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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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Dave Chappelle Refuses To Apologize After Calling Singer Daniel Caesar Gay (Video)

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Sunday night (March 10), Dave Chappelle and R&B singer Daniel Caesar made guest appearances on John Mayer’s Instagram Live show Current Mood. The encounter between the comedian and the “Get You” singer, however, was fumbling and awkward. The moment Mayer introduces Daniel Caesar for a performance, Chappelle interjects and comments, “very gay.” “What?” Mayer reacts after processing what Chappelle said. Chappelle continued, “Huh? Oh, I’m sorry, did I say that out loud? I’m just kidding.” Dave Chappelle Wins Best Comedy Album Grammy For 2nd Straight Year After reading the room, which had scattered laughter, Chappelle counters with more humor. “Daniel Caesar is a musician from Toronto that I just met tonight — Black,” he continues. “I got jealous. I didn’t know John had other Black friends.” “What the f*ck was that?” Caesar is heard saying off-camera. “What I said?” Chappelle responds. “Did I offend you?” “Yeah,” Caesar reveals. Dave Chappelle Details The Night R. Kelly Confronted Him With His Goons John Mayer then steps in to handle damage control, getting both parties to agree that they were drunk. “Oh my God, if I fistfight tonight I’m going to be furious,” Chappelle continues to joke, ignoring Caesar’s obvious gripe. “Dave,” Mayer continues, “People just saw for a minute what happens when you speak freely, and there’s alcohol in your hand, and you’re working free association, and you accidentally say something that trips someone’s feelings up.” “The wrong word is ‘accidentally,'” Chappelle interjects, double-downing on his initial joke. Dave Chappelle & Jon Stewart Talk Politics Unusual (Video) “Of course it’s an accident, but you have to clean it up. It’s a three-second clean-up,” Mayer continues. “No!” Chappelle says. “The guy is working on for the first time on social media,” Mayer says, “I don’t want to speak for you.” Chappelle then attempts to silence Mayer and speak toward the camera while addressing Caesar, who is still off camera: “Before this broadcast started, me and this brother sat at a piano. He played expertly, beautifully, I had never met him before. And I knew for a fact that I was in the presence of not just someone that was good, but someone that was great. But the fact that I offended you as a comedian…” Dave Chappelle Has A Serious Conversation About Living A Happy Life (Video) “I’m being sensitive,” Caesar says. “Correct,” Chappelle agrees. Mayer is heard in the background still attempting to steer the conversation, saying “I don’t think that’s true.” “I’m trying to think about this,” Caesar says. “Maybe I am being sensitive.” Chappelle countered, “Daniel, I thought about it. You are.” At the very end of the video, viewers see Caesar and Chappelle making up for the camera. Daniel Caesar Has The Makings Of A Great Modern-Day Soul Singer. Just Watch (Video) Notably, this is not the first time Chappelle has made remarks about members of the LGBTIQ+ community. On his first two Netflix specials, The Age Of Spin and Deep In The Heart Of Texas, Chappelle made jokes aimed toward both transgender and gay people within his act. At the time of those specials, The Guardian‘s Brian Logan analyzed the comedy of Dave Chappelle and Ricky Gervais, especially as it pertains to the LGBTIQ+ community. “[Dave] Chappelle spends substantial time across the two shows joking about gay and transgender people, usually from the perspective of a bemused straight man who finds those other identities inherently amusing,” wrote the author, who does not agree that comedians have license to say whatever they want under the auspices of “jokes.” Dave Chappelle & Kendrick Lamar Have A Deep Conversation Between 2 Masters At Work As the line between what’s funny and what’s offensive is shifting, Dave Chappelle and Daniel Caesar’s exchange may have shown some of that evolution in real-time.

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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Why Donald Glover Is 2018’s Hip-Hop Person Of The Year

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As 2018 comes to a close, Donald Glover may not only be one of the most brilliant people in entertainment, he is among the most influential. In an era where quantity rules and quality rises, Glover is prolific in a way that rivals few. In three songs, two music videos, another incredible season of Atlanta, one revealing interview, and some captivating moments in between, the 35-year-old creative force is setting a new bar on how to take Hip-Hop culture to the highest of places, rarely without some provocative constructive commentary on itself and the world watching it closely.

At the top of this year, Donald Glover was still collecting interest from his earlier work. 2016’s “Awaken My Love!” yielded five Grammy nominations including “Album Of The Year,” “Record Of The Year,” “Best Traditional R&B Performance,” “Best R&B Song,” and “Best Urban Contemporary Album.” That LP, which featured Glover singing, marked a pivot for him, as his previous releases focused more on his also acclaimed rapping. Donald’s first platinum release was a nod to the darker side of Parliament-Funkadelic while finding contemporary and relevant terrain. Standout single “Redbone” gives credit to two 1976 compositions, Bootsy’s Rubber Band’s “I’d Rather Be With You” along with Jaco Pastorius’ “Portrait Of Tracy.” However, the song is not merely a cool callback, but a sleeves-rolled-up approach at modern Groove. The single nearly broke the Top 10 with lyrics that are sexual and cerebral at the same time. It sounded great in Get Out, and chased that feeling for the next year. The composition is as dynamic and frantic as the times that spawned it.

Donald Glover Reveals How He’s Hacked The Real Life Matrix

On January 28, “Redbone” took home the Grammy for “Best Traditional R&B Performance” for the single. While there, Glover performed a soulful rendition of one of the album’s standout tracks named “Terrified.” Towards the end of his display, he brought out JD McCray from Disney’s live-action The Lion King remake, due in 2019. Both actors will play “Simba,” with McCray taking the role of the younger version.

Just days before his win, Donald Glover cemented a centerpiece role at a major label. He inked a partnership between his mcDJ imprint and RCA Records. As a label positioning itself on the cutting-edge of new and authentic Urban Music (H.E.R., Bryson Tiller, Khalid, Buddy, etc.), Glover promised to be a decorated figurehead of the unconventional new sound permeating the mainstream.

