![]() And yet there he is, on the cover of “Southern Smoke 27,” with his face partially obscured by a gun silencer. Compared to the streetwise rappers Atlanta is currently known for, Ludacris always seemed like a pretty lighthearted fellow. Which brings us to Ludacris, a former radio personality (he was Chris Lova Lova) and impressive actor he often steers clear of the mixtape fray. (No 50 Cent fan would want to be without his latest one, “G Unit Radio Part 21: Hate It or Love It” no Lil’ Wayne fan can afford to miss his dazzling recent release, “Gangsta Grillz: Dedication 2.”) And even rappers with other priorities find ways to make mixtapes work for them. Some mixtape-loving rappers make mixtapes part of their semi-official discographies. Lots of mixtapes are simply compilations. Publicists distribute them rappers brag about them major-label promoters rely upon them retail chains and online emporia often stock them, even though it’s illegal to sell them (because they’re full of copyrighted material). These days they often seem less like shady contraband, circulated by samizdat, and more like vital extensions of slick marketing campaigns. Mixtapes - unlicensed collections of new and unreleased hip-hop tracks, invariably distributed on CD’s, despite the name - continue to be an essential part of the hip-hop industry. Only one problem: that market doesn’t officially exist. Put another way, Cash’s album would have to keep selling at that pace for half a year to tie the one-week sales record set by ’N Sync in 2000, near the end of the 1990’s CD boom.īut there is at least one CD market that still looks healthier than ever. 1 album since SoundScan started keeping track in 1991. Bad news, because the CD sold only 88,000 copies in its first week that’s the lowest sales figure for a No. Last week, when Johnny Cash topped the album charts with his posthumous CD, “American V: A Hundred Highways,” it was good news for his estate and bad news for record executives everywhere.
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