Three years ago, I jumped into the mixtape game with a tape called Underground Hustle Vol. 1. I co-hosted a radio show for about a year at the point. To keep the show interesting, I decided to put on a few underground artists after I had heard some on a Hip Hop forum. I wasn’t going to put just anyone on. I put on those who I thought had something. What I heard from the underground scene amazed me. After I started to receive great feedback from playing underground artists on the show, I said to myself, “fuck it” and just started piecing together that first mixtape. I never thought it would’ve gotten as big as it did. I just wanted to promote dope artists as I did on my show.

After that, an artist, who had seen me promote the tape on a Hip Hop forum, approached me about doing his first mixtape. He had me preview some tracks before I made my decision. Upon the first listen, I knew he had potential but wasn’t there yet; in fact, he was really far, but I seen the fire in him. That artist was Swaggz (seen above). That mixtape was The Lyrical Miracle Vol. 1. He took the feedback from that tape pretty hard. I urged him to keep going and told him that he would get better over time which I did believe. I also give him advice on various things. Almost a year passed before we did another mixtape together. In that time, he kept sending me tracks. Upon listening to those tracks, I noticed him getting better and better. Once that second mixtape dropped, I had seen a new Swaggz who wasn’t only stepping his bars and flow up, but a Swaggz who had great confidence in himself.

We did a few more mixtapes together before I disappeared from the mixtape game for a while. He kept going despite my disappearance. Even when I was working with him, he was doing side projects. It had been a while since I heard from him. I didn’t even know he dropped a mixtape while I was gone. When I did hear from him, he shot me some tracks from his latest mixtape After Before. I do have to admit that I wasn’t paying attention to those tracks because I was so wrapped up in my post-gradation woes. But when he dropped the full project on me, I was blown away. I couldn’t believe that this was the same kid I first worked with. He had grown a lot, and he will keep growing. I’m very proud of how far he has come.

It’s moments like this that makes me glad I jumped into the mixtape game. Who knows where I would be if I didn’t? I think I wouldn’t have done the amazing things that were Hip Hop oriented. Who knows where Swaggz would be if I didn’t? He would’ve probably still been doing his thing. I hope to work with him again one day. And yes, I do intend on getting back into the mixtape game. I’m trying to get myself right, almost there. Swaggz, keep doing your thing. Everyone else, check out this young man’s growth especially his latest effort After Before.