Take It Personal Radio

On this flashback of Take It Personal, we're hitting you with a combined remastered version of episodes 86 & 87, our Kool G. Rap Tribute. This 7+ hour episode features music from one of the most prolific rappers to ever touch mic.   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, th...

Chances are you listen to Take It Personal because you're stuck in the golden era. But every once in a while, we feel it's our responsibility to put a spotlight on today's music.   On episode 165, we're do all of the heavy lifting to help you diversify your bonds. We always be a 90's centric show at heart, but we feel you might be missing out on some great music, especially fro...

Ever since we first heard “Free Style Ghetto” off King Tee’s IV Life album, we were all-in on Xzibit. Here was this hungry rapper, sporting this distinct husky voice with an extraordinary flow, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him later on become a household name. Whether you first heard him with King Tee, Tha Alkaholiks or maybe you first caught Xzibit on Bitch Please or What’s The Differen...

Take It Personal is back with our 1st show of 2022. On episode 100, we decided to do something a little different, something a little more personal. Each member hand picked 10 of their favorite tracks of all-time. 4 mixes in all. You, the listener, will decide which is the best 10-track mix of the 4.   And as a little added bonus, we teamed up with Get On Down to giveaway a bunch of classic vinyl...

Since Y2K, 3K became a part-time rapper. It's been a discussion for the last 25 years. After Stankonia dropped, there were frequent rumors about Outkast was breaking up to pursue solo careers. Those rumors lingered for years, then we got what we thought was going to be their last album as a group. Thanks to some label politics, contractual obligations and marketing trickery at its finest, we d...

No, this isn't a Grand Puba album spotlight, although he is certainly deserving of one. This is quick trip down memory lane, where the music wasn't as dark, the tracks had more bounce, more harmony and in some cases, more flavor. We're dusting off those Girbaud jeans, that favorite Tommy Hilfiger you wore twice-a-week to school and your fresh '92 Polo Sport jacket.  We got the perfect music to acc...

On episode 161, we're hitting you with some winter vibes. Grab your Triple Fat Goose, your Helly Hansen or dust-off that Avirex and get ready for a cold one. We got music from Group Home, GZA, Smoothe da Hustler, Shadez of Brooklyn, Finsta Bundy, Choclair, Real Live, Mobb Deep, Onyx, Frankenstein, Fat Joe, Lord Finesse and Mic Geronimo. You've still got time to enter our Get On Down giveaway, list...

This is part 2 of our 1988 Tribute and we've teamed up with Get On Down to giveaway some goodies from '88 like vinyl from Run-D.M.C., Kid 'N Play, Too $hort and even a dope-ass Slick Rick action figure.  We're hitting you with 2 jam-packed mixes featuring classics from EPMD, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Geto Boys, MC Shy D, Masters of Ceremony, Original Concept, N.W.A., Jungle Brothers, 2 Live Crew,...

We're back with another banger. This marks our 9th season of Take It Personal and we couldn't think of a better way to start-off the new year. This is part 1 of our 1988 Tribute and we're hitting you with everything from Public Enemy, EPMD, Slick Rick, Ultramagnetic MC's , Big Daddy Kane, N.W.A., Boogie Down Productions, Kool G. Rap & DJ Polo, Jungle Brothers, Biz Markie, Stetsasonic, Ice-T, M...

Most of you failed miserably with our last Have You Heard episode, so we're running it back to close-out 2024.   This show has 28 tracks, featuring bootlegs, b-sides, deep album cuts and remixes.  Keep count of each song you've heard before. Don't count the original versions, just the ones you hear on this episode.     We're going on the honor system and there's no honor in being a crumb bum. Keep...

On episode 151, we're teleporting back to 1995. If you had a 5-disc CD changer in the whip, chances are you had Dah Shinin' in one of those slots.   Tek and Steele announced their presence with authority on Enta da Stage in '93, then dropped the classic Bucktown b/w Let's Git It On single in early '94, which had everyone patiently waiting for their album.  In January '95, the wait was over and Dah...

On episode 149, we're honoring this 1993 musical masterpiece. This classic ATCQ album embodies everything that made us me fall in love with hip-hop. It was pure perfection. An absolute game changer and the album that helped usher in the 2nd golden era. Like what we’ve recently done with Paul’s Boutique, we strip this album completely and build it back using original samples in true TIP fashion. We...