Donald Glover Explains How To Stay Woke At Work About Sexual Harassment (Video)

Roughly a month after the Grammy’s, Donald premiered the second season of his hit FX series Atlanta. Days before the preview, Glover gave a rare and revealing interview to The New Yorker. While speaking about his success, he was not shy about how hard he had to fight and strategize to get his ideas in play. “The hardest part is surprising FX every time. They need that to feel that you’re an authentic Black person. I surprised them up front by telling them I wanted to make them money,” he said, at a time when the series was the most-watched comedy in the network’s history. A month later, Glover responded to reports that “his commitments” prevented him from properly taking on an FXX Deadpool series. He did not do so with a broad statement or a damning rant. He released script pages. The work balked at any speculation from the public or exec-gossip hearsay. Glover showed what he was up against, and why his creativity and execution was not to blame.

The interview explained that Glover is not a do-everything multi-talent as much as he is a student on a path of learning and mastery. Speaking about accepting a smaller than expected role in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Glover explained why it was about opportunity more than ego. Meanwhile, “opportunity” in Glover’s case is not just a polite replacement word for money. “I learn so much. I learn how Marvel movies work, how to handle guest stars, how to make execs happy when they come on set. I gain some of your power. Only now I’m running out of places to learn, at least in America.” That process is part of a lineage that leads him to a leading Lion King part.

Donald Glover Becomes The First Black Director To Win An Emmy For Directing Comedy Series (Video)

Season 2 of Atlanta raised stakes. Robbin’ Season displayed to the world that there is much more at play in a home invasion or mugging. Exploitation and life mirroring art were themes. Directed by longtime collaborator Hiro Murai, the “Teddy Perkins” episode (#6) is the longest in the show’s history. It captured its greatness and uniqueness too. Glover gave a captivating portrayal of a troubled fictional former child star “Teddy Perkins.” As “Darius” is taken hostage at gunpoint, the episode locks in on Theodore “Teddy” Perkins’ psychological pressures and traumas from early fame. It is an E! True Hollywood Story brought to screen cleverly, playing to the damaged child star archetype. Glover transformed entirely into character underneath makeup and prosthetics. Through his eyes and carefully crafted voice, “Teddy” becomes a simmering mass of repressed anger, pain, and violence. Something funny on paper becomes serious and raw.

Critics and peers felt what Glover’s series has done. Atlanta: Robbin’ Season was nominated for 16 Emmy Awards and took home three. The work was so good that some fans felt that the “Most Outstanding Comedy Series” slighted the show from the win it deserved. The “Teddy Perkins” episode was responsible for two of the awards.

Joe Budden Had The Biggest Come Up In A Year He Was Supposed To Struggle

Between the Emmy nominations and September awards this year, Donald Glover may have made his boldest statement. The night he hosted and performed on Saturday Night Live, he published something that eclipsed that mainstream look. The “This is America” music video showed the country the trouble that it is in. With the first 40 seconds feeling like a saccharine celebration of partying and capitalism, the video gets really real, really fast. The musician and actor merges his talents with an artful video that highlights the issues all around, and the distractions that take precedence. Gun control, police brutality, racism, religion, and more are allusions behind a catchy song disguised as another evanescent wave. Like J. Cole’s KOD, “This Is America” takes no prisoners in its take on the times. The symbolism has been linked to Jim Crow, Michael Jackson, and “The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse.” With over 445,000,000 views to date, “This is America” has been cited as one of the best music videos in 2018.

In the midst of playing “Lando Calrissian” in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Glover stayed on task with music and great videos. He released the EP Summer Pack that included the songs “Summertime Magic” and “Feels Like Summer.” The songs were a step beyond his Rap days and his Funk display, veering into a hybrid of Power Pop and R&B, but on Glover’s subversive terms.

Donald Glover’s SNL Skit Shows What A Horror Show Kanye West Has Become (Video)

While pleasing to listen to, the visual “Feels Like Summer” video may be even more soothing. It further reveals one of the most provocative artists of our time. Directed by Glover, Ivan Dixon, and Greg Sharp (with character design by Justin Richburg), the video turned the page from the jarring effect of “This Is America” to a pleasant utopia. Glover’s illustrated form takes a walk home, only to encounter a who’s who plethora of rappers, celebrities, and a beloved First Lady. Aside from some pranks, all are in harmony, doing things like chasing ice cream trucks, braiding hair, and skating. He addresses the issues of the day, young artists trolling, Kid Cudi’s depression, and Kanye West’s political malaise.

At a time when animated videos to songs can feel like cheap excuses for budget constrictions and cramped schedules, Donald blended an homage to Saturday morning cartoons with commentary on the Rap world as he sees it. In a year when a current Rap star was murdered, another overdosed on drugs, and another went behind bars, this video and melody can feel like a yearning for innocence. Just underneath the surface of this feel-good energy, the visual reaches darkness as Donald’s lyrics reference global warming, water scarcity, overpopulation, and species extinction. Musically and visually, it is not preaching or beating one over the head with its depth, but it is there for the taking if you want to look a little closer.

Donald Glover’s Deadpool Script Takes Down Racism, Police Violence, Gossip & More

As 2018 closes, Donald Glover reached a new plateau with provocative art on several stages. There is plenty to come on all fronts. In August, Glover was spotted on set with Rihanna in Cuba filming Guava Island, which is directed by frequent collaborator Hiro Murai. The details surrounding Guava Island will remain a mystery until its official release. Gambino is currently on tour, where he released two previously recorded tracks exclusively to his fans that have attended his show. He also has an “Easter egg” cameo in the new Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

As for 2019, the sky is far from the limit for Donald Glover. He is currently up for four nominations at the 2019 Grammy Awards including: “Record Of The Year,” “Song Of The Year,” “Best Rap/Sung Performance” and “Best Music Video” for “This is America.” As well as earning a nomination for “Best R&B Song” for “Feels Like Summer.” He is also slated to headline Coachella with Kanye West, and he stars alongside James Earl Jones and Beyonce as Simba in the 2019 Disney live action film The Lion King on July 19, 2019.

