Newspaper Page Text
November 9 - 15,2011
www.themaroontiger.com
10 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TOP 20
MIXTAPES OF
THE PAST 10
YEARS
Taylor Williams
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Twilli26@gmail.com
2. Drake - So Far Gone
(2008)
Drake arguably changed the
way artists made mixtapes
with this release. Sounding
more like an album than a
mixtape, Drake experienced
great success with the release
of “So Far Gone.’Two Gram
my nominations, two videos,
and a retail re-release, which
has sold over 500,000 cop
ies to date, summarizes how
great of a mixtape it was.
Notable tracks :“Uptown,''“
Successful,”" Best I Ever Had,”
and “ Lust For Life”
3.50 Cent & G-Unit (Lloyd
Banks and Tony Yayo) - 50
Cent is the Future (2002)
The mixtape that led to 50
Cent inking a deal with Shady/
Aftermath records...the rest is
history.
Notable tracks : “G-Unit Sol
diers,”" Surrounded By..,” and
“ Banks Workout”
One of the biggest parts of hip-hop in the last ten
years is the “mixtape." A compilation of original songs,
remixes, and freestyles, the mixtape allows artists
to make and release music without the backing of a
record label. Over the past 10 years, artists have used
mixtapes as a way to get record deals or to gain new
fans. I assembled a group of hip-hop heads to discuss
and compile a list of the top 20 mixtapes of the past
10 years
The Panel : Robert Lavergne ’ll, Katryna Mahoney
’ 14 (SC), Charlie Williams IV ' 12, Matt Millen ’ 12,Taara
Avery ’ 12 (SC), JanayeTaylor ’ 12 (SC) and
Taylor Williams ‘ 12
5.Young Jeezy - Trap or Die
(2005)
In 2005, the “Crunk/Snap"
movement was slowly dying
and Atlanta was searching for
its next big movement in hip-
hop. With the release of’Trap
of Die,” Jeezy birthed a new
sub-genre of hip-hop, “Coke
Rap.’Traces of his style and
content can be seen in many
of Atlanta’s rappers to this
very day.
Notable tracks :“Grey
Goose,”" GetYa Mind Right,”
“ Icey,” and “Trap or Die”
4.The Diplomats (Jim Jones,
Juelz Santana, Freeky Zeeky,
and Cam'Ron) - Diplomats
Vol. I (2001)
Hosted by DJ Kay Slay, this
mixtape introduced the world
to The Diplomats.The begin
ning of what would be a very
successful run for Juelz San
tana, Jim Jones, and Cam’Ron.
Notable tracks :“Oh Boy,”
“ Rocafella Get Money,” and
“Blueprint (Momma Loves
Me) Freestyle”
I. Li I’Wayne - Drought 3
(2007)
With over 10 mixtapes,
this is pinnacle for Li I'
Wayne, because it
helped propel him into
super stardom. With a
total of 29 tracks, the ' v
“Drought 3” showed
the world Wayne was
here.This mixtape also
introduced the world to
Nicki Minaj.
Notable tracks :“The Sky is the Limit,” “Dough is What I got,”
and" Upgrade”
6. Lupe Fiasco - Fahrenheit
1/15 Part II: Revenge of the
Nerds (2006)
At a time in hip-hop when
the more “gangsta” one was
determined their popularity,
this mixtape changed that no
tion as it showed the world it
was cool to be a nerd.
Notable tracks :“Switch,”"
Much More,” and “ Lupe the
Killer”
7. Re-Up Gang (Clipse, Sand
man, and Ab-liva) - We Got it
4 Cheap Vol. 2 (2005)
This is the second install
ment in their “We Got it 4
Cheap” series.This mixtape
brought the Clipse back to
prominence after a long delay
between album releases.
“We Got it 4 Cheap Vol. 2”
was ranked I 30 on Pitchfork
magazine’s list ofTop 200
albums of the 2000s.
