In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists more creative freedom and less commercial pressure.^[2] The term has significantly increased in popularity over the years due to high-profile artists marketing their projects as such.^[3][4] Mixtapes also have been inconsistently referred to as albums by reputable media outlets such as Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and Complex.^[5][6][7][8] This has caused notable confusion on the differences between an album and a mixtape.^[9][10]

Prior to the decline of physical media, mixtapes were defined as homemade compilations of music played through a cassette tape, CD, or digital playlist and became significant in hip-hop culture. The songs were typically beatmatched and consisted of seamless transitions at their beginnings and endings with fades or abrupt edits.^[11] It was then defined as relatively any musical project by an up-and-coming artist. Now, mixtapes have become a label of promotion and marketing for album-like projects.^[12]

The idea of mixtapes was conceived in the early 1970s with the genesis of hip-hop. In the 1970s, DJs such as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Afrika Bambaataa, and DJ Hollywood would often distribute recordings of their club performances through cassette tapes, bringing a wider audience to the hip-hop sound.^[13] These cassettes eventually became colloquially known as mixtapes. The introduction of the Sony Walkman in 1979 saw major improvements in the mobility and practicality of mixtapes.^[14]

In the 1980s and 1990s, mixtapes evolved as recordings of exclusive tracks, freestyles, and remixes. They also started becoming a visible element of youth culture.^[15] This blended both the underground and commercial appeal of mixtapes together. A notable development in mixtapes at this time was the "chopped and screwed" technique created by DJ Screw in Texas.^[14] This technique created a slow-tempo sound for mixtapes, later becoming a staple of Southern hip-hop. Another development of the mixtape were the creations of the remix and the mashup, which gave pre-existing songs a new sound to their original counterpart.^[16]

In the 1990s, mixtapes eventually moved to CD burners and MP3 players as the cassette tape declined. The curation of mixtapes became more intimate as well, as many curators would assemble songs in their tapes as an overarching theme that they could send to their audience. This was highlighted in Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity, released in 1995:^[17]

To me, making a tape is like writing a letter — there’s a lot of erasing and rethinking and starting again. A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You’ve got to kick off with a corker, to hold the attention ***, and then you’ve got to up it a notch, or cool it a notch, and you can’t have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can’t have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you’ve done the whole thing in pairs and… oh, there are loads of rules.^[18]

In the 2000s, mixtapes transitioned from physical media to a synonym for unofficial albums that may have legal issues being officially released.^[19] They also became significant to developing artist recognition. Artists like 50 Cent used mixtapes to build their reputation before being signed to a label.^[20] This also allowed for more artistry as mixtapes were not confined by the legal restrictions of a record label. As a result of his mixtapes' success, he released his critically acclaimed album, Get Rich or Die Tryin'.^[21]

By the mid-to-late 2000s, the definition of the original mixtape in the 1970s seemed to vanish, and instead became the term for any musical project to promote rising artists.^[15] The creation of the streaming platform DatPiff introduced the publishing of mixtapes online and for free, which made mixtapes easier to obtain.^[22]

In 2015, Canadian rapper Drake released his mixtape If You're Reading This It's Too Late significantly muddling the line between mixtapes and albums, setting the precedent that an album-like project could be promoted as a mixtape.^[22]

The popularization of streaming platforms and the rapid decline of physical media such as CDs and cassettes have significantly altered the definition of a mixtape and rendered the physical mixtape obsolete. Today, mixtapes are generally considered an alternative to studio albums, especially in genres of hip-hop, R&B, and indie music.^[23][24] They allow artists to release music without industry-level expectations expected from the likes of a concept album.^[25] Mixtapes have become staples in the music industry and are sometimes released as holdovers or low-key releases between studio albums.^[12] Lesser-known artists may release them free online on more accessible streaming platforms like SoundCloud to gain exposure, while well-known industry artists who release mixtapes usually promote them as "commercial mixtapes" as they are released on profitable streaming platforms such as Spotify or Apple Music.^[26] Notable examples of commercial mixtapes include Street Gossip by Lil Baby, MMM (Money Making Mitch) by Puff Daddy, and Dark Lane Demo Tapes by Drake.^[27][26][28]

While the traditional album might stick to one theme, mixtapes have allowed artists to present more diverse music, atypical from the conventional concept album.^[29] For example, the debut mixtape Drunken Babble by Kali Uchis was described by GQ as "dreamy R&B vocals with tough-talk rap lyrics, DIY beats, samples and influences spanning soul, reggae, doo-wop and synth-pop."^[30]

