Mixtapes: Like Albums, But Not Really

Today we look at Mixtapes, the good, bad and uncleared. Better yet, the things that just keep on mixing. It just doesn't stop. help.
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[@hatty_hattington.]

Mixtapes are so interesting because the quality is completely dependent on how much the artist cares about the mixtape. Some artist's mixtapes could almost be standalone albums, where as for some it's just a way to dump out a bunch of tracks

[@syncord3352]

corny ahh kid

[@TimTomHarry]

Shout out Faces by Mac, Still mind blowing how young he was

[@ghbb7806]

Same thing applies to albums

[@insertnamehere3363]

@@TimTomHarry Macadelic, Thank you I love life, KIDS are all amazing Mac Miller mixtapes.

[@TimTomHarry]

@@insertnamehere3363 big facts, don't forget The High Life, underrated gem

[@nnitro]

This is like the animation version of Nathan Zed but he actually has a decent upload schedule

[@wuspatterwukd9104]

Lmfaoo

[@wuspatterwukd9104]

Nathan zed videos always hit though even if they’re late😌

[@munawitdahoodie]

yesss

[@maxpogfrog]

ok but true tho

[@syncord3352]

corny ahh kid

[@docrussojr]

The Weeknd's Trilogy Mixtapes are by far my favorite. Lil Wayne is a mixtape God.

[@maad1670]

need Wayne to drop tapes again :(

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@SonnySantana2099]

Wayne ass

[@EmptyCheetosBag]

@@maad1670tha fix before tha vi:

[@tiggyteccas4825]

absolutely

[@itsabdullahkhalid]

LiveLoveAsap is the perfect example of a mixtape to me. It is very unpolished and shows exactly who Rocky is as a person which is what makes it great.

[@onlysmallbites]

I remember heaing a while ago when it came out, with "Peso" being his debut song, he perfectly sets the stage for who he is in the first 2 lines: " I be that pretty motherfucka, Harlem's what i'm reppin' " always thought that was interesting~

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@rheathesecond]

My favorites come from Logic, Mac Miller, The Weeknd, and Joey Bada$$. They were at its peak in the early 2010s, so glad to grow up with these artists.

[@tomfoolerysbignuts3436]

And Miguel too

[@KenaiJ]

Logic’s mixtapes are the best

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@IM_LALO.TV1]

Yo smallbites these videos are so good and the animation just adds so much more fun into the video especially when the topic is always music, I love it, keep up the good work

[@onlysmallbites]

glad your enjoyin 'em, m8! 👍

[@syncord3352]

corny ahh kid

[@theelderzoo9775]

@@onlysmallbites what’s the instrumental at 8:28

[@gocurrent_]

@@theelderzoo9775 st tropez- j cole

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@hypnagogue]

my top 3 mixtapes are exmilitary by death grips, gluee by bladee, and faces by mac miller. i love how mixtapes enable the artist to do whatever they want with no label drama, it’s like the most raw and legitimate view of an artist.

[@WingMyWay]

gluee is a genre defining mixtape.

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@wavybonez183]

Exmilitary is hands down my #1 mixtape. It's almost like an entirely different creature compared to later Death Grips stuff.

[@ohianaw]

the best mixtape of all time no cap

[@gutsbrsk]

@@ohianaw ahh hell nah

[@gutsbrsk]

@@ohianaw death grip fans be like: “yep this sounds like machines clanking it’s gotta be hard”

[@johnindigo5477]

My friend described it as the sound of a nervous breakdown. I love how it's so chaotic yet cohesive.

[@peazeralus]

@@gutsbrsk just admit anything more complex than yb is too hard for you to understand and move on

[@Catbattle]

one thing that i've always found interesting about mixtapes is how artists sound can change when going from a non-commercial mixtape to an album release, due to suddenly needing sample clearance. it doesn't always happen, in fact it usually doesn't, but it happened to chance, it could happen to you too! watch out!

[@syncord3352]

corny ahh kid HAHAHAHAHA NO LIKES VIRAL COMMENT ATTEMPT FAILED

[@paulmejer653]

What’s an example of an artist that that has happened to

[@4shir_jr698]

@@paulmejer653 Death Grips, maybe (?)

[@Catbattle]

@@paulmejer653 As mentioned, Chance the Rapper is the first one that comes to mind. Logic talked about it in an interview once but his style never really changed regardless.

