Mix Masters

Though mix tapes are still very much in the underground, all that could change in the near future. While hip-hop zine stalwarts like The Bomb have been offering up mix tapes via mail order for some time now, and Seattle's monthly Flavor has long featured critiques of mix tapes, national newsstand magazines like RapPages and URB have recently caught onto the craze, and now feature profiles of key DJs along with cassette reviews. As for major label involvement, Loud Records recently released the first "commercial" mix tape album by well-known New York DJ Funkmaster Flex. Whether that means labels will eventually hit the unsigned little guys for copyright infringement is still up for debate.

Besides Cue's and Ultra Sounz, mix tapes can be found at stores like Behind the Post Office, Amoeba, X-Large, and Zebra Records in S.F. and X-Large in Berkeley. Fuck the Bullshit tapes can be ordered by calling (510) 658-4293. For more information, contact The Bomb at 826-9479.