Many may find it hard to believe, but there was a time when Hip Hop music wasn't flooding our airwaves and Hip Hop Artists weren't certified pop stars. This time, before rappers had enough clout to endorse presidential candidates and newscasters covered stories on the latest "bling," the foundation was laid for the art form through The Mixtape. As most recall, Hip Hop music began to make major commercial headway in the late 80's and early 90's. Long before the days of platinum and gold success, a rapper's worth was in the DJ's placement within his mixture. During the late 70's, before record labels even considered rap music a legitimate art form, Hip Hop's fathers, Grandmaster Flash, Kool Herc, and Africa Bambataa were recording their performances and customizing music mixes for their loyal New York fanbase- not only to make financial ends meet, but to also lay the groundwork for the birth of hip hop as a street based culture. Ultimately, it would be the growing popularity and ...
