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Ambrosia For Heads Is Dead…Long Live Hip-Hop

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After 10 years of striving to serve up the best that Hip-Hop has to offer each and every day, today (March 2) is the last day we will be updating ambrosiaforheads.com. It’s been an amazing journey since I first registered the URL back in June of 2009. I was sitting with a friend lamenting the state of Hip-Hop and how it was impossible to find anything good online, because the amount of choice was overwhelming. I likened it to being told you could have anything you wanted in Virgin Megastore (RIP), except none of the CDs had labels, and there was no one there to help you sort through everything. I said there needed to be a site online that only served up the good stuff–the ambrosia; the Greek food of the gods. It needed to be ambrosia for heads; the finest food for thought and the finest music for Hip-Hop heads… As soon as I said the words, a light bulb went off. I thought there might be a purpose in the world for a digital curator that functioned like the guy in the record store who was up on what was new and knew you well enough to give you recommendations when you came in the shop. Having gone through the excruciating pain of finding an unclaimed URL back in 1999 (my company nuRules.com was the precursor to AFH), I instantly went to the computer to see if ambrosiaforheads.com had been registered. After working at MTV (Music Television) and Vh1 (Video Hits One), I also looked up AFH.com, knowing that, while Ambrosia For Heads had meaning, it was a mouthful, and I would want to brand it as AFH too. I also knew that one day, if the company got big enough, I’d eventually want to launch a digital TV platform, and AFH would be the call letters. Unfortunately, AFH.com was taken, but I assumed I would figure it out in time. When I first started writing, AFH was just a Tumblr on which I was posting music, videos, articles, and random musings. Ironically, the first post was about Facebook being the new Outlook, i.e., the place that served as everyone’s ultimate address book. Little did I know that it would eventually become Ambrosia For Heads’ most critical platform and Facebook’s core mission to be that social connector would subsequently lead to AFH’s demise…at least in this incarnation. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. It’s 2009, and AFH is a hobby that I dabble with a few times a week. When my son is born later that year, I find myself at home much more and in need of a creative outlet. It’s a perfect time to dive deeper in search of ambrosia. I start to narrow the scope–or refocus it, to be more accurate–and really hone in on the music. When I’d started nuRules back in 1999, I’d wanted to own all of Hip-Hop in the digital space. By 2009, Hip-Hop was more than 20 years old and too wide and sprawling for any one brand to meaningfully own it in its entirety. What I noticed, however, is that even though there was an entire generation that had grown up on Hip-Hop, it was still being pigeonholed as something that was for young people. I thought there needed to be something that spoke to people who were in adulthood–working, parents, out of school or whatever chapter comes with being 25 or older. Studies show that people stop listening to new music after age 35 or so, but I always thought that was a function of not having enough time, rather than a lack of interest. I decided to put it to the test by having AFH cater to people 25 and older (though younger people were always welcome). Hip-Hop for older people did not mean Hip-Hop for old people (though they were always welcome too…). Instead, I wanted to create a platform that respected Hip-Hop’s rich history, celebrated the great music that legacy artists continue to put out now, and which showcased the unbelievably talented artists of today who respect and reflect lyricism, musicality, and substance. As I thought about it more expansively, what I wanted to create was a combination of the “Hip-Hop Rolling Stone” meets the “Hip-Hop HBO.” This would be a site that featured long-form narrative and deep journalism and, eventually, a digital TV service that featured Hip-Hop videos, performances, and freestyles, but also narrative-driven content that spoke to Hip-Hop lifestyle–films, documentaries and TV series, akin to Power, The Wire, Atlanta, and Hip-Hop Evolution. By September of 2010, I decided to see if I had it in me to post something every day for a month. I had an idea to countdown the greatest of all-time record labels (a theme that would recur for AFH over the years), and wrote about 25 of Hip-Hop’s finest purveyors of music each night. After completing that month, I decided I was ready to make a go at turning Ambrosia For Heads into a full web site. I reached out to Amit Dodeja, a former co-worker who had become an expert at social media marketing, and asked him for help in launching a Facebook page. Another former co-worker migrated AFH’s Tumblr to WordPress.com, and by January 2011, we were off to the races. Amit came up with campaigns to build community on Facebook and drive audience to the site, and I came up with stories. When I first started, I noticed that when you shared a story to Facebook, the headline became the caption, so my headlines often were an entire sentence or more. Many times, the headline would be multiple sentences, and the article, itself, would be just a few words. By this time, I was working full-time at BET as its SVP of Music Programming, so in order to not in any way compromise relationships the network might have with artists and to avoid leveraging my status at the company–I wanted AFH to stand on its own 10 toes–I created a pseudonym, so no one would know who I was. In college, I’d read a profound philosophy book called Reasons and Persons. It was about personal identity, and what it is that makes us who we are. The author’s name was Derek Parfit…and thus, AFH’s Parfit was born. In January, we went from 0 to 500 followers on Facebook, by the end of the month. By mid-February, we had over a thousand followers and for the first time when I went to post a story, I got incredibly nervous. “Holy sh*t. I’m about to push something to 1200 people,” I thought. I settled down, and though we would grow to well over 420K followers and reach as many as 15 million people in a month, I never got nervous again. Part of that was because of a strategy I’d adopted to hone the voice for AFH in social media. I’d never wanted us to be a voice of god, speaking down to people. Instead, I wanted us to be the friend whose ear you liked and trusted. At a conference, I’d met a guy named Melvin, and we got into a deep conversation about music. He was 31 but was up on everything from ’70s Soul to ’90s Hip-Hop to the Rap music of the day. He was the exact type of person that I wanted to reach with AFH, so from that conversation on, I decided to write every Facebook post like I was talking to Melvin. It allowed me to personalize shares and treat them like conversations rather than lectures. By now, I’m deep in the underground Hip-Hop of the day and names like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Logic, Rapsody, Childish Gambino, Vic Mensa, Mac Miller, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Stalley are all near and dear to me. And, because I’m still at BET, something beautiful happens. We decide to launch “The Backroom,” the 2010s equivalent of Rap City’s “The Booth,” on 106 & Park. It was a space for freestyle sessions featuring the best young spitters of the day. Because I have my ear to the street through AFH, I’m in the position to program The Backroom, and I’m able to showcase the talents of many of the artists mentioned above and nearly 100 others to millions of people. For many of these artists, it would be their first appearance on TV. My experience with Battle Rap also allows me to forge a partnership with Smack URL to re-launch 106’s “Freestyle Friday” as “Ultimate Freestyle Friday.” By now, it’s 2013, and AFH is growing. I want to take things to the next level, but can only write articles at night and over the weekends. If Ambrosia For Heads is really going to be in the game, it needs to be covering the culture by day too. A friend introduces me to a guy who had taken HipHopDX to epic heights as its Editor-in-Chief. He had decided to leave the company and was unsure if he wanted to be in the Hip-Hop journalism business anymore. We met for a drink and, after a fairly intense conversation, I asked him if he’d be willing to write for AFH as a consultant. That would be the best move I ever made for the company. His name was Jake Paine, and he would transform Ambrosia For Heads from a quirky blog to