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Since the 1970s, mixtapes have been a staple of hip hop music. In the beginning, DJs put together the hottest new music so that it could reach the general listening public. As the art form progressed, artists began contacting DJs to create tapes entirely of their original material. The best examples of the last decade have launched some of the biggest careers in hip hop today.

In 2004, rapper Chamillionaire released a three disk mixtape entitled Mixtape Messiah. The entire focus of the complication was an attack on his longtime rival, Mike Jones, and featured raps that honored the Houston tradition of slow and chopped mixes. Chamillionaire and Jones have since reconciled, but Mixtape Messiah remains a favorite among fans.

The 2003 tape In Da Streetz by T.I. and P.S.C. came as a result of a botched release from Arista Records. T.I. took some of those recordings along with a few new ones and created this tape to help get himself a new record deal. He did just that and has sold many, many albums since then, but many fans believe that In Da Streetz remains his best work.

Perhaps the best mixtape of the last decade is 50 Cent Is The Future by G-Unit. 50 Cent had come off of a rough few years after getting shot and losing a record deal with Columbia. He made this tape to catch the attention of a new label and ended up making an impression on Eminem and Dr. Dre, who took 50 Cent on as their new protégé.

True hip hop fans have used mixtapes for years to stay up to date on the newest artists and music. The best examples of this medium from the last ten years have done much more than entertain hip hop fans. They have actually jump started the success of some of the industry's biggest stars.

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