My most vivid mixtape memory are the mixtapes that my Dad (Stephen Tyson Sr.) would create by recording music from the radio onto cassette tapes. One mixtape, in particular, was very influential in turning me onto Hip-Hop culture at a very early age. In late 1987, my Dad recorded Mr. Magic’s Rap Attack on WBLS 107.5FM, featuring DJ Chilly Q and Marley Marl. This mixtape was my introduction to Hip-Hop and Rap music as a toddler.
This mixtape was my introduction to Hip-Hop and Rap music as a toddler.
I remember asking him to play the songs over & over, especially Eric B. & Rakim, Kid ‘N Play, Heavy D, and Biz Markie. In 2022, he found a lot of his old mixtapes in storage and the first one we chose to digitize was that very first Mr. Magic recording that introduced me to the culture.
I’ve uploaded it to YouTube, but due to copyright restrictions, only SIDE B was approved for posting. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did as a little kid! Listen here.
Stephen Tyson Jr. (aka Ellect)
Ellect and his Dad Stephen J. Tyson Sr. host the Style Free Podcast, where father and son freestyle and digress on a wide variety of topics within music, art, family, and culture.