a full-blown Hip-Hop news organization. When Jake first joined the company, a long article for us was about 50 words. More than any other person, Jake was responsible for making us like the Hip-Hop Rolling Stone. He brought in interns, groomed new writers, and made our articles long-form narratives rich with context and history. He worked under the name Bandini, the Clark Kent to Jake’s Superman. Bandini handled the day to day grind of news coverage, and when it was time to go in and flex, Jake pulled out the govie. With Jake as my partner in crime, AFH grew to the point where we were reaching 500K unique visitors per month at the end of 2014. We’d gotten to a place where I knew we had a shot at becoming what I’d envisioned, and I decided to leave BET to fully materialize it. Working full-time, we were like Jordan and Pippen, alternating roles depending on the time and the need. In February of 2015, a writer reached out to Jake, wondering if we were hiring. I met Amanda Mester a few days later, and she proved to be one of the most talented writers in the space. Her knowledge of music was deep and wide, and her pen game was incomparable. She was also a massive fan of A Tribe Called Quest, hence her choice in monikers. Together, Bonita, Bandini, and Parfit were the “three-legged table” that would grow AFH to its highest heights, editorially, with Amit’s strategy helping to amass one of the most formidable and deeply knowledgable audiences in Hip-Hop. By Spring of 2015, we were humming. The 2014 March Madness had inspired me to host a competition where we let our audience decide the age-old debate of who is Hip-Hop’s greatest of all-time MC. We launched “Finding The GOAT,” that Fall and for several months we pitted MCs against each other and let fans vote to determine who would advance to the next round. I believe we started with 165 MCs, but also had a number of wild card rounds where we let readers write-in candidates. Virtually every MC of note had a shot. This was at the height of Facebook’s partnership with publishers, and the engagement around the contest took on a life of its own. There were side chats between friends, family, and even some of our most respected competitors. Millions of people weighed in over the course of the contest and it reached dizzying heights. By the end, a fan had gotten so zealous that he hacked the voting and forced us to adopt a new voting tool and redo a contest that had been compromised. Ultimately, Eminem was declared the GOAT and, despite the fact that it was the fans that had determined the outcome, for years it was assumed we had declared the winner (or forced the result–for the record, my GOAT is JAY-Z, who lost in the Sweet 16 round to MF DOOM). Regardless of the controversies, “Finding The GOAT” had put AFH on the map in the Hip-Hop community. It also allowed us to reach 1 million unique visitors in a month for the first time ever, powered in large part by a monster post about the anniversary of Redman’s MTV Cribs episode. That May 2015 would be a springboard that led us into a year and a half of exponential growth. At our apex, we were reaching over 15 million people per month on the site and its social media platforms. By November 2016, the winds were changing, though. That month changed the landscape of the country in one fell swoop. Facebook would infamously come under attack for its role in the election results that year. Unbeknownst to most of the public, however, the company’s decision during that same time period to shift its focus away from showcasing the content of websites to prioritizing content posted by friends and family would lead to a downward traffic decline from which publishers, including Ambrosia For Heads, would never recover. Since that month, AFH’s web site traffic was never the same. We had our best month ever in May of 2017 (after a monster article about Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN album) and another strong month in October of that year, after Eminem’s epic takedown of Donald Trump in his BET Cypher, but, for the most part, it’s been a slow and, truthfully, extremely painful decline. As I saw this unfolding, I was concerned, but not overly so. From the beginning, I’d not set out to build a web site or social media company but, instead, a digital TV platform. By 2018, the world was beginning to wrap its head around the fact that digital TV was the future. Netflix and Hulu were still the main games in town, but companies like Crunchyroll were making noise, as were established media plays like HBO Go. It felt like it was finally time to launch AFH TV, the real butterfly for Ambrosia For Heads’ caterpillar. I started meeting with app companies to get a sense of cost and really begin to scope out what AFH TV would look like. Ideally, I wanted an app that showcased both the stellar editorial that Jake and his team had put together, as well as the video we would produce and license over time. My plan was to raise money against AFH TV, using the audience and brand name Ambrosia For Heads had built as proof of concept. One of my biggest hurdles in raising money for nuRules back in 1999 had been my lack of experience and the lack of an established product. Fast forward to 2018, and I now have nearly 20 years of experience under my belt, having worked at MTV, Vh1, and BET. I also had founded and grown AFH from 0 to millions of people per month on extremely limited resources. So, raising money this time would be easy, right? Not so fast. By this time, the market had taken a turn. Media darlings that had drawn enormous valuations were proving to be smoke and mirrors, the digital ad market was imploding and, believe it or not, people still question the viability of the Hip-Hop audience as a sizable enough market for its own streaming video platform. So, like I did with Ambrosia For Heads the web site, I decided to build AFH TV the OTT offering and show them. I found an affordable partner that could host the service on all of the major platforms–iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, etc.–and got to work. I spent months uploading and captioning videos, doing deals with incredible content partners like Ralph McDaniels, DJ Eclipse, DJ EFN, Soren Baker, Tim Einenkel, Justin Hunte and more, and launched AFH TV in October 2018. In early 2019, I started meeting with film libraries to try to license many classic Hip-Hop films. Jake and I also went on a spree, interviewing an unbelievable number of great artists like Griselda, Rapsody, Pete Rock, Skyzoo, Killer Mike, Murs, Locksmith, Smif-N-Wessun, Little Brother, EPMD and so many more. Like with ambrosiaforheads.com, we were going to make AFH TV work, by hook or by crook. As the year went on, however, the expenses to market and maintain the service became too much. What’s more, the digital advertising market continued to decline, such that the money coming in for ambrosiaforheads.com could never match the money going out. That–along with the continuing traffic decline as Facebook shifts priorities, and shifting behaviors as readers find content in places other than web sites–has led us here. So…as of today, ambrosiaforheads.com, as you know it, will no longer continue. This is not a sad song. Over the past 10+ years, I have had the journey of a lifetime. I have people who will be family for life, in Jake, Amit, and Amanda. I’ve met virtually all of my Hip-Hop heroes (past and present), and, moreover, we’ve earned their respect. Killer Mike told Joe Rogan he got the best compliment he received about his show, Trigger Warning, from Ambrosia For Heads. Questlove has told me personally how much he loves AFH. 9th Wonder has conveyed how much we mean to the culture. And, both RZA and Method Man have given us praise that C.R.E.A.M. can’t buy. Beyond that, we leave behind a legacy of journalism that we believe stands with some of the best to ever cover this culture. We revealed never before heard secrets about New Jack City 25 years after it was released. We were the first publication to crack the code about Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN being two albums in one and that it was meant to be played forward and backward. And, we celebrated hundreds of MCs, groups, albums, and producers through our “Finding The GOAT” series. What’s more, we’ve become one of the most respected brands in Hip-Hop media, among artists, record companies, peers, and, most importantly, you, our readers. But, if you’ve read this far, you know that I’ve been at this since 1999, when I founded nuRules.com. Each time I’ve made a run at building that Hip-Hop TV platform, I’ve gotten farther…much farther. So, while we’ve come to the end of this sprint, you can best believe the marathon continues. Stay tuned for the next episode…

