Take It Personal Podcast "The Debut Episode"

"The Return of Philaflava Show meets DJ 360. Take It Personal features co-hosts Jason Gloss, Kevlar & DJ 360, as we take you down memory lane and back again with nothing but the dopeness. In this 90 minute debut, we featured music by; Meyhem Lauren, Beastie Boys, Ka, Ras Kass, The Game, Apathy, D.I.T.C., Gang Starr, Hail Mary Mallon, De La Soul, Kool G. Rap, Your Old Droog, The Beatnuts and many more." Props and much success to Philaflava, Kevlar & DJ 360... I'm tuned in, they got me!

DJ Juice "Volume 30" (Mixtape, 1996)

Peace to DJ Juice, who always came with the dope Hip-Hop and RNB (blend) tapes in the 90s. This is Volume 30, which features cuts from Busta Rhymes, Rapper Big Noyd and Mobb Deep, Smooth Da Hustler, Bahamadia, Blahzay Blahzay, Fat Joe & Raekwon, Mary J. Blige, The Fugees, D'Angelo, Monifah & AZ, The Notorious B.I.G., Total with Foxy & Lil' Kim, Cella Dwellas and more. A lot of your favorite mixtape DJs of today got their style from the original mix-tape DJs, like JU-ICE, Ron G, etc. If you like some RNB blended in with your Hip-Hop from time to time, check out this '96 mix tape below...

NineToFive Records "Beats & Remakes: Midnight Marauders"

"We are honored to releases the tribute album featuring new flips of all the original “Midnight Marauders” samples.Featuring Hans SOLO (from the world renowned Pro Era Crew), Thovo, Rob Smyles and a pack of fellow beatmakers, see the list down below. The original A Tribe Called Quest classic “Midnight Marauders” from 1993 features 15 of the most well respected and well known tunes of the golden era of hip hop. This album is a true classic in the very essence of the word. In the wake of the untimely death of the groups’ charismatic rapper Phife Dawg, Ninetofive Records’ Linus Maximilian Jonsson along with danish beatmaker Kongchain, decided to pay dues by collecting and curating a batch of beats from Europe's most creative beat heads. The concept was simple: flip the samples that A Tribe Called Quest used on the original album - and do it creatively for a fresh take on a classic. The filtering of the samples on the original songs had even our most technical minded beat conductors scratching their heads. They were actually extremely difficult to emulate, even with today's vast array of digital music production equipment. Nonetheless, the results we are now presenting, are a crisp, contemporary take on sample flipping with swinging rhythmic patterns, dirty filtering and an array of layering to give the beats a broad sonic landscape and a serious head nod factor. We hope you will enjoy our interpretation of this hip hop classic. Of course it doesn’t compare, but it will definitely give an interesting and fresh take on it, which will hopefully turn heads and maybe even get bumped in the jeeps of Linden Boulevard." Listen to the project below...

The Concept of Goodwill Hunting

Goodwill stores (and local thrift shops) are often an untapped resource for collecting old cassettes and vintage vinyl. I've been that guy who wakes up one day and decides he has too much clutter and donates a shitload of cassettes and vinyl. A note to myself: stop doing that, you regret it every time! lol But, for the shopper, it's a nice come-up ... I've been that guy, too. Even having all the music I do, if I see a nice dusty cassette or record in a Goodwill or Salvation Army, I'm rescuing it, on principle. Don't the cassettes in the picture deserve a better home than that? I think so. So, with that said, an ongoing feature on the site will be posting gems I come across in thrift stores and Goodwill shops, it'll be aptly named 'Goodwill Hunting.' By all means, you can share some of your great finds in any posts' comments too. Also, what's the best place to shop in your city? If you're interested in joining the team to search for shops in your area, hit me up. Go forth and flourish!

