Listen to My Mixtape
Memorial Day Weekend Music Review
Article and Photos by Abraham Mizrahi
Thanks largely to the lobbying of rap pioneer and First Amendment advocate, Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, Miami has become the epicenter for the “urban” crowd on Memorial Day. Filling the void that now-defunct events such as Atlanta’s Freaknik have left, Miami is currently the de facto host of what has swelled to roughly 250,000-300,000 young, mostly black visitors. What was once billed as “Black Beach Weekend” has grown into an entity of its own. The event, which now goes by the more PC moniker “Urban Beach Weekend,” arrived swiftly into South Beach this year, transforming the town into one massive party.
The soundtrack of the weekend is hip-hop music, everywhere you turn the genre is audible. Hip-hop is heard everywhere from rattling stereos of “donks” shaking up the streets to the speakers of the bars and clubs, and even people walking down the sidewalk with shoulder-mounted blasters.
The reach of the music doesn’t stop on the streets; a huge component of the party is the concerts. Every venue on and in proximity to South Beach dedicates the weekend to showcasing a who's who of rap music; from its most famous such as Lil Wayne to lesser known local acts. As a result of the machine hip-hop has become, many up and comers view self promotion as a full-time job. The creation and distribution of mixtapes has been an integral part of rap since its inception; a DIY means of production that allows for experimentation and most vitally, the creation of music at a low cost.
During Memorial Day weekend mixtape distribution, now in the form of crude CDs, is constant and ever-present. Leave your parked car near Ocean Drive for a few minutes and the windshield will be covered with CDs. On the rare chance you find it low on swag, look no further than the nearest person, who would be more than happy to fill the void on your car. Walking around, one cannot take several steps without stepping on a discarded mixtape.
The sheer volume of CDs handed out is almost overwhelming. It's easy to fill your car's center console and glove box with the content acquired throughout the weekend.
The creation and distribution of mixtapes has been an integral part of rap since its inception; a DIY means of production that allows for experimentation and most vitally, the creation of music at a low cost.
Unfortunately for many of these purveyors of rap, the quality of music is more often than not, lacking. Much of these mixtapes are doomed to a fate of being used as a coaster rather than bumping at Club Mansion the next night.
A common practice in the rap game is to include shout outs on the record to the people that helped with the album: friends, family, record labels and other artists. This is the hip-hop community's version of the Grammy Awards acceptance speech. Emerging local rappers, such as Pebo Florida, Hoody 2 Shuze and Hella Coppa, should have time spent more time to big up Kinko’s and Memorex for making their mixtapes I-Pod Musik, Microphone Headlock and The Dynasty Continues possible.
A major aspect of the mixtape game is the creation of exciting cover art. The cover of the mixtape is what draws the listener in, and initially grabs their attention. While packaging and cover presentation has largely become a dying art, mixtapes have managed to maintain the art form and push it to new and gaudy heights. The average cover either displays the artist surrounded by his crew in a grimy urban setting or conversely in a state of the art recording studio, accompanied by all the trappings that hip-hop fame will hopefully bring: money, hoes, cars and clothes.
Memorial Day Weekend and mixtapes have become inextricably linked. Memorial Day runs on rap music and as long as the weekend continues, hundreds of aspiring rappers will be there hustling their music and hoping to become the sound track to next party weekend. Who knows, that mixtape on the floor or on someone’s car could be the big hit at next year’s events.
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