On episode 148, we've got a bunch of new(er) music on deck like Rakim, Common & Pete Rock, Madlib, Conway The Machine, Chuck Strangers, Supastition, 2Mex, Fashawn, Apathy, Mach-Hommy, Your Old Droog, Crimeapple & Big Ghost Ltd, Rome Streetz, Da Beatminerz, Spice 1, Marv Won, Slum Village, Roc Marciano and Tha Dogg Pound to name a few.   Plus, we have Pharoahe Monch stopping by to discuss h...

Episode 144 is our final installment of our 2-part Little Brother tribute. We're finishing up this homage with your favorites from their illustrious catalog, as well as the compilations, mixtapes and other dope collabos. Our exclusive interview with Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh is now streaming on all platforms. Be sure to check out our new items in the TIP store and if you enter promo code "BROTHER...

Welcome to season 7 of your favorite podcast. On episode 140, we're paying homage to a time in hip-hop, where the underground dominated our decks and digging at Fat Beats was the ultimate high. We've done 3 tributes to the indie hip-hop era, but sometimes you just want an episode to take you back to that special place.    If you ever experienced running up those steps to Fat Beats to cop the lates...

Episode 143 is part 1 of our Little Brother tribute. We're deep diving in their catalog and hitting you with your favorites, the collabos, the bootlegs and b-sides, the mixtape joints and both Pooh and Phonte's solo work.    Our exclusive interview with Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh is now streaming on all platforms. Be sure to check out our new items in the TIP store and if you enter promo code "BRO...

On Episode 133, we linked up with Kool Keith and Ced Gee of Ultramagnetic MC's to discuss their legendary careers. Both originators and innovators, who helped usher in a new sound, all while laying the blueprint down for the underground.   What started out an interview dissecting things in chronological order, turned into a session of guys having fun, cracking jokes and some very forthright and do...

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 94 is our 5th and final installment of our 1993 tribute. We close-out the series with music from Souls of Mischief, A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Eazy-E, Ultramagnetic MC's, Kurious, M.O.P., Black Moon, Preacher Earl, Shadz of Lingo, Rumplestilkinz and Shyheim.   And speaking of Shyheim, you know we had to share our thoughts on the whole Drink Champs fiasco. At the break we discuss the...

Episode 120 is part 2 of our J Dilla Tribute, it also marks the start of our 7th season doing Take It Personal. We started this podcast in 2016 as an excuse to get together and listen to some great music. Who knew this would bring so many people together from all walks of life? We went from talking about rappers on this show to eventually interviewing the very best of them. Rappers we grew up idol...

Episode 119 is our tribute to one of the greatest producers of all-time, J Dilla. Whether you knew him as Jon Doe, Jay Dee, J. Yancey, Dilla Dog or just Dilla, you knew him as the most influential producer hip-hop has seen in the last quarter century. J Dilla wasn't just a musical genius. He reinvented the way hip-hop was being created. His passion, imagination and the prowess displayed on each tr...

Episode 92 is our 3rd installment of our 1993. This show is 100% dedicated to west coast and features music from Digital Underground, Cypress Hill, Tha Alkaholiks, Freestyle Fellowship, Mac Dre, Mac Mall, Spice 1, Too $hort, C-Bo, Pac, Snoop, Cube, Kam, MC Eiht and Souls of Mischief to name a few.   At the break, we discuss Ice Cube's Lethal Injection and the Menace To Society soundtrack and u...

Episode 91 is our 2nd installment of our 1993 Tribute. And while many of your are patiently awaiting for that new Christmas by Kanye record, here's 3 hours of Take It Personal to remind you of when hip-hop was fun.   We've got joints by A Tribe Called Quest, Biz Markie, De La Soul, Akinyele, The Beatnuts, Wu-Tang Clan, Black Moon, Now Born Click, L.O.T.U.G., Tragedy, Da Youngsta's, Digable Planets...

Episode 90 is our 1st installment of our 1993 Tribute. Last year we put together a strong case as to why we thought 1995 was one of the greatest years. This time around we're paying homage to 1993, my favorite year in hip-hop.    We've got the classics, the commercial jawns, the remixes, and in typical TIP fashion, the obscure records as well. We aren't sure how deep this tribute will...

On this flashback of Take It Personal, we're hitting you with a special tribute to celebrate the life and the career of Prodigy of Mobb Deep. We combined parts 1 and 2 for this remastered episode. We have 5 extraordinary guests, each one sharing unique, personal stories about Prodigy. Shouts out to DJ Premier, Bonz Malone, Meyhem Lauren, Domingo and Ras Kass for being a huge part of this prope...