In an era of short-form content, mixtapes are valuable in that they give room to maintain relevance and adapt to the fast pace of social media. One song can blow up an artist, and mixtapes give the ability for artists to answer quickly to their recent success and ride their wave of fame.^[31] Because of the flexibility that mixtapes allow, releasing them on platforms like TikTok can instantly increase an artist's mainstream recognition and reach a broader audience, and of course, without the expectations of a full album rollout.^[32] As an example, R&B artist 4Batz released his debut mixtape U Made Me a St4r shortly after his significant mainstream blowup from his single, "Act II: Date @ 8".^[33]

While mixtapes used to be distributed for free, Spotify, Apple Music, and Soundcloud have blurred the line between what is considered a full-on album versus what is considered a mixtape.^[34][35]

However, artists typically distinguish an album from a mixtape in two ways:^[36]

The marketing of a mixtape is usually minimal, spontaneous, and unorthodox. In contrast, studio albums often have more professional media campaigns, music videos and a set release. Because of a mixtape's "unpredictability" that varies from artist, mixtapes may entertain fans with excitement due to surprise releases.^[12]

On streaming platforms, mixtapes are nearly identical in format, as both include album art, titles, and track lists. However, mixtapes may lack the proper promotion and radio play that traditional albums offer. Artists may informally promote their mixtapes by posting to their own social media (as opposed to having a management team do it) or by directly engaging with their fans online.^[38]

For independent and emerging artists, mixtapes are a gateway to building a fanbase and experimenting with their sound.^[12] For established artists, mixtapes can be used as an outlet for personal expression and experimentation to escape the pressures of a record label or commercial appeal.^[25][38][40] The absence of formal promotion, industry-standard production, or chart performance makes mixtapes often feature more raw and experimental sounds, which may be preferable to their fans.^[12] The value of a mixtape lies in its ability to define the artist rather than an industry standard, making it an important concept in music.^[23][41]

Mixtapes can also serve as a precursor to an upcoming album for artists. As an example, Travis Scott released his mixtape, Days Before Rodeo as an anticipation project for his debut album, Rodeo.^[42] Another example is While We Wait by singer and songwriter Kehlani. The name of the tape highlights the informal circumstances of the mixtape, which was released in interim to give her fans music to listen to before the release of her album, It Was Good Until It Wasn't.^[12]

Many well-known mixtapes are ineligible to be released on streaming platforms due to sample clearance issues or any licensing issues.^[43] This has prevented many praised mixtapes from being released on bigger streaming platforms. Examples of mixtapes that aren't available on major streaming platforms for these reasons are Friday Night Lights by J. Cole and Nostalgia, Ultra by Frank Ocean.^[44][45]

However, some mixtapes have overcome their sample clearances, granting them the ability to be released on major streaming platforms. Some of these include Acid Rap by Chance the Rapper, Live. Love. ASAP by ASAP Rocky, and So Far Gone by Drake.^[46][47]

• Compilation album
• Mixtape albums
• Compressed audio optical disc
• DJ mix
• Mix Tape: The Art of Cassette Culture
• Portable media player
• Video mixtape

• Gallagher, David (30 January 2003). "For the mix tape, a digital upgrade and notoriety". The New York Times.
• Hornby, Nick (1995). High Fidelity. ISBN 1-57322-551-7.
• Hornby, Nick (2003). Songbook. ISBN 1-57322-356-5.
• Keller, Joel (22 January 2004). PCs killed the mix-tape star. Salon.
• Mobley, Max (5 December 2007). "Requiem for the Mixtape". Crawdaddy!.
• Moore, Thurston (2004). Mix Tape. ISBN 0-7893-1199-2.
• McMahon, Andrew (2005): "The Mixed Tape", Everything in Transit—Jack's Mannequin.
• O'Brien, Geoffrey (2004). Sonata for Jukebox. ISBN 1-58243-192-2.
• Paul, James (26 September 2003). Last night a mix tape saved my life. The Guardian.
• Sante, Luc (13 May 2004). Disco Dreams. The New York Review of Books. (This review of Songbook and Sonata for Jukebox describes the mix tape as "one part Victorian flower album, one part commonplace book, one part collage, and one part recital.")