[@onlysmallbites]

very true, the electronic guys I mentioned ODESZA started off doing loads of sampling but after their first album they switched to getting singers moreso and kinda stuck with it. Guess that's the fate of an electro artist lol. wait it can happen to me? wait wha...whaats happeninggg to m-

[@hypebeatz563]

Uzi vs The World is not only my fav mixtape but my ALL TIME fav project on any genre Took me through some grey times and still makes me happy every time I come back to it

[@myra-yves]

something bout that old uzi music up until luv is rage 2 is so iconic

[@dapizza8715]

Mac miller mixtapes are honestly the best mixtapes I’ve ever heard, and personally I think they are one there best.

[@nah8780]

For sure, he evolved with each one and he used mixtapes as a way to experiment. Not only that but he took the ideas he created from the mixtapes and used them on his later albums and generated hype for them. He basically did everything right, that's how mixtapes should be used by artists.

[@gutsbrsk]

Faces is amazing

[@187btokes]

Wayne's worst mixtape is better than Mac's best mixtape

[@WavyMac]

@@gutsbrsk still listening to faces 9 years later… gonna almost be a decade since the masterpiece came out

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@SpicyM]

I never really realize when something is a mixtape. Other than exmilitary, If I listen to a mixtape I don’t realize until somebody tells me

[@syncord3352]

corny ahh kid

[@waynesmith7746]

If there isn’t a ton of fanfare around the release and it’s generally made more cheaply then it’s a mixtape.

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@keldrickdunn6430]

Crazy this got recommended just two days after i dropped my first (heavily uncleared) mixtape. It feels like the universe just gave me a kiss

[@daishoryujin95]

Link?

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@FujinagaAkimitsu]

Overly Dedicated is a mixtape, but nobody is going to change my mind that it is a full fledge album

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@user-bd4kd2me7h]

Overly Dedicated use various rappers songs and flip. The Heart Pt2 instrumental is from The Roots (Black Thought) and other instrumental are original. Section.80 should be debated

[@anth0nybalb0a]

The old Denzel Curry Raider Klan mixtapes are something else. They're really good and just have such a charm to them.

[@Luke-el8hs]

Pop 2 by Charli XCX is my favourite mixtape. Hyperpop Perfection.

[@prodslumzie5282]

Love that you clarified how artists can approach mixtapes since they can or are experimental, especially because people can be the most judgemental about them and forget how personal mixtapes can be towards the artist. Many artists I listen to today I discovered through tapes and it makes it that much more special to the listener I think. Ngl, I got a great intro to your channel with this vid! Plz continue, as a fellow music nerd these videos are awesome

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@missa4530]

My favorite mixtapes of all times are OBVIOUSLY The Weeknd’s trilogy like fam, all three of them are so so good and still hold up today and will forever , echoes of silence is my personal favorite

[@tomfoolerysbignuts3436]

Yeah. You're right.

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@theboulderboulded5776]

Personally the peak of Mixtapes is Mac Miller’s Faces. I adore everything about it. Wayne’s Dedication 2 is a very close second tho.

[@187btokes]

🤡

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@jamiewah]

i know this video and channel are more rap/hiphop focused, but pop 2 by charli xcx is one of the greatest mixtapes ive ever listened to. its extremely futuristic and sounds like a pop album from 2050

[@itsjeyess]

As someone in the mixtape phase of their career, this video is very interesting and informative

[@syncord3352]

corny ahh kid

[@jbaer0]

Same, we pushing ourselves to get there one day❗️

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@VaporYTVideo]

I always saw mixtapes from certain artists as the "Bonus Projects". Royce da 5'9" has put out various mixtapes in between albums and they feel like awesome extra releases between full albums.

[@ethanjos]

Can't believe you didn't mention The Life of Pierre 4, it is the number one rated mixtape in the world after all

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@prodnukq]

real

[@gntlmnwzrd]

My personal top 5 mixtapes of all time in no particular order: Acid Rap - Chance The Rapper Friday Night Lights - J. Cole Enemy of the State - Lupe Fiasco There is No Competition 2 - Fabolous More About Nothing - Wale Side note: This was way harder than I thought it would be. Reflecting on my 5 faves, I had to go with the ones that was the background music to my life for certain stretches of time. These were the 5 that came to mind.

[@fan1000]

Best Bites (The Mixtape) 0:00 funny 0:56 cursed Xbox og 1:08 British bitez 1:43 on the sea of mixtapes 3:13 Taylors mixtape 3:34 let's get Pacific! 5:37 Mac miller spins the artist randomizer 6:54 chance the rapper and lil Uzi in school 7:16 package for bites 7:34 HOT HOT HOT 9:01 the joke is it didnt 9:23 come on,came an! 10:32 drake is in the air!

[@ivyreece9925]

the "DRIZZY DRAKE" took me out lmao.

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@grim1173]

wheres the new vids man? been checking for uploads everyday because i'm addicted to your editting style and energy, you make it fun to watch videos about music!!!!!