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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Big K.R.I.T. Explains How Using Other Producers Made Him A Better Writer (Video)

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Big K.R.I.T. is finishing the decade strong. In 2010, he delivered a mixtape that elevated the medium in the form of K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. Earlier this year, he offered fans another high-level album in K.R.I.T. IZ HERE. It was an appropriate bookend in a decade where the MC/producer left an indelible mark on the Rap genre. Interviewed on camera at AFH TV (and currently available for all to watch), Big K.R.I.T speaks on getting out of his comfort zone with the production on his latest album. Rico Love, DJ Khalil, and longtime Timbaland collaborator Danja took the reigns, with Krizzle doing just one track. With extra space on his plate, the 33-year-old Mississippi native focused on writing some of his most prolific bars yet. Big K.R.I.T. Flaunts His Roots To Show The Beauty & Depth Of Mississippi (Video) At the 8:00 mark, K.R.I.T says, “[I felt] challenged as a writer for the first time. It took a lot for me to get out of my comfort zone with that, but it allowed me to experiment with what I got to say and a little bit more. I think it shows on this album, which is gonna make it difficult for the next album.” He goes on to say, “I know what kick I wanna use. What snare I wanna use. Samples I heard or Shazamed. I’ma flip it my way. I get in with these producers, and they might be aware of my music. They might see me in a different place or different space, or they might be like ‘Man, this would be a great record for you to do with this person.’ What I have to do is find that humility in myself as an artist to collaborate. It’s a collective effort to make something great and us as rappers, we do it all the time. We do features. We do hooks. But the producer in me has never been as open to like just ‘Hey man! What kick you think [works here?] What hook you think? What snare you think?’ This is the first time I’m like, ‘I got the sample. I don’t know how to flip it. I know you know how to play instruments. What you think about this?’ Then, we create something grand. So now my dream still comes true because I viewed this sample, for I have been listening for four, five years. I’m working with the producers I want to work with, and the artist in me gets to write over it. It becomes K.R.I.T IZ Here. It becomes this record. It becomes ‘Make it Easy.’” Big K.R.I.T. Explains How Platinum Rappers Can Be Broke In A Complex Freestyle Elsewhere in the interview, Big K.R.I.T. discusses the ways that K.R.I.T. IZ HERE collaborator Lil Wayne has influenced him. He also breaks down some of the heavier bars from the summertime Multi Alumni release. IN 2010, Big K.R.I.T. Updated A Souls Of Mischief Classic For A New Day This AFH TV conversation is one of several episodes with Big K.R.I.T. We are currently offering free 7-day trial subscriptions.

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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Scarface Says He Is The GOAT MC & Explains Why

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Last month, Justin “The Company Man” Hunte published a special video breaking down his personal “Top 5, dead or alive MCs” list. In the visual essay, the prominent video personality, host, and member of the Ambrosia For Heads team explains his choices, which he asserts are purely music-based.

“These five artists all have the highest replay-value for me. All represent what I love most about the art of MC’ing. Artists, students, fans ask me all the time, what do I deem most important when it comes to music? What do I look for in rappers? The answer: voice and imagination—how someone sounds when they find a different way to say something that’s been said a million times throughout history. These five artists exemplify those two qualities.”

Who Are The Top 5 MCs Of All-Time? Allen Iverson Has The Answer.

Hunte explains the following ranked list:

#5: Tupac Shakur
#4: JAY-Z
#3: Kendrick Lamar
#2: Lupe Fiasco
#1: Andre 3000

This week’s episode is a roundup responding to fans. In the video, available for all to view at AFH TV, Justin Hunte also crosses paths with the MC he says he puts at #6: Scarface. At an event, Brad Jordan asks the host (who made an entire 2017 TBD episode praising the Geto Boys member as a G.O.A.T.-worthy MC) about his rankings.

Last Of A Dying Breed: Why Scarface Is The Greatest MC Of All Time (Video)

At the 7:00 mark, Scarface says, “When you put me in that class, I’m not offended. But after 30 years, 30, 30, and I sold a few million records too—and I’m always f*ckin’ consistent. Not once have I done anything outside of what I was supposed to do. Is that right?”

“100%,” responds Hunte.

“So I’ma move me from #6 to #1,” asserts the Houston, Texas who also produces, DJs, and plays guitar.

Not one to debate a legend on his resume, Hunte replies, “I’m wit’ it.”

Scarface continues, “I’m talking about consistency, my ni**a. The ni**a mean. Alright?” Even at planting his flag at #1, Scarface shows love to a peer. “And my favorite rapper’s Nas. Again, the ni**a mean, like mean!

Eminem Names His Top 12 Rap Diss Songs Of All-Time (Audio)

Scarface and Nas worked together on 1997’s “East Coast / West Coast Killaz,” 1999’s “Favor For A Favor,” 2002’s “In Between Us,” 2009’s “Yacht Music,” 2012’s “Hip Hop,” and 2015’s “Do What I Do.”

In 2018, Facemob worked with Awar, Parliament, and Killa Kyleon.

The full TBD episode can be watched on AFH TV. We are currently offering free 30-day trials.

Last month, Justin “The Company Man” Hunte published a special video breaking down his personal “Top 5, dead or alive MCs” list. In the visual essay, the prominent video personality, host, and member of the Ambrosia For Heads team explains his choices, which he asserts are purely music-based.

“These five artists all have the highest replay-value for me. All represent what I love most about the art of MC’ing. Artists, students, fans ask me all the time, what do I deem most important when it comes to music? What do I look for in rappers? The answer: voice and imagination—how someone sounds when they find a different way to say something that’s been said a million times throughout history. These five artists exemplify those two qualities.”

Who Are The Top 5 MCs Of All-Time? Allen Iverson Has The Answer.