Donald Glover, Tracee Ellis Ross & Meryl Streep Used Awards For Acting To Get Real (Videos)

Three songs, one incredible season of television, a Star Wars role, and a video that dominated cultural and political discourse are just part of the profound impact Donald Glover had on Hip-Hop and America in 2018.

Past Ambrosia For Heads‘ “Person Of The Year” awards have gone to Killer Mike, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Chance The Rapper.

As 2018 comes to a close, Donald Glover may not only be one of the most brilliant people in entertainment, he is among the most influential. In an era where quantity rules and quality rises, Glover is prolific in a way that rivals few. In three songs, two music videos, another incredible season of Atlanta, one revealing interview, and some captivating moments in between, the 35-year-old creative force is setting a new bar on how to take Hip-Hop culture to the highest of places, rarely without some provocative constructive commentary on itself and the world watching it closely.

At the top of this year, Donald Glover was still collecting interest from his earlier work. 2016’s “Awaken My Love!” yielded five Grammy nominations including “Album Of The Year,” “Record Of The Year,” “Best Traditional R&B Performance,” “Best R&B Song,” and “Best Urban Contemporary Album.” That LP, which featured Glover singing, marked a pivot for him, as his previous releases focused more on his also acclaimed rapping. Donald’s first platinum release was a nod to the darker side of Parliament-Funkadelic while finding contemporary and relevant terrain. Standout single “Redbone” gives credit to two 1976 compositions, Bootsy’s Rubber Band’s “I’d Rather Be With You” along with Jaco Pastorius’ “Portrait Of Tracy.” However, the song is not merely a cool callback, but a sleeves-rolled-up approach at modern Groove. The single nearly broke the Top 10 with lyrics that are sexual and cerebral at the same time. It sounded great in Get Out, and chased that feeling for the next year. The composition is as dynamic and frantic as the times that spawned it.

Donald Glover Reveals How He’s Hacked The Real Life Matrix

On January 28, “Redbone” took home the Grammy for “Best Traditional R&B Performance” for the single. While there, Glover performed a soulful rendition of one of the album’s standout tracks named “Terrified.” Towards the end of his display, he brought out JD McCray from Disney’s live-action The Lion King remake, due in 2019. Both actors will play “Simba,” with McCray taking the role of the younger version.

Just days before his win, Donald Glover cemented a centerpiece role at a major label. He inked a partnership between his mcDJ imprint and RCA Records. As a label positioning itself on the cutting-edge of new and authentic Urban Music (H.E.R., Bryson Tiller, Khalid, Buddy, etc.), Glover promised to be a decorated figurehead of the unconventional new sound permeating the mainstream.

Donald Glover Explains How To Stay Woke At Work About Sexual Harassment (Video)

Roughly a month after the Grammy’s, Donald premiered the second season of his hit FX series Atlanta. Days before the preview, Glover gave a rare and revealing interview to The New Yorker. While speaking about his success, he was not shy about how hard he had to fight and strategize to get his ideas in play. “The hardest part is surprising FX every time. They need that to feel that you’re an authentic Black person. I surprised them up front by telling them I wanted to make them money,” he said, at a time when the series was the most-watched comedy in the network’s history. A month later, Glover responded to reports that “his commitments” prevented him from properly taking on an FXX Deadpool series. He did not do so with a broad statement or a damning rant. He released script pages. The work balked at any speculation from the public or exec-gossip hearsay. Glover showed what he was up against, and why his creativity and execution was not to blame.

The interview explained that Glover is not a do-everything multi-talent as much as he is a student on a path of learning and mastery. Speaking about accepting a smaller than expected role in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Glover explained why it was about opportunity more than ego. Meanwhile, “opportunity” in Glover’s case is not just a polite replacement word for money. “I learn so much. I learn how Marvel movies work, how to handle guest stars, how to make execs happy when they come on set. I gain some of your power. Only now I’m running out of places to learn, at least in America.” That process is part of a lineage that leads him to a leading Lion King part.

Donald Glover Becomes The First Black Director To Win An Emmy For Directing Comedy Series (Video)

Season 2 of Atlanta raised stakes. Robbin’ Season displayed to the world that there is much more at play in a home invasion or mugging. Exploitation and life mirroring art were themes. Directed by longtime collaborator Hiro Murai, the “Teddy Perkins” episode (#6) is the longest in the show’s history. It captured its greatness and uniqueness too. Glover gave a captivating portrayal of a troubled fictional former child star “Teddy Perkins.” As “Darius” is taken hostage at gunpoint, the episode locks in on Theodore “Teddy” Perkins’ psychological pressures and traumas from early fame. It is an E! True Hollywood Story brought to screen cleverly, playing to the damaged child star archetype. Glover transformed entirely into character underneath makeup and prosthetics. Through his eyes and carefully crafted voice, “Teddy” becomes a simmering mass of repressed anger, pain, and violence. Something funny on paper becomes serious and raw.

Critics and peers felt what Glover’s series has done. Atlanta: Robbin’ Season was nominated for 16 Emmy Awards and took home three. The work was so good that some fans felt that the “Most Outstanding Comedy Series” slighted the show from the win it deserved. The “Teddy Perkins” episode was responsible for two of the awards.

Joe Budden Had The Biggest Come Up In A Year He Was Supposed To Struggle

Between the Emmy nominations and September awards this year, Donald Glover may have made his boldest statement. The night he hosted and performed on Saturday Night Live, he published something that eclipsed that mainstream look. The “This is America” music video showed the country the trouble that it is in. With the first 40 seconds feeling like a saccharine celebration of partying and capitalism, the video gets really real, really fast. The musician and actor merges his talents with an artful video that highlights the issues all around, and the distractions that take precedence. Gun control, police brutality, racism, religion, and more are allusions behind a catchy song disguised as another evanescent wave. Like J. Cole’s KOD, “This Is America” takes no prisoners in its take on the times. The symbolism has been linked to Jim Crow, Michael Jackson, and “The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse.” With over 445,000,000 views to date, “This is America” has been cited as one of the best music videos in 2018.

