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Treach Details How He & Tupac Were Ending The East/West Feud

Treach and his group Naughty By Nature were a linchpin of 1990s Hip-Hop. The Grammy Award-winning East Orange, New Jersey trio had ties with a cross-section of the Rap scene, including Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. These connections especially mattered by the mid-1990s, when Tupac and Biggie had entered a... Read more

A Suspect Has Been Arrested In Tupac’s Murder Investigation

SEPTEMBER 30 UPDATE: In the day since the arrest of Duane Davis (aka Keffe D), more details have emerged. According to legal documents obtained by Ambrosia For Heads (embedded below) and other publications, Keefe D has been formally charged murder with the use of a deadly weapon with the intent... Read more

Big Daddy Kane Turned Down A $1 Million Death Row Deal

In the mid-1990s, Big Daddy Kane was a free agent. After nearly a decade releasing music through Cold Chillin' Records and its Warner Bros. distributor, the Brooklyn, New York lyricist was a talent for hire. In 1994, he had released a sole MCA Records LP, Daddy's Home, featuring involvement with... Read more

New Unreleased Footage Shows Tupac Hours Before He Was Shot

The night of September 7, 1996 changed history. Tupac Shakur, one of the biggest stars of Rap, was fatally struck that night in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada. The attack happened the same night Tupac and his label co-founder, Suge Knight, were in an altercation outside the MGM... Read more

Death Row Defeats Wu-Tang Clan To Be Named Greatest Rap Crew

In recognition of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, BET Digital, in partnership with Ambrosia For Heads, is celebrating the culture by hosting a bracket-style competition that allows you to determine Hip-Hop’s greatest crew. Rather than having "experts" tell you who is the greatest of all time, this is your opportunity to collectively make... Read more

Street Justice For Rap Artists Continues With Young Dolph

Last week (June 14), a man deemed a "person of interest" related to Young Dolph's 2021 murder was found dead in the Orange Mound section of Memphis, Tennessee. The body of Joshua Taylor was discovered Wednesday afternoon in an automobile at Spottswood Avenue near Buntyn Street. Responders say the victim... Read more

Wu-Tang Clan vs. Death Row Family: The Greatest Rap Crew Competition

In recognition of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, BET Digital, in partnership with Ambrosia For Heads, is celebrating the culture by hosting a bracket-style competition that allows you to determine Hip-Hop’s greatest crew. Rather than having “experts” tell you who is the greatest of all-time, this is your opportunity to collectively make that... Read more

A Recap Of Who Won In Round 4 Of The Greatest Rap Crew Of All-Time Competition

In recognition of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, BET Digital, in partnership with Ambrosia For Heads, is celebrating the culture by hosting a bracket-style competition that allows you to determine Hip-Hop’s greatest crew. Rather than having “experts” tell you who is the greatest of all time, this is your opportunity to collectively make... Read more

Death Row Family vs. TDE: The Greatest Rap Crew Competition

In recognition of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, BET Digital, in partnership with Ambrosia For Heads, is celebrating the culture by hosting a bracket-style competition that allows you to determine Hip-Hop’s greatest crew. Rather than having “experts” tell you who is the greatest of all-time, this is your opportunity to collectively make that... Read more

Dear Mama Shows There Is Still So Much We Don’t Know About Tupac

On Friday (April 21), the first two episodes of Dear Mama premiered. The docuseries, covering the parallel journeys of Tupac Shakur and his mother, Afeni Shakur, is directed by Allen Hughes, one-half of the Hughes Brothers team that gave viewers Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, and documentaries, including The Defiant Ones. In addition to the live broadcast... Read more

JAY-Z, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole & More Share Secrets For Greatness

J. Cole interviews are a rarity these days. Fresh off Dreamville's recent Creed III: The Soundtrack display, J. Cole sat down for a rare public conversation. However, it was not promoting the compilation that includes a new Cole solo song to a vintage, recycled Dr. Dre beat. Instead, Jermaine sat... Read more

Heavily Sampled Artist Bobby Caldwell Has Passed Away

For more than 45 years, singer, songwriter, and musician Bobby Caldwell blurred the lines of genre with a celebrated, multi-platinum catalog of music that wove together Jazz, R&B, and Soul. Much of that music was inspired by the complexities of romantic relationships. Bobby passed away this week at age 71,... Read more

