Take It Personal

When you hear the term "your rappers favorite rapper", they're are talking about Kool G. Rap. Whether you consider him the G.O.A.T. or  somewhere in your Top 5, there is no denying that Kool G. Rap is one most influential rappers of all-time. And when celebrating a god like KGR, you don't half-ass it with some 60 minute tribute mix. You know on Take It Personal, when we do a tribute, we go all-out...

If there was a poster that defined the indie hip-hop movement, it would have the face of The Mighty Mos Def on it. Whether you first heard him on My Kung Fu, The Love Song or Stakes Is High Remix, you immediately knew what you heard was special. We're talking a generational talent. Mos Def had the voice, the sound, the style, the charm, the humor, the endless stories and the ability to spit bars a...

Episode 84 is definitely our sweet spot. We take it back to essence of Take It Personal Radio and bring you the obscure sounds of the 90s. We got music from Da Lench Mob, The Troubleneck Brothers, Trends of Culture, Artifacts, Organized Konfusion, Sham & The Professor, Jemini The Gifted One, Da Bush Babees & Shyheim to name a few. At the break we talk about the quintessential sounds of the early 9...

Episode 79 sets off our 5th season of Take It Personal Radio. On this episode, we're bringing you our Year In Review and since there was a lot of dope material that dropped in 2020, we're making the Year In Review a 2-parter. We're playing some of our favorites, your favorites and some of the hidden gems of 2020 on these shows. We've got music from Black Thought, Roc Marciano, Th1rt3en, The LOX, G...

Episode 83 is a tribute to "Mafioso" rap. We thought it would be fun to incorporate some of our favorite Sopranos scenes throughout this show to properly pay respects to the lost and limited art of "true" mafioso rap. There is only one Godfather and that is Kool G. Rap, so, naturally Episode 83 is laced with plenty of his best mafia influenced tracks, but we also show love to mid-90s where lyricis...

Episode 82 is a homage to the fallen soldiers in hip-hop.  With overwhelming amount of new music and new artists, it’s easy to sometimes forget those who helped paved the way. Those who provided the soundtrack to our lives. Those who influenced us throughout the years. The pioneers, the legends and the young talent taken from us too soon.  On Gone But Not Forgotten we play some of our favorites as...

Whether you're an 80s baby or a 90s baby, this episode is for you. Whether you grew up on the Fat Boys or the Lost Boyz, this tribute is for you. D&D Studios is the most important studio in hip-hop history. Period. It's responsible for countless anthems such as Danger, Whutcha Want, Who Got Da Props, Ain't No Nigga, Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimas & Benz, Ante Up and DWYCK to name a few. It's responsible...

We're also starting off the year right with special guest Pharoahe Monch. Making this his 3rd appearance on TIP, we discuss the forthcoming album A Magnificent Day For An Exorcism. Pharoahe breaks down the making of this album and what Th1rt3en is all about.  He also shares the reaction some rappers like Nas and Black Thought had when hearing the record. We got some Spitkicker stories. We got MF D...

Episode 80 is part 2 of our 2020 Year In Review. We've play some of our favorites from from Boldy James, Ka, 38 Spesh, Aesop Rock, Lyric Jones, Lord Goat, Open Mike Eagle, NapsNDreds, Sankofa, Hus Kingpin, Big Ghost, Illogic, Billy Danze and Steve God Cook$ to name a few. With over 56 tracks and 3 1/2 hours of music, we wrap-up 2020 TIP style. Before we get business, I have to say thank you all fo...

Episode 79 sets off our 5th season of Take It Personal Radio. On this episode, we're bringing you our Year In Review and since there was a lot of dope material that dropped in 2020, we're making the Year In Review a 2-parter.  We're playing some of our favorites, your favorites and some of the hidden gems of 2020 on these shows. We've got music from Black Thought, Roc Marciano, Th1rt3en, The LOX,...

Episode 78 is our 4th anniversary special. After the crazy year we've all had, it felt right to end 2020 with a TIP celebration. We've produced over 23 episodes, close to 90 hours of content, including 7 tributes, 2 album spotlights and some pretty memorable, informative and occasionally contentious interviews with artists like R.A. The Rugged Man, The Beatnuts, Spice 1, Jeru The Damaja, Ras Kass,...

​Episode 78 is our 4th anniversary special. After the crazy year we've all had, it felt right to end 2020 with a TIP celebration. We've produced over 23 episodes, close to 90 hours of content, including 7 tributes, 2 album spotlights and some pretty memorable, informative and occasionally contentious interviews with artists like R.A. The Rugged Man, The Beatnuts, Spice 1, Jeru The Damaja, Ras Kass...

