DJ Absolut has been a sound provider who in addition to playing others’ records is dropping heat of his own. Previously, Ambrosia For Heads presented Rap fans with some unearthed Mobb Deep freestyles via the New York mixmaster. Now, Heads can get a taste of more Big Apple-inspired heat headed by a Windy City that possesses an Oscar, a Grammy, and a Golden Globe trophy. On a song titled “World Records,” Common shows love for DJ Absolut with the kind of far-reaching appearance that he made early in his career, following an “Unsigned Hype” spot in The Source and a deal with Relativity Records. Meanwhile, the DJ taps Joell Ortiz, Vado and M-O-B-B’s Havoc for another lost gem. Havoc Releases 2 Mobb Deep Freestyles To Celebrate Prodigy 1 Year After His Passing (Audio) The Chicago legend begins his verse with the dark reality of gang violence. “Frozen jungle, chosen humble / O’s tumble, money talks, bro’s mumble,” Common raps with a compound rhyme pattern. “The dialect of the high elect when the fire gets too hot to handle / It’s new spots to vandle / -Ism, spray shots, it’s stray shots that pirouette / Dark times, silhouettes leaving baby mamas pillows wet.” Common’s sprinkled verses to projects by DJ Honda, Kid Capri, Sway & King Tech, and others. Joell, who opens the song, remembers building a Rap career as he maintained a presence in the streets. He goes back to Bushwick, Brooklyn with symmetrical bars and the emphasized cadence that he deploys so well. Common’s Production Company Is Telling Meaningful Stories Just Like His Music (Video)Common last released Black America Again in 2016. Joell has been busy. Last month, he partnered with fellow New York MC Fred The Godson and producers, The Heatmakerz, for Gorilla Glue. Last year, he and Apollo Brown released the acclaimed Mona Lisa. In ’18, Vado dropped Sinatra 3. This month, Havoc appeared with Method Man and Streetlife on “Squad Up.” There are several Common videos as well as a Joell Ortiz interview currently available at AFH TV. We are currently offering free 30-day trials.
Moments ago, J. Cole released his latest single “Middle Child.” Produced by Toronto’s T-Minus (Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Ludacris, Lil Wayne), the record marks the Dreamville leader’s first song of 2019. He released his fifth solo studio album, KOD, less than one year ago. Cole also spent some time blessing other artist’s work, providing bars on his act J.I.D’s “Off Deez,”Jay Rock’s “OSOM” and 21 Savage’s “a lot,” among others. Jermaine has also recently been teasing Revenge Of The Dreamers III, the latest installment of his label’s compilation series. On January 16, Cole tweeted, “The Revengers sessions are done.” The last volume, Revenge of the Dreamers II, released in December of 2015. All of J. Cole’s previous Instagram posts before the one he used to tease “Middle Child” have been mysteriously erased. Moments leading up into his song’s release, the social media-savvy MC/producer posted a series of cryptic pop culture photographs. Joe Budden Challenges J. Cole To Step Up His Game & Be Truly Great (Audio) Many speculated that the song would be a jab to a specific peer after Cole shared the lyrics that eventually made the top of the song: “Ni**as been countin’ me out, I’m countin’ my bullets / I’m loadin’ my clips / I’m writin’ down names, I’m makin’ a list / I’m checkin’ it twice, and I’m gettin’ ’em hit.” In the song, that series of bars continues, “The real ones been dyin’, the fake ones is lit / The game is off balance, I’m back on my sh*t.” A diss song appears not to what this is. Instead, “Middle Child” refers to Cole’s self-proclaimed place in the game. He sits between the O.G.’s like early mentor JAY-Z and a wise elder to artists such as 21 Savage and Kodak Black. J. Cole Calls Out Rappers For Faking Their Streaming Numbers On A Savage Verse While he talks back to critics, the superstar does not name names. Instead, the song also embraces Drake, who Cole describes with reverie. “Just put the Rolly’ back on my wrist / This watch came from Drizzy; he gave me a gift,” referring back to the early days. “They act like two legends cannot co-exist / But I never beef with a ni**a for nothin’, if I smoke a rapper, it’s gon’ be legit / It won’t be for clout, it won’t be for fame / It won’t be ’cause my sh*t is not selling the same / It won’t be to sell my latest sneakers, it won’t be ’cause some ni**a slid in my lane.” The commentary appears to address a lot of Rap’s in-fighting and its motives, as Cole sees them. Cole sings on the song about “givin’ ’em something they can feel,” which talks about uplifting those around the MC. He references dirty sneakers, Bentley, and many criticizing moves, while he feels he is a Rap industry little brother and big brother at the same time. Cole wants all who hear the song to know that neither guns nor money make you “real” in this age. Instead, he vows to cast a light on those who he believes in. J. Cole’s KOD May Be The Year’s Best Album & It Was Snubbed By The Grammys Previously, T-Minus provided the beat for Cole’s KOD video single “Kevin’s Heart.”
