The New Mixtape

Respect due to Complex, but DJ Premier was the best hip-hop producer of 1994. Peep the playlist for proof.

I grew up during the mixtape era, when DJs used to release exclusive songs on cassettes that were only available at places like Uptown Flava on Grand Concourse and Harlem Music Hut on 125th Street. My friends and I used to make missions from White Plains into the depths of NYC to discover new music. Back in the early ’90s, there was no Internet to surf—you had to get in the whip and go find the new shit yourself. It was a glorious and exciting time to be a hip-hop fan in New York. We lived in the mixtape spots and record stores—and stayed up late listening to and taping WNYU and WKCR rap radio shows—because they were our only means of music discovery.

But now, with music streaming sites like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and Soundcloud, there are so many ways and opportunities to discover new and classic music from the comfort of your couch, and at any time of the day. Playlists are the new mixtape, and you don’t need DJ equipment to create one.

But with so much music now at our fingertips, the music discovery process can be overwhelming sometimes. That’s where we come in. The New Mixtape is here to share the finest hip-hop-related playlists out there, and create original ones, too—both in The New Mixtape lab and with the culture’s most influential artists, producers, writers and personalities. We have a passion for playlists, and we want to share it with you directly.

So stay tuned as we celebrate hip-hop music, culture and history through playlists, and help provide expertly-curated soundtracks for your daily shuffle.

– Daniel Isenberg aka The Playlist Papi