There's an age-old question that pops up whenever a rap newcomer first comes across something like Lil Wayne's No Ceiling projects: what's the difference between an album and a mixtape? Moreover, there are many metrics that people might use to distinguish them: quality control, recording process, release methods, etc. A common thread across these discussions, though, is the vitality and importance of the mixtape to the hip-hop genre. Furthermore, these projects are often uninhibited, sometimes obscured by the passage of time, but forever influential and freeing for artists- if done well. Whatever era of hip-hop you look at, at least a good handful (if not a treasure trove) of killer mixtapes awaits.
However, the same era they thrived in is no longer what we see in the music landscape. Speaking of No Ceilings, Weezy himself said that it would be more difficult and less alluring to drop a mixtape in today's day and age, what with sample clearances, overloaded release schedules, and so on. With all this history in mind, Paramount+ is taking a deep dive into the importance of the medium with the documentary MIXTAPE. Premiering exclusively on the streaming service on August 1 in the U.S. and Canada and on August 2 in other international markets, the film will explore how mixtapes breathed life into rap music.
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Of course, these aren't exactly the kinds of mixtapes that Tunechi brought us, but rather those from the DJs and tastemakers of hip-hop. MTV Entertainment Studios produced MIXTAPE in association with Def Jam Recordings and a soundtrack will accompany it. Guests in the film include A$AP Rocky, Lil Wayne, DJ Drama, 2 Chainz, Funkmaster Flex, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Fabolous, Jadakiss, DJ Green Lantern, DJ Jazzy Joyce, KRS-One, and many more. In a press release, some of the film's crew members remarked on its importance.
"Hip-hop is 50 years old and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate its journey and contextualize its evolution than through the story of the mixtape," said director Omar Acosta. "Every voice in this film played a critical role, especially the DJs who, as KRS-ONE says beautifully in the film, risked everything to ‘bring us the music.'" "It’s an honor to be involved in this film and to help tell the real story of the mixtape, its origins, its impact, and its on-going relevance for the culture," producer Tony Touch expressed. For more news and the latest updates on this documentary, come back to HNHH.