Nas x Pete Rock "Time Is Illmatic" (Mix)

What more can you ask for: a Nas mixtape done by the legendary Pete Rock! In Pete Rock's words: "I was motivated to produce this mixtape because "Time is Illmatic is a part of hip-hop history that everyone should know about, and have in both their music and now film collection." If you haven't seen the 'Time Is Illmatic' documentary, I agree that it's a must-own for its insight into Nas' vision as a teenager; making 'Illmatic' to his growth as a man and an emcee. His brother, Jungle, is also one of the most colorful personalities, stealing every moment he's featured in on the documentary. I found it a bit difficult to connect with Nas' father, Olu Dara, but I would never judge their relationship and it gave me a greater appreciation for the strength of Nas' mother, who made great sacrifices and raised a resilient family. Lastly, a P.S.A. from DJ Premier, "If Illmatic ain't in your stash, you can never, ever call yourself a hip-hop motherf#cker!" Talk to 'em, Preem! Listen to this great mix below...

Joe Budden "Rage & The Machine" (Album Stream)

Rage & The Machine, the latest album from Joe Budden, with production by AraabMuzick. A lot of the press for this album was overshadowed by the Drake beef, but when the smoke clears - as always - fans will have a lot to digest with this latest offering. Stand-out tracks include: "I Wanna Know," "I Gotta Ask," "Uncle Joe" and "Idols" - whereas, I did not love the featured tracks with Fabolous, Tory Lanez or Joell Ortiz, but I rarely gravitate to the singles. Budden, a front-man for "what to do" and "what NOT to do," and a trailblazer for letting fans behind the curtain, I sit with his projects for weeks to catch all the layers of introspection in his bars. In part, I can see that Joe just wanted to take it back to rhyming - hard beats, dope rhymes & some medicine sprinkled in for those that catch it. I wasn't mad at all when he dropped a Drake diss the same day as "Flex" - again, that track wasn't for me anyway, but the album cuts spoke to me. Peep the full album below...

Canibus Featured In Billboard Magazine (11/01/97)

The title in Billboard (11/1/97) read, "Canibus is a rapper for the future!," and added: "The 22-year old MC known as Canibus has been cultivating quite a solid reputation as a lyrical giant. His dynamic performances are featured on Lost Boyz' "Love, Peace & Nappiness" album (alongside Redman and A+), Common's "Making A Name For Ourselves," and several mix-tape jams. Signed to Universal, with a set due next year, he's armed with a trunkload of high-tech metaphors and is fully equipped to take rap into the future. Canibus drops lasso lines like "Flow's potent as possible, creatin' obstacles three feet high and rising like the chronicles of Posdnuos" ... Over the last few months, tastemakers all over the Big Apple underground, including DJ Clue?? and Funkmaster Flex, have been nominating the artist as the Next Big Thing, but the dedicated poet, who lives in Jersey City, NJ doesn't really get the chance to hear the feedback firsthand or take it to heart. "I come out the crib only to go to the studio or get something to eat," he says." Listen to the classic Clue freestyle, cont'd below...

"Born in Jamaica, the son of famed cricketer Basil Williams, Canibus also lived in Washington, DC and London before settling down in New Jersey. He feels that living all over helped him and his lyrics. "Input equals output," he says, "and what I talk about is what I've been exposed to." ... Inspired by uniquely gifted MCs like Rakim, Redman, Big Daddy Kane, Nas, and Jay-Z, Canibus has been rapping for about a decade. He's been in a coupla crews and considers his tenure in them to be "all a growing process." Always, he says, he was driven by "a love for the art." "I consider myself a connoisseur of information," he offers. "What I give you probably isn't something you haven't heard before, but I take it and get intricate with it. I play with circumstances. I play with concepts."

Rashad & Confidence "The Element of Surprise" (2011)

Rashad & Confidence, two longtime students of the game, finally drop their long-awaited debut album "The Element of Surprise". This up-and-coming MC/producer duo, hailing from Brooklyn and Philly, merged to create a record with a timeless sound reminiscent of hip-hop's golden era but with a fresh, updated feel. With no guest appearances or other producers involved, Rashad & Confidence embody the sound real hip-hop heads yearn to hear, going back to the times of Gang Starr and Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth. The soulful hitting and sample-based boom bap beats courtesy of Confidence capture the pure essence of classic hip-hop production while Rashad's deep and conscious lyrics slice through each track with topics ranging from various life issues to relationships or just raw lyrical display. Push the play button and get taken back to a time when hip-hop only produced classic albums. - Ill Adrenaline Records. A true-school classic, don't sleep on this one...