Hunte explains the following ranked list:

#5: Tupac Shakur
#4: JAY-Z
#3: Kendrick Lamar
#2: Lupe Fiasco
#1: Andre 3000

This week’s episode is a roundup responding to fans. In the video, available for all to view at AFH TV, Justin Hunte also crosses paths with the MC he says he puts at #6: Scarface. At an event, Brad Jordan asks the host (who made an entire 2017 TBD episode praising the Geto Boys member as a G.O.A.T.-worthy MC) about his rankings.

Last Of A Dying Breed: Why Scarface Is The Greatest MC Of All Time (Video)

At the 7:00 mark, Scarface says, “When you put me in that class, I’m not offended. But after 30 years, 30, 30, and I sold a few million records too—and I’m always f*ckin’ consistent. Not once have I done anything outside of what I was supposed to do. Is that right?”

“100%,” responds Hunte.

“So I’ma move me from #6 to #1,” asserts the Houston, Texas who also produces, DJs, and plays guitar.

Not one to debate a legend on his resume, Hunte replies, “I’m wit’ it.”

Scarface continues, “I’m talking about consistency, my ni**a. The ni**a mean. Alright?” Even at planting his flag at #1, Scarface shows love to a peer. “And my favorite rapper’s Nas. Again, the ni**a mean, like mean!

Eminem Names His Top 12 Rap Diss Songs Of All-Time (Audio)

Scarface and Nas worked together on 1997’s “East Coast / West Coast Killaz,” 1999’s “Favor For A Favor,” 2002’s “In Between Us,” 2009’s “Yacht Music,” 2012’s “Hip Hop,” and 2015’s “Do What I Do.”

In 2018, Facemob worked with Awar, Parliament, and Killa Kyleon.

The full TBD episode can be watched on AFH TV. We are currently offering free 30-day trials.

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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Boogie Is Compton’s Next Great MC & He Plans To Be The Biggest One Of All (Video)

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“This world will take your dream from you quick if you don’t stay locked in,” Boogie says on a cold day in Lower Manhattan. He is referring to a lesson intended for his young son, but it comes from personal experience. For five years, the Compton representative has been persistently pushing the line with his art. The MC and singer who used a student loan to purchase recording equipment has transcended from reaching out to blogs for posts to signing with Shady Records and going bar-for-bar with Eminem. In 2019, his dream seems to be manifesting in real-time. Boogie has already released one of 2019’s best albums so far in the form of Everything’s For Sale. It marks the Compton, California representative’s first drop with Eminem’s label and his first time on the charts. Twenty-nine-year-old Anthony Dixson is a different kind of act on the Shady roster. Although a cutting lyricist, Boogie’s music also offers melodic deliveries in many places. His sound and style pull from the church and Southern California’s gangland, in a cohesive way. On the microphone, Boogie shuns the cheap maneuvers so many rappers seem to rely on. He speaks his mind, confronts aspects of his personal life, and makes no bones about wishing to be remembered as a great. Although the presentation is quite different, the approach is not unlike that of Marshall Mathers some 20 years ago. Boogie Disrespects Eminem In The Most Respectful Way In His New Video

In speaking with AFH TV, Boogie unpacks the messages found on Everything’s For Sale. Along the way, he discusses his career, and his views about parenthood as well as love. He also details an emphasis on writing the kinds of songs that not only make him so easy to listen to, but someone that is relatable to so many. Before joining Shady in 2017, Boogie existed without the kind of cosigns that many emerging artists seem to seek and rely on. While he admits that he no longer cares, the MC notes, “It was irritating at a point for me, ’cause I felt like I was working so hard but was getting ignored. But I’m realizing that confirmation from another rapper or another man, period, that don’t define success. That’s just some stuff that was all just in my head. So now I don’t need they cosign, ’cause they’re competition at the end of the day.” By 2016, veterans and peers took notice. Boogie appeared on songs and projects by hometown heroes such as The Game, DJ Quik & Problem, as well as fellow sensation Buddy.< Boogie & J.I.D. Reject Industry Gimmicks In Favor Of Real Rap Now, Boogie’s latest single, “Rainy Days,” features Eminem’s first music of 2019. Asked how Shady’s founder discovered his music, Boogie says, “I have no idea.” Like Yelawolf, he was an Interscope Records act before inking with Shady. The label distributed some of Boogie’s prior releases including 2016’s Thirst 48 Part II. “I think [Eminem’s] manager, Paul [Rosenberg] got wind of me, maybe from the ‘Ni**a Needs’ video, ’cause Rihanna posted [it on Instagram]. I’m just guessin’; I have no idea. I just got a call one day that Em was interested. Then I was in Detroit like a day or two later.” Ahead of the 2017 Shady display for the BET Hip Hop Awards, Boogie showcased his skills alongside Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher, following Eminem’s blockbuster political freestyle. Royce 5’9, who later put Boogie on 2018’s “Dumb,” watched in the background.

 

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chillz…my new fav. @ws_boogie

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On “Rainy Days,” Boogie begins his verse: “So word to my idols and word to the GOATs / I ain’t sayin’ I like ’em, I’d kill all them ni**as, and wear ’em as coats.” He reflects on those bars. “At the end of the day, I’m not tryin’ to be nobody’s little homie. That’s just me tellin’ y’all I’m on your head; you can get the same sh*t that everybody else gettin’.” AFH TV asks Boogie about the lyrics’ context, given the collaboration. “Yeah, he changed my life; he put me in front of 80,000 people. I’m signed to him; that’s the big dog. He’s one of the greatest rappers of all time, if not the greatest. But my purpose in life isn’t to be second to nobody at the end of the day; my purpose is to be bigger than Eminem, bigger than anybody else who wants to step in my way.” Moments later, Boogie acknowledges that JAY-Z is his favorite MC. In addition to the “Renegade” MCs, he says he considers J. Cole, Tupac, and Kendrick Lamar to also be in that elite class.

