Take It Personal

Oakland is a city filled with dynasties teams. You had the Raiders, the A’s and most recently, the Warriors. But this Oakland collective, better known as the Hieroglyphics Crew, had a dynasty of their own. Founded by Del the Funky Homosapien, this was squad rolled deep, very deep. They were like the Wu before the Wu even existed.

Hieroglyphics featured many  personalities and styles ranging from Del, Casual, Pep Love, Domino, Opio, Phesto, Tajai, A-Plus, Jay-Biz, Mike G, Snupe, Extra Prolific to Toure. Their 3rd eye logo is immediately recognizable as are many of their classics cuts. This mini-mix is from our West Coast Classic series, and while we only scratched the surface, this Hiero tribute serves as a great reminder of the their dominance in hip-hop.

Oaktown is full of legends like Rickey Henderson, Bill Russell, Kamala Harris, Tom Hanks, Mark Hamill, Bruce and Brandon Lee, Gary Payton, Marshawn Lynch, 2Pac, Paul Pierce, MC Hammer, Tony! Toni! Tone!, Frank Oz, The Pointer Sisters, Too $hort, Mac Dre, Clint Eastwood, Zendaya, one-time Hiero affiliate Mahershala Ali , and the muthaf*ckin' Hieroglphics crew!

 We could write-up a colorful description to entice you to listen, but we’re talking about Redman.

If you know how Take It Personal does interviews, you know we cover just about everything. We ask the questions most don’t and know sh*t most don’t. Reggie Noble is charismatic, energetic, honest, informative, appreciative and in typical Redman fashion, HILARIOUS in this interview! Remember for more info, all of our shows and downloads, you can check us out @ TakeItPersonalRadio.com.

There aren’t many rappers deserving of a 7 hour tribute, but we’re talking Redman here. On part 2,  we hit you with countless hours of music covering his looseys, remixes and ridiculously dope collabos. We remind you how the Def Squad was a force to be reckoned with.

The chemistry between Erick, Keith and Redman was a thing of beauty. We also have the Wu features, the collabos with Tame One, Kris Kross, Pete Rock, M.O.P., Meth, Eightball, Scarface and Snoop Dogg. And you know we had to throw in some surprises, too. I once said in jest we’re the “King of The Tributes,” but after this, Preem, Pete Rock, Pharoahe Monch, Wu-Tang, KRS-One, Prodigy, Atmosphere, Southern, West Coast, Indie, Philly Hip-Hop and The Native Tongues tribute, it just might be the truth.

Redman is one of a kind. I really can’t think of another rapper like him. Not in style, not in sound and definitely not with his personality. As I told Redman during our interview, it’s hard to name another rapper of as likable as him.

Redman is ridiculously funny, constantly entertaining and his energy is through the roof. Not to mention, he is honest to a fault. You have to love those qualities in a person, let alone a rapper. In terms of rapping tho, he’s been doing this officially since 1990. That’s almost 3 decades! Most rappers don't have that kind of longevity and certainly most haven't been able to maintain a career without their skills deteriorating. If you listen to Redman today, he’s as sharp as he was back when he debuted with EPMD. During this 2-part tribute, we pay homage to Redman aka Funk Doctor Spock aka Mr. Reggie Noble. We cover the classics, the remixes and both the hip-hop and R&B collabos. We got all the Def Squad collabos too. We cover the joints with Cypress Hill, KRS-One, Boyz II Men, Wu Tang, D'Angelo, LL Cool J all the way to MC Eiht.

A rapper of this magnitude deserves a proper tribute, which is why we decided to make this into a 2-parter. On Part 2, we feature our Redman interview, as well as few more necessary mixes to help properly celebrate his career. You can currently stream that interview on our Vevo channel www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfOs8fo0nIk if you don’t wish to wait for part 2. Part 1 is just a taste, so stay tuned as we got more dope shit in store for our Redman tribute.