[@maxexodus]

I remember dropping mixtapes on Datpiff when i was just starting out thinking i was gonna drop the next 1999 lol. Glad to have gotten better since then but those were interesting times.

[@jaidendetering8734]

Logic's mixtapes are amazing. The whole Young Sinatra trilogy (im not including 4 because that's an album) is just fire and im glad the samples are getting cleared so they can be put on streaming

[@windy6587]

I think the best thing about your videos is you giving the ultimate knowledge of what you know to those people who have been inspired and want to be artists. These types of videos help out a lotta people, and are entertaining too, even though i know most of the info related to this topic

[@bp2000k]

Logic: Logic‘s MixTape days were different asf. Joey: Joey‘s 1999 is one of the best ever. Frank/Abel (Weeknd): They made Beautiful art. Lil Wayne: The King Of MixTapes

[@lawlowmusic5571]

All of Logic's Young Sinatra Mixtapes are CLASSICS

[@randomperson8162]

You don't know What's in store But you know What you re here for Close your eyes Lay yourself besides me Ooo Hold tighttt We don't need no protection Come along We don't need attention

[@tomfoolerysbignuts3436]

AHAHAHAHAHAKAJAK

[@scareddog6163]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[@irenegong443]

OPEN YOUR HAND TAKE A GLASS

[@yonkers7170]

i just found this channel and im already hooked your animation style and editing is so cool man great video, my fav mixtape atm would be Nostalgia Ultra

[@alexogtheosub9046]

Really well explained video! Faces still gotta be my favorite mixtape, keep up the great work my guy!

[@beansfebreeze]

Dawg you are killing it with these new vids. This pivot has been perfect

[@shayshayshayshayshayshayshay]

you probably here this a lot but your editing style is immaculate. i cant wait to get my new laptop in the mail so i can start making videos again, this shit inspires me.

[@gzbe]

love the content, makes it like 20 times better with the animations and all that, funny and well made

[@LokNex915]

I got to experience the platinum age of mixtapes during my middle school and high school years 2012-2019 it started on datpiff, sharebeast, spinrilla, and bandcamp then around 2013-14 SoundCloud absolutely exploded and made mixtapes extremely available and gave artists easy exposure in the public and it wasn’t just hip hop, Indie, pop and R&B got to experience this rise/resurgence aswell. Just look at every major artist right now and you can trace their initial rise to soundcloud and bandcamp projects

[@redwizxrd]

The best mixtape I have ever made is Omen III, it's about my relationship with music and how it helps me in the darkness but I need the darkness to stay to inspire the music

[@Kl3XY_DEV]

I've recently found ur channel and i've binged all your videos lol Keep it up i love ur stuff!

[@humug]

I'll never forget when my school promoted this one kid's mixtape. He was literally just selling copies of If You're Reading This It's Too Late since the school banned selling those.

[@ThePlatinumMeta]

Appreciate the Flume mention. Definitely one of my favorite edm projects of all time

[@newtthelizardwizard]

Mixtapes aren't my forte by any means but my favorite that I've listened to is the Gimix mixtape by the Avalanches. Falling squarely in the "uncleared" category, they played it at shows leading up to the release of Since I Left You, with it now almost serving as an alternate version of it with different mixes of the songs that would end up on the final album, albeit in a different order and missing a few (notably Frontier Psychiatrist) which is strange given that the final album is completely continuous. And as if the original mastering of the final album weren't in enough of legal limbo, Gimix outright samples things like Sgt. Pepper, Billie Jean, and a recording of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme, things that almost certainly wouldn't have been cleared. It's a little tricky to find nowadays but if you can definitely give it a listen!

[@golemwhy3153]

0:12 yessir you’re the best. I recommended Logic you did! Epic video as always and is very nice you listen to the comments

[@milosummers2779]

telefone by noname, so beautiful and powerful i adore it. also birds and the BEE9 by Sampa the Great gets a shout, that one gives me chills every time

[@loxelotus]

10 Day is a really good first mixtape, it's pretty rough but it still manages to get a message across. the story behind it is also really interesting.

[@kiddkaz1802]

Favorite mixtape of all time is LUV VS THE WORLD BY LIL UZI VERT cus it helped my get through the toughest parts of my life my best friend showed it to me in 2016 that was my worst year mentally I was considering suicide but he put me onto the tape and it made me look at the bright side of life and have fun

[@aether8412]

YESSIR SAY IT WITH ALL CAPS

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@CharityLexus]

@@eleganteaura you're commenting this on a guy talking about how lil uzi saved him from committing suicide...

