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Skyzoo Breaks Down His Brilliant New Album; He Explains How To Fight Gentrification Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

Skyzoo joins episode 51 of AFH's What's The Headline to discuss his new album, All The Brilliant Things:
0:00 Intro
3:24 Skyzoo discusses why he moved from Brooklyn to Atlanta
7:10 Skyzoo explains the concepts behind his song “A Tour Of The Neighborhood” from his album All The Brilliant Things
10:20 Skyzoo on growing up in Brooklyn in the '80s and '90s
12:11 Skyzoo on why 1995 was the greatest year ever
14:40 Recalling the exact moment he knew he wanted to rap
16:55 The impact of growing up in the neighborhood with Biggie, Lil' Kim and Junior M.A.F.I.A.
18:55 Skyzoo explains the origin and meaning of the album cover for All The Brilliant Things
22:54 The importance of creating an album using a central theme
23:40 On learning how to write songs by listening to Ma$e 25:17 Why Skyzoo chose not to feature any other rappers on All The Brilliant Things
26:27 Skyzoo was supposed to be a trap rapper
30:48 Why MCs should not be put into a box for their rhyme styles
32:59 Why a famous rapper told Skyzoo to work less hard
34:30 Phonte talked Skyzoo out of retiring
36:00 On being one of the most underrated MCs in Hip-Hop
38:00 Why he’s anti-music industry now
40:30 The influence Miles Davis has had on Skyzoo’s music
43:40 Why Skyzoo raps about money so much in his music
48:20 How inflation is used to move groups of people out of neighborhoods
54:20 Skyzoo on why people need to love Black people as much as they love Black culture
55:13 Why we have to be careful with cancel culture
57:15 How Black people can better capture the wealth they are creating
59:30 Why Skyzoo does not turn down any interviews
1:01:06 Why media outlets who cover Hip-Hop culture must be from the culture
1:04:35 Why Skyzoo tries to respond to every positive social media post about him
1:05:50 Seeking validation is the plight of Black folks 1:12:32 How gentrifiers played off the fears of the locals
1:14:30 On never having a major company behind him
1:17:00 Skyzoo discusses the moment when he took his rap skills to a different level
1:19:10 Skyzoo on the power of Hip-Hop to educate future generations about gentrification

Photograph by Photo Rob

The 10 Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2021 So Far. Which Albums Made The List? Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

On episode 50 of AFH's What's The Headline, we name our 10 best Rap albums of 2021 so far:
0:00 Intro
2:03 We listen to more than 1,000 albums per year to try to highlight the best ones for you
7:48 Should Ambrosia For Heads expand the scope of the music it covers?
10:52 Reviewing what the state of Rap music has been in 2021 so far
14:13 The debate to name the 10 best Rap albums of 2021 so far
15:30 Benny The Butcher & Harry Fraud - The Plugs I Met 2
22:00 Madlib - Sound Ancestors
28:25 Judas & The Black Messiah - Various Artists
34:20 Khrysis - The Hour Of Khrysis
40:48 J. Cole - The Off-Season
49:05 Evidence - The Unlearning, Vol. 1
58:36 Conway The Machine - La Maquina
1:05:30 Devin The Dude - Soulful Distance
1:11:11 DMX - Exodus
1:18:50 Skyzoo - All The Brilliant Things
1:26:27 Your Old Droog - Time
1:32:40 Mach-Hommy - Pray For Haiti
1:39:50 CZARFACE & MF DOOM - Super What?
1:44:20 Armand Hammer & Alchemist - Haram
1:51:30 Cutting the list from 14 album to 10 albums
2:01:30 Honorable Mentions
2:02:40 Hear are the 10 best Rap albums of 2021 so far
2:03:18 Revisiting Busta Rhymes’ Extinction Level Event 2 six months later
Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=aforhtvAmbrosia For Heads Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ssx21OFFRNJMMvlG2xeWV?si=DW9psDeWS4qa9UsItVq9pAInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambrosia4heads/Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ambrosiaforheadsTwitter: https://twitter.com/ambrosia4headsOfficial Site: http://ambrosiaforheads.com/

