Last Friday (April 9), family, friends, and millions of Hip-Hop fans mourned the loss of DMX. The 50-year-old rapper born Earl Simmons passed away at age 50. For the previous week, X had been on life support in White Plains, New York hospital, following a cardiac arrest. Decades into a... Read more

UPDATE: Take It Personal Radio has included the interview in a two-part, mega-mix that clocks in at more than seven hours: ORIGINAL MAY 4 STORY: Recently, Take It Personal Radio hosts DJ 360 and Philaflava took some time to speak with Newark's own Reggie Noble for an in-depth interview. Throughout,... Read more

EPMD is one of those groups that are always mentioned among Hip-Hop's legendary duos, however it always seems like they don't quite get their full due. That was especially true of a mid-1980s contract that the pair of Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith signed. They later got the big payback... Read more

3rd Bass released two gold albums between 1989 and 1991. Twenty-nine years ago this month, Def Jam Records released The Cactus Album, a full-length debut from the New York City collective of MC Serch, Prime Minister Pete Nice, and DJ Richie Rich (aka DJ Daddy Rich). The first single from that... Read more

During the 1980s Def Jam Records reigned supreme. The label, which burgeoned in co-founder Rick Rubin's New York University dorm room, issued several classic albums from legendary artists. These include LL Cool J's Radio, Slick Rick's The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, Rock & Rock Hall of Fame inductees Beastie Boys and... Read more

This spring, the life and death of acclaimed record executive Chris Lighty has been the subject of an investigative podcast series. Combat Jack has created and hosted Mogul, a weekly look at the evolution of the man who managed A Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent,... Read more

Warren Griffin, III is revered as a  Hip-Hop underdog. The MC/producer/DJ better known as Warren G came up as the shy half-brother of Dr. Dre. Raised in Long Beach, California Warren is the man many believe is responsible for the introduction of Snoop Dogg. Warren, keeping the music going at... Read more

In the span of seven months, DMX released two albums which combined went platinum seven times. It was 1998, and the Yonkers, New York rapper was taking the industry by storm, establishing himself as a domineering presence with uncompromising virility. First with May's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot and... Read more

It's been 15 years since Ja Rule released "Put It On Me," his first top-ten hit and one of several charting scorchers on his sophomore album, Rule 3:36. The milestone has set the stage for a look back at the song and its role in shaping Ja Rule's career, and... Read more

As part of its Hip-Hop documentary, The Message, BET conducted the last ever televised interview with Chris Lighty, prior to his death in 2012. As part of that session, Lighty spoke on how he made the transition from working with Russell Simmons and Lyor Cohen at Def Jam/Rush Management to... Read more

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are currently the face of Seattle's scene, but for those on the outside of the Emerald City looking in, there are plenty of others who are steadily grinding their way to relevance in the Hip-Hop industry. One such name to keep your eye on is Raz... Read more

Heads may remember the late '90s, early 2000s HOT 97 "Future Flavas" radio show hosted by Marley Marl and Pete Rock. In the glory days of underground Hip-Hop, this show bridged the gap between old school and emerging greats, with two legends on the boards, transmitting to the tri-state. This... Read more

The video is the latest episode of Bloomberg's Game Changers series which has featured people like Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Sergey Brin (the founders of Google) and Steve Jobs.  It tells the story of Jay-Z's rise from the corner to the corner office.  Click here to see the video.... Read more