[@mikestahhh]

Glad to see you shift away from the short form content. good vid

[@shaekur]

Didn’t even know flumes mixtape was a mixtape, it’s my favourite piece of work from him

[@ZeroGoofs]

I made a mixtape for my college thesis and it’s definitely a great way to find out what you sound like as an artist and where you could go next

[@thegoofydino3393]

rlly loving these uploads

[@jackeater777]

love how you used humming the baseline in this video

[@F8Lwrld]

yesss i love tapes, very raw, very demo-esque but better. and yeah ive made 2 tapes too, known as The Cosmic Hitchhiker & The Franky Tape, very inspired by Bowie

[@ZAPOWproductions]

Surprised you didn’t mention The Neighbourhood. They were the first rock band to release a mixtape on Datpiff called #000000 & #ffffff hosted by dj drama and don canon it is widely well-known as being the first mixtape to be ever released by a rock band, at least on Datpiff

[@joshgibbons-eyre8697]

Exmillitary and Hi This Is Flume will always hold a special place in my heart

[@iamahorseradish3860]

Live from the dentist office and Floss from Injury reserve will probably always be my favorite mixtapes

[@x_josebove_x8919]

very nice video , as always , i love a lot of mixtape but the flume mixtape is a real travel every time you listen it

[@waitnamek]

u need to post more bro youre one of the only people i look forward to seeing post

[@Tyrese-Townsend]

Live.Love.A$AP, New Jet City, Amerikkkan Korruption (long live STEEZ) and How Fly are examples of phenomenal mixtapes. They showed what the artist is capable of and showed that they are the best at being themselves

[@eleganteaura]

Produce and record on my own 80s 90s A$AP SGP 36 mafia influence

[@LilShepherdBoy]

Super interesting video, actually really enjoyed it!

[@musiclover01ization]

Cool video. I've listened to quite a few mixtapes back in the day. Earl Sweatshirt's debut mixtape, Tyler the Creator's Bastard, and Cyhi da Prynce's Black Hystori Project are great mixtapes.

[@cashcartimf]

I love the animation in this video

[@kilko4863]

I love your videos, especially those animations! :) (btw at 7:50 the album title is misspelled. It's "Summer's Gone" instead of "Summer's Over")

[@blondedivy]

3:13 omg the timing of this is perfect 😭

[@joshhale9355]

Exmilitary is easily my favorite mixtape. It was necessary for music.

[@jaleelkhaleeq]

The kingdom hearts music in this video is something i can appreciate

[@THAGAMEKILLA]

Love your new videos man

[@Tripp1417]

you should go over how barter 6 was thugs debut album until it wasn't and then that other album that didn't come out and then so much fun did well so they were like yeah, this is the debut

[@felixgisse2265]

So i decided to look at the albums on the shelf you had on 7:19 and then decide if you have good taste. I saw some classics like Plastic beach, Lonerism, Saturation 2, MBDTF, DAMN, College Dropout. But then i saw Troupeau Bleu by Cortex which is not only my favorite jazz album of all time but it is probably up there to be one of my favorite albums of all time. You have real good taste.

[@tomfoolerysbignuts3436]

And there are albums like that one from MJ, Trilogy, PartyNextDoor, IGOR, Dr. DRE.... UGH!!!

[@gianlu4357]

your channel is so good man

[@6Senor]

Great stuff man! Can you make a video about the debut album of any artist? To see the good and the bad ones

[@asakukarma]

2 of my favorite mixtape discographies are Lil B with just his 855 song based freestyle mixtape alone and Charles Hamilton who has released over 700 mixtapes and still releases them to this day via his blog

[@Alex-vm6ef]

1999 is definitely a classic mixtape and one of my favorites, opposite end of the spectrum UltraClub4k by doves and wicca phase is one of my favorite projects ever and one of the most genre bending mixtapes of all time

[@CarbonPeppers]

I was thinking about John Frusciante's 2001 internet album "From The Sounds Inside" A digital-only album released exclusively through the internet in August 2001, the album was free to download from his official website and includes material recorded during the To Record Only Water for Ten Days era of his solo career, most of which remained unmixed or unfinished. No track titles were given originally, which has given rise to songs appearing under different names in different sources. This had me wondering if the album was a precurser to the way Hip Hop artists would distribute their mixtapes via the internet in the 2000s through sites like Datpiff.

[@onlysmallbites]

Interesting.... I know artists and fans were using file sharing sites like napster to send stuff around but not their own websites, that wouldnt happen for a while. He might have been one of the first to really use the internet that way, very cool~

[@CarbonPeppers]

@@onlysmallbites It's a really cool avant garde project. Check it out!

