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New documentary celebrates 50 years of hip hop through the eyes of the mixtape

“The real story of the mixtape, its origins, its impact, and its ongoing relevance for the culture."

  • Miki Kitasako
  • 18 July 2023
New documentary celebrates 50 years of hip hop through the eyes of the mixtape

A brand-new documentary about the beats, hustle and culture of hip-hop is making its way to our screens, featuring a flurry of the genre’s biggest names. In an ode to 50 years of hip hop, ‘MIXTAPE’ looks to explore the genre’s underground roots through lens of the very device that pushed the genre into the mainstream culture.

To some kids today, a mixtape might be an ancient relic of the past; some barely even know what a cassette is. Be that as it may, its evolution within music holds a rich history and this documentary will be looking at the mixtape’s power through its unique perspective.

The documentary reaches back into the past to what a mixtape signified within the genre and how the world was, with the shareability of music prior to the internet, social media and the radio even. It had a high value when it came to the currency of underground culture and holds a certain status between trendsetters and those in the know.

Featured in ‘MIXTAPE’ are several of hip hop’s heavy-hitting names such as 2 Chainz, A$AP Rocky, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Funkmaster Flex, The Game, Grandmaster Caz, Jadakiss, KRS-One, Lil Wayne, Mark Ronson and many more.

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“Hip hop is 50 years old and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate its journey and contextualize its evolution than through the story of the mixtape,” says Omar Acosta, director of MIXTAPE, in the official press release.

“It’s an honor to be involved in this film and to help tell the real story of the mixtape, its origins, its impact, and its on-going relevance for the culture,” mentions the film’s producer, Tony Touch.

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Celebrating 50 years of hip hop, the documentary will premiere on August 1 in the US and Canada and on August 2 in Australia, Latin America and Brazil. For us in Asia, we’ll just need to wait as the producers announced that international markets will follow later this year.

‘MIXTAPE’ will be available through Paramount+ and is brought to you by MTV Entertainment Studios and Def Jam Recordings. The official soundtrack titled ‘The Def Tape’ will be produced by Def Jam and will come out next month.

Via: Pressparty

Miki Kitasako is Mixmag Asia’s Social Media and Content Producer, follow her on LinkedIn

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