Like a mixtape

So, I generally try to keep it positive around here, but I’m afraid I don’t have many good things to say about the current state of “mixtapes.” I *understand* it, mind you. With decreasingly diverse radio options, a slew of new struggling players in the game, and the declining significance of the “album,” rappers are forced to put out lots of product in order to stay known/relevant. The unfortunate result is that most mixtapes sound like first drafts of albums. In a way, mediocre mixtapes by good artists are even worse than bad ones; they just leave you wishing they’d tweaked the thing a little bit more and instead made it a real album. Speaking of, does anyone do mixtapes like back when they were tapes? As in, a DJ pulls together a bunch of good songs, all from DIFFERENT artists? Besides the T.R.O.Y. “Sounds like the 90’s” series, I don’t know of many others. But, perhaps there’s hope — the inspiration for this post was none other than the Black Thought/J. Period “Live Mixtape” from Toronto. Greatness! (Off the record, I wish Black Thought rhymed more like this on the Roots albums as...