The carter 3 mixtape lil wayne
Cause’ the whole drug culture is connected with 50 Cent. Instead of me, I created like bootlegs…anywhere that they sold drugs, like a corner, I would go to the bodega and be like “I’m gonna leave like 20 tapes here”. Here’s DJ Whoo Kid on his role on the iconic mixtape in an interview with Mass Appeal: It’s not a surprise that the same happened with mixtapes.ĥ0’s distribution game was grassroots. But that eventually changed as artists became the brands. They were the gatekeepers who controlled what was played at the clubs, knew the promoters, and had ties with the radio stations. Back in the day, DJs were hip-hop’s main draw. It followed a transition that had already happened hip-hop. Sure, there were guest verses by Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, but this was marketed as a 50 Cent project. Third, the mixtape came from a single act. With a verified product and co-signs for Dr. He got early feedback, caught the attention of Eminem’s manager Paul Rosenberg, who got 50 in front of the Shady/Aftermath squad. 50’s trio of mixtapes- Future, No Mercy No Fear, and God’s Plan- were minimum viable products that helped craft Get Rich or Die Tryin’. But mixtape became proving grounds for album placement. The standard M.O was to save the best stuff for the album. Second, he dropped album-quality bars on the mixtape. “50’s first record that people knew him by was ‘How to Rob.’ He didn’t give a fuck about what a nigga thought so that wasn’t even a concern of ours.” When asked if 50 was nervous about this, his manager Sha Money XL reminded us what’s really good. First, it jacked well-known beats from Jay Z, Mobb Deep, Tweet, and countless other artists. That’s three distinct changes that 50 Cent is the Future kicked off.
#THE CARTER 3 MIXTAPE LIL WAYNE SERIES#
It isn’t a series of scraps and exclusives put out under a DJ’s name, nor is it an album under novelty glasses and a fake mustache, as so many quote-unquote mixtapes are now.” Recorded largely in Canada, because studio managers around New York found 50 a safety hazard, Future was the most nationally visible patient zero of “mixtapes” as we knew them in the 2000s: a sampling of original raps by a single act over a variety of mostly pilfered beats. Here’s an excerpt on his mixtape run from The FADER: After getting shot nine times, the Queens rapper was willing to break any rules and do whatever it took to get put on. It’s romantically fitting that 50 Cent catalyzed the modern mixtape. Now that everyone follows the same formula, the industry may be bound for disruption yet again. Successfully disruptive products, like 50 and Wayne’s mixtapes, caused competitors (old and new) to switch their style up. That evolution paved the way for today’s “mixtape,” which has now become a pointless delineation for marketing purposes. 50, DJ Whoo Kid, and their street team redefined the product, distribution, and marketing strategy for mixtapes and independent releases. In 2002, 50 Cent is the Future took the summer by storm. Wayne’s mixtape run thrived on a foundation built by 50 Cent. But by the time No Ceilings dropped, they wielded enough power to validate the “best rapper alive” at the peak of his powers. Mixtapes were once raw compilations of freestyles curated by DJs. That statement itself is a testament to the power that mixtapes had gained. No Ceilings proved that Wayne could sustain excellence after Tha Carter III. Today is the tenth anniversary of No Ceilings, one of the mixtapes that defined Lil’ Wayne’s epic run in the 2000s. Both 50 Cent and Lil’ Wayne’s mixtapes redefined the product, distribution, and marketing for mixtapes and got the entire industry to follow their lead.