Episode 44 is a continuation of our Beats, Baseball and Brews theme. On part 2, we talked to actor, director and sometimes rapper, Stu Stone. We delve into his recent film “Jack of All Trades,” and discuss the nostalgia of baseball cards, rapping with Jamie Kennedy, acting in Donnie Darko and touring Iraq with Paul Wall. And since Stu is from T-Dot, we had to play some Canadian hip-hop this episode.  We also have throwbacks from Black Moon, Artifacts, Krown Rulers, Wee Bee Foolish, Big Daddy Kane, Das EFX, Showbiz & AG, Heltah Skeltah and Fat Joe. Plus, new music by DJ Premier, Your Old Droog and Horror City. 

This was a fun episode with a panel of discussion, great music and special guest Rhymecology dropped a gem on us. Please remember, our shows are available on takeitpersonalradio.com, where you can stream or download them directly. We post all the track listings there too. Take It Personal can be heard on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, iHeart Radio, SoundCloud, Stitcher, PlayerFM and anyplace that hosts great podcasts. We also have an exclusive VEVO channel where you can stream our exclusives interviews like Redman, Murs, Erick Sermon, DJ Premier, KRS-One, Slug and Pharoahe Monch. To all of you who listen, support and motivate us, we can’t thank you enough!

Episode 44 is a continuation of our Beats, Baseball and Brews theme. On part 2, we talked to actor, director and sometimes rapper, Stu Stone. We delve into his recent film “Jack of All Trades,” and discuss the nostalgia of baseball cards, rapping with Jamie Kennedy, acting in Donnie Darko and touring Iraq with Paul Wall. And since Stu is from T-Dot, we had to play some Canadian hip-hop this episode.  We also have throwbacks from Black Moon, Artifacts, Krown Rulers, Wee Bee Foolish, Big Daddy Kane, Das EFX, Showbiz & AG, Heltah Skeltah and Fat Joe. Plus, new music by DJ Premier, Your Old Droog and Horror City. 

This was a fun episode with a panel of discussion, great music and special guest Rhymecology even dropped some gems. Please remember, our shows are available on takeitpersonalradio.com, where you can stream or download them directly. We post all the track listings there too. Take It Personal can be heard on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, iHeart Radio, SoundCloud, Stitcher, PlayerFM and anyplace that hosts great podcasts. We also have an exclusive VEVO channel where you can stream our exclusives interviews like Redman, Murs, Erick Sermon, DJ Premier, KRS-One, Slug and Pharoahe Monch. To all of you who listen, support and motivate us, we can’t thank you enough!!

 Murs is more than just a rapper. He’s a dedicated father, hip-hop historian, an avid wrestling fan, amazing story-teller, and now, proud owner of a new cherry & waffles stout beer.

We caught up with Murs while he was dealing with an unpleasant stomach bug, but being the professional that he is, Murs stuck it out for over 90 minutes with us. His stories are fascinating. Whether he is talking about DJ Quik cooking chicken soup for him, Brother Ali being scared of shellfish or El-P throwing down in a Denny’s parking lot, this interview is packed with gems for days. We also discuss everything from Living Legends, Def Jux, Strange Music, Warner Brothers, Paid Dues, 9th Wonder, Will Smith and the possibility of Felt 4 with Sluggo.

Murs is a down-to-earth, self-deprecating, fun-loving guy, who is exactly the same both on and off record. He is relatable, likable and extremely personable. Be on the look out for his upcoming album with 9th Wonder titled The Illiad Is Dead And The Odyssey Is Over. He is also on hitting the road so be sure to check for him if he is coming to your city! Thanks to Murs and to all of you who listen, support and rock with Take It Personal!

