Back in the day—late ’80s, maybe early ’90s—some of my best memories were made up in New Haven with my … More
Category: Mixtape Memory Collection
The Mixtape Memory Collection is an ongoing project dedicated to collecting mixtape-related memories from the community. That’s you! Submit your mixtape memory here.
Mixtape Classwork by Laura G
I saved up my allowance to buy a pack of blank 90 min cassette tapes and recorded the hits from off the radio. Back in those days, the radio was it . . .
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.
R3Mx: An Embodied Structured Mixtape
I’m grateful to be able to witness the evolution of this format of creating my own mixtape but also witnessing the bruh’s sell their mixtapes in neighborhoods outside of their cars.
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