K-Def has been making great Hip-Hop music for 25 years and counting. The New Jersey native just released two albums in The Way It Was and The Unpredictable Gemini. With lots to promote, the Redefinition Records honcho is the latest participant in Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette. Hitting up Jersey City's... Read more

For 25 years, A.G. has been delivering verses that are mental excursions. Showbiz & A.G.'s most lyrical half is a guest on the new album by New Jersey veteran producer K-Def (LL Cool J, Lords Of The Underground, DJ EFN). There, he is joined by producer/MC double-threat Damu The Fudgemunk... Read more

For his Another Time album, Miami, Florida's DJ EFN created a California super collaboration. "Selfish" features King T, Kurupt, and Fashawn—three masters from the last 25 years of Hip-Hop. With a new album fresh in stores, EFN calls upon veteran producer K-Def for the remix. New Jersey's K-Def is a... Read more

Need some underground music in your life? K-Def and Blu have you covered. K-Def provides a RZA-like track, complete with eerie strings, and Blu goes in. Check out The Meeting. Related: Slum Village – Let It Go ft Blu (Audio)... Read more

Along with New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, New Jersey was one of the main city-centers of Northeast Hip-Hop in the early 1990s. The Garden State produced numerous commercially-successful and critically-acclaimed acts, most of which originated in the cities of Newark and its nearby East Orange. Since the '70s, Jersey had... Read more

In October 1993, Digital Underground released The Body-Hat Syndrome, the third of six studio albums released by the Oakland, California collective whose central figure is Greg "Shock G" Jacobs. With their 1990 debut Sex Packets, the crew showcased a signature brand of irreverent humor, textured sampling and devotion to Hip-Hop's core elements.... Read more

Tragedy Khadafi (fka The Intelligent Hoodlum) has been releasing music steadily over the three decades but it's been nearly four years since he released his last solo album. That's all changing now though. The Queensbridge legend has been in the booth heavy since 2014's Pre Magnum Opus and is slated... Read more

West Coast Hip-Hop is incredible. So many of its pioneers are still making albums, doing shows, and adding to their legacy. As a tribute to the Left Coast immense contributions to Hip-Hop, Take It Personal Radio has compiled a four-part episode dedicated to gangsta and underground Rap classics from the... Read more

In the early 1990s, Lords Of The Underground released several successful and acclaimed Hip-Hop albums. DoItAll (aka Dupre Kelly) supplied much of the lyrics of the Newark, New Jersey trio that also included Mr. Funke and DJ Lord Jazz. Teaming up with legendary producer Marley Marl and K-Def, the Pendulum... Read more

Belgian DJ and producer Koss has been linking with some of the most defiant MCs in the game for many years now. With inspiration from Soul, Funk, Jazz, and Psychedelic Rock from the 1960s and the '70s, he intertwines these musical genres with the infectious boom bap of Hip-Hop from... Read more

On October 8, 1991, a group of Hip-Hop minded lovers of Jazz and improvisational artistry calling themselves Freestyle Fellowship dropped To Whom It May Concern. Together, Aceyalone, J. Sumbi, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E., Self Jupiter, and a handful of like-minded creatives were planting the seeds for a vibrant underground underbelly in... Read more

Veteran MC REKS is preparing to release a star-studded new album, his first since 2014. The Greatest X (pronounced The Greatest Unknown) hits stores this Summer, and features production from Large Professor, The Alchemist, Evidence, Statik Selektah, Nottz, Apollo Brown, Black Milk, Buckwild, Streetrunner and more, and includes guest verses... Read more

Almost 20 years ago, 45 King (and Kid Capri) gave Jay Z one of the biggest anthems of his career with "Hard Knock Life." Before the vocal sample trend would define the early 2000s, the original Flavor Unit founder returned to form by letting the cast of Annie chronicle life... Read more

Jeru The Damaja emerged as one of—if not the biggest star of the Gang Starr Foundation. The Brooklyn, New York MC would sign with Guru's Ill Kid Records in the early 1990s, before releasing acclaimed DJ Premier-produced albums The Sun Rises In The East and Wrath Of The Math. Both... Read more

K-Def is one accomplished producer. The New Jersey native is known for his extensive discography, which includes work with Lords Of The Underground, UGK, and Puff Daddy. The onetime protege of Marley Marl, K-Def has maintained a career in music for nearly 25 years. In 1993, Def was hard at... Read more

O.C. is an MC whose biggest albums are not necessarily his best selling. While, the Brooklyn/Queens, New York representative's 1994 debut Word...Life is widely considered an incredible album, the Diggin' In The Crates member has made works to follow that have stood just as tall. Recently, O's Trophies effort with... Read more

Since the 1990s, artists from Massachusetts have aimed to put New England Hip-Hop on the big stage. Between Gang Starr's Guru, Made Men (f/k/a Almighty R.S.O.), and Edo. G, a number of MCs have signed deals large and small. Acts like REKS, Akrobatik, Mr. Lif, 7L & Esoteric, and Termanology... Read more

From Madlib to 9th Wonder, Mainframe to DJ Exile, Edan to Flying Lotus, Blu has made his travels musically, teaming with a litany of producers. This time, the Los Angeles, California native links with New Jersey's K-Def. Not exactly a household name producer, the onetime DJ Marley Marl protege has... Read more

After 20 years of his life devoted to Hip-Hop music and culture, Miami, Florida-based DJ EFN stepped to the front with Another Time. Self-released, the studio album included more than 30 years of MC greats, spanning all regions, styles, and skill-sets. Scarface, Blu, Royce Da 5'9", Killer Mike, MC Eiht,... Read more

New Jersey veteran K-Def has remixed much of DJ EFN's Another Time album. This go-round, the onetime Marley Marl protege invites listeners to revisit "Revolutionary Ride Music," which features verses from Your Old Droog, Royce Da 5'9", REKS, and O.C. In his remix, The Garden State producer takes a more somber... Read more

Within Fashawn's The Ecology, "Higher" is one of the everlasting gems. Fashawn looks at fathers—as a parent himself, with some profound insights. The song is personal, heartfelt, and touching. To core fans of the Fresno, California MC, the DJ Exile-produced "Higher" is a deep extension of his Boy Meets World... Read more

Sometimes MCs benefit from having a chip on their shoulder. Nearly 15 years ago, Kurupt took his frustrations with people trying to holler at his girl (then Foxy Brown), feeling neglected as a West Coast artist, and not feelin' the 2Pac imitations, and made "Callin' Out Names." While the song... Read more

Growing up in the same backdrop of Los Angeles, California, MC Eiht, Kam, and Blu all illustrated the dichotomy of being a wordsmith and a gangsta rapper at the same time. For Eiht, those examples stem back to the mid-1980s in the rise of Comptons Most Wanted, reporting live about... Read more

If the letters D.I.T.C. mean anything to you, you'll appreciate this new remix of a rare  joint from Lord Finesse that was originally released in 1992 (check out the story below).  It's set to the same beat Jay-Z rocked on Sweet and it knocks.  Check out the remix to You... Read more