His Mixtape's a Masterpiece . . . and Exhibit A

Like just about everyone of my generation, I've made my share of "mixtapes," compilations of music from various sources for use in other locales (usually the car). Hell, I remember when we actually used tapes! Everything's on CD now, of course (you kids have is soooo easy). I knew that there were "professional" mixtapes out there, sold on street corners and what not, but I had no idea it was so big and such a part of hip-hop. This article from today's New York Times details the raid on and arrest of DJ Drama, whose Gangsta Grillz mixtapes are some of the best of the bunch. So good that some rappers have appeared on his CDs, regardless of record company protestations. Mixtapes, however, are made up of copyrighted material (owned mostly by the record companies, rather than the artists, I imagine), so the RIAA is coming down on DJ Drama like a house of bricks.