Making a mixtape has got to be the easiest shit in the world, right? Especially a “Best Of” mixtape because you don’t even need new material, you’ve just gotta pick an artist and pile a bunch of their hits onto a disc. Anybody can do that shit, right?
Not exactly. Creating a mixtape is as much a science as it is an art, and, when done properly, the “Best Of” mixtape has what may be the most scientific creative process of them all. Not “scientific” as in Microbiology or Quantum Physics, but “scientific” meaning it requires a specific method and extensive study — requirements that a lot of lazy bastards can’t meet. FreshDot recently spoke to DJ J.Period, whose diverse “Best Of” catalogue — which includes volumes showcasing Nas, Big Daddy Kane, The Roots, Lauryn Hill, and The Isley Brothers — is damn-near legendary, and picked his brain on how exactly he puts together his classic mixtapes.
But before we take you to school, here’s a quick intro for those unfamiliar with the mixtape master:
Originally from L.A., J.Period has spent the last ten years or so making a mighty strong name for himself in Brooklyn. He’s been on MTV’s Mixtape Mondays four times; he’s accumulated several DJ of the Year honors from publications that FreshDot will not name (y’all gets no love); he’s rocked crowds at shows, clubs and private functions around the globe alongside many of the biggest names in music; he even DJ’d a 50-city Def Poetry Tour entitled “Declare Yourself”, providing the musical backdrop for an event that registered over a million new voters for the 2004 election. You see, J.Period is not only an extremely skilled DJ — or “selector,” as he likes to call himself — he’s also socially conscious, noting that his biggest beef with Hip-Hop today is that not enough of its power and influence is used to do something more significant than sell records. So remember: Just because you never hear his voice on his mixtapes doesn’t mean the dude has nothing to say.
So, now that you’ve been introduced, let’s get back to the program.
Obviously, the first step to creating a “Best Of” is choosing which artist to feature. This is the only easy part, as the DJ can pretty much pick anyone he wants. J.Period simply picks artists that he respects and likes. “I’m driven by what moves me and what I’m passionate about,” he shares, “and I feel that by shining a light on them I’m doing something good.”
Once the subject is chosen, the real work begins. As alluded to earlier, crafting a quality showcase mixtape takes more than just compiling hit records and dumping them on a disc. J.Period actually does his with the artists, not just for the artists, and actually sits down with them and conducts an interview. He asks about their early and current inspirations, gets behind-the-scenes stories from some of their popular songs and asks their opinions on things going on in music today. “I basically walk them through their whole career,” he says, “and it becomes more like an autobiography in their own words and music. It’s not just a mixtape, it tells the whole story.” Some artists are understandably harder to catch up with than others (“I’m working on ‘The Best Of Mary J. Blige‘ right now, and I had a tremendous amount of trouble scheduling the interview because she’s so busy. Shit, she’s Mary J. Blige!”), but J.Period goes through it ’cause it’s part of the method he uses to concoct his sonic masterpieces.
Then there’s the actual song selection. This is easily the most tedious part of the entire process, because not only does the DJ have to scour an artist’s entire catalogue for its highlights, they also have to make sense of it all. It ain’t easy like back in the day, when you could just throw in that 90-minute maxell tape, hit record and let your favorite songs ride. It’s a science, nigga. “I’m not a mixtape DJ that just throws one song on after the next, I make my shit blend like your were out at the club — it mixes together and there’s a flow to it,” J.Period explains. “It’s like a good story or a good movie, there’s a flow to the way it goes. It might start off really hot and fast and then go down a little bit before coming back up for a big crescendo. I treat [my mixtapes] like that.” On top of that, J.Period even goes as far as digging up acapellas and flipping them over new beats, or even creating fresh beats from scratch to make a true exclusive. It’s this type of hard work that makes a J.Period mixtape unforgettable.
“If you were to ask me what separates my mixtapes from somebody else’s, I’d just give you one and say ‘Here, pop it in‘ because I can’t really explain it,” he admits. “I want every mixtape I make to be a classic; some shit you can still bump ten years from now. I’m a crazy perfectionist with my shit. I’ll stay up all night for seven, eight nights in a row just to get my shit the way I want it to be before I put it out. There’s only a handful of DJs whose mixtapes you’ll still want to listen to ten years from now, and I’m working hard to be one of ‘em.”
J.Period understands the importance of hard work, and that’s why he’s major. So get on your job, slob, and maybe you can be major, too.
