Culture
Pressed in Wax, Burned to CD: The Mixtape Era That Saved Hip-Hop's Memory
Before streaming playlists and algorithm-generated radio stations, there was the DJ mixtape — a hand-curated, community-distributed artifact that carried the full weight of Black musical tradition on its sleeve. It wasn't about promotion. It was about preservation. And a generation of crate diggers, with J. Period leading the charge, made sure the culture didn't forget where it came from.