[@juliovillanueva5290]

When we needed him the most 🤧

[@gameboi20]

your videos are well edited and well research

[@iazerrrrrrrrrr]

smallbites is the only KZbinr that can draw a character used in this way that doesn't look corny and gross, usually the character is a white kid with brown hair and hoodie or like a rlly over expressive stick figure that ends up just looking gross, ur character is just a very fun cauliflower man that is cool (:

[@ebukaogbuefi3041]

Favorite KZbinr rn

[@ugonwigwe5136]

ur actually one of the best music yters in the game rn

[@willicsiz6076]

I love when artists just use mixtapes to deliver a bunch of song they did in the timespan of like a week or couple of days like Denzel Curry with Kenny beats on Unlocked and 13lood in, 13lood out with zilakami.

[@Kapper_The_Rapper]

working on my first mixtape, this helped a lot, thx

[@shrommy_]

Echoes of Silence is my favorite mixtape of all time

[@tomfoolerysbignuts3436]

Mine is all of the three, lol. The whole Trilogy!!

[@scareddog6163]

Mine was house of balloons. So good

[@sdfopsdmsdofjmp7863]

@@tomfoolerysbignuts3436 Thursday isn't great tbh.

[@alexcant2310]

Your videos are so cool Having made some beat tapes myself this is really interesting

[@console6010]

black kray's Crack Cloud$ Over Arts Kitchen is my favorite mixtape such a legendary mixtape

[@wisp.]

one of my all time favourite mixtapes is Duality by Captain Murphy. Flying Lotus adopted this adult swim moniker to craft a concept mixtape around the Heaven's Gate cult introductory video. very fun and off-the-rails abstract hip hop release. i'd highly recommend it if you like stuff like DANGERDOOM or early Odd Future because it's similarly cartoonish and explicit. also another favourite mixtape of mine that came out this year has got to be Caprisongs by FKA twigs. it's kinda in line moreso with Drake's 2015 mixtapes in that it was straight to streaming and is a mixtape in ethos and aesthetic. but i absolutely love the production, vocals, and lyrics across Caprisongs, really continues to help me through 2022.

[@zacharywoloszynski4258]

That sounds sick, ill have to check it out Is it on streaming?

[@wisp.]

@@zacharywoloszynski4258 nah it's not on streaming unfortunately, you can find the album on KZbin, apparently the video for it was taken down which sucks but it did have nudity so it was a matter of time i guess. i don't think the files for it were hard to find, if you want to import it to your streaming library.

[@zacharywoloszynski4258]

@@wisp. ight, thanks

[@colonel_koopa]

my favourite mixtape is Consequence's "A Tribe Called Quence". SO many crazy remixes and verses.

[@cmooreHD]

You forgot to mention drake Care Package mixtape. (Old songs from over the years on SoundCloud and old drafts) To be honest.. I actually love all of drake mixtapes over his actually studio bodies of work. (Take is my favourite studio project and I consider Honestly,Nevermind a mixtape as well if you really take it in its not like his normal work) This channel by the way is truly amazing.

[@stevesmoddinglounge]

you should do a video specifically about the trap/drill mixtape scene like bricksquad, black migo gang, otf, etc

[@bendidio8720]

Great video as always

[@JDMoney21]

I literally have a mixtape coming out(3/3) called “not a mixtape” 😂😂 this video cam at the perfect time

[@MetalSonic420]

I've been listening to mixtapes growing up since I was a kid, and I'll always have great memories of it. DatPiff is a legendary website, and you can't tell me otherwise. As for my favorite mixtape of all time, it's Da Drought 3 by Lil Wayne.

[@zachk_17]

kendrick lamars overly dedicated is one of my favorite mixtapes ever so underrated and glossed over

[@myra-yves]

average joe is one my of my all time faves by kdot, rotc too

[@demiox7956]

Thursday is the best mixtape in my heart

[@tomfoolerysbignuts3436]

FINALLY SOMEONE MENTIONED IT!

[@robber5310]

Nice inclusion of Jet Grind Radio music for the background.

[@joemomma6317]

Maas ting my brudda

[@zriabm.3243]

the drizzy drake bit made me sub instantly lmao

[@d3vl1n_]

Love your vids

[@thehiphoperazed2864]

I am working on Animating an old underground 90s mixture right now. Having trouble finding a cassette player for real. Pretty sure they are practically non available. Thanks for sharing.

[@daishoryujin95]

I’m starting to feel like the distinction between an album and a mixtape is mostly arbitrary by now

[@420notfound8]

hi this is flume mixtapes goes hard ngl also i didnt know kero kero bonito - intro bonito is a mixtape