I miss mixtapes. They gave us a whole different look at our favorite artists.

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio. I never want to be the guy who’s like, “hip-hop was better back in the day.” When I turned 30, I promised myself I would never be that guy. But music culture is made for the young, and the music culture of your youth will always be nearest to your heart. As you get older, it takes more effort to welcome new developments in music culture into your heart. You have to be conscious and diligent about not saying “things were better in my day.” But you can say things were different in my day. And you can say, I miss some of the things that were prevalent years ago.  Years ago, back in the ‘90s and ‘00s, there was a robust mixtape culture. I really miss mixtapes. I know the word is thrown around here and there, but I’m telling you, mixtapes used to be a thing. A whole book about mixtapes dropped last year called “Do Remember!: The Golden Era of NYC Hip-Hop Mixtapes.” You had to know where to go to find them — usually there...