It's safe to say that the line between mixtapes and albums has never been blurrier, and as a result, more and more rappers and singers are releasing retail projects that continue tangents that began with free releases. With both French Monatana's MC4 and Juicy J's Rubba Band Business: The Album on the horizon, we're looking at a few of the tapes that have eventually gone on to inspire albums. Take a look through our gallery to see, and let us know what your favorite album or mixtape from the list is. Has this trend inspired good work from artists?
Beach House
Honorable mention: Ty Dolla Sign - Beach House EP (2014)
The Mixtape(s):
Beach House (2012)
Beach House 2 (2013)
An EP rather than an album, Ty Dolla $ign's Beach House series got its first retail installment in 2014, repackaging "Paranoid" with an alternate B.o.B version and all-star remix (we all know the Joe Moses one is the true version though), as well as including Beach House 2's "Never Be The Same." It did also contain some essential new material, and as incredible as FRee TC was, we're still waiting for Beach House: The Album.
Fan Of A Fan
Tyga & Chris Brown: Fan Of A Fan: The Album (2015)
The Mixtape(s):
Fan Of A Fan (2010)
Tyga was hinting at the existence of Fan Of A Fan 2 for some time after the first project was released, and eventually, he announced it would be released as an official retail album. When it did arrive in 2016, it spawned the Nic Nac-produced hit, "Ayo," delving deep into the RnBass sound. It was renamed Fan Of A Fan: The Album, but it definitely feels like the official sequel to the popular mixtape.
Late Nights
Jeremih - Late Nights: The Album
The Mixtape(s):
Late Nights With Jeremih (2012)
Late Nights: Europe (2016)
Jeremih was already a very successful hitmaker before releasing his Late Nights mixtape in 2011, but the project marked a shift in his style, as he left the brighter, and more traditional sounds of his first two LPs for a darker palette. After going through different titles for his long-awaited third LP (including Thumpy Johnson), he landed on Late Nights: The Album. The singer has expressed in interviews that there was still too much left to explore within the Late Nights style to let it die with one project. Since the album, he's even gone on to release another mixtape under the title Late Nights: Europe. It may not be over just yet.
Dirty Sprite
Future - DS2 (2015)
The Mixtape(s):
Dirty Sprite (2011)
Future was aon such an incredible mixtape run from 2014 to 2015 that it made sense to start capitalizing on his output. Doing a full 180 from the pop-leaning Honest, Future dug deep into his mixtape days and released the sequel to his 2011 tape, Dirty Sprite, as a proper full length. DS2 proved to be the Future people wanted, proving that the days of approaching an album with a much different mindset than a tape were coming to a close.
Mac & Cheese
French Montana - MC4 (Upcoming)
The Mixtape(s):
Mac Wit Da Cheese (2009)
Mac & Cheese 2 (2010)
Mac & Cheese 3 (2012)
French Montana announced Mac & Cheese 4 in 2013, but it wasn't until 2014 that he confirmed it would be his sophomore album, rather than a mixtape. It's been in purgatory since then, changing titles to Mac & Cheese: The Album at one point before settling on MC4, a title seemingly inspired by Future's DS2. The project now has a release date of August 19th. The mixtape series has been running since 2009, a favorite among fans, thus tying the new project to the rapper's day ones.
Rubba Band Business
Juicy J - Rubba Band Business: The Album (Upcoming)
The Mixtape(s):
Rubba Band Business (2010)
Rubba Band Business 2 (2011)
Juicy J is the latest rapper to announce a project inspired by a mixtape series, changing the title of his upcoming album from THC: The Hustle Continues, to Rubba Band Business: The Album. The previous installments in the mixtape series found Juicy teaming up with trap producer Lex Luger. The rapper announced he'd be teaming with Luger for RBB 3 in Deecember of last year, but it's not clear if this album will once again be acollab between the two.