One of the pioneers of Atlanta’s DJ scene has tapped a group of writers to help him recount what he calls one of Hip-Hop’s untold stories.
DJ Mars and his team are putting the finishing touches on The History of Mixtapes, a coffee table book due out later this year.
The collection of photos and essays examines how mixtapes have impacted not only DJ culture, but how the format helped spread Hip-Hop music as well.
With interviews spotlighting the likes of DJ Hollywood, Brucie B, Kid Capri, SnS, Ron G, Dexterity and J Period, The History of Mixtapes explores this phenomenon inherently created by the Hip-Hop generation and the stars who have emerged from the movement over the years.
“When you hear a publication write about mixtapes, they usually only write about certain DJs or who’s hot today,” Mars told AllHipHop.com. “But the mixtape game didn’t start as a popularity contest. It just turned into that.
“When mixtape culture gets written about, it doesn’t get covered in its entirety. I just saw a void that needed to be filled,” DJ Mars said.
To promote the his latest project, Mars has launched a new website celebrating all things old school and Hip-Hop.
HistoryofMixtapes.com offers visitors a chance to revisit classic interviews and performances, old school commercials, classic West Coast releases and even wrestling performances.
The site also showcases those DJs who have maximized their popularity, branding themselves far beyond the world of mixtapes.
Additionally, each Monday, DJ Mars makes one classic mixtape from his personal collection available for download.
“I want people to get used to coming to the site to learn,” Mars says. “I wanted the site to be a credible source of information, real esoteric. So I put classic stuff on there. Stuff you haven’t seen, stuff you miss.”
The History of Mixtapes will be published independently in late fall 2009.
