Regrets

Now when I hear certain songs, I think about my collection and its significance to my biography and the culture.

Ellect: Rap Attack B-Side

This mixtape was my introduction to Hip-Hop and Rap music as a toddler.

Protected: R3Mx: An Embodied Structured Mixtape

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Jahan Nostra: ESP Recordings (1994)

Mixtape Nostalgia by Jehnie Burns

I have so many mixtape memories from high school and college that I decided to write a book about mixtapes.

Street Dreams

I remember driving home from work and listening to Clue on Hot 97.

January ‘93

“This mixtape memory is an excerpt from my manuscript The Divine Chronicles. It is literary a mixtape.”

Mixtape Master: A Q & A With Skyzoo and Chris O’Shea

Though the mixtape hasn’t been a “tape” for many years now, the idea—that this highly personal collection of songs can move minds—remains the same.

Zack Taylor Remembers Lou Ottens

There’s a good chance that Lou Ottens impacted your life. With the advent of the compact cassette, Lou gave the … More

DJ Rock Jesus, Hampton, Va

My vivid mixtape memory is when I first heard Kid Capri do the blend with Stephanie Mills, “Something in the … More

In Remembrance of Justo by DJ Chela

I met Justo at a conference in spring 2004, and in a brief year we became friends. He was also … More

The Legend of The Blind MC

Merry-Go-Round Mix by Rich Nice

Happy 47th Anniversary Hip-Hop! This is a glimpse of what authentic Hip Hop music sounded like before record companies and … More

Screw Quarantine!

By Rocky Rockett 

Tapemasta Remembers

The year is 1985, September to be exact. This is the birth of Pushin’ Tapes! In this pic, I was … More

RIP Justo Faison by DJ EFN for Tablist Magazine

Not long after Justo’s death, Tablist Magazine asked me to write something in remembrance of him. Below is a transcript … More

EFN Remembers Mixtapes #1 Fan: Justo Faison

Everything I do today was built on the back of my mixtapes and although this article is not about me, … More

Eric Johnson | Chico, California

Originally from the east coast, Eric Johnson lives in Chico, California. MXM: Where are you from? EJ: I was born … More

Cassette: The Documentary Interviews DJ Ron G

“It’s hard to talk about innovators on cassette without including Ron G in the conversation.”

Epée Hervé Dingong | Paris, France

In this new series, MXM features avid mixtape collectors and their analog collections. The first hails from Paris, France. We … More

Davey D Interview with Justo Faison: The History of Mixtapes (April 2005 )

For folks who remember, Justo was a tireless advocate for mixtape deejays. He tragically passed away in a car crash … More

The Evolution of the Mixtape: A Dedication to Justo Faison by Gary Anderson

The legacy of Justo Faison is well established, and you just have to ask DJ about who Justo was, and no doubt you’d be getting an earful of memories.

PROVOKE!

My (slightly sappy) mixed tape memory: When I first met my husband, he burned a couple of albums for me … More

Craig Eley

Like so many people, my love of mixtapes is tied up in the idea of love itself — both romantic and platonic.

Sien ide

As I write these lines I could hear that mixtape playing in my head. Blend after blend, it’s embedded in … More

1987 by Askem

I had a tape that was filled with hip hop from 85 and 86, several tracks from LL Cool J’s “My Radio” . . .

Elodie A. Roy

For a few years I had a ‘mixtape correspondence’ with Hugh J. Noble from ActionPop! records.

Professor Anthony Kwame Harrison

“Bay Area youngsters embraced bedroom production and ad-hoc self-distribution networks as a means of re-envisioning and self-fashioning their conception of … More

Troy L. Smith

When I was young I learned to repair cassette tapes. The repair job sometimes included Scotch tape, Crazy glue, a … More

The Day I Fell In Love with Hip Hop by Derrick Dolphin

It was the summer of ’79, I was a youngin, and spent a lot of time at my Grandma’s building. … More

Dr. John Spruill

This is yet another issue that plagues us. There are things on some of these cassettes that only we have, … More