* Illustration: Little Friends of Printmaking * Hip hop mixtapes used to be a street thing—cassettes and (later) CDs crudely dubbed by local DJs and MCs to be passed around as a grassroots promo tool. But between the RIAA crackdown and the bandwidth explosion, up-and-coming artists began migrating to the Web, harnessing blogs, zip files, and free file-sharing services like Megaupload to find fans and launch careers well before their actual albums come out. "Mixtapes create a product for people to wrap their heads around," says Nick Catchdubs, cofounder of the DJ-run record label Fool's Gold. "An artist could release a million individual MP3s to the Internet, but a solid mixtape makes way more of a statement." Here's a look at the new school of mixtape maestros — and their upcoming releases.
Listen: Nick Catchdubs' Wired Mix
https://stag4.wired.com/wp-content/uploads/archive/images/multimedia/magazine/1612/Nick_Catchdubs_Wired_Mix.mp3
Artist Wale
Mixtape The Mixtape About Nothing
What's Fresh This Washington, DC, rapper's joint, mixed by Catchdubs, is built entirely around Seinfeld dialog. Wale had already scored fans with his previous mixtape, 100 Miles and Running, but this festivus of Easter egg rhymes advances the genre. Even Jerry loves Wale (not that there's anything wrong with that).
What's Next Debut album slated for March.
Artist Kid Cudi
Mixtape A Kid Named Cudi
What's Fresh If Pink Floyd were a hip hop outfit, they'd probably sound a lot like this. Produced by Emile and Kanye collaborator Plain Pat, this mix lays raps over heavy bass and even heavier guitars.
What's Next Debut set for spring/summer.
Artist 88-Keys
Mixtape Adam's Case Files
What's Fresh Fans of 88-Keys, who forged his reputation as a producer for the likes of the Pharcyde and Mos Def, had been waiting years for the November release of his debut, The Death of Adam. To tide them over, 88-Keys released this mixtape of teaser tracks, along with a series of buzz-building viral videos.
What's Next US tour launches in spring.
Artist Hollywood Holt
Mixtape Holt Goes to Hollywood
What's Fresh Hollywood Holt is actually from Chicago, but the MC has enough swagger to put LA to shame. Luckily, Holt's steez is of the geek variety. This tape features drops from a Stephen Hawking impersonator, plus the moped gearhead anthem "Throw a Kit" — bolted over the beat for Rich Boy's "Throw Some D's."
What's Next Debut planned for 2009.
Artist Izza Kizza
Mixtape Kizzaland
What's Fresh A recent addition to Timbaland's Mosley Music Group label, Izza Kizza got his tape mixed by Catchdubs, featuring classic Timbo beats and a drop from Missy Elliott.
What's Next His first album hits the streets in spring.
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