In the midst of playing “Lando Calrissian” in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Glover stayed on task with music and great videos. He released the EP Summer Pack that included the songs “Summertime Magic” and “Feels Like Summer.” The songs were a step beyond his Rap days and his Funk display, veering into a hybrid of Power Pop and R&B, but on Glover’s subversive terms.

Donald Glover’s SNL Skit Shows What A Horror Show Kanye West Has Become (Video)

While pleasing to listen to, the visual “Feels Like Summer” video may be even more soothing. It further reveals one of the most provocative artists of our time. Directed by Glover, Ivan Dixon, and Greg Sharp (with character design by Justin Richburg), the video turned the page from the jarring effect of “This Is America” to a pleasant utopia. Glover’s illustrated form takes a walk home, only to encounter a who’s who plethora of rappers, celebrities, and a beloved First Lady. Aside from some pranks, all are in harmony, doing things like chasing ice cream trucks, braiding hair, and skating. He addresses the issues of the day, young artists trolling, Kid Cudi’s depression, and Kanye West’s political malaise.

At a time when animated videos to songs can feel like cheap excuses for budget constrictions and cramped schedules, Donald blended an homage to Saturday morning cartoons with commentary on the Rap world as he sees it. In a year when a current Rap star was murdered, another overdosed on drugs, and another went behind bars, this video and melody can feel like a yearning for innocence. Just underneath the surface of this feel-good energy, the visual reaches darkness as Donald’s lyrics reference global warming, water scarcity, overpopulation, and species extinction. Musically and visually, it is not preaching or beating one over the head with its depth, but it is there for the taking if you want to look a little closer.

Donald Glover’s Deadpool Script Takes Down Racism, Police Violence, Gossip & More

As 2018 closes, Donald Glover reached a new plateau with provocative art on several stages. There is plenty to come on all fronts. In August, Glover was spotted on set with Rihanna in Cuba filming Guava Island, which is directed by frequent collaborator Hiro Murai. The details surrounding Guava Island will remain a mystery until its official release. Gambino is currently on tour, where he released two previously recorded tracks exclusively to his fans that have attended his show. He also has an “Easter egg” cameo in the new Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

As for 2019, the sky is far from the limit for Donald Glover. He is currently up for four nominations at the 2019 Grammy Awards including: “Record Of The Year,” “Song Of The Year,” “Best Rap/Sung Performance” and “Best Music Video” for “This is America.” As well as earning a nomination for “Best R&B Song” for “Feels Like Summer.” He is also slated to headline Coachella with Kanye West, and he stars alongside James Earl Jones and Beyonce as Simba in the 2019 Disney live action film The Lion King on July 19, 2019.

Donald Glover, Tracee Ellis Ross & Meryl Streep Used Awards For Acting To Get Real (Videos)

Three songs, one incredible season of television, a Star Wars role, and a video that dominated cultural and political discourse are just part of the profound impact Donald Glover had on Hip-Hop and America in 2018.

Past Ambrosia For Heads‘ “Person Of The Year” awards have gone to Killer Mike, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Chance The Rapper.

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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Joe Budden Had The Biggest Come Up In A Year He Was Supposed To Struggle

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It was one year ago this week that Joe Budden exited the show Everyday Struggle. On December 18, 2017, DJ Whoo Kid unceremoniously took Budden’s seat on the Complex weekday talk series alongside co-hosts Nadeska Alexis and DJ Akademiks. The guest known best as a G-Unit DJ and radio personality told viewers that Joe was tending to a newborn baby, which was certainly true. However, the rapper never returned to his chair to the program he had given several “fire in the stadium” moments throughout that year. Highlights included exchanges with Migos, Lil Yachty, and and some controversial words about previous collaborator and onetime employer, Eminem. The narratives and storylines pulled Everyday Struggle from YouTube and put them on gossip shows, aggregated it across the web, and suddenly awakened the mainstream to a new show on the block.

As re-negotiations reportedly reached a stalemate, the retired MC-turned-media man marked his exit by unpacking the laundry on his Joe Budden Podcast. Joe said he wanted a long-term contract, a significant raise, or Complex equity for the show he had piloted in its debut season. This was after receiving what he called “pennies and biscuits” for compensation. The parties failed to reach an agreement. Joe walked, but not quietly. Beyond press releases or tweets, Joe laid out his reasoning and put boardroom business in public. His fans listened in as Budden walked. Although, where exactly he was going was unclear.

Since 2016, Joe had become a media comet. In May of that year, Budden’s then-titled I’ll Name This Podcast Later pulled no punches in critiquing Drake’s Views album. Joe called the rapper/singer “uninspired” and accused him of “hopping on waves.” A month later, one of the biggest stars in music responded to Budden in the form of “4PM In Calabasas.” Joe’s words had bubbled up from Soundcloud and irritated Drake, who is especially gifted at using social media as a strategic device, enough to cock-back.

Drake’s diss prompted a True Detective Season 1-style shootout of bars in the days since between both MCs. Nearly two months later, some apparent Drake fans were trespassing in Joe’s New Jersey driveway. Confronted, the rapper chased them, before showing up on one’s doorstep in a made-for-Internet news cycle. He appeared on HOT 97’s Ebro In The Morning to promote his Rage & The Machine album, only to end up addressing his loyalty and character in one of the first (and most authentic) interview walkouts of an era where such things trend. Wherever Joe went, his brand of gruff commentary, thoughtful analysis, and colorful entertainment industry experience popped. It’s what made his podcast one of the most successful of its kind, a step apart from N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN’s Drink Champs, and more exciting than the typical Hip-Hop commentary fan fodder. One of the first Rap artists to make daily videos, via Joe Budden TV, long before Vh1 deals, Joe seemed to be the most interesting person in the culture. If it wasn’t what he was saying, it’s what he was doing. In a much different way than Kanye West, Joe Budden could make a 24-7 media cycle manifest its destiny. He was something like Pump Up The Volume-meets-Truman Show.