De La Soul Music Is Finally Going Digital: A Look Inside The Battle To Stream Their Albums Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

De La Soul's music may finally be coming to streaming music platforms. We discuss that, unreleased DMX music and more on episode 49 of Ambrosia For Heads' What's The Headline:
0:00 Intro
1:25 There is no catalog of music more important than De La Soul’s missing from streaming services
2:33 Tommy Boy Records, home to De La Soul’s music, was recently purchased by Reservoir
3:20 The executive who signed Nas and Big L is now in charge of De La Soul’s Tommy Boy catalog
4:10 Reservoir is a SPAC that is becoming a music powerhouse
7:41 The history of Tommy Boy Records—Queen Latifah, Naughty By Nature, Digital Underground, Coolio, House Of Pain and more
11:38 Reviewing De La Soul’s 3 Feet High & Rising and the Native Tongues era
17:35 Why the group completely changed its sound for its second album, De La Soul Is Dead
19:47 De La Soul pivoted again with Buhloone Mindstate, ditching samples or live instruments
22:20 De La Soul introduced the Hip-Hop world to J. Dilla on Stakes Is High
23:20 Why De La Soul is Hip-Hop’s version of The Beatles
24:15 De La Soul concludes is Tommy Boy Records catalog with their masterful AOI album series
26:38 Why De La Soul has stayed relevant for 30 years
31:10 Inside the heated dispute between De La Soul and Tommy Boy Records over making their music available for streaming
32:30 Many of the samples on the early albums were not cleared
33:50 Breaking down the economics of record deals and why they are so onerous
37:30 The deal De La Soul signed with Tommy Boy was very unfavorable to them
38:44 In 2019, De La Soul sat down with Tommy Boy to renegotiate their deal, with some help from AFH
40:39 The talks broke down and De La Soul went to the public
42:00 Devil’s advocate: Tommy Boy Records’ defense
46:00 The time has come for economic terms in the music industry to fundamentally change
49:10 Why Reservoir’s purchase of Tommy Boy Records finally will allow De La Soul’s music to be released on streaming services
51:10 Having De La Soul’s music on Spotify, Apple and other services will cement the group’s legacy
54:14 Producer Dame Grease says he has 50 unreleased DMX records that he want to put out
56:00 Should more DMX music be released?
57:14 Comparing Swizz Beatz’s and Dame Grease’s catalogs with DMX
59:25 The public reaction to DMX’s Exodus album has been mixed
1:01:40 Who should be in charge of DMX’s musical legacy
1:10:20 JAY-Z share his favorite stories about DMX on The Shop with LeBron James
1:18:07 New music from Lloyd Banks, Peter Rosenberg, Children of Zeus and more

Reviewing DMX's Exodus Album Song By Song May 30, 2021

Show notes

We review DMX's Exodus album song by song on episode 48 of Ambrosia For Heads' What's The Headline:

0:00 Intro
2:02 First impressions of DMX’s Exodus album
6:50 Exodus was made before DMX’s passed and is true to his vision
11:24 DMX was preparing to roll out Exodus in a major way before his death
12:11 Swizz Beatz has lots more DMX music but Swizz does not want to release it
15:35 Swizz Beatz and DMX were very intentional about choosing the featured artists on Exodus
17:03 DMX’s estate is reported to be as low as $50,000
19:30 Def Jam was the only record label willing to sign DMX at this stage in his career
20:55 Our belief that Exodus will be DMX’s 6th #1 album
23:28 Reviewing DMX’s Exodus album song by song
23:32 “That’s My Dog” featuring The LOX is a perfect way to start Exodus
27:00 “Bath Salts” featuring JAY-Z and Nas has been officially released after being leaked by Swizz Beatz in 2017, but what happened to Jadakiss’ verse?
32:38 Did JAY-Z diss Kim Kardashian on “Bath Salts” in response to Kanye West’s harsh words about Beyoncé?
39:42 Who had the best verse on “Bath Salts” between JAY-Z, Nas and DMX?
41:17 “Dogs Out” features Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz. Does anyone sound better than Wayne on Swizz productions, other than DMX and Nas?
44:08 Pop Smoke was supposed to be on “Money Money Money,” instead of Moneybagg Yo
47:32 “Hold Me Down” featuring Alicia Keys is one of DMX’s most honest and vulnerable songs on any album
52:25 “Skyscrapers” features U2’s Bono. Do Rap/Rock collaborations work?
1:01:19 Knowing the context behind the “Stick Up Skit” is critical
1:03:36 “Hood Blues” featuring Griselda’s Westside Gunn, Benny The Butcher and Conway The Machine lives up to expectations
1:10:50 “Take Control” featuring Snoop Dogg sounds like a sequel to a DMX classic from …And Then There Was X
1:15:10 The Marvin Gaye sample on “Take Control” was very costly
1:16:38 “Walking In The Rain” featuring Nas was meant to feature Scarface
1:17:28 DMX left Swizz Beatz a recording of X telling the story of his entire life 1:18:32 There is video footage documenting the entire making of DMX’s Exodus album
1:20:00 How did Nas end up on “Walking In The Rain?”
1:21:22 “Exodus Skit” came from DMX’s son Exodus being in the studio during much of the making of the album
1:23:44 “Letter To My Son (Call Your Dad)” is the most powerful song on DMX’s Exodus and stands with any song in his catalog
1:29:00 Swizz Beatz played “Letter To My Son” for Xavier, X’s son discussed in the song, before anyone else heard it
1:30:03 “Prayer” is the most fitting way to close DMX’s final album
1:31:25 Where Exodus stands among DMX’s entire album catalog
1:33:08 The greatest of all time comeback albums in Rap music
1:43:51 Is DMX’s Exodus Hip-Hop’s greatest comeback album?
1:50:30 Will DMX’s Exodus album be nominated for a Grammy?
1:52:27 R.I.P. Paul Mooney, Chi Modu and Captain Rock
1:54:13 “Fans” who abuse NBA players during games should be publicly exposed and prosecuted; Race is a factor in these incidents
2:01:45 Alchemist has released an anonymous secret album
2:03:02 Mach-Hommy has released Pray For Haiti on Griselda Records

J. Cole’s Off-Season Has Several Cryptic References To Illmatic May 16, 2021

Show notes

On episode 47 of Ambrosia For Head's What's The Headline, we do a comprehensive review of J. Cole's The Off Season album. We discuss: 0:00 Intro 1:08 Breaking down the main themes of J. Cole’s The Off Season album 1:19 Basketball metaphors prevail 2:30 J. Cole has now mastered many different Rap styles 3:40 Cole actually trained to make this album 6:20 The Off Season has several hidden parallels with Nas’ Illmatic 13:30 The Off Season is a mixtape in disguise 18:20 Breaking down J. Cole’s The Off Season song by song 18:30 “95.south” is Cole embracing both is Southern AND his Northern roots 23:15 J. Cole raps like he never has before on “amari” 26:38 21 Savage is the first guest artist to rap on a J. Cole album since 2010, on “my.life” 34:30 J. Cole shows absolute disrespect for his competition on “applying.pressure” 37:48 Damian Lillard explains the concept behind The Off Season on “punchin’.the.clock” 45:36 J. Cole raps over a trap beat by a key producer for Drake and Kendrick Lamar on “100.mil’” 48:35 “pride.is.the.devil” is a lull on the album…but is it intentional? 51:52 Is Cole’s choice not to include features on the tracklist a slight to his guest artists? 55:00 “let.go.my.hand” is the best song on J. Cole’s The Off Season album 1:00:07 Puff Daddy has had altercations with Kendrick Lamar, Drake and J. Cole…Coincidence? 1:05:39 “interlude” shows why it’s important to hear songs in the context of the album 1:10:05 “the.climb.back” is nearly a year old. Should Cole have included it on The Off Season? 1:14:26 “close” is J. Cole’s most personal song on The Off Season 1:18:00 “hunger.on.hillside” ties The Off Season together sonically and thematically 1:20:08 Ranking J. Cole’s album catalog and where The Off Season sits 1:24:20 J. Cole’s The Off Season is the best album of 2021 so far…but how will it fare against Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Travis Scott? 1:26:47 LL Cool J and JAY-Z are being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 1:29:00 Michael Jordan inducting Kobe Bryant into the Basketball Hall of Fame 1:30:33 DMX’s Exodus album will be released on May 28 1:33:20 MC Serch clears the air about his relationship with Nas Watch J. Cole's "Applying Pressure" documentary: https://youtu.be/135bv6GhD2M Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=aforhtv Ambrosia For Heads Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ssx21OFFRNJMMvlG2xeWV?si=DW9psDeWS4qa9UsItVq9pA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambrosia4heads/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ambrosiaforheads Twitter: https://twitter.com/ambrosia4heads Official Site: http://ambrosiaforheads.com/