Source: AmbrosiaForHeads.com
AZ enjoyed a relatively quiet 2018. The highly-respected Brooklyn, New York lyricist was the subject of a documentary involving commentary by Rakim, Nas, Pete Rock, and Foxy Brown. He made a few careful appearances, one with early mentor Daddy-O of Stetsasonic and another with Fresno, California’s Planet Asia. However, when it came to solo music, the artist responsible for some iconic verses mainly sat back and watched.
That will not be the case for 2019. AZ kicks things off with the fittingly-titled “It’s Time,” premiering at Ambrosia For Heads. The quick-strike is an homage to an MC and era that inspired S.O.S.A. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo made a lasting Hip-Hop introduction with 1986’s “It’s a Demo.” The devastating display began as a non-album single accompanied by “I’m Fly” for a B-side and would eventually appear on the duo’s 1989 debut LP, Road To The Riches as a remix.
The East New York MC attacks the vintage Marley Marl production with devastating, short lines as he gets on his “project ish.” He spits, “My first debut came through like Jeru / Played who? Ni**as smoking that cake too / Passed out, got clout they rap ’bout from the trap route / Try’na close on Shaq house / Still buzzin’ / Was the king of the kitchen oven / In the spot with two coke pots like kissin’-cousins / Scratch that / Too fly for flashbacks / Got my eyes on a G5 ‘craft, all matte black / More moula, dirt-bikes out in Dubai / F*ck 50 feet in the sky, I need a new high.” For an artist who has made memorable songs with L.E.S., Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and Dr. Dre, this showcases some finesse over chopped break-beats.
Photograph provided by AZ. Additional Reporting by Jake Paine.
AZ enjoyed a relatively quiet 2018. The highly-respected Brooklyn, New York lyricist was the subject of a documentary involving commentary by Rakim, Nas, Pete Rock, and Foxy Brown. He made a few careful appearances, one with early mentor Daddy-O of Stetsasonic and another with Fresno, California’s Planet Asia. However, when it came to solo music, the artist responsible for some iconic verses mainly sat back and watched.
That will not be the case for 2019. AZ kicks things off with the fittingly-titled “It’s Time,” premiering at Ambrosia For Heads. The quick-strike is an homage to an MC and era that inspired S.O.S.A. Kool G Rap & DJ Polo made a lasting Hip-Hop introduction with 1986’s “It’s a Demo.” The devastating display began as a non-album single accompanied by “I’m Fly” for a B-side and would eventually appear on the duo’s 1989 debut LP, Road To The Riches as a remix.
The East New York MC attacks the vintage Marley Marl production with devastating, short lines as he gets on his “project ish.” He spits, “My first debut came through like Jeru / Played who? Ni**as smoking that cake too / Passed out, got clout they rap ’bout from the trap route / Try’na close on Shaq house / Still buzzin’ / Was the king of the kitchen oven / In the spot with two coke pots like kissin’-cousins / Scratch that / Too fly for flashbacks / Got my eyes on a G5 ‘craft, all matte black / More moula, dirt-bikes out in Dubai / F*ck 50 feet in the sky, I need a new high.” For an artist who has made memorable songs with L.E.S., Pete Rock, DJ Premier, and Dr. Dre, this showcases some finesse over chopped break-beats.
Trae Tha Truth assembles some of the most impressive collaborations in all of Hip-Hop. The Houston, Texas native isn’t playing around with the release of “I’m On 3.0.” The third installment of the song keeps a tradition dating back to 2011 alive. It features T.I., Dave East, Tee Grizzley, Royce 5’9, Curren$y, Snoop Dogg, Fabolous, Rick Ross, Chamillionaire, G-Eazy, Styles P, E-40, DRAM, Gary Clark, Jr., and Mark Morrison. At a time when Rap came seem segmented by generations or geography, Tha Truth shows that great artists can share the light.
