Blog: The Smoking Section

Up until Kanye & Luda leaked, I had been exclusively listening to mixtapes. This isn't something I do on the reg, as I usually give them a once over & keep it moving. But in my extended listening, it became clear where the mixtape stands in relation to retail albums. Just like in baseball, it's the Minor Leagues. Think about it: just like players move up the ranks from single A to AAA, before moving on to the pros. New & established artists navigate through the mixtape circuit for different [...]