Tupac & Biggie Are Being Impersonated By An AI Chatbot

It has been more than a quarter-century since Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls passed. Both Rap legends made an indelible mark on Hip-Hop in their short careers. Long after their tragic deaths (six months apart in 1996 and 1997, respectively), music and art continue to flourish from both slain legends.... Read more

N.W.A. & Tupac Affiliated Producer Laylaw Has Reportedly Passed Away

Laylaw, a pioneering West Coast Hip-Hop rapper, songwriter, and producer, has reportedly died. Born Larry Goodman, Laylaw was an affiliate of Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. He made contributions to albums by Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, Above The Law, Kausion, K-Dee, and Anotha Level. DJ Pooh, Da Lench Mob's J-Dee,... Read more

50 Cent Uses 2 Songs To Show How Differently Tupac & Eminem Saw The World

Nineteen years ago, 50 Cent joined Eminem as a top artist who made high-profile contributions to the soundtrack belonging to Tupac: Resurrection. The companion to Lauren Lazin's documentary presented Em and 50, two artists who found mainstream success after Tupac Shakur's 1996 death, spiritually aligning with an artist both admired.... Read more

Kurupt, Daz, The Lady Of Rage & RBX Have Formed A Supergroup

During the 1990s, as co-founder and president of Death Row Records, Dr. Dre introduced an incredible crop of new talent. Snoop Dogg would go on to become a superstar and business mogul. However, with Snoop, several other artists were integral to 1992's The Chronic and Snoop's 1993 debut, Doggystyle. Now,... Read more

See Portraits Of Biggie, J. Dilla, Phife & More If They’d Lived To Grow Old

More than with any other genre, Rap artists seem to perish far too young. While that has disproportionately been driven by altercations that could have been resolved differently, there have also been a number of MCs who have succumbed to other fates. Phife Dawg, from A Tribe Called Quest, succumbed... Read more

Snoop Dogg’s Story Will Be Told In A Definitive Biopic

2022 has become one of the most cinematic years of Snoop Dogg's life. At 51 years old, Calvin Broadus, Jr. delivered an Emmy-winning Super Bowl Halftime Show performance alongside his mentor, Dr. Dre, as well as artists he influenced, including Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent. In the days around... Read more

Joey Bada$$ Calls Out MCs Who Perpetuate Genocide In A Powerful Performance

There have been at least 59 Rap artists who have died from gun violence. That's more than one per year for a Hip-Hop genre which is less than 50 years old. Last night (October 4) at the 2022 BET Hip Hop Awards, during the performance of the night, Joey Bada$$... Read more

Symba Calls Funkmaster Flex Out While Freestyling For Him

This week marks the 26th anniversary of the death of Tupac Shakur. On September 13, 1996, the MC, actor, poet, and pop culture superstar died in a Las Vegas, Nevada hospital following a drive-by shooting one week earlier. While many Tupac affiliates, insiders, and law enforcement officials have opined who... Read more

Allen Hughes Says Tupac Was Delusional & Lost Himself In A Role

This week, Allen Hughes' anticipated Tupac and Afeni Shakur docuseries Dear Mama will make its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. The series, announced in 2019, is expected to arrive on Netflix by year's end. Hughes knew and worked with Shakur. Allen and his brother Albert had met Pac... Read more

DJ Quik Details Almost Losing His Life Over Tupac Bootlegs

In 1996, DJ Quik was among the cast of acclaimed producers to work on Tupac's All Eyez On Me. The double album would reach #1 on the charts and eventually be certified diamond (10 million units sold). However, it experienced a leak that involved Quik, who produced "Heartz Of Men"... Read more

Many Of Hip-Hop’s Greatest Rappers Name Their Top 5 MCs

Note: Jadakiss recently appeared on ESPN’s Jalen & Jacoby podcast and was asked who his top 5 Hip-Hop groups of all-time were. This article has been updated below with his response, as well as The Game’s top 5 LA Rap albums. A few days ago, during a podcast appearance, Ice... Read more

Why Michael Jackson Refused To Be On Tupac’s Makaveli Album

In the final weeks of his life, Tupac Shakur prepared an album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory. Having already dropped a chart-topping double album earlier in 1996, Shakur was fast at work following up his Death Row Records debut. Don Killuminati was a pioneering idea, originally intended to... Read more

