DJ Envy of Hot 97 fame is ready to take the world of mix tapes to new heights. In a historic deal with Cellfish Media, Envy will release the first mix tape for mobile phones. The format, dubbed The Mobile Mix Tape will be a weekly production that can be downloaded straight to a listener’s mobile phone, eliminating the need to burn a CD or upload to an iPod. Cellfish will distribute the seven track mixes from DJ Envy as full mixes or ring tones. Subscribers pay a fixed fee per download or buy tracks in a discounted package. Executives for Cellfish are excited about the partnership with Envy and its implications for the mix tape game. “Yesterday, kids would have to wait for a mixtape to be pressed up and distributed; today, they have to run home to their computers and search for it; tomorrow, the instant something is blowing up, it shows up in your pocket. Yesterday is over,” said Jonathan Dworkin, Vice President of Talent and Programming at Cellfish Media.

The mobile mix tape game is not just limited to multi platinum artists. BUZ Interactive dropped the first ever pod cast mixtape titled Step Yo Game Up, Training Day #1 last week. Emcees wishing to get in on the fun can call a number (found on www.getabuz.com) to record a voice message or freestyle. The new service is another way that aspiring artists can mesh music with emerging technology to reach new listeners. For more information, hit up www.myspace.com/getabuz.

In the latest assault on the infamous “N word”, Darryl R. Matthews Sr., President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., challenged its collegiate members to refrain from playing music that included the word at its functions or hiring DJ’s who played music with the word in it. The challenge came as Matthews addressed the fraternity at its national convention in Orlando Florida last week. “I don’t know many ethnic groups other than the black community that use such harsh language with each other and empower other people to think it’s OK to use it,” he said in an interview following the speech.