The Greatest Rappers Of The 2010s. Who Will Lead The Pack In 2021? May 11, 2021

Show notes

On episode 46 of Ambrosia For Heads' What's The Headline, we discuss: 0:00 Intro 2:38 TDE Releases new Isaiah Rashad music, not Kendrick Lamar 7:26 J. Cole is releasing his album The Off-Season on May 14 9:24 The first release from the album is “interlude” 14:34 J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Travis Scott are likely to release albums in 2021 15:40 Were there any MCs bigger than those 4 artists in the 2010s? 22:10 Has there ever been a year in the last decade where more Rap superstars have released an album? 24:30 Does Hip-Hop belong to the generation of Drake, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Travis Scott now? 34:48 Which one of these MCs will be seen as the greatest 5 years from now? 40:30 If all 4 MCs deliver their best work, 2021 will stand among the greatest years in Rap history 42:17 The week brought new music from Phife Dawg and MF DOOM 43:00 Are posthumous Rap albums legitimate? 48:40 What are some of the best posthumous Rap album releases? 56:35 New music from Anthony Hamilton, Marcus Machado, and Aesop Rock & Homeboy Sandman Subscribe: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=aforhtv Ambrosia For Heads Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Ssx21OFFRNJMMvlG2xeWV?si=DW9psDeWS4qa9UsItVq9pA Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambrosia4heads/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ambrosiaforheads Twitter: https://twitter.com/ambrosia4heads Official Site: http://ambrosiaforheads.com/

Nas & JAY-Z’s Money Talk Is Bigger Than Dead Presidents May 04, 2021

Show notes

On episode #45 of Ambrosia For Heads' What's The Headline, we lay out the evidence for why Kendrick Lamar is releasing new music this week, debate Nas and JAY-Z's verses on "Sorry Not Sorry" and more:

0:00 Intro
1:00 TDE’s Top Dawg Posted “The Wait Is OVAH!!!!!!” on social media
2:00 Which artist—Kendrick Lamar, Isaiah Rashad, SZA or someone else—is releasing new music
3:20 The AFH team is divided, so they make a wager on whether or not new Kendrick Lamar music is coming on May 7
7:40 An argument for why it will be Isaiah Rashad or SZA music
14:20 A history of TDE’s surprise album release strategy
31:49 The mountain of evidence that suggests new Kendrick Lamar music is coming on May 7
42:52 Kendrick Lamar’s new music may have been recorded in the Death Row Records studio where Tupac recorded
45:50 A review of DJ Khaled’s “Sorry Not Sorry” featuring Nas and JAY-Z
47:40 Nas and JAY-Z do not rap their best verses when they are on the same song together
49:00 The substance of Nas and JAY-Z’s verses on “Sorry Not Sorry” is more important than the quality of the verses
55:50 Nas and JAY-Z are still competing with each other on many levels
1:01:14 DJ Quik says he wants his credit for his work on Nelly’s “Hot In Herre,” Kendrick’s “King Kunta,” Tupac’s All Eyez On Me & more
1:09:24 Every song Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN has been certified at least gold
1:11:08 Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek are making a new, third Reflection Eternal album
1:16:28 New music of the week: J. Period, Tiron & Ayomari and more