Episode 43 celebrates some of our favorite things in life. So, it only made sense to title this episode Beats, Baseball and Brews. And who better to have a chat with about these things than the homie Murs? Besides being a dope rapper, he’s a dedicated father, hip-hop historian, an avid wrestling fan, amazing story-teller, and now, proud owner of a new cherry & waffles stout beer. We caught up with Murs while he was dealing with an unpleasant stomach bug, but being the professional that he is, Murs stuck it out for over 90 minutes on the phone. His stories are fascinating. Whether he is talking about DJ Quik cooking chicken soup for him, Brother Ali being scared of shellfish or El-P throwing down in a Denny’s parking lot, this interview is packed with gems. We also discuss everything from Living Legends, Def Jux, Strange Music, Warner Brothers, Paid Dues, 9th Wonder, Will Smith and the possibility of Felt 4 with Sluggo. Murs is a down-to-earth, self-deprecating, fun-loving guy, who is the same both on and off record. He is relatable, likable and extremely personable.

In addition to the Murs interview music, we got new joints by Erick Sermon, Jack Jones, Meyhem Lauren, Vinnie Paz & Tragedy Khadafi, Ill Bill & Stu Bangas, plus music from J-Live, Main Source, Ultramagnetic MC’s, The Beatnuts, King Tee, Ras Kass, Ice Cube and Phonte. Be on the look-out for his upcoming album with 9th Wonder titled The Illiad Is Dead And The Odyssey Is Over. Murs is currently on the road touring, so check for him if he is coming your way too. Thanks to Murs and to all of you who continue to listen, support and rock with Take It Personal!

Our 2nd anniversary show we featured a phenomenal New Jack Swing tribute. As if 90s R&B wasn't already the best, thanks to guys like Teddy Riley, Dr. Freeze, and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, we were blessed with this amazing style better known as New Jack Swing. We usually stick to hip-hop on Take It Personal, but given the nature of our anniversary show, we had to freak a little something extra for those R&B fiends out there. Enjoy! 

Ice Cube was the best rapper from 1990-1992. I don’t feel that’s up for debate. Some may point out his work on Straight Outta Compton, but it’s hard to overlook Slick Rick in 1988. In 89, while Cube was prepping the release of his debut album with The Bomb Squad, The D.O.C. took home both the MVP and Rookie of The Year honors. But after that, it was all Ice Cube and he had one hellava run.

That 3-year run solidified him among the very best in hip-hop history. If you’re wondering who took the honors of after that, I’d have to give it to Snoop (93), then Nasty Nas (94), then Big (95). But let’s get back to Ice Cube, aiight? Ice Cube released 3 consecutive classic albums, 4 if you want to count his EP (Kill at Will). And it’s not like he just put out consecutive classics like Redman, Scarface, Jay-Z or ATCQ, I’d argue that AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted and Death Certificate are the TWO best back-to-back debut and sophomore releases by any rapper, ever. The magnitude of those releases can’t properly be articulated. They were flawless. They were influential. The had this tremendous impact too, and not just in hip-hop, but in the world we live in. These album helped mold us, even shape the way we think about certain things. It gave us insight on issues we had no idea about.

Ice Cube, like Slick Rick, was as fantastic storyteller and his ability to carry a story was truly special. The Predator is classic material, but not in the same vein as the previous efforts. Lethal Injection was the last really great Cube album. I know nostalgic is a muthafucka and we always have a soft spot for our favorites but if we’re being honest with ourselves, the Ice Cube we knew and loved had taken a great detour after 1993. After his movie dominance, it only made sense Hollywood would take him away from music, which explains why his next album didn’t drop until half a decade later.

You have great rappers but if they don’t have the right producer their work can fall on deaf ears (see what I did there?). The Bomb Squad and Sir Jinx were monumental in making Ice Cube as great as he was during this era. We don’t cover everything on this mix outside of those prime years and while this was originally featured on West Coast Classic II (Episode 15), there was plenty more Ice Cube played throughout our 17+ hour West Coast Classic tribute series. I know people are quick to say Dr. Dre, Snoop and Pac, but in my eyes, Ice Cube is the most important rapper to come from the west coast. If he isn’t among your top 10 rappers of all-time, you either don’t know (new jack Hype Beast sissy) or simply forgot. After you listen to our Ice Cube Tribute Mix, you’ll have no other choice but to include him in your list.