“Just A Friendly Game Of Baseball…”

AUDIO    By MZ on November 30, 2008 at 12:32 pm

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 reasons, but all with the same goal of reaching the Majors.

Single A Ball is the equivalent of the local rappers who hand out mixtapes after the club/concert/sporting event/girl scout meeting. They’re doing whatever they can do to get noticed. Many careers end here but fresh blood keeps this level bubbling with activity.

The AA/AAA levels are the equivalent of Charles Hamilton’s Sonic The Hamilton mixtape. The kid has excelled at times but he’s working out his throwing flow motion. Is he gonna be a power pitcher or one with a strong command of the strike zone? Throughout the season he’ll move up and down between the two leagues depending upon his consistency and ability to hang with the competition.

Terrace Martin’s Locke High Gangsta Grillz is an example of someone who’s languished in AAA and is overdue for a call-up. Due to bad management, he’s going to in the running for Minor League Player Of The Year instead of Rookie Of The Year in the Majors.

Stat Quo’s The South’s Got Something Say mixtape is an example of someone who been sitting on the Yankee’s bench behind Jeter and Rodriguez. He was playing behind some the best to ever do it and became the forgotten man to all but the die hard fan. He’s shown flashes of brilliance during spot duty, but at this point he doesn’t want to be remembered as the dude that backed up so and so. So he’s dropped back down to AAA just to get some playing time. Another shot in the Majors would be nice, but playing everyday is enough right now.

Lil’ Wayne’s Dedication 3 is the example of an enigmatic player. Despite all types of success in the Majors, he’s more comfortable in AAA for whatever reason. Maybe it’s his love for the game or the lowered expectation and competition. The way he’s going now he’ll be remembered more for his Minor League accolades, despite what he’s achieved in the Majors. Sort of like the Hip-Hop version of the Dwight Gooden, I saw during his countless rehab stint’s in Columbus. Or maybe a more extreme version of Manny being Manny.

Just like in it’s baseball counterpart, the mixtape scene is full of a million stories and no two are alike. The road to the Majors is filled with countless stories of rejection, success, stardom, and redemption. Where everyone has a chance at the start of a new season for their 15 minutes… at least on some level.

Stray Shots

Donell_Jones-U_Know_Whats_Up-(EU_CDM)-1999

Busta_Rhymes_Feat_P._Diddy-Pass_the_Courvoisier_Part_II_(Explicit)-CDS-2002

Artifacts-Wrong_Side_of_Da_Tracks-CDM-1993

Crime_Mob-Crime_Mob-2004

Webbie-Savage_Life-2005

Baby_D-A-Town_Secret_Weapon

J-Love-Mobb_Misses_Pt._3-2004

The_Roots-The_Tipping_Point-UK_BONUS_TRACK

The_Roots-Things_Come_Together

Stray Shots

Posted in AUDIO, GENERAL, MUSIC, Mixtapes, STRAY SHOTS — Tags: Charles Hamilton, Dedication 3, DJ Drama, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Locke High Gangsta Grillz, Ludacris, Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, Mixtapes, Snoop Dogg, Sonic The Hedgehog, Stat Quo, Terrace Martin, The South Got Something To Say