Episode 77 is tribute to the '94 classic The Sun Rises in the East by Jeru The Damaja. We sit down with D. Original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel himself, as we break down track-by-track on the masterpiece he created with DJ Premier. Jeru shares some amazing stories about both Guru and Preem as well.    Remember, you can stream and subscribe to to our shows directly on TakeItPersonalRadio.com. We're also...

Episode 77 is tribute to the '94 classic The Sun Rises in the East by Jeru The Damaja. We sit down with D. Original Dirty Rotten Scoundrel himself, as we break down track-by-track on the masterpiece he created with DJ Premier. This is our 2nd album spotlight episode, so what better way to continue the trend than with The Sun Rises in the East? In typical TIP fashion, we interview Jeru for over two...

Episode 76 is the 5th and final installment of our 1995 Tribute. We've got joints from Fat Joe, Lost Boyz, Heather B, Jamal, The Roots, Chino XL, Naughty By Nature and we finally bless ya'll with the Southern hip-hop tribute of the series. We also have our Get On Down winners announced on this episode!  With 5 episodes dedicated to 1995, clocking in over 20+ hours of music, if this tribute doesn't...

Episode 75 is our 4th installment of our 1995 Tribute. We start things off with some of our '95 favorites; featuring Da Bush Babees, Mobb Deep, Mad Skillz, A Tribe Called Quest and Jeru The Damager. Then with head to west to showcase some of the best the underground and independent movement had to offer. We have music from Ras Kass, Mannish, The Pharcyde, The Alkaholiks, Souls of Mischief, Dilated...

Episode 74 is our 3nd installment of our 1995 Tribute. On this show, we take you to the Shaolin Isle, as we cover the '95 Wu classics and affiliates. On the flipside, we've got music from Fat Joe, Special Ed, Mic Geronimo, Big L, Das EFX and Ill Al Skratch to name a few. We also have some exciting news - Take It Personal is NOW available on Amazon Music. So, now you can now tell Alexa to Play Take...

Episode 73 is our 2nd installment of our 1995 Tribute. If we didn't already change your mind last episode about '95 being the best year, well, this might just do it! We dive into the classics, the anthems, the remixes, and then on the flipside we head to the West as we play some of it's best of '95. We're talking Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, Luniz,  2Pac, E-40, The Dogg Pound, Too Short, Cypress Hill and The...

Episode 72 is our 1st installment of our 1995 Tribute. We're about to make one hell of a convincing case as to why 1995 was the greatest year in hip-hop. Why it had the best production, the best singles, the best remixes and some of the best replay value in hip-hop history. And this is all coming from few guys who didn't even pick 1995, when we did our favorite years episode a few years back. We'v...

Episode 71 takes it back to the 90s with music from Shyheim, House of Pain, The Artifacts, Redman, Lord Finesse and Kool G. Rap. Plus, we dug deep in the obscure record crates with Private Investigators, Now Born Click, N-Tense, Da King & I, World Renown, Joe Sinistr and Hard 2 Obtain. At the break, we share our thoughts on the new Nas album Kings Disease and discuss if DJ Premier still brings tha...

Episode 70 is a little breather from our recent tributes and interviews. We got some new(er) music on deck like Felt, Blu & Exile, One Be Lo, Boldy James, Flee Lord, Mach Hommy, J.U.I.C.E., The Starting 5ive, Him Lo, AZ, Buckwild & Reks to name a few. At the break we discuss the anniversary of O.C.'s Jewelz and the group decides if this is better than Word...Life. We also discuss another anniversa...

During our exclusive interview with Black Thought, we discuss the upcoming Streams of Thought, Vol. 3 album. We discuss working with Danger Mouse and the late Kobe Bryant, as well as the upcoming musical he wrote and will be starring in titled "Black No More". We find out if there's a new Roots album on it's way, delve into some Roots stories such as Malik B, Razhel, getting signed to Geffen and w...

Episode 69 is part 2 of our Black Thought Tribute. We continue our exclusive interview with Black Thought, and l ace you with 2 ridiculous mixes that showcases the immense talents of Tarik Trottier. We got the classics, the collabos and even the crossover jawns. And by now, you know how TIP gets down, so expect a few surprises! We recorded our interview prior to the tragic passing of Malik B. It's...

Episode 69 is part 2 of our Black Thought Tribute. We continue our exclusive interview with Black Thought, and l ace you with 2 ridiculous mixes that showcases the immense talents of Tarik Trottier. We got the classics, the collabos and even the crossover jawns. And by now, you know how TIP gets down, so expect a few surprises! We recorded our interview prior to the tragic passing of Malik B. It's...

Episode 68 is reminder to always think big. This was a long time in the making and sometimes, dreams become reality. Black Thought isn't just one of our favorites, he is arguably the greatest rapper in the game. And despite where he might be on your top list, there is no doubt that after you listen to our Black Thought Tribute, he will be bumped up in your ranking. A rapper of this magnitude deser...