Mixtapes have become an intricate part of hip-hop. Starting as a tool for DJs to combine a selection of songs on one tape for parties, the mixtape eventually evolved as the primary outlet for artists to market their brand of music.
In a new documentary, “Tale Of The Tape” examines the fascinating history of mixtape culture and how DJs changed rap forever. The documentary also boasts previously never-before-seen performance footage of titans such as Kendrick Lamar and J. Colein addition to wide-ranging interviews with Kid Capri, DJ Clue, DJ Drama. At the same time, industry veterans Lenny S and the late Combat Jack share seminal stories.
Directed by Malik K. Buie and executive produced by Buie, DJ Envy and Kim Osorio. Buie recently spoke with ADW to shed light on this new project, currently streaming on Amazon.
How did this whole film the process come about for you and then what inspired you to tell the story about to mixtapes?
I’ve been a fan of mixtapes for as long as I can remember, since middle school. The more I got into my professional career of producing and directing, a lot of the artists that I work with are DJs. They all had a similar launching pads, which was the mixtape. And I felt like there were definitely a lot of things in common. It was like the connective tissue, and hip hop. And so I wanted to explore that more and that’s what made me want to do this film.
Mixtapes began as a tool for DJs to create playlists for parties, how did the mixtape evolve?
We’ve explored that in the film. One of the early mixtape DJs that we highlight is Brucie B. He was at a spot called The Rooftop in Harlem. It was a vibe, and he would record his sets and then the following week, he would sell the tapes.He would charge extra to shout guys out on the mixtapes. Fast forward, you have guys like Kid Capri and S&S. By the time you get to DJ Drama, his Gangster Grillz series, you have a different format. Now you had a specific artist making a remix album. Then you had artists like Dipset Joe Budden, and 50 Cent who turned the mixtape into a vehicle for the independent artists.
In Atlanta, DJ Drama and the Aphiliates were raided by the RIAA and FBI back in 2007 because of their mixtapes. How did that change the music industry?
On the documentary, DJ Drama, DJ Sense and Cannon, tell the story of how they were raided by the FBI. What they were doing was 100% legit. They were basically the marketing, street teams for labels and getting artist hot. And with most labels, there are other departments that watch the bottom line. And they were looking at well, maybe what they’re doing with mixtapes is encroaching on our profit margin. But not understanding that what they’re doing is keeping the artists relevant. A lot of artists and DJs started shying away from making mixtapes for fear of retaliation from government agencies.
What’s the future of mixtapes?
Everything is cyclical when it comes to culture. There are not a lot of DJs doing physical mixtapes, it’s more like mix show playlists on streaming services. I do think DJs will get back to making their mixes and putting them on these specific platforms and other whatever else kind of pops up. I think artists are going to put their mixtapes out but also they’re going to try to get on these other playlists. And with the playlists on streaming platforms, it wasn’t done by a DJ It was done by a curator. But I do think that moving forward, I think DJs are going to get back to doing their mixes, but it’ll just all be on a digital platform. That’s what I think the future holds for mixtapes.
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