Daz Plays Part Of A Song That Featured Tupac & Nas

Daz Dillinger has corrected Snoop Dogg's recent account of the removed Nas verse from a Tupac track. On the newest episode of Drink Champs, Snoop Dogg said that Method Man and Kurupt were on a song together, referring to Tupac Shakur's “Got My Mind Made Up.” The diamond-certified All Eyez On Me song... Read more

Snoop Reveals Nas Was Cut From All Eyez On Me

UPDATE: Snoop Dogg's cousin and frequent collaborator, Daz Dillinger, has stepped in to correct Snoop's account. The producer of "Got My Mind Made Up" says it is another song entirely that originally featured Nas, and also included Tupac upon release. ORIGINAL APRIL 17 STORY: Twenty years ago, Tupac Shakur reached... Read more

Snoop Is Making Death Row The 1st Label In The Metaverse

From its first release in 1992, Death Row Records built its reputation on reflecting the streets. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Tupac, and others maintained that rep through making Rap music without compromise over the next five years. Founded by two Compton, California natives, Dre and Suge Knight,... Read more

Eminem Has Quietly Become 1 Of Hip-Hop’s Biggest Activists

On Sunday night (February 13), Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Eminem put on a Super Bowl halftime show for the ages (embedded below). 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak also appeared as Dre's latest comeback campaign resulted in the biggest concert of his 35-plus-year-career. Although Dre... Read more

Former Death Row Records Artist CPO Boss Hogg Has Passed Away

CPO Boss Hogg was at the epicenter of the 1990s West Coast Hip-Hop movement. The Compton, California native born Vince Edwards has died this week, as confirmed by friend, journalist, and past Ambrosia For Heads contributor Chad Kiser. Details were not made public. However, CPO had posted about his ongoing health... Read more

The Top MCs Of The 80s & 90s Were Graded By Kool Moe Dee

Kool Moe Dee cemented a reputation during the 1980s as one of Hip-Hop's elite MCs who said what he felt without concern. After putting in work with The Treacherous Three group, Moe Doe pivoted to the scene as a feared battle rapper. He took on Busy Bee at the Harlem... Read more

Nas’ Directorial Debut Celebrates Video Music Box

Tomorrow (December 3), Nas will make his directorial debut with You're Watching Video Music Box. The Showtime documentary, produced by Mass Appeal, celebrates the show created by "Uncle" Ralph McDaniels that initially aired on New York City's WNYC-TV channel. A Queens native, McDaniels launched the show in 1983 and featured music... Read more

RZA Explains Why Tupac Was More Dangerous Than The Notorious B.I.G.

Wu-Tang Clan's RZA was a contemporary of both Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. The Abbott produced "Long Kiss Goodnight" from Biggie's diamond-certified double-album Life After Death, a song that many Hip-Hop Heads interpreted to be one of the Brooklyn, New York MC's responses to Pac—even after Shakur was fatally... Read more

Kausion Member & Ice Cube Affiliate Gonzoe Has Been Shot And Killed

The Hip-Hop community continues to suffer losses in 2021. West Coast Rap veteran Gonzoe (aka Ronald Moore) has been shot and killed in Seattle, Washington in what appears to be a drive-by shooting. TMZ confirmed the death and reported that Gonzoe was 45 years old. The incident took place this... Read more

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

DJ Quik Makes It Hot In Herre By Burning His Death Row Royalty Check

It has been 30 years since DJ Quik burst onto the music scene. The Compton, California triple-threat has supplied fans with a plethora of LPs, including three gold albums as well as his platinum 1991 debut, Quik Is The Name. However, after decades in the game and heralded work alongside... Read more

Shock G Of Digital Underground Has Passed Away

According to sources, Shock G of Digital Underground has passed away at the age of 57. The news was announced by his fellow Digital Underground member, Jimi "Chopmanster J" Dright on Instagram, where he wrote "34 years ago almost to the day we had a wild idea we can be... Read more

T Dot Eric Recalls Documenting The 1995 Source Awards Clash From The Front Row

Photographer T Dot Eric has taken some of the pictures that have defined how Hip-Hop thinks of its heroes. His work includes legendary flicks of Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, Big L, D'Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Gang Starr, De La Soul, and Black Star—only to name a few. T.... Read more

Little Shawn Describes The 1994 Tupac Shooting & Insists He Was Not Involved (Video)