Boogie Shows Why Eminem Signed Him With An Off The Top Freestyle (Video) In terms of Hip-Hop, Boogie also provides his definition for “Real Rap,” a term that can mean different things to different people. “[It means] honesty, emotions, and just not trying to avoid the fact that you’re human and you’ve got real feelings. That’s what it means to me.” In looking at his evolution as an MC, Boogie notes, “I think sometimes I just need to learn how to come off more subtle. I think if I want people to be open to what I’m saying I need to not be so aggressive when I’m doin’ it.” For an artist who regularly bemoans personas “on social,” he later admits he had to learn to put himself on display. “If you want to have change in the world and more impact, when you show people that you’re just like them, it’s easier for them to accept it so people know that I go through sh*t too.” While Boogie reps Compton, he was born in Los Angeles and raised in Long Beach. During adolescence, his mother got him involved with a church in the Hub City. While the move was intended to clean up his act, it became a pivot to the streets. “The church is the reason I started gang-banging. I wouldn’t have been in Compton in the first place if it wasn’t for this church, ’cause I wasn’t born in Compton,” he says. On his 2019 album’s artwork, Boogie is dressed in a red suit, carrying a casket outside of the church with red doors. “Everybody from that church just happened to be from this neighborhood. So after church, I was always in Compton streets. Just transitioning to that it was a super easy transition. The crazy thing about Compton, church and gang-banging, they go hand-in-hand. I don’t know why. It’s a dark thing though.” Like past collaborators Quik and Game, that affiliation also sticks with artists for life. Kendrick Lamar Details What Saved Him From The Streets Of Compton After becoming integrated with the CPT streets, Boogie’s musical direction changed from Gospel Rap to songs covering all aspects of his life. “I had to tell what I was really goin’ through in life. [I was not] just goin’ through Christian wars. I was really goin’ through street battles, and you can’t really talk about that in church. I had to talk about what I was goin’ through, like the gang-bangin’ stuff. It just happening like that.” While it may have introduced him to gang affiliation, Sunday services also contributed to his musicality. “That’s 100% from the church choir and me listening to R&B all day.” He notes that Lauryn Hill, Brandy, and Usher also reinforced those interests. Westside Gunn & Conway Explain What To Expect From Their Partnership With Eminem “I’m from Piru,” he confirms. Notably, neighboring Long Beach is known for its Crip sets. Boogie is asked if that presented any problems near his home. “It just worked out; I’m respected in Long Beach. Long Beach don’t get into it with Compton; Long Beach has their own issues [internally]. There’s not really a Compton vs. Long Beach war.” Carson, California’s Reason is another artist who has worked across gang boundaries and neighborhoods. Boogie, Reason, and J.I.D. have developed a friendship as three artists with similar principles. “People always put us in a box together, me, J.I.D., and Reason,” notes Boogie. Besides Em, Dreamville’s J.I.D. is a standout guest on Everything’s For Sale video single “Soho.”. He appears on “We [all are] rappin’, and not like on some corny back-packer stuff, but we got substance, concepts, and stuff like that—not sayin’ other people don’t. [People hear] similar vibes I feel like, even though we all rap so different. J.I.D. rap way faster than me. ‘Cause I got a lisp, I can’t rap that fast. Reason’s super punchline-head-ass, like I tell him all the time. I got more melodies than both of them. They’re my boys though.” Eminem Returns To His Battle Rap Roots With 2018’s Best Freestyle (Video) Elsewhere in the discussion, Boogie explains why he is intent on winning a Grammy. He also discusses the value in finding a partner who embraces flaws, and the importance of his son. The full conversation is available at AFH TV. We are currently offering free 30-day trials.

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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Ever See This ’91 Cypher With Leaders Of The New School, Biz Markie & More? (Video)

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At the top of the 1990s, many Hip-Hop artists were coming together in the name of peace, unity, love, understanding, and having fun. Collectives like the Native Tongues and Diggin’ In The Crates (which was not even minted yet) earned the respect of the pioneers by keeping alive the 1970s and early ’80s approach to party-rocking and music-making. These new figures acknowledged the O.G.’s and often worked with them on projects. Thus, on many stages, videos, and songs, there was generational harmony simply through collaboration. In the fall of 1991 Biz Markie, Smooth B, Nikki D, and the Leaders of the New School gathered at New York City’s Cooley High Academy for an epic on-stage freestyle session. Biz had more than five years of success under his built as a breakout star from the Juice Crew, with a gold album (The Biz Never Sleeps) and platinum crossover single (“Just A Friend”). Together with their DJ, Teddy Tedd, Nice & Smooth had been making moves Uptown for just as long, products of the scene around T. La Rock, Boogie Down Productions, and Kurtis Mantronik. B-I-Z and Smooth were on-hand to share the stage with some exciting new artists in Busta Rhymes, Charlie Brown, Dinco D, and Nikki D. Leaders Of The New School Are Recording New Music With Comeback Plans (Audio) In the opening part of the sequence from the “Video Music Box Library” video on AFH TV (available for a free 30-day trial), Charlie Brown kicked off the festivities, seemingly coming off the dome and utilizing the “riggity riggity” style of the time. In his rhyme, Brown gave props to Video Music Box‘s Ralph McDaniels as well as Funkmaster Flex, who was posted up behind the 1’s and 2’s. The would-be HOT 97 mainstay kept the crowd hype by cutting up the classic breakbeat by The Honeydrippers’ “Impeach the President.” The mic was then went to Brown’s Leaders band-mate with the visceral energy, Busta Rhymes. A superstar in the making, the bright red shirt-wearing Bussa Bus spit his verse from the L.O.N.S. joint “Shining Star” from the Strictly Business soundtrack. “Go and knock ‘em dead is my motto for the year / People step up, and then they try to plant fear / All in my heart, please, I beg you, don’t start / Dimming my light will make my world fall apart,” Busta rapped. His excitement can barely be contained as he moves about the stage. Large Professor Confirms That Main Source Is Making New Music The microphone was then passed to the third vocalist of Leaders, Dinco D, who spit a verse that was released years later by Q-Tip from the second demo take of A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario.” Smooth B kept the cypher going with a brief chorus and verse from “Sex, Sex, Sex” off of Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed. This is before he passed the mic to then-Def Jam label-mate, Nikki D. “Put a ni**a in his place / Smack him in the face / Before I eat a meal, pick up my fork, I say my grace,” the grossly underrated Nikki spit. Bumpy Knuckles & Biz Markie Team Up For A Video With A Purpose. Check It Out, Y’all. Batting cleanup was the diabolical Biz Markie. In classic Biz Mark’ fashion, the “Just a Friend” rapper stole the show with enigmatic vocal stylings that mimicked turntable scratching, Dancehall chants, and drum machines, punctuated by an off-the-dome rhyme that sent the crowd into hysterics. The beat-box royalty knew just what the crowd needed. During this time Leaders Of The New School, Nikki D, Nice & Smooth, and Biz Markie were promoting their respective albums, A Future Without A Past, Daddy’s Little Girl, Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed, and I Need A Haircut. Nice & Smooth’s Smooth B Returns With A New Song That Shows He’s Still A Sure Shot (Audio) While everyone in the ’91 freestyle session did their thing, the charisma of Busta and Biz is evident in the video. They jump off of the screen with their mannerisms and into your ears with their vocal tones. Their ability to captivate audiences is a major part of what has made them successful artists, and what keeps them going strong today. This video and others from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s are available on AFH TV. We are currently offering free 30-day trials.