No longer with Complex, Joe focused on his weekly podcast, alongside his team of cohosts, Rory and Mal, engineer Parks, and others in the room. From the beginning of the year, Joe was a target. As Complex replaced Budden with former syndicated radio host-turned Troi “Star” Torain, Eminem, Drake, and Vic Mensa were among those who seemingly sent shots in the retired rapper’s direction. Even Joe’s 18-year-old son, Tre, joined the fold, making a song about his father’s shortcomings (which Joe shared online). If there was a time to get back at Joe Budden, it was when he was retired and relegated to just a podcast, right?

Budden seemingly basked in all of it, ready to react and create new content. This was an artist who took a mid-2000s dispute and co-founded Slaughterhouse. He and The Game took verbal shots at each other in the era of the mixtape. He and Ransom dissed one another relentlessly in the era of the blog. He tensely stepped to Consequence in the era of Rap reality TV. In the era of “content is king,” Joe used his personal platform to react, respond, and analyze a story-line that always seemed to involve him in most weeks. On top of topical relevance, the show is entertaining, funny, and a companion to many in commute, at the gym, or simply seeking engaging conversation. With a community of content aggregators around him, Joe funneled the narratives through his show and gained more and more fans. They came to hear Joe’s response to Eminem, his latest thoughts on Drake’s new video, his response to D12’s Bizarre, but they seemed to stay for much more.

For much of his career, Joe Budden always seemed to be the underdog. It is part of his brand. Since his days spitting introspective verses on Cutmaster C and DJ Clue Desert Storm mixtapes, he plays the role on anything that he has been part of. It’s why Joe was often painted as the coffee-swilling, cigarette-smoking Rap curmudgeon from Jersey City. After early 2000s success, the rapper spent too much time on Def Jam waiting for a sophomore release date. During this period, he dabbled as a media personality, working at HOT 97. He went independent when major label deals were a status symbol. His lyrics showed vulnerability and admitted depression and addiction at a time of brute machismo. Vh1 viewers will recall Budden stuck on bended-knee trying to win back his scorned love Internet-lightyears before Offset’s recent antics. On his podcast, Budden will share with listeners that the bags for his concerts in recent years were far from big, and he will accept pot-shots from co-hosts and peers about fashion choices, ambitious Rap purist concepts, and time spent on the C-list of rappers. In 2018, the narrative that Joe Budden is an underdog changed, even if he refused to change with it.

In May of this year, Diddy and Revolt seemingly made Joe an offer he couldn’t refuse. State Of The Culture premiered in September. Joe became an Executive Producer too. This time, Joe’s panel included another artist in the midst of a re-branding comeback, Remy Ma, fellow Complex alum Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins, and fellow former HOT 97 personality Scottie Beam. The move showed that Budden had value, and that trusting his instincts to renegotiate affirmed the process. State Of The Culture is a different kind of show, aimed at some different audience demographics than Everyday Struggle, which has carried on with third co-host, Wayno. It brought profile to Revolt, and a place for Budden and company to have honest—often bold discussion on TV and web.

September proved to be an intersection for Joe. As S.O.T.C debuted, Joe also launched a podcast partnership with Spotify. His hobby discussion with some of his “nearest and dearest” had landed Joe a position with the streaming giant, Creative Content Director. It adjusted the podcast format to twice per week, and as he and his cohorts regularly tease one another, presumably padded their pockets. Meanwhile, the deal kept the show free, just a few days after subscribers could get it. The tone, format, and rawness of the show had not shifted, even if the ensemble regularly jokes about pending battles over content, music drops, and upsetting the set-up. As if on cue with this move to Spotify, the content stars lined up.

Eminem released Kamikaze at the end of August, with no warning. If January’s “Chloraseptic (Remix)” caused a difference of opinion between D12’s Bizarre and Joe over if Eminem was rapping to him, “Fall” left no doubt. A day later, Joe went off the rails on his podcast. Incensed, he shouted that he’s been a better rapper than Marshall Mathers since 2008, and vented his frustrations as a former Shady Records artist. Joe chided for a proper battle if Eminem wanted to take it there, reminding his former employer that he was “backed now” and accusing Mathers of not knowing Joe’s history. Coupled with MGK also being the butt of Em’s disses, the media cycle awakened fans to consume the content and pick sides. Some Slaughterhouse members reacted. The pot was stirred as everything was coming to a boil.

As if to compete with Joe’s advantages in having a media platform, Em produced video interviews that gave him a platform to vent his side of the problem with Joe and Slaughterhouse’s hiatus, along with MGK, Tyler, The Creator, and others. Just like his 2016 dealings with Drake, Joe Budden proved the power in his words and audience. He could ruffle superstar feathers with words, not lyrics. Once thought to be a convenient escape from a music career, Joe’s media endeavors showed that they had scaled. At a time when Spotify was eager to see Joe Budden’s reach, it made him a three-ring media circus master with all ears (and eyes) on him. One week he was ready to return to rapping if Eminem was up for the challenge. The next week Joe was being challenged to make a half-a-mil bet with CyHi The Prynce (who also reacted to critical podcast commentary in verse). Expanding to guests, Joe’s podcast hosted the most revealing interview with Pusha-T in 2018, especially as it pertained to Drake beef. Joe and another superstar he’d criticized, Chance The Rapper, had a spirited podcast debate about what independent music looks like in 2018. While Joe joked about it for much of the year, it started to seem plausible that Drizzy Drake could be a guest on the show after all.

