News & Events
Week of 08.15.2008
News & Events
MIXTAPES ARE THE FOUNDATION OF HIP HOP CULTURE
THE MIXTAPE SERVES AS THE ULTIMATE TOOL FOR UNSIGNED ARTISTS TO GET THEIR FOOT IN THE DOOR
to the hip-hop community. DJs collaborate with unsigned artists and produce a creative mix of the artist’s music
and introduce this music to the culture through free promotional giveaways, free Internet downloading, and satellite
radio spins. This vehicle gives the artist, and the DJ, a chance to get their name known and their music heard. The
best example of this is 50 Cent and DJ Whoo Kid. These two spent two to three years releasing mixtapes prior to
50 Cent releasing his first album. As a result of the buzz created through these mixtapes, 50 Cent’s first album, Get
Rich Or Die Trying, sold 872,000 records in the first week alone, making it one of the highest opening week sales of
any rap album in history. It then went on to sell over 12.5 million copies worldwide. Many industry professionals will
tell you that these record-breaking sales are due to his mixtape presence prior to the release of his album.
The mixtape is also the number one medium that well known artists such as Eminem, Jay Z, Young Jeezy, Lil
Wayne, and others use to stay connected to their core audience between studio releases. Prior to each album
release, these and other established artists will put out mixtapes that feature B-sides, unreleased music, and songs
that did not make it on to the studio album. The mixtapes keep their name fresh, and fans hungry for more. By
the time the studio album is released the fans are rushing to the stores because the mixtapes have created the
much-needed buzz that radio commercials, flyers, and other forms of promotion cannot compete with.
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