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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Killer Mike Has Made The Most Dangerous Show On Television (Video)

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In just a few hours (January 18), Season 1 of Trigger Warning With Killer Mike will be available. One of the most consistent Hip-Hop artists of the last decade and a leading activist within the culture takes his charisma, his ability to ask hard questions, and his courage to television, by way of Netflix. The Atlanta, Georgia rapper-turned-businessman born Michael Render co-created the series, and admits that he spent the last 10 years refining it into something worthy of his standards.

“We tried, and it became better and better with each version,” he tells Ambrosia For Heads‘ founder Reggie Williams while in New York City last night (January 16). “From our hypothesis of what [Trigger Warning] could be, from our first demo version that we did [years ago until] now, it became better each time. So again, when you sit down and say to me, ‘it’s the most dangerous show on television,’ I’m almost overwhelmed because that’s what I wanted to do. But 10 years ago, I couldn’t have promised you it would’ve been the same show. I wasn’t the same Michael. One of my best friends in the world wasn’t a white guy who’s the best producer/rapper in the world. I wasn’t forced to be in a culture that mixed me with everyone. I had to grow. And because I grew, I came with a product that was better.” A decade ago, Killer Mike and El-P had not yet crossed paths to make the acclaimed R.A.P. Music and subsequently form Run The Jewels. One of the most successful artists to ever come from under OutKast’s wing and the Dungeon Family was enjoying an impressive level of independent success.

Killer Mike’s Hardest Verse Of 2018 Is A Powder Keg Of Bars (Video)

Trigger Warning is the latest component in a 20-year-career that keeps reaching new highs. He describes the series to AFH TV as “If anarchists got to set the status-quo.” Mike, who was honored by the Georgia State Senate in 2017, continues, “[Trigger Warning is] about educating yourself individually, freeing yourself of the [selfish] mentality, and really individually taking in the world. It’s about understanding that the only potential we have is infinite. And because your potential is infinite, you don’t have to accept boxed-in [ideas]. You don’t have to accept ‘these are the two polar opposite arguments that we have and allowing for cluttered confusion in the middle.’ Noam Chomsky talks about it [as] you’re given two viewpoints and just this wide array of arguments in the middle. You don’t have to do it; you can come up with these same arguments that we have in the barbershop.” He points to a popular meme online. “‘If you can lead a gang, you can lead a business.’ We took it, and we applied it in the real world, and the results are what you’ll see.”

However, in doing things like sleeping on a bench, attempting to exclusively spend his money at Black businesses, and help launch a Crip-backed cola company, Mike says things went differently than expected. “The episodes didn’t turn out as I thought they would. I thought I was going in to tear [televangelist] Creflo [Dollar] down [and] destroy the mega-church, kill the image of ‘white Jesus.’ But Creflo isn’t as big of a problem as the real church; the real church is the Catholic Church.” Mike says he saw bigger forces at play. “The Catholic Church has essentially spread a Westernized version of Christianity the world over. So they’ve taken ‘white Jesus’ everywhere. They’ve taken ‘white Jesus’ and candy and Bibles and Western politics [across the globe]. So we have to start saying to our self, ‘Are we really in this to change the game for real? Or are we selective?’ So [Trigger Warning] forced me to have to deal with some of my bigotry and prejudices.”

Killer Mike Is Running Fine Art Now Too

Similarly, Mike discusses what he took from making an episode where he produced educational videos which use adult entertainment as a way of better engaging viewers, and which featured same sex intercourse. “I’m a guy; I like women. So I was not as progressive when it came to homosexuality years ago. I grew. I had two gay uncles who were great to me. I grew up understanding that gay people are here. So when given the opportunity to make pornography, it was important to us that we made all kinds of pornography. [Laughs] Something for everyone. That was me having to face my own prejudices. Now, I didn’t stick around for any of the porno scenes, but I made sure I hired a sex-positive therapist who was a Black woman to come and oversee and make sure it was all-the-way-around good for all people, no matter what [type of sex] they like.” Mike enjoys his comfort zone being challenged. “It forced me, though. That’s what good television does, and I want to make good TV.”

Mike wants his viewers to feel the same way. He hopes that Trigger Warning opens minds and boxes in a this-or-that world. “[People] are stuck with the narratives they’re being told. If CNN and Fox [News] formulate an opinion, and they give it to you on Monday, by Friday your friends are gonna be on either side of that opinion. They’re gonna say the same trigger words. If you say ‘Bernie Sanders,’ they say ‘socialist.’” After talking about the man he calls his “O.G.” who happens to be a Vermont US Senator, Mike continues, “I think people are given opinions…you’re never allowed to step out of a box, or there’s a tertiary thing—a third way of looking at [things]. You aren’t allowed to stand up and play chess and look [down] at the board. You have to play from your side. I think that’s how you lose.”

Killer Mike Makes A Passionate Argument For Why Blacks Should Be Gun Owners (Video)

The episode where Mike leads Crip members to create and market a soda is especially powerful. “If you can cook crack, you can make a soda. I refuse to think that the things that we’ve learned in the streets are only limited to the streets,” he says. Killer Mike looks at his own education beyond his Morehouse College experience. “I learned how to do business selling cocaine; I didn’t go to business school. And I learned some very hard lessons, and that’s not to [glamorize] or glorify. That’s just to say I learned, very practically, you buy a $50 slab—if you try to cut it into 10 rocks, that’s gonna be too small. So the competition on the block next to you is gonna eat you up. So you better cut it to seven or eight [pieces]. [You will] make your profit quick. Turn around, buy you a $100 slab. Same thing.”

While Mike regularly lists authors, thinkers, and Civil Rights figures in his answers, he says that most of the show’s concepts are rooted in experiences we all share. “It’s all barbershop stuff. It’s stuff we’ve heard [argued] in barbershops our whole life,” he says, owning the SWAG Barbershop, which has a satellite location at the Atlanta Hawks’ Philips Arena. “It’s the workingman’s voice. I view my show as that. Everything else is too contrived, too calculated, too full of bullsh*t. No one else is really hitting the ground.” Partly-inspired by the early days of broadcast journalists like Geraldo Rivera, Mike says he doesn’t mind upsetting people with his persistence. However, he pledges to do so with his personality. “I think we needed a nice obnoxious guy. I’m gonna push the line, but I’m gonna do it with a smile. But I want us to get uncomfortable.”

Killer Mike Says It’s Time To Take Down The System By Taking Our Money Out Of It (Video)

While speaking to AFH TV last night, Mike also offered a promising update on his first album in more than a year. “I absolutely think El-P is the best rapper/producer in the world, ’cause I see him write his own raps, and I know he makes his own beats,” he says of his partner. “[As] for Run The Jewels 4, you can expect some kick-your-ass, punch-you-in-your-face hardcore f*cking Hip-Hop.”

This conversation is available on AFH TV. There is also a video of R.T.J.’s El-P, J-Live, and Breeze Brewin at Fat Beats’ grand opening. We are currently offering free 30-day trials.

