also become a label that has changed career paths. After its booming beginnings (D12, 50 Cent), Eminem's label appeared confused in part of the late 2000s, unsure if it was trying to breed skills-based Rap, or commercial juggernauts. For much of the decade,... Read more

September 17, 2015 Audio

2015’s Best Battle On Wax? Funk Volume & Horseshoe Gang Trade Diss Tracks (Audio)

The year 2015 has seen a re-emergence of "beef" or diss records on wax in the world of Hip-Hop. While Mos Def a/k/a Yasiin Bey had a video leaked of him calling out MCs earlier this year, only for him to retract his challenge, 2015 has seen much hype around... Read more

August 29, 2015 Audio

Joell Ortiz Joins Awkword, Wordsworth & More on the NYC Remix to “Go!” (Audio)

Veteran New York City MC Awkword has released a remix to his lyrics-driven single "Go!." A single from Awk's 2014 charity-album, World View, the original featured Atmosphere's Slug, Joell Ortiz, Maya Azucena, and a beat by Domingo. On this stylized go-round, an Audible Doctor (Brown Bag AllStars) remix emphasizes the... Read more

August 18, 2015 Audio

Here’s a Playlist of the Best Hip-Hop of July 2015 (Audio)

July has traditionally been slow for Hip-Hop releases, but 2015 proved to be the exception. The month brought new music from a wide variety of artists and set the stage for a blockbuster August, with the return of Dr. Dre and Warren G. Here are the best Hip-Hop songs of... Read more

August 5, 2015 Mixes