In the midst of this late ’18 media blitz, Budden returned to Love & Hip Hop New York with partner, Cyn Santana. This time, Joe and his baby’s mother were in the starring roles, not supporting. They join Remy there. While Joe’s podcast colleagues regularly roast him about the show and plot-points, it broadcasts his character and a dynamic of his life apart from music and Rap culture to a completely different audience than the other vehicles. Additionally, those vehicles get cross-promoted on an established, hit reality series. Joe also has an E.P. credit thanks to the return after half a decade away. In an era when positions of power are sought-out by creatives, Joe Budden has one of the best resumes in the game. It is a far cry from late December of 2017.

Joe Budden is still the underdog, but only in his attitude. As an artist, his music career was compromised by waiting for others, seemingly punished for speaking out against the powers that be, and black-balled for challenging the establishment. Meanwhile, his media career is booming for doing the very same thing. At a time when “trusting the process” can sound good on paper, Joe Budden’s place in the game shows what that really looks like. This month Spotify confirmed that The Joe Budden Podcast is their second-most-streamed exclusive in the category (and the podcast is only exclusive for 2 days).  Those rankings come three months after the deal. Remy Ma is someone who has taken careful note. “[Joe Budden] has made a lot of power moves this year. I really feel like it needs to be acknowledged. I remember when [State Of The Culture was announced], people were like, ‘Another show with Joe? Again? He has the podcast.’ But you have managed to finesse every last one of them. I love when I drive through Times Square and see your light-skinned light-bulb-shaped head up on the billboards. It just warms my heart. I’m proud of you and I’m very happy for you,” she said on a recent episode of S.O.T.C. (21:30).

Reacting to Rem’s compliment, Joe says he never thought about it in that way. He also described what makes him happy about his ’18. “The fact that I take pride [in] is that I can employ some people; I can provide some opportunities to some other people who may not have gotten them without me being in this spot…as a rapper I never put stock in it, maybe ’cause I was never able to do it. Or you just don’t think about those things. But you feel really good helping people.”

Even as an underdog, Joe Budden’s 2018 teaches so many to know their value—whatever it is, in whatever you do. If you have patience, persistence, and are willing to take the harder road at times, the right things can happen in the way you envision. He also shows that it is never too late to apply the things that make you who you are to a different place, and conquer.

It was one year ago this week that Joe Budden exited the show Everyday Struggle. On December 18, 2017, DJ Whoo Kid unceremoniously took Budden’s seat on the Complex weekday talk series alongside co-hosts Nadeska Alexis and DJ Akademiks. The guest known best as a G-Unit DJ and radio personality told viewers that Joe was tending to a newborn baby, which was certainly true. However, the rapper never returned to his chair to the program he had given several “fire in the stadium” moments throughout that year. Highlights included exchanges with Migos, Lil Yachty, and and some controversial words about previous collaborator and onetime employer, Eminem. The narratives and storylines pulled Everyday Struggle from YouTube and put them on gossip shows, aggregated it across the web, and suddenly awakened the mainstream to a new show on the block.

As re-negotiations reportedly reached a stalemate, the retired MC-turned-media man marked his exit by unpacking the laundry on his Joe Budden Podcast. Joe said he wanted a long-term contract, a significant raise, or Complex equity for the show he had piloted in its debut season. This was after receiving what he called “pennies and biscuits” for compensation. The parties failed to reach an agreement. Joe walked, but not quietly. Beyond press releases or tweets, Joe laid out his reasoning and put boardroom business in public. His fans listened in as Budden walked. Although, where exactly he was going was unclear.

Since 2016, Joe had become a media comet. In May of that year, Budden’s then-titled I’ll Name This Podcast Later pulled no punches in critiquing Drake’s Views album. Joe called the rapper/singer “uninspired” and accused him of “hopping on waves.” A month later, one of the biggest stars in music responded to Budden in the form of “4PM In Calabasas.” Joe’s words had bubbled up from Soundcloud and irritated Drake, who is especially gifted at using social media as a strategic device, enough to cock-back.

Drake’s diss prompted a True Detective Season 1-style shootout of bars in the days since between both MCs. Nearly two months later, some apparent Drake fans were trespassing in Joe’s New Jersey driveway. Confronted, the rapper chased them, before showing up on one’s doorstep in a made-for-Internet news cycle. He appeared on HOT 97’s Ebro In The Morning to promote his Rage & The Machine album, only to end up addressing his loyalty and character in one of the first (and most authentic) interview walkouts of an era where such things trend. Wherever Joe went, his brand of gruff commentary, thoughtful analysis, and colorful entertainment industry experience popped. It’s what made his podcast one of the most successful of its kind, a step apart from N.O.R.E. & DJ EFN’s Drink Champs, and more exciting than the typical Hip-Hop commentary fan fodder. One of the first Rap artists to make daily videos, via Joe Budden TV, long before Vh1 deals, Joe seemed to be the most interesting person in the culture. If it wasn’t what he was saying, it’s what he was doing. In a much different way than Kanye West, Joe Budden could make a 24-7 media cycle manifest its destiny. He was something like Pump Up The Volume-meets-Truman Show.

No longer with Complex, Joe focused on his weekly podcast, alongside his team of cohosts, Rory and Mal, engineer Parks, and others in the room. From the beginning of the year, Joe was a target. As Complex replaced Budden with former syndicated radio host-turned Troi “Star” Torain, Eminem, Drake, and Vic Mensa were among those who seemingly sent shots in the retired rapper’s direction. Even Joe’s 18-year-old son, Tre, joined the fold, making a song about his father’s shortcomings (which Joe shared online). If there was a time to get back at Joe Budden, it was when he was retired and relegated to just a podcast, right?

Budden seemingly basked in all of it, ready to react and create new content. This was an artist who took a mid-2000s dispute and co-founded Slaughterhouse. He and The Game took verbal shots at each other in the era of the mixtape. He and Ransom dissed one another relentlessly in the era of the blog. He tensely stepped to Consequence in the era of Rap reality TV. In the era of “content is king,” Joe used his personal platform to react, respond, and analyze a story-line that always seemed to involve him in most weeks. On top of topical relevance, the show is entertaining, funny, and a companion to many in commute, at the gym, or simply seeking engaging conversation. With a community of content aggregators around him, Joe funneled the narratives through his show and gained more and more fans. They came to hear Joe’s response to Eminem, his latest thoughts on Drake’s new video, his response to D12’s Bizarre, but they seemed to stay for much more.

