RSSMixtapes and The Net
Jul 16
art, internet, music No Comments
For those of you who are not inside the know, a mixtape can be a compilation of songs, tracks, drops, skits, and rap freestyles recorded onto a compact audio cassette or compact audio disc. Mixtapes originated inside the 70′s by well-known Disc Jockeys (DJ’s) based in New York City. Pioneering DJ’s for instance Kool Herc, Hollywood, Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash would perform at clubs, parties and parks through the city and at the same time they would record these events onto audio cassettes. These well-known audio cassettes were initially known as “party tapes” then as time went on they later became known as “mixtapes”.
As hip-hop music progressed mixtapes became a sub culture of the whole hip-hop movement. Throughout the 80′s and 90′s mixtapes gained popularity through key cities and small towns within the United States and eventually through the world.
Mixtapes have grown a lot more well-known more than the years mainly because of the web. I can recall only a couple of years ago there were only about ten or so key mixtape sites on the net, now you can find literally numerous hundred. Some have popped up over night & have disappeared just as quickly. If you take the opportunity to google the word mixtapes you’ll see exactly what I mean.
There was a time when you could log onto a mixtape website and only purchase the “sticker or cover” of a mixtape in order to receive the actual physical mixtape(s). Now you can find sites that allow you to download entire mixtapes for a membership fee. This method is cheaper and a quicker way of getting access to the hot music you want to hear, mainly because you won’t have to pay for shipping fees and wait for the mixtapes to be delivered. But the original method of obtaining mixtapes via online and having them shipped to your door or P.O. Box may still be the most well-known.
I’m not too sure how long this online mixtape game will last, but for now enjoy it!