In just a few hours (January 18), Season 1 of Trigger Warning With Killer Mike will be available. One of the most consistent Hip-Hop artists of the last decade and a leading activist within the culture takes his charisma, his ability to ask hard questions, and his courage to television, by way of Netflix. The Atlanta, Georgia rapper-turned-businessman born Michael Render co-created the series, and admits that he spent the last 10 years refining it into something worthy of his standards.

“We tried, and it became better and better with each version,” he tells Ambrosia For Heads‘ founder Reggie Williams while in New York City last night (January 16). “From our hypothesis of what [Trigger Warning] could be, from our first demo version that we did [years ago until] now, it became better each time. So again, when you sit down and say to me, ‘it’s the most dangerous show on television,’ I’m almost overwhelmed because that’s what I wanted to do. But 10 years ago, I couldn’t have promised you it would’ve been the same show. I wasn’t the same Michael. One of my best friends in the world wasn’t a white guy who’s the best producer/rapper in the world. I wasn’t forced to be in a culture that mixed me with everyone. I had to grow. And because I grew, I came with a product that was better.” A decade ago, Killer Mike and El-P had not yet crossed paths to make the acclaimed R.A.P. Music and subsequently form Run The Jewels. One of the most successful artists to ever come from under OutKast’s wing and the Dungeon Family was enjoying an impressive level of independent success.

Killer Mike’s Hardest Verse Of 2018 Is A Powder Keg Of Bars (Video)

Trigger Warning is the latest component in a 20-year-career that keeps reaching new highs. He describes the series to AFH TV as “If anarchists got to set the status-quo.” Mike, who was honored by the Georgia State Senate in 2017, continues, “[Trigger Warning is] about educating yourself individually, freeing yourself of the [selfish] mentality, and really individually taking in the world. It’s about understanding that the only potential we have is infinite. And because your potential is infinite, you don’t have to accept boxed-in [ideas]. You don’t have to accept ‘these are the two polar opposite arguments that we have and allowing for cluttered confusion in the middle.’ Noam Chomsky talks about it [as] you’re given two viewpoints and just this wide array of arguments in the middle. You don’t have to do it; you can come up with these same arguments that we have in the barbershop.” He points to a popular meme online. “‘If you can lead a gang, you can lead a business.’ We took it, and we applied it in the real world, and the results are what you’ll see.”

However, in doing things like sleeping on a bench, attempting to exclusively spend his money at Black businesses, and help launch a Crip-backed cola company, Mike says things went differently than expected. “The episodes didn’t turn out as I thought they would. I thought I was going in to tear [televangelist] Creflo [Dollar] down [and] destroy the mega-church, kill the image of ‘white Jesus.’ But Creflo isn’t as big of a problem as the real church; the real church is the Catholic Church.” Mike says he saw bigger forces at play. “The Catholic Church has essentially spread a Westernized version of Christianity the world over. So they’ve taken ‘white Jesus’ everywhere. They’ve taken ‘white Jesus’ and candy and Bibles and Western politics [across the globe]. So we have to start saying to our self, ‘Are we really in this to change the game for real? Or are we selective?’ So [Trigger Warning] forced me to have to deal with some of my bigotry and prejudices.”

Killer Mike Is Running Fine Art Now Too

Similarly, Mike discusses what he took from making an episode where he produced educational videos which use adult entertainment as a way of better engaging viewers, and which featured same sex intercourse. “I’m a guy; I like women. So I was not as progressive when it came to homosexuality years ago. I grew. I had two gay uncles who were great to me. I grew up understanding that gay people are here. So when given the opportunity to make pornography, it was important to us that we made all kinds of pornography. [Laughs] Something for everyone. That was me having to face my own prejudices. Now, I didn’t stick around for any of the porno scenes, but I made sure I hired a sex-positive therapist who was a Black woman to come and oversee and make sure it was all-the-way-around good for all people, no matter what [type of sex] they like.” Mike enjoys his comfort zone being challenged. “It forced me, though. That’s what good television does, and I want to make good TV.”

Mike wants his viewers to feel the same way. He hopes that Trigger Warning opens minds and boxes in a this-or-that world. “[People] are stuck with the narratives they’re being told. If CNN and Fox [News] formulate an opinion, and they give it to you on Monday, by Friday your friends are gonna be on either side of that opinion. They’re gonna say the same trigger words. If you say ‘Bernie Sanders,’ they say ‘socialist.’” After talking about the man he calls his “O.G.” who happens to be a Vermont US Senator, Mike continues, “I think people are given opinions…you’re never allowed to step out of a box, or there’s a tertiary thing—a third way of looking at [things]. You aren’t allowed to stand up and play chess and look [down] at the board. You have to play from your side. I think that’s how you lose.”

Killer Mike Makes A Passionate Argument For Why Blacks Should Be Gun Owners (Video)

The episode where Mike leads Crip members to create and market a soda is especially powerful. “If you can cook crack, you can make a soda. I refuse to think that the things that we’ve learned in the streets are only limited to the streets,” he says. Killer Mike looks at his own education beyond his Morehouse College experience. “I learned how to do business selling cocaine; I didn’t go to business school. And I learned some very hard lessons, and that’s not to [glamorize] or glorify. That’s just to say I learned, very practically, you buy a $50 slab—if you try to cut it into 10 rocks, that’s gonna be too small. So the competition on the block next to you is gonna eat you up. So you better cut it to seven or eight [pieces]. [You will] make your profit quick. Turn around, buy you a $100 slab. Same thing.”

While Mike regularly lists authors, thinkers, and Civil Rights figures in his answers, he says that most of the show’s concepts are rooted in experiences we all share. “It’s all barbershop stuff. It’s stuff we’ve heard [argued] in barbershops our whole life,” he says, owning the SWAG Barbershop, which has a satellite location at the Atlanta Hawks’ Philips Arena. “It’s the workingman’s voice. I view my show as that. Everything else is too contrived, too calculated, too full of bullsh*t. No one else is really hitting the ground.” Partly-inspired by the early days of broadcast journalists like Geraldo Rivera, Mike says he doesn’t mind upsetting people with his persistence. However, he pledges to do so with his personality. “I think we needed a nice obnoxious guy. I’m gonna push the line, but I’m gonna do it with a smile. But I want us to get uncomfortable.”

Killer Mike Says It’s Time To Take Down The System By Taking Our Money Out Of It (Video)

While speaking to AFH TV last night, Mike also offered a promising update on his first album in more than a year. “I absolutely think El-P is the best rapper/producer in the world, ’cause I see him write his own raps, and I know he makes his own beats,” he says of his partner. “[As] for Run The Jewels 4, you can expect some kick-your-ass, punch-you-in-your-face hardcore f*cking Hip-Hop.”

