The idea of creating the mixtape goes way back into the 70’s, when adequate equipment became accessible to the wide public. Basically, it was a specific collection of tunes recorded onto a compact audio cassette. This could happen on a various scale. For example, a friend could make you a mixtape of tracks from a particular genre (be it a series of pop hits or of underground hip hop songs) or with a particular meaning; similarly, a certain person could, sometimes against copyright laws, commercialize mixtapes of various content within certain communities for quick financial benefits.



The early ones had eight tracks and were theme related. Some were released before Christmas or at the beginning of January (having as title the year) and were successful from a commercial point of view. The mixtape was, in a way, the grandfather of the modern compilation, and although it always covered a wide variety of genres, hip hop was indubitably among the most popular, and it helped spread the practice (soon to be described as a form of art).

Typically, such a tape conveys the tastes of its creator to all its listeners. It can be a simple choice of favorite songs at a particular moment, as well as a mood-oriented or genre-oriented compilation. It could be a collection of the creator’s favorite hip hop tracks at that moment or of the best rock hits of all time. Also, in the 70’s and 80’s, it was extremely popular in the USA to offer mixtapes as gifts – therefore, their content could very well be an attempt at pleasing the musical tastes of the receiver. In hip hop oriented communities, for example, it was very common for a hip hop mixtape to circulate quickly.

Since consumer-available technology also evolved, it’s common nowadays for this to happen in the form of an audio CD or of an mp3 playlist. Implicitly, terms like “hip hop mixtape “, which were full of meaning, lost it for some, who argued that there was no longer a tape involved anywhere in the process, hence the charm was lost with the gain of facility. But although the CD is probably the most common form of making such a mix at home nowadays, the 70’s-created concept remains exactly the same, and putting a “hip hop mixtape" label on a CD is no sacrilege, as the hip hop content is essential for the listener.

Some more experienced users preferred to add special effects to the tape, which gave it higher quality as well as a more personal note. This included things like fading effects between one song and another so as not to brutally make the passing or even specific (sometimes hand-made) cover art. Also, thanks to the appearance of turntables, it became common for a hip hop mixtape to contain many more DJ effects and fine touches.