For much of his career, Joe Budden always seemed to be the underdog. It is part of his brand. Since his days spitting introspective verses on Cutmaster C and DJ Clue Desert Storm mixtapes, he plays the role on anything that he has been part of. It’s why Joe was often painted as the coffee-swilling, cigarette-smoking Rap curmudgeon from Jersey City. After early 2000s success, the rapper spent too much time on Def Jam waiting for a sophomore release date. During this period, he dabbled as a media personality, working at HOT 97. He went independent when major label deals were a status symbol. His lyrics showed vulnerability and admitted depression and addiction at a time of brute machismo. Vh1 viewers will recall Budden stuck on bended-knee trying to win back his scorned love Internet-lightyears before Offset’s recent antics. On his podcast, Budden will share with listeners that the bags for his concerts in recent years were far from big, and he will accept pot-shots from co-hosts and peers about fashion choices, ambitious Rap purist concepts, and time spent on the C-list of rappers. In 2018, the narrative that Joe Budden is an underdog changed, even if he refused to change with it.

In May of this year, Diddy and Revolt seemingly made Joe an offer he couldn’t refuse. State Of The Culture premiered in September. Joe became an Executive Producer too. This time, Joe’s panel included another artist in the midst of a re-branding comeback, Remy Ma, fellow Complex alum Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins, and fellow former HOT 97 personality Scottie Beam. The move showed that Budden had value, and that trusting his instincts to renegotiate affirmed the process. State Of The Culture is a different kind of show, aimed at some different audience demographics than Everyday Struggle, which has carried on with third co-host, Wayno. It brought profile to Revolt, and a place for Budden and company to have honest—often bold discussion on TV and web.

September proved to be an intersection for Joe. As S.O.T.C debuted, Joe also launched a podcast partnership with Spotify. His hobby discussion with some of his “nearest and dearest” had landed Joe a position with the streaming giant, Creative Content Director. It adjusted the podcast format to twice per week, and as he and his cohorts regularly tease one another, presumably padded their pockets. Meanwhile, the deal kept the show free, just a few days after subscribers could get it. The tone, format, and rawness of the show had not shifted, even if the ensemble regularly jokes about pending battles over content, music drops, and upsetting the set-up. As if on cue with this move to Spotify, the content stars lined up.

Eminem released Kamikaze at the end of August, with no warning. If January’s “Chloraseptic (Remix)” caused a difference of opinion between D12’s Bizarre and Joe over if Eminem was rapping to him, “Fall” left no doubt. A day later, Joe went off the rails on his podcast. Incensed, he shouted that he’s been a better rapper than Marshall Mathers since 2008, and vented his frustrations as a former Shady Records artist. Joe chided for a proper battle if Eminem wanted to take it there, reminding his former employer that he was “backed now” and accusing Mathers of not knowing Joe’s history. Coupled with MGK also being the butt of Em’s disses, the media cycle awakened fans to consume the content and pick sides. Some Slaughterhouse members reacted. The pot was stirred as everything was coming to a boil.

As if to compete with Joe’s advantages in having a media platform, Em produced video interviews that gave him a platform to vent his side of the problem with Joe and Slaughterhouse’s hiatus, along with MGK, Tyler, The Creator, and others. Just like his 2016 dealings with Drake, Joe Budden proved the power in his words and audience. He could ruffle superstar feathers with words, not lyrics. Once thought to be a convenient escape from a music career, Joe’s media endeavors showed that they had scaled. At a time when Spotify was eager to see Joe Budden’s reach, it made him a three-ring media circus master with all ears (and eyes) on him. One week he was ready to return to rapping if Eminem was up for the challenge. The next week Joe was being challenged to make a half-a-mil bet with CyHi The Prynce (who also reacted to critical podcast commentary in verse). Expanding to guests, Joe’s podcast hosted the most revealing interview with Pusha-T in 2018, especially as it pertained to Drake beef. Joe and another superstar he’d criticized, Chance The Rapper, had a spirited podcast debate about what independent music looks like in 2018. While Joe joked about it for much of the year, it started to seem plausible that Drizzy Drake could be a guest on the show after all.

In the midst of this late ’18 media blitz, Budden returned to Love & Hip Hop New York with partner, Cyn Santana. This time, Joe and his baby’s mother were in the starring roles, not supporting. They join Remy there. While Joe’s podcast colleagues regularly roast him about the show and plot-points, it broadcasts his character and a dynamic of his life apart from music and Rap culture to a completely different audience than the other vehicles. Additionally, those vehicles get cross-promoted on an established, hit reality series. Joe also has an E.P. credit thanks to the return after half a decade away. In an era when positions of power are sought-out by creatives, Joe Budden has one of the best resumes in the game. It is a far cry from late December of 2017.

Joe Budden is still the underdog, but only in his attitude. As an artist, his music career was compromised by waiting for others, seemingly punished for speaking out against the powers that be, and black-balled for challenging the establishment. Meanwhile, his media career is booming for doing the very same thing. At a time when “trusting the process” can sound good on paper, Joe Budden’s place in the game shows what that really looks like. This month Spotify confirmed that The Joe Budden Podcast is their second-most-streamed exclusive in the category (and the podcast is only exclusive for 2 days).  Those rankings come three months after the deal. Remy Ma is someone who has taken careful note. “[Joe Budden] has made a lot of power moves this year. I really feel like it needs to be acknowledged. I remember when [State Of The Culture was announced], people were like, ‘Another show with Joe? Again? He has the podcast.’ But you have managed to finesse every last one of them. I love when I drive through Times Square and see your light-skinned light-bulb-shaped head up on the billboards. It just warms my heart. I’m proud of you and I’m very happy for you,” she said on a recent episode of S.O.T.C. (21:30).