This conversation is available on AFH TV. There is also a video of R.T.J.’s El-P, J-Live, and Breeze Brewin at Fat Beats’ grand opening. We are currently offering free 30-day trials.

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

Click Here to Discuss in the Forums

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Ever See JAY-Z, Busta Rhymes, Biz Markie & Jaz-O Freestyle On The Same Stage? (Video)

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In 1993, the Mario Van Peebles film Posse hit theaters. At its release party, some of Brooklyn’s finest showed up, along with Biz Markie. One of the film’s stars, Big Daddy Kane, hosted the New York City event. He appeared in the Western alongside Van Peebles, Stephen Baldwin, Tone-Loc, Tiny Lister, and Blair Underwood.

At the event, Kane brought out some of the homies, including Jaz-O and JAY-Z. While the three had worked together on an underground mixtape five years earlier, it was still ahead of 1994’s “Show & Prove.” The same month as Posse, Kane released his final Cold Chillin’ Records LP, Looks Like A Job For… With his BK buddies (also including Busta Rhymes, Sauce Money, and DJ Mister Cee), fellow Juice Crew star and label-mate Biz Markie took the stage.

Big Daddy Kane Details Recording This 1988 Mixtape Collabo With JAY-Z (Video)

In the opening part of the sequence from the “Video Music Box Library” video on AFH TV (available for a free 30-day trial), the crowd is cold. Jay steps to the front of the stage and kicks the opening bars from his “I Can’t Get With That” verse without a beat. He uses syncopated rhyming to demonstrate a cash-counter and machine gun. A year later, this DJ Clark Kent-produced song would be the B-Side of “In My Lifetime.” However, on this night, a 24-year-old shouts out Kane (not Dame Dash as the 12″ version lyrics would) for “makin’ his ass rich.”

Later in the vid’, Jay kicks his “Greatest MC” routine, another Clark-laced cut. Again, he does it a capella. He hands the mic to Jaz, who follows with a play on their “Originators” motif (which they would do to bookend the 1990s). In the background, Cee plays the same breakbeat that Tupac, Biggie, Kane, and company would use in their famed live freestyle.

Busta Rhymes Leads A Cypher Between His 2 Crews. He’s Still The Top Dragon (Video)

However, it is Busta Rhymes, who Jaz hands the mic to, that seems to get the greatest crowd reaction. Busta was then a part of Leaders Of The New School, between the crew’s two albums. Busa’ kicks a boisterous freestyle with didactic lyrics. The audience erupts as the concert progresses. Busta shouts out Lil Shawn, Dante (presumably his Elektra Records A&R Dante Ross), and others, including his burgeoning Flipmode Entertainment as well as L.O.N.S.

As Busta kicks more rhymes, the B-I-Z paces back-and-forth behind him. Meanwhile, Jay booms background lyrics. Finally, Biz stands beside B.R. As the two briefly dap it up, the Biz won’t start until he has Busta’s mic too. Once in his hand, he begins with a “can I kick it?” routine, building up the crowd.

Bumpy Knuckles & Biz Markie Team Up For A Video With A Purpose. Check It Out, Y’all.

Although he was gearing up to drop his fourth LP, All Samples Cleared, Biz freestyles before the hometown audience. The MC/DJ/producer kicks an unusually raunchy verse, but the crowd seems to love it. The Cold Chillin’ star who was then a featured cast member on In Living Color, references the “Men On Film” sketch in one of his biggest punchlines.

This video and others from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, are available on AFH TV. Subscribe to watch in full. We are currently offering free 30-day trials.

In 1993, the Mario Van Peebles film Posse hit theaters. At its release party, some of Brooklyn’s finest showed up, along with Biz Markie. One of the film’s stars, Big Daddy Kane, hosted the New York City event. He appeared in the Western alongside Van Peebles, Stephen Baldwin, Tone-Loc, Tiny Lister, and Blair Underwood.

At the event, Kane brought out some of the homies, including Jaz-O and JAY-Z. While the three had worked together on an underground mixtape five years earlier, it was still ahead of 1994’s “Show & Prove.” The same month as Posse, Kane released his final Cold Chillin’ Records LP, Looks Like A Job For… With his BK buddies (also including Busta Rhymes, Sauce Money, and DJ Mister Cee), fellow Juice Crew star and label-mate Biz Markie took the stage.

Big Daddy Kane Details Recording This 1988 Mixtape Collabo With JAY-Z (Video)

In the opening part of the sequence from the “Video Music Box Library” video on AFH TV (available for a free 30-day trial), the crowd is cold. Jay steps to the front of the stage and kicks the opening bars from his “I Can’t Get With That” verse without a beat. He uses syncopated rhyming to demonstrate a cash-counter and machine gun. A year later, this DJ Clark Kent-produced song would be the B-Side of “In My Lifetime.” However, on this night, a 24-year-old shouts out Kane (not Dame Dash as the 12″ version lyrics would) for “makin’ his ass rich.”

Later in the vid’, Jay kicks his “Greatest MC” routine, another Clark-laced cut. Again, he does it a capella. He hands the mic to Jaz, who follows with a play on their “Originators” motif (which they would do to bookend the 1990s). In the background, Cee plays the same breakbeat that Tupac, Biggie, Kane, and company would use in their famed live freestyle.

Busta Rhymes Leads A Cypher Between His 2 Crews. He’s Still The Top Dragon (Video)

However, it is Busta Rhymes, who Jaz hands the mic to, that seems to get the greatest crowd reaction. Busta was then a part of Leaders Of The New School, between the crew’s two albums. Busa’ kicks a boisterous freestyle with didactic lyrics. The audience erupts as the concert progresses. Busta shouts out Lil Shawn, Dante (presumably his Elektra Records A&R Dante Ross), and others, including his burgeoning Flipmode Entertainment as well as L.O.N.S.

As Busta kicks more rhymes, the B-I-Z paces back-and-forth behind him. Meanwhile, Jay booms background lyrics. Finally, Biz stands beside B.R. As the two briefly dap it up, the Biz won’t start until he has Busta’s mic too. Once in his hand, he begins with a “can I kick it?” routine, building up the crowd.

Bumpy Knuckles & Biz Markie Team Up For A Video With A Purpose. Check It Out, Y’all.

Although he was gearing up to drop his fourth LP, All Samples Cleared, Biz freestyles before the hometown audience. The MC/DJ/producer kicks an unusually raunchy verse, but the crowd seems to love it. The Cold Chillin’ star who was then a featured cast member on In Living Color, references the “Men On Film” sketch in one of his biggest punchlines.

This video and others from the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s, are available on AFH TV. Subscribe to watch in full. We are currently offering free 30-day trials.

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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