Why 2011 was the year of the mixtape

With labels scared to sign an artist that might not sell, no wonder this was the year the free hip-hop mixtape flourishedThe free mixtape has long been a platform for emerging artists to get themselves noticed, but in 2011 the format came into its own. In fact, some of this year's best-loved music – from the Weeknd to A$AP Rocky – were released as online mixtapes, while "proper" albums by high-profile artists such as Lil Wayne, Drake, Jay-Z and Kanye West seemed underwhelming in comparison. ...

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