Late last month, J. Cole released three fan-favorite mixtapes on streaming services for the very first time: The Come Up, The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights.
The move coincided with his nostalgic audio series Inevitable, which finds him looking back on his decorated career, sharing amazing stories from the making of each of his projects and even digging into the vaults to play unreleased music with the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell.
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But it also extended a wider trend of classic rap mixtapes being reissued on streaming years after the fact — a growing catalog that includes Drake’s So Far Gone, A$AP Rocky’s Live.Love.A$AP, Wiz Khalifa’s Kush & Orange Juice, Kid Cudi’s A Kid Named Cudi, Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap and Big K.R.I.T.’s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, to name just a few.
As anyone who was around to witness the initial release of these projects will attest, they all belong to the blog era, a special and influential period of Hip Hop from the mid 2000s to the early 2010s where the rise of the internet loosened the industry’s grip on power and opened the floodgates for up-and-coming artists to build a buzz and established names to explore their creativity.
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Where previous generations hoped a co-sign from a big name or a dazzling demo, freestyle or live performance would lead to a record deal, emerging rappers in the blog era relied on giving music away for free online. Some focused on crafting album-quality mixtapes full of original music rather than freestyles over popular beats; others flooded the web with an abundance of loose songs and lengthy projects (*looks at Lil B and Charles Hamilton*).
All, if not most, looked to tastemaker blogs like NahRight, 2DopeBoyz and OnSMASH, as well as regional sites such as Chicago’s FakeShoreDrive, to get their music heard. As this ear-to-the-streets ecosystem birthed budding superstars like Drake, Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, it became apparent that traditional gatekeepers like record labels, radio stations and magazines no longer solely held the keys to the kingdom; bloggers were sneaking people in through the backdoor — and doing so at a higher, quicker and arguably more successful rate.
Then, of course, streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and TIDAL came along, helping to swing the pendulum of power back to the so-called machine.
As both NahRight and 2DopeBoyz are sadly defunct and DatPiff’s extensive mixtape archive is at risk of joining them in the internet graveyard, it’s more important than ever to keep the legacy of the blog era alive. (Eric and Jeff Rosenthal’s award-winning The Blog Era podcast does an excellent job of this, for those looking to relive — or research — these halcyon days.)
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Countless beloved blog era mixtapes have been rereleased on streaming in recent years, but there are still so many left yet to make that jump, for reasons most likely related to sample clearances or creative decisions.
Here are 10 blog era mixtapes that deserve to be brought to streaming.
Frank Ocean — nostalgia, ULTRA (2011)
The mixtape that launched the career of R&B’s most annoyingly elusive superstar (or second, if you suffered through the 14-year wait for a new D’Angelo album). Born of his frustration with being neglected by his then-label Def Jam, as well as the DIY energy of his adopted family of Odd Future, nostalgia, ULTRA transformed Frank Ocean from a behind-the-scenes songwriter into a solo star in his own right. Even JAY-Z, Kanye West and Beyoncé were fast fans, leading to the “Novocane” crooner collaborating with the A-listers and winning his first Grammys.
Given its inclusion of tough-to-clear samples (most notably The Eagles’ “Hotel California), however, it’s unlikely that nostalgia, ULTRA will ever get the necessary approval to be released on streaming. In fact, a condensed commercial release dubbed Nostalgia, Lite was discussed back in 2012 until the plan was abandonded.
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Tyler, The Creator — Bastard (2009)
Though technically Tyler, The Creator’s debut album, Bastard was released like a mixtape: for free on the then-teenager’s Tumblr page (does it get more blog era than that?) Ironically, Bastard harbored resentment, not reverence, for the leading blogs at the time as Tyler spent the opening seconds angrily declaring: “Fuck 2DopeBoyz and fuck NahRight and any other fuck n-gga-ass blog that can’t put an 18-year-old n-gga making his own fucking beats, covers, videos and all that shit. Fuck you post-Drake-ass, cliché-jerking, L.A.-Slauson-rapping, fuck n-gga-ass Hypebeast n-ggas.”
Though Tyler has grown by leaps and bounds since then, he hasn’t lost that chip on his shoulder (thank goodness).
Earl Sweatshirt — EARL (2010)
Odd Future really had something special in the blog era, even if they weren’t fully accepted by those in charge. Another impressive debut from the rabble-rousing skate rat crew, EARL offered a glimpse at Earl Sweatshirt’s prodigious lyrical talents and penchant for Eminem-esque shock tactics (something he has since distanced himself from). The viral video for the twisted title track was a double-edged sword, though, as Earl was shipped off to a boarding school in Samoa by his concerned mother at the height of his internet hype.
