As the front man for the legendary group Public Enemy Chuck D helped revolutionize the rap game by bringing political, social and cultural consciousness to the forefront of hip hop discussion. Following Public Enemy’s success a number of groups came forward with a foundation in Afrocentrism. The production team, The Bomb Squad consisting of Chuck D, Hank & Keith Shocklee, and Eric “Vietnam” Sadler, created a dense, ferocious rock infused sound unlike anything that came before them to outline PE’s scathing narratives. In addition to their lyrical content and sound, PE also pioneered a number of other hip hop movements including the first rap world tours, introduced the first hype man in Flavor Flav, and released the first albums on mp3. We caught up with Chuck following his work on Ali Rap to discuss a number of topics. In a conversation that lasted roughly two hours we talked about the creation of P.E., his relationship with Flavor Flav, Ice Cube, politics and a lot in between.

As the front man for the legendary group Public Enemy Chuck D helped revolutionize the rap game by bringing political, social and cultural consciousness to the forefront of hip hop discussion. Following Public Enemy’s success a number of groups came forward with a foundation in Afrocentrism. The production team, The Bomb Squad consisting of Chuck D, Hank & Keith Shocklee, and Eric “Vietnam” Sadler, created a dense, ferocious rock infused sound unlike anything that came before them to outline PE’s scathing narratives. In addition to their lyrical content and sound, PE also pioneered a number of other hip hop movements including the first rap world tours, introduced the first hype man in Flavor Flav, and released the first albums on mp3. We caught up with Chuck following his work on Ali Rap to discuss a number of topics. In a conversation that lasted roughly two hours we talked about the creation of P.E., his relationship with Flavor Flav, Ice Cube, politics and a lot in between.

CL Smooth, a.k.a. the Mecca Don, came onto the scene in the early 90s with his partner and producer Pete Rock following Heavy D. and The Boyz as one of the landmark groups to hail from Mount Vernon, NY. He and Pete managed to put out an EP and two well received albums before CL hung up the mic while at his peak. It was their chemistry, Pete’s obscure jazzy beats and CL’s penchant for thought provoking rhymes that led to the creation of classics like Straighten it Out, Mecca and the Soul Brother, and what many have called the greatest hip hop song of all time They Reminisce Over You. After ten years out of the game, CL is back sans his former partner to close the final chapter with his album “American Me.” Unfortunately, there’s no love loss between he and Pete. So if you were expecting or hoping for a reunion you might as well give that up. Peep the interview as CL breaks down the relationship with he and Pete and discusses his past, present and future.

This is a man that truly needs no introduction. He stepped on the scene in the mid eighties and proceeded to change the game based on his laid back flow and lyrics steeped in lessons. He’s your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper and you’d be hard pressed to find an emcee that Rakim ‘ain’t influenced.’ In the second half of a two-part, two-hour super exclusive interview Halftime caught up with the God MC himself to talk about his career from day 1 to now and all points in between including coming up as a fledgling emcee in Long Island to his new deal and up coming album. In the second hour we talk to Ra about a bit more about his time at Aftermath, why he isn’t all on mixtapes, the concept behind his new record, another writing style and get even more personal as we talk about his family life, finances, and more. It’s probably one of the most personal and revealing Rakim interviews to date – Part 2. Check it out.

This is a man that truly needs no introduction. He stepped on the scene in the mid eighties and proceeded to change the game based on his laid back flow and lyrics steeped in lessons. He’s your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper and you’d be hard pressed to find an emcee that Rakim ‘ain’t influenced.’ In the first of a two-part, two-hour super exclusive interview Halftime caught up with the God MC himself to talk about his career from day 1 to now and all points in between including coming up as a fledgling emcee in Long Island to his new deal and up coming album. In the first hour we get at Ra about a rumored battle between him and Freddie Foxxx, take an in depth look into his writing style including him explaining how he writes verses backwards as well as his production and family. It’s probably one of the most personal and revealing Rakim interviews to date. Check it out.

It’s not a stretch to say GZA is the epitome of an emcee’s emcee. This man loves rhyming and takes his craft extremely seriously. As the ‘head’ of the Wu-Tang Clan he rose to prominence with sharp rhymes and layered lyrics that leave you discovering new meanings after almost every listen. We got up with the Genius to talk about his development as an MC, his feelings on ODB’s passing and of course rhyming, rhyming, and more rhyming. Oh did I mention his love for country?? Enjoy.

O.C., the self proclaimed slept on phenomenon, is a favorite of the Halftimeonline.com staff. His debut, Word..Life, is one of my favorite albums and ranks among many of the classic records in hip hop powered by the underground smash, Time’s Up. Although he’s put in mad years in the game, solo and as apart of the crew Diggin In The Crates, he has never garnered the acclaim of some of his fellow lyricists like Nas or Jay-Z. However, that hasn’t stopped him from moving forward releasing new records through Hiero Imperium. In what is probably one of the longest O.C. interviews, we caught up with O to talk about his intro to the game, creativity in hip hop, Big L and why he won’t rock on the same bill as KRS-ONE. Enjoy.

O.C., the self proclaimed slept on phenomenon, is a favorite of the Halftimeonline.com staff. His debut, Word..Life, is one of my favorite albums and ranks among many of the classic records in hip hop powered by the underground smash, Time’s Up. Although he’s put in mad years in the game, solo and as apart of the crew Diggin In The Crates, he has never garnered the acclaim of some of his fellow lyricists like Nas or Jay-Z. However, that hasn’t stopped him from moving forward releasing new records through Hiero Imperium. In what is probably one of the longest O.C. interviews, we caught up with O to talk about his intro to the game, creativity in hip hop, Big L and why he won’t rock on the same bill as KRS-ONE. Enjoy.