mixtape

noun

mix·​tape ˈmiks-ˌtāp 

variants or less commonly mix tape

plural mixtapes also mix tapes

1

: a noncommercial compilation of songs copied (as onto a cassette tape or a CD) from various sources

In high school, I'd be making mixtapes for friends and girls instead of doing my homework, spending hours perfecting how a Smiths song and Joy Division song and Pixies song would convey the way I feel.

—Aaron Axelsen, quoted at SFGate.com

Writers like Nick Hornby have imbued the cassette tape with considerable romance, in particular the mix tape created for a loved one. In practice, these were often recorded directly from the radio, requiring your typical suburban suitor to sit around for hours on end, waiting for the desired track to appear.

—Richard Glover

2

: an album that is usually recorded and distributed without the involvement of a record label

The mixtape is an unofficial release. It might be tied to an imprint or a label, but it doesn't necessarily appear in stores. In fact, most of them can be purchased only on the streets, at the clubs, from the trunks of cars or from the artists themselves.

—Lance Scott Walker

Long before rap got any radio love, mixtapes were the main form of distribution, the currency that kept everything in rotation as the culture evolved.

—Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael

High-fidelity and laden with hits, So Far Gone had the sheen of a professional studio album, and it popularized the idea of mixtapes as low-pressure showcases for burgeoning artists.

—Jonah Bromwich

Examples of mixtape in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In recent years, artists have re-released their early career mixtapes on streaming services. —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2025

Of his 34 entries, only eight are technically studio albums (including MASA), while 20 are mixtapes, three compiled various cuts and three are EPs. —Xander Zellner, Billboard, 7 Aug. 2025

Since first charting in 2017 with his AI YoungBoy mixtape, YoungBoy has posted an astonishing 34 charting projects in just eight years, a staggering pace unmatched in modern rap history. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Over the years, Hamilton has launched multiple national tours and international productions, played for royalty, released a starry mixtape and even surpassed $1 billion in global sales. —Dave Quinn, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for mixtape

• agape
• escape
• landscape
• lenape
• reshape
• seascape
• soundscape
• ape
• cape
• crape
• crepe
• drape