While the song dropped back in 2017, it understandably took Trae some time to make the video happen. He gets everybody in it, and shoots each artist in an elaborate, poised setting. Moreover, from Joe Budden to Tech N9ne to Mike Epps to Nick Cannon, Trae gets a series of additional cameos in the impressive visual. Trae says logistically it was tough, but worth it in the end. “Putting this cut together was like a sparring session, survival of the fittest lyrically,” he told Complex, who premiered the video. “Most importantly, this is a rare time that you will actually can see artists of various styles from the music industry in one video. The ‘I’m On’ series will always be historical.”
In the video, all the MCs rap their bars. However, the whole thing isn’t laid out like a freestyle. Each artist or singer take turns spitting bars over a beat containing DRAM vocals laid within it. Apart from the Rap appearances, the visual concludes with Nick Joseph, who is best known for the “oh no baby what is you doin’” meme that went viral in 2017, playing out another one of his scenarios.
Meanwhile, Snoop delivers one of the song’s longer verses, telling the story behind the song: “Wakin’ up, feelin’ good, rollin’ through the neighborhood /Do or die, every day, I lead ’em in a different way / I don’t take no mess, get it off of my chest I’ma be dressed to impress, no stress, fresh / Off the Eastside, Trae called me up and said ‘Unc’, I’ma need you on the B-side’ / So I came through-a, mic checked, one-two-a Gettin’ real funky, kinda smell like manure / Eight cars, eight stars / Return of the mack with these hot eight bars / Flip through it, dip through it / This is the sh*t that’ll make you get to it / Break down, give it up, pour it up / Now drink it up, roll it up / Light it up, how you feel, y’all? / See you in high definition with a mothaf*ckin’ real Dogg.”
Trae Tha Truth assembles some of the most impressive collaborations in all of Hip-Hop. The Houston, Texas native isn’t playing around with the release of “I’m On 3.0.” The third installment of the song keeps a tradition dating back to 2011 alive. It features T.I., Dave East, Tee Grizzley, Royce 5’9, Curren$y, Snoop Dogg, Fabolous, Rick Ross, Chamillionaire, G-Eazy, Styles P, E-40, DRAM, Gary Clark, Jr., and Mark Morrison. At a time when Rap came seem segmented by generations or geography, Tha Truth shows that great artists can share the light.
While the song dropped back in 2017, it understandably took Trae some time to make the video happen. He gets everybody in it, and shoots each artist in an elaborate, poised setting. Moreover, from Joe Budden to Tech N9ne to Mike Epps to Nick Cannon, Trae gets a series of additional cameos in the impressive visual. Trae says logistically it was tough, but worth it in the end. “Putting this cut together was like a sparring session, survival of the fittest lyrically,” he told Complex, who premiered the video. “Most importantly, this is a rare time that you will actually can see artists of various styles from the music industry in one video. The ‘I’m On’ series will always be historical.”
In the video, all the MCs rap their bars. However, the whole thing isn’t laid out like a freestyle. Each artist or singer take turns spitting bars over a beat containing DRAM vocals laid within it. Apart from the Rap appearances, the visual concludes with Nick Joseph, who is best known for the “oh no baby what is you doin’” meme that went viral in 2017, playing out another one of his scenarios.
Meanwhile, Snoop delivers one of the song’s longer verses, telling the story behind the song: “Wakin’ up, feelin’ good, rollin’ through the neighborhood /Do or die, every day, I lead ’em in a different way / I don’t take no mess, get it off of my chest I’ma be dressed to impress, no stress, fresh / Off the Eastside, Trae called me up and said ‘Unc’, I’ma need you on the B-side’ / So I came through-a, mic checked, one-two-a Gettin’ real funky, kinda smell like manure / Eight cars, eight stars / Return of the mack with these hot eight bars / Flip through it, dip through it / This is the sh*t that’ll make you get to it / Break down, give it up, pour it up / Now drink it up, roll it up / Light it up, how you feel, y’all? / See you in high definition with a mothaf*ckin’ real Dogg.”
