The First Book Dedicated to the History of Mixtape Culture
The Art Behind the Tape, the first book dedicated to the history of mixtape culture, is out now. It includes over 200 full-colour pages of classic photos from esteemed Hip-Hop photographer Joe Conzo, images from the days of mixtape past and over 90 in-depth, candid interviews from the ones who made it happen.
Interview subjects range from artists like Dj Hollywood, Kid Capri, Dj Clue, and Red Alert to others including graphic designers Miami Kaos, Mfdesigns, and Proph Bundy.
The person behind the project is The World Famous SuperFriends founder DJ Mars, who says, “After reading ‘Bling Bling’ and how it told the story of rappers and their jewelry, I started to think about what other Hip-Hop related stories haven’t been told. Very naturally it dawned on me that no one has told the story about the history of mixtapes, especially the cover art. I found that interesting, especially since it’s such a global phenomenon.”
Mixtapes have always been a way for fans to discover not only new songs they enjoy, but also artists they’d never heard before. It’s like when you’d fill cassette tapes with hand-picked tracks that you knew would soon be your friends’ new favourites.
The book should be an interesting read. You can get a copy here.