Rapper Little Shawn has an incredible Hip-Hop story. A native of East Flatbush, Brooklyn, the veteran MC-turned-dietician sat with Drink Champs for more than three hours. Over the course of the discussion, the guest (who now goes by Shawn Pen) details the mutual respect he shares with JAY-Z. Shawn recalls... Read more

Cam’ron Details Refusing To Pay A Threatening Suge Knight (Video)

Late last month Harlem's own Cam'ron released his seventh solo album, Purple Haze 2. The 15-years-later sequel to 2004's Purple Haze features Wale, Max B, and fellow Diplomats co-founder Jim Jones. Throughout the LP, Killa Cam spills knowledge from his nearly 25 years in Rap. There are recollections about late... Read more

The Game & Anderson .Paak’s Collaboration Is A New Westside Story (Video)

At the top of this month, The Game released a new single from what is billed to be his final album. Jayceon Taylor maintains the longstanding, bubbling chemistry with Anderson .Paak on "Stainless," which arrives ahead of November 29's Born 2 Rap. The lyrics to "Stainless" celebrate Game's career as... Read more

The Game Saves 1 Of His Best Songs For His Last Album

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 its ever been. Not only are we able to... Read more

Death Row Records Is Now Owned By A Toy Company

In the early 1990s, Dr. Dre broke from N.W.A. and Ruthless Records. After five years of work with Eazy-E taking Gangsta Rap to the top of the charts, Dre wanted an imprint of his own. The producer for J.J. Fad, The D.O.C., Above The Law, and Michel'le moved across town.... Read more

The Game Channels Mad Max & Shows California Love (Video)

Almost twenty-four years ago, Tupac and Dr. Dre took "California Love" to the very top of the charts. While the two men did not get to work together much after, the two music videos complemented the song's two popular mixes. Together, this created an unforgettable moment for Rap fans. A... Read more

Spice 1 Recalls Discussing Heaven’s Ghettos With Tupac (Video)

Less than a week ago, Spice 1 released his latest album, Platinum O.G. For this collection of songs, the East Bay lyricist works with Kurupt, MC Eiht, Devin The Dude, and his mentor, Too Short. Notably, the Elder Entertainment release also features some fallen comrades, including UGK's Pimp C, Outlawz... Read more

A New Video Shows Tupac’s Death Through The Eyes Of His Killer

Nearly 23 years ago, on September 7, 1996, Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight watched as Mike Tyson defeated Bruce Seldon in the 1st Round by technical knockout. Moments after the fight ended, the superstar rapper who had become Death Row Records' flagship act and the record label's CEO were caught... Read more

Recordings By Eminem, Tupac, Rakim & The Roots Were Secretly Destroyed In Fire

Eleven years ago this month, a fiery blaze at Universal Studios Hollywood made national news. The flames started following a blowtorch repair to some homes used in old film and television shows. As the fire grew, a King Kong attraction was damaged. Reports also circulated that an archive of old... Read more

Menace II Society Director Allen Hughes Will Make A New Tupac Docuseries

In 2017, director Allen Hughes directed The Defiant Ones. The HBO docuseries traced the lives of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, who would make millions (and later billions) together at Death Row Records, Aftermath Entertainment, and Beats Music. The N.W.A. co-founder and onetime Chairman of Interscope Records were interviewed, as... Read more

DJ Quik Recalls Making Tupac’s All Eyez On Me & The Advice Dr. Dre Gave Him (Video)

DJ Quik and Hi-C recently appeared on Los Angeles, California's KDAY radio station. The Compton, California natives who have a long collaborative history spoke to host Romeo about the shows they have been doing together in the Midwest. Quik also praised the upcoming Suga Free album that he worked on.... Read more

Rappers Might Start Going To Jail Because Of Their Lyrics

Rap music is often an art that imitates life. However, there appear to be new legal lines surrounding that freedom of expression. Today, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the case of Jamal Knox v. Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania. That case surrounds Cox, who is a Pittsburgh rapper also... Read more

Freddie Gibbs Explains Scarface’s Genius In His Favorite Rap Verse (Video)

Freddie Gibbs has always been very open about how much Scarface has influenced his Rap style. On Pinata, Gangsta Gibbs dedicated a song to the Geto Boys member, reworking the lines from his eponymous Grip It! On That Other Level song. The Houston, Texas Rap legend appeared on the very... Read more