Who Is The Best Rapper/Actor In Hip-Hop? Apr 27, 2021

Show notes

In episode 44 of Ambrosia For Heads What's The Headline podcast, we discuss the following: 0:00Intro 0:40Shock G brought the Funk to Hip-Hop 4:45Digital Underground crossed over with “The Humpty Dance,” without selling out 6:30How Digital Underground was connected with N.W.A. and Tupac 8:16Shock G brought showmanship back to Hip-Hop 11:18The loss of Tupac and a lack of creative control tormented Shock G 18:28Tupac got his start with Digital Underground 19:30Shock G was also an incredible music producer 22:00Digital Underground’s catalog was much deeper than Sex Packets and “The Humpty Dance” 34:55DMX’s Celebration of Life memorial service sent him off in grand style 39:16Kanye West reminded all of his musical genius with his Sunday Service choir at DMX’s memorial service 45:13Swizz Beatz had sharp words for people claiming to be X’s friends who did not support him when he was living 46:10Why don’t artists’ paid representatives help them put wills in place? 50:00Joey Badass’ Oscar-nominated short film, “Two Distant Strangers,” shows he might be even better at acting than rapping 55:22Who are the best double threat rapper/actors? 1:03:55Dave Chappelle, Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) are doing a podcast together 1:07:45Open Mike Eagle’s “What Had Happened Was” is one of the best podcasts out right now 1:12:03Snoop Dogg recreates and brings to life several classic Rap album covers in his “Look Around” music video 1:14:11Logic is making a new album with Madlib, MadGic 1:18:30A new documentary is being produced about the D.O.C.

Nas Is Playing The Long Game To Be Hip-Hop’s Next Billionaire Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

On episode 43 of Ambrosia For Heads' What's The Headline, we discuss: 0:00 Intro 1:48 EPMD, K-Solo, Keith Murray, RZA, DJ Kool, Inspectah Deck and other highlights from the night 6:12 Was this a competition or a joint celebration? 12:20 The times we’ve interacted with Method Man and Redman personally 18:20 We score Method Man Verzuz Redman round by round 1:02:20 The importance of giving Hip-Hop legends their flowers while they are still here 1:03:30 Verzuz continues to get better and better 1:04:55 Remembering Black Rob 1:09:42 Nas scores at least a $40 million payday with Coinbase 1:14:24 Conway The Machine and Khrysis deliver 2 of the best Rap albums of 2021 so far 1:16:32 It's Bigger Than Hip-Hop: Guilty, Guilty, Guilty 1:18:05 The final scores in Method Man Verzuz Redman

Why DMX May Have Been Def Jam’s Most Important Artist Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

On episode 42 of Ambrosia For Heads' What's The Headline podcast, we celebrate the life, legacy and legend of DMX: 0:00 Intro 1:02 The times we met DMX and stood in his presence 14:30 Why DMX wanted to be a fireman when he was growing up 16:05 The life lessons DMX learned from dogs 21:15 DMX’s start in Hip-Hop was as a beatboxer, not a rapper 22:35 DMX toiled for nearly 10 years before he got his big break 30:45 DMX’s jaw was wired shut when he auditioned for Def Jam 32:06 Puff Daddy passed on signing DMX to Bad Boy 33:35 Irv Gotti’s impact on DMX’s career 36:46 DMX makes history with his first 2 albums 38:35 DMX made Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of My Blood in 30 days for a million dollar bet 41:05 Why DMX punched Def Jam’s Chris Lighty in the face 43:07 DMX solidified Def Jam’s place in music before its sale 45:55 DMX did not want to do Ruff Ryders Anthem 49:33 Why DMX, Jay-Z and Ja Rule’s Murder Inc. album did not happen 58:20 The brotherhood between Swizz Beatz and DMX 1:03:05 Standout songs from DMX 1:08:25 DMX’s sonic connection to EPMD 1:13:20 DMX the movie star 1:15:51 The cypher between DMX, Big Pun, Canibus, John Forte, Mic Geronimo and Mos Def 1:17:49 DMX tore down the stage at Woodstock ’99 1:20:19 DMX gives a fan the experience of a lifetime for her first concert 1:21:58 DMX Verzuz Snoop gave X his flowers when he was still with us 1:24:55 DMX’s heart stopped for 4 minutes in 2016 1:25:25 Spiritual quotes from DMX 1:27:03 The list of artists DMX says will be on his upcoming album

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