Take It Personal Podcast "Indie Hip-Hop Tribute Pt.2"

Episode 60 is the 2nd installment of Take It Personal Radio's indie hip-hop tribute. This time they’re joined by Shawn J. Period, a major player in the indie movement. They discuss his days on Big Beat, his first group Down South and his collaborations with Mos Def, Heltah Skeltah, Da Bush Babees, Mad Skillz and The Artifacts. This is an XXL episode clocking in over 5 ½ hours of music and discussion. You'll hear joints from Company Flow, Kool Keith, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Non Phixon, MF DOOM, J-Live, Wee Bee Foolish, The Arsonists, Eminem, People Under The Stairs, 7L & Esoteric, Jedi Mind Tricks, Natural Elements, Godfather Don, Juggaknots, Royce Da 5’9, Pharoahe Monch, Common, Mr. Lif, Atmosphere and so much MORE! "If you were all up on IRC, AOL or Prodigy chat, copped records at Fat Beats after a slice of Joe's Pizza, maybe ordered from Sandboxautomatic or Hiphopsite and repped labels like Fondle ‘Em, Rawkus, Def Jux, Stones Throw, Hydra, GuessWyld, Eastern Conference, ABB, Anticon, Hiero or Rhymesayers, then THIS episode is for your!" Sincerely, the Take It Personal Crew. Much respect to the good homie, Philaflava. Listen to the tribute below...

DJ Krush "Selections" (12", 1997)

Released in 1997, DJ Krush dropped a 12" in advance of his album "MiLight," showcasing more of the Hip-Hop side of what might otherwise be considered a trip-hop or electro album. Diggin' into the underground, DJ Krush tagged Mos Def, Tragedy Khadafi, and Finsta Bundy as featured MCs, along with an instrumental feature from Shawn J. Period. Despite being released on a label that was dance music-focused called FFRR (Full Frequency Range Recordings), "Selections" has all the makings of a classic-sounding boombap 12". Mo Wax Records had a bunch of the DJ Krush and DJ Shadow records, which also makes sense. Anyhow, you can stream all four tracks from the full 12" below...

Blind Mice "The Book Of BM" (12", 1997)

"Blind Mice brings it to you raw!!" Shadow (Super Hydraulic Advanced Doer Of Words) and Da Five Sixx were Blind Mice. The Brooklyn duo released this 12" in 1997 on MCI Entertainment Records. It was their second 12" - the first being "A New Beginning" in '96 - on MCI. The hype sticker on their debut 12" was that they were "Vibe Magazine's Notes From The Underground Champion in July 1996;" however the Vibe article pulled from their demo and was actually discussing the B-Side to their second 12"; the Shawn J Period-produced  "Paper Chasers." "With a pinch of rugged goodness and a twist of Native Tongue-style consciousness, Blind Mice drop clever lyrics while the hypnotizing beats from producer Shawn J. Period lull you into their zone." Vibe, June-July, 1996.

Shawn J. Period also produced a track on that first 12" called "How Many?," and while I'm not certain how Shawn J Period and Blind Mice connected, for certain he was doing his thing at the time so it was a good look. The 12" was also mixed by Duro, who was called "Super Engineer Duro," in the years to follow, because he engineered so many classic records in the mid to late 90s. Production on the A-Side, "The Book of BM" was handled by the duo's own 5'6. You can listen to the 12" below. (Update: I'm not sure if it's a glitch, but I'm noticing a few embeds show 0:00 on some of the tracks, yet they play normal? I uploaded these 12" files to Audiomack years ago, so not sure what's up. If it's a common issue or you have problems with it, just let me know on DM or Email. Thanks - Sav)