Reacting to Rem’s compliment, Joe says he never thought about it in that way. He also described what makes him happy about his ’18. “The fact that I take pride [in] is that I can employ some people; I can provide some opportunities to some other people who may not have gotten them without me being in this spot…as a rapper I never put stock in it, maybe ’cause I was never able to do it. Or you just don’t think about those things. But you feel really good helping people.”

Even as an underdog, Joe Budden’s 2018 teaches so many to know their value—whatever it is, in whatever you do. If you have patience, persistence, and are willing to take the harder road at times, the right things can happen in the way you envision. He also shows that it is never too late to apply the things that make you who you are to a different place, and conquer.

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

Click Here to Discuss in the Forums

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15 Years Later The Black Album Is Still JAY-Z’s Perfect Fadeaway (Video)

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“Any time you’re making an album, especially if this is your last album, every single track has to be a statement. Like, in your mind, you’re thinking, I have to make the perfect album,” JAY-Z said before Fade To Black cameras during 2003, when the documentary filmed. “Anybody that knows me knows I’m dead serious. I’ll sit there and drive myself crazy ’til I find that right track.” History shows that Shawn Corey Carter hit his mark. Whether he sincerely believed he was done, he heightened the pressure on himself to an all-time high, and then he hit his mark. For Rap, it was Evil Knievel’s death-defying jump—and for then last time in their minds, the crowd roared. Swizz Beatz Explains Why The JAY-Z, Nas & DMX Collabo Has Not Come Out (Video) Fifteen years ago, JAY-Z solely occupied the pole position in Hip-Hop. While fans forever debate the victor, the Marcy Projects native left verbal confrontation with Nas in the better position, in terms of mass-public perception after the MC battle of the 2000s. He had climbed the charts, repeatedly, and laced the walls of Roc-A-Fella Records with his own platinum and gold plaques in less than a decade. Like Eminem, The Notorious B.I.G., and Run-D.M.C. before him, Jay finally had the critics, the charts, and the hearts of the masses—all at once. Following the groundswell of The Blueprint and the quick-strike sequels, Jay wanted a statement LP. The Black Album, released 15 years ago today (November 14, 2003) was a truly “grand closing” of the book in Shawn Carter’s illustrious 15-year Rap career, or so Heads seemingly believed at the time. What has made The Black Album so exceptional was its detailed planning and clear execution. Lupe Fiasco Explains In Detail Why JAY-Z Is The Greatest MC Of All-Time By 2003, past Jay collaborators Master P and Too Short had pump-faked retirement. In both cases, the artists not only revoked their vows, their exit music lacked gravitas—making their returns a bit blushed. In Jay’s case, however, this statement album not only amplified the attention to his lyrics (what other major album had its own mass-released acapella edition?) and music, it set the new standard for LP anticipation-and-delivery in the digital era. The Black Album was blueprinted as the ideal farewell for Jay. Stripped of rapping or singing guests, the album unflinchingly made Hova and legacy its focal point. In tow, the MC sought out key producers from his past, and a few wish-list studio mates to deliver his magnum opus. In turn, he seemingly addressed all the things that made his career work—almost as a revue. Songs like early released “What More Can I Say?” showed that Jay felt he had fully manifested his artistic trajectory and narrative. The display was exceptional, and every bar seemed to be worthy of extensive analysis. On “Moment Of Clarity,” Jay’s openness and intimacy reached new plateaus. Shawn Carter was suddenly profound, and lucidly justifying his own legacy (and thug) through candid commentary, over-top Eminem production.

Big Daddy Kane Details Recording This 1988 Mixtape Collabo With JAY-Z (Video) For many though, deep cuts like “Public Service Announcement (Interlude)” packed his eighth album’s greatest charms. On a 170-second dust-covered Just Blaze sample chop, Jay grandstanded—his flow, his status, his swagger, and his ability to make purebred Hip-Hop from the owner’s box. “99 Problems” did the same, as Jay sought out Rick Rubin’s proper return to Rap. There is footage of the Def Jam Records co-founder behind the boards, Mike D behind him, walking Jay through the takes. Having cut his teeth in DJ Premier’s D&D Studios enclave, and having later built state-of-the-art recording facilities of his own, S.Dot was open to experimentation and new methods. A grown man with the woman of his dreams, an uber-talented team around him, and the most in-tact legacy of an active MC, Jay used every minute of The Black Album differently than past albums. The 9th Wonder-produced “Threat” brought Jay back to wolf mode, while DJ Quik-laced “Justify My Thug” rolled out Jay’s man-code. Kanye West, still making his bones as one of Roc-A-Fella’s new and exciting voices, delivered in a major way with “Encore” and “Lucifer.” Just Blaze locked in more credits than anybody else, each showing his wax-informed range and sonic versatility. As detailed in Fade To Black, JAY-Z sifted through tons of tracks. Perhaps using foe Nas’ Illmatic as a template, Jay wanted each production counterpart not only to mean something in the ensemble, but work together for something that had those individual statements, yet worked for a sum of the parts. He pulled from East and West, peer and protege, household-named hit-makers and faceless newcomers. The plan succeeded. There was no Twitter for hot-takes. However, in barbershops, Blackberry, Sidekick, and AOL messages, the vast majority of people seemed to agree—Jay had done great. Timbaland Describes The Musical Chemistry Between Him & JAY-Z (Video) Despite its mainstream recognition (only furthered by work with Linkin Park), The Black Album was not PG-13. Still, it balanced the antics of a former street hustler with major aspirations in the years ahead. He walked the line and compromised none of his past or his future. They met in the present. The Black Album brilliantly basked in its own hype. The hero stuntman lived, and made music feel like an event. While history shows he’d return two years later, fans took him at his word, sort of, anyway. JAY-Z left the stage, and flicked off the switch—but the lighters of hungry fans illuminated the legacy he had built in real-time. The Black Album set the standard for great MCs to take that bow. Although the legacy effect has changed since that moment, one cannot listen to the album and detach from that everlasting sentiment.

Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com

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