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Lil Wayne — Da Drought 3 (2007)
Lil Wayne’s other classic mixtape from his legendary mid-2000s run, Da Drought 3 proved it was anything but as Weezy devoured some of the hottest beats, past and present, and barely spat out the bone. “Hip hop is mine now, mine — what ya gyan do? / I can jump on any n-gga’s song and make a part two,” he boasted on the intro of the epic double disc tape.
While The Dedication 2 snuck its way onto streaming platforms last year, the forecast for Da Drought 3 is less sunny, as Wayne explained during a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast.
Rick Ross — Rich Forever (2012)
Even the Biggest Bawse got busy during the blog era, crafting a blockbuster mixtape that gives even his biggest commercial albums a run for their money. From its star-studded supporting cast (Drake, Future, Nas, 2 Chainz, Diddy etc.) to its bevy of bangers (“Stay Schemin,'” “Triple Beam Dreams”), Rich Forever saw Rick Ross throw his weight around and secure his spot as MTV’s Hottest MC in the Game. Tremors were certainly felt as it remains one of DatPiff’s most downloaded mixtapes of all time.
Big Sean — Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big (2010)
Before he celebrated achieving fame on his debut album, Big Sean plotted his path to stardom (and quietly influenced your favorite rappers’ flows) on his Finally Famous mixtape series. Released shortly after he appeared on XXL’s famed 2010 Freshman cover alongside the likes of J. Cole, Nipsey Hussle and Wiz Khalifa, Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big was the epic culmination of this trilogy, boasting Sean Don’s first collaboration with Drake as well as one of his first with his G.O.O.D. Music label boss Kanye West.
The highlight of the tape, however, remains the aptly-stuffed “Fat Raps” remix featuring fellow blog rap darlings Dom Kennedy, Chuck Inglish, Asher Roth, Chip Tha Rapper and even a young Boldy James.
Wale & 9th Wonder — Back to the Feature (2009)
Wale has no shortage of beloved mixtapes from the blog era, and while efforts such as The Mixtape About Nothing, More About Nothing and Folarin have already been brought to streaming, this under-appreciated project also deserves to be blasted into the present day.
A full-length collaboration with producer 9th Wonder, Back to the Feature is a fun listen from front to back, brimming with soulful beats, free-wheeling rhymes and a heavyweight guestlist that includes everyone from Black Thought and Big Sean to J. Cole and Curren$y. Equally nostalgic is seeing the LRG logo grace the mixtape’s cover.
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Dom Kennedy — The Yellow Album (2012)
Years before Larry June was serving up playa-smooth hustler music made for California cruisin’, Dom Kennedy was establishing himself as the premier “lifestyle rapper” of his generation. Capitalizing on the buzz of previous projects like From the Westside with Love and The Original Dom Kennedy, The Yellow Album distilled the Leimert Park native’s ethos of effortlessly stacking paper and partying with pretty women into a cohesive package seasoned with 1980s L.A. flavor. Guest verses from Kendrick Lamar, Too $hort, Rick Ross and Freddie Gibbs only added more color.
Dom Kennedy previously estimated that it would cost $2 million to clear The Yellow Album for a streaming release, so don’t hold your breath.
Action Bronson — Blue Chips (2012)
Action Bronson has always had a knack for knowing which producers to pair his funny, outrageous rhymes with. (He is a chef by trade, after all.) While The Alchemist, Harry Fraud and Daringer have become part of his go-to kitchen crew over the last decade, arguably his most slept-on partnership is with Party Supplies, the New York production duo comprised of Justin Nealis and Sean Mahon.
Blue Chips, the first entry in his trilogy named after the 1994 college basketball movie, was pure hilarity, hedonism and head-nodding beats, with Bronsolino serving up bars like, “Bam bam got a shooter like Lagassee / Emerald green paper that I split up with my posse / One hand driving, three gram smoking / Two fiend sucking, tea bag soaking” over retro samples. Chef’s kiss.
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Vic Mensa — INNANETAPE (2013)
Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap made its long-awaited debut on streaming in 2019, but it still doesn’t feel complete without its sister project alongside it. Released just months after Chano’s breakthrough, website-crashing mixtape, Vic Mensa’s INNANETAPE possessed many of the same qualities that made Acid Rap so special: the tweaked-out anthems of youthful abandon, the soulful melodies and meditations on dead homies, and the wide-eyed ambition that suggested these Save Money MCs were destined to be a star.
A deal with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation and collaborations with Kanye West soon followed, but Vic has still yet to top his debut effort.