Notable tracks:“Re-Up Intro,”
“ I’m a Hustla,” and “ What’s
Up”
8. Li I’Wayne - Dedication I &
II (2006)
Both hosted by DJ Drama, Li I’
Wayne showed hints of him
growing into a phenomenal
rapper
Notable tracks :“U Gon Love
Me,”“Down & Out,”" Can
non,” and “ Lovin' It”
14. J. Cole -The Warm Up
(2009)
The mixtape that introduced
the world to J. Cole, the first
artist signed to Jay-Z's Roc
Nation label, had a solid re
lease that sounded more like
an album than a mixtape.
Notable tracks: “Lights Please,”
“Can I Live,” and “Last Call”
9. Wiz Khalifa & Curren$y -
How Fly (2009)
The mixtape that re-intro
duced the world to Wiz
Khalifa and Curren$y also led
to both artists signing deals
with major labels.The Jets and
the Taylor Gang.
Notable tracks :“Car Service,”
“The Checkpoint,” and “ Roll
ing Up”
15. Young Jeezy - Can’t Ban
the Snowman (2006)
This 27-track mixtape was
one of the South’s best.
Notable tracks: “I’m Back,”
“JeezyThe Snowman,” and “
Burning Up”
10. Kendrick Lamar -
Dedicated (2010)
Compton M.C.
Lamar wowed the hip-hop
world with the release of
“Overly Dedicated.’This mix-
tape earned a co-sign from
producer Dr Dre, launching
Lamar’s career
Notable tracks :"The Heart
Pt.2,”“ P&P l.5,”“ Michael
Jordan,” and “ She Needs Me”
50 Cent & G-Unit -
>yd Banks & Tony Yayo) -
Mercy, No Fear (2002)
Before it was on The 8 Mile
soundtrack or “Get Rich or
DieTryin',”“Wanksta” made
its first appearance on this
mixtape.
Notable tracks TWanksta,”
“ Soldier/' and “Say What You
Want”
16. Big K.R.I.T - K.R.I.TWas
Here (2010)
This mixtape, produced and
written entirely by K.R.I.T
caught the attention of many
record label execs as it even
tually led to him inking a deal
with Def Jam records.
Notable tracks: “Return of
4eva,”“Country S***,”“Moon
& Stars,” and “Glass House”
17. Kid Cudi - A Kid Named
Cudi (2008)
The first mixtape by the
Cleveland native, spawned his
biggest single to date, “Day ‘n’
Nite”
Notable tracks: “Day ‘n’ Nite,”
“Cudi Get,”“Man on the
Moon”
12. Wiz Khalifa - Kush & OJ
(2010)
This mixtape made Wiz
Khalifa a household name. On
the day of its release, “Kush &
OJ” became the most popular
search on Google and the # I
Trending Topic on the popular
social network,Twitter
Notable tracks: “The Kid
Frankie,” “Never Been,” and
“Mezmorized”
13. Joe Budden - Mood Muzik
2 (2006)
The second installment in
the “Mood Muzik” series,
Budden's brutal honesty and
astounding wordplay made
this a special mixtape.
Notable tracks: “Are You In
That Mood Yet” and “6 Min
utes of Death”
18. Wale - Mixtape About
Nothing (2008)
This is the fourth mixtape by
Washington, D.C. native, Wale.
Inspired by his favorite show
“Seinfeld,” this is arguably his
best project.
Notable tracks: “The Perfect
Plan,” “The Crazy,” and “The
Vacation from Ourselves””
19. Lupe Fiasco - Enemy
of the State : A Love Story
(2010)
After being left off MTV's
Hottest MCs list, Lupe re
leased this mixtape to show
the world that he could still
rap with the best of them.
Notable tracks: “Fireman,”
“Say Somethin',” and “Popular
Demand”
20. Dom Kennedy - From the West Side
with Love (2010)
Los Angeles native Dom Kennedy put
the entire West Coast on his back with
■L'Y .
the release of “From the Westside with
Love.'This mixtape has a very West
Coast sound, but appealed to all regions.
Notable tracks:” 1997,”“Locals Only,”
and “The 4 Heartbeats”
Honorable Mentions
Gucci Mane - Chicken Talk
Slim Thug - Welcome 2 Texas
Theophilus London - I Want You
Pharrell - In My Mind